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Eating back exercise calories... what do you do?

GreekByMarriage
GreekByMarriage Posts: 320 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! I know this might be beating a dead horse... LOL... but I am new here and would love to know what is working for everyone else!

I am trying to make it to the gym every morning before work. I am doing the elliptical right now and am trying to come up with a strength training routine as well (that is a topic for another post LOL). Doing the elliptical, I am burning anywhere from 300-700 calories depending on how much time I have.

MFP has me eating 1200 calories, which on days I do not work out has been fine. On days I do work out, of course I am more hungry so I have been adding my exercise for the day but only adding in 75% of the calories I burn. So since I burned 601 calories today, my net is 1650 calories (601*75%=450 and then 1200+450=1650). Do you think this is reasonable? Should I be adding all of my exercise calories back?

Just wondering what you all think?

Replies

  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
    That's basically what I do... I eat back about 50-75 percent of exercise calories usually. It's working for me. I lose about .5-1 pound a week, which is my goal. I have it set to lose 0.5 a week because I am within 10 pounds of goal.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    I eat back 60-80% of them to allow for overcalculation. Working for me. 5lbs in two weeks thus far.
  • cesmith5
    cesmith5 Posts: 28
    i'm eating back about half to two thirds - hoping I'll see the results over the next few weeks
  • GreekByMarriage
    GreekByMarriage Posts: 320 Member
    I weigh 179 right now, would like to get down to 150... would LOVE to get down to 130 :-) So I am hoping to lose a bit more than a pound a week :-) I am just hoping this works. I tend to lose motivation easily if I do not see results!
  • jellymuffin
    jellymuffin Posts: 28
    I generally don't eat back any of my calories on the day but allow myself a small treat on a weekend if I have stuck to my daily target x
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
    I weigh 179 right now, would like to get down to 150... would LOVE to get down to 130 :-) So I am hoping to lose a bit more than a pound a week :-) I am just hoping this works. I tend to lose motivation easily if I do not see results!

    Sounds like you will lose more than a pound a week on 1200 calories doing what you are doing. I lose less because I have less to lose AND I eat around 1400 before exercise.
  • dwtouch4
    dwtouch4 Posts: 98
    I'm on a 1320 net calorie goal right now. I exercise 150-250 calories worth a day. I always try to have a net at the end of the day of being with in 50 cals of my goal. So basically I am eating most of my calories back. I don't feel hungry or deprived on this plan at all. Sometimes I may look for a small snack at the end of th day to get me up to my goal. This has worked well for me. From what I have read it is not advisable to not eat your calories back but of course everyone is different.
  • Carolyn_79
    Carolyn_79 Posts: 935 Member
    I weigh the exact same as you and also eat back only part of my exercise calories. I'm also set at 1200 a day.
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