How important is it to "eat back" your exercise calories?

sma83
sma83 Posts: 479 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
This is confussing to me. It seems to me that eating fewer calories would be better. But Ive read a lot of people on here say you should eat back your exercise calories. Why? Does that really help you loose weight?

Replies

  • stitchinhippie
    stitchinhippie Posts: 55
    Good question. I've been wondering the same thing.
  • kylie71974
    kylie71974 Posts: 2
    that is a good question.
    I have been scanning everyones post and now i am a little confused.
    First week on here, i am eating 1300 calories a day and exercising hard for 2 x 1 hour sessions /day ....am and pm. according to the info supplied i work off about 1000 calories. isnt this a good thing?????
    I am a big woman - 124kilos and 176cm tall. i would think my body has enough fat to burn off without adding the extra food. i just cant get my head around the idea of eating more to lose weight.

    If this could be explained in lamens terms it would be appreciated
  • roberto28100
    roberto28100 Posts: 2
    From my understanding you need a base amount of calories in order to keep your metabolism up to burn the fat. The more active you are the more calories you need for this. This particular site will tack on calorie for calorie which is not necessary. When you signed up for this you had to input your activity level. If that has changed go and change that within your profile in order to get a more accurate calorie count. I do not eat my exercise calories and I have been losing weight at a some what steady pace. The best advice I have is to see a personal nutritionist that can give you specific details based on you and your life style.
  • miahtortilla
    miahtortilla Posts: 1
    When your body is burning and excessive number of calories and your consumption does not replace them at an acceptable rate then it can cause harm to your immune system and metabolism overall. If you were starving then your body would naturally react by actually slowing down your metabolism and conserving your supplies, like fat stores. You don't want to create a false state of starvation by over exercising your body and not replacing those calories. It can hinder your weight loss progress in the long term. You should trust your body, if you're burning more calories you're going to be hungrier and naturally want to replace them. I also personally find that if I'm not replacing those calories and drinking enough fluids then I often feel sluggish during my next workout.

    Here is an article about crash dieting and its affect on your health, although it's an extreme example the basic concepts still apply:
    http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20409933,00.html

    "Research suggests rapid weight loss can slow your metabolism, leading to future weight gain, and deprive your body of essential nutrients. What’s more, crash diets can weaken your immune system and increase your risk of dehydration, heart palpitations, and cardiac stress."
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
    i have no idea if i eat back my exercise calories or not. what i do is follow the OLIVIA METHOD (you can use the search button to find more) i have lost my weight this way, and don't have to worry about whether or not to eat back calories. it's simple and i <3 it! :smile:
  • kylie71974
    kylie71974 Posts: 2
    Thanks for all the information.

    I am not starving by any means yet so i will not eat back my calaroies at the moment. I could see in time i would need too though. I think i will lose 20 kilos first than change my method.

    Thanks again
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Personally I would starve.... if I didn't... I try to not eat all of them back though...
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 983 Member
    This is confussing to me. It seems to me that eating fewer calories would be better. But Ive read a lot of people on here say you should eat back your exercise calories. Why? Does that really help you loose weight?


    Read this (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics).... it's long, but informative....
    The paragraphs under the heading deficit will answer your question
  • Mariposa187
    Mariposa187 Posts: 344 Member
    It depends on you. Some people do and some dont. I only eat them if I am hungry and try to eat only half. You do what is best for you. Its not an exact science so you may lose more weight eating back some of your calories than others who lose weight not eating any of their calories back.
  • Hbenson99
    Hbenson99 Posts: 22
    Your body will tell you when you need to eat them back. The whole point of this is to understand your bodies needs because everyone is different.
  • erniemj
    erniemj Posts: 187 Member
    the age-old topic on here - MFP puts you at a daily calorie deficit already designed to help you lose weight, even if you don't exercise and you only eat your goal calories - if you exercise and burn more calories, you will have a larger daily deficit - and if you daily deficit is too large, your body starves - so yes, the program tells you to eat back your exercise calories for a reason - to fuel your body fully and efficiently to keep your metabolism working for you - not against you.
  • katcj
    katcj Posts: 32 Member
    Here's how I have got my head around this cos I couldn't see the point of eating them back before. However, now I see it this way..... my diet is what will make me lose weight, my exercise will make me fitter and hopefully tone me up. Once I have lost weight and reached my target, I should continue exercising to keep me fit and toned - but I won't want to lose weight.... so therefore, I will need to eat my calories burned through exercise to ensure I stay at my goal weight and not lose more.

    I guess while you're trying to lose weight you might think, well if I don't eat them back I'll lose more weight more quickly, but it's better to lose weight slowly so therefore, in my opinion at least, better to eat exercise calories back - or at least some of them! That's how I'm looking at it anyway - HTH :smile:
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    the age-old topic on here - MFP puts you at a daily calorie deficit already designed to help you lose weight, even if you don't exercise and you only eat your goal calories - if you exercise and burn more calories, you will have a larger daily deficit - and if you daily deficit is too large, your body starves - so yes, the program tells you to eat back your exercise calories for a reason - to fuel your body fully and efficiently to keep your metabolism working for you - not against you.

    Ditto!
  • sweetyedie
    sweetyedie Posts: 104 Member
    I agree. Eat only some if u are hungry. Of course I've only been with MFP for a couple of weeks, but so far that's worked for me.
  • RyanEParker
    RyanEParker Posts: 28
    Hi there,
    While I don't recommend eating up to the exact amount of calories that you've exercised away, keeping a small caloric deficit is certainly important. It has been shown that the best and most lasting form of weight loss is one that is done slowly. Something along the lines of 1lbs a week. This slow loss might be frustrating for many but is certainly the best way to approach permanent weight loss.

    Basically, keep your calorie deficit low so that your body doesn't think that its in a famine situation. I will keep burning fat until you hit the weight that you're happy with. If you have too high a calorie deficit then you can expect to have your body protest by lowering your metabolism and keeping your fat loss efforts at bay.

    I've personally lost 180lbs since Dec 2009. My blood pressure was 160/110, now its 120/80. My cholesterol was 256 mg/dL, now its 176mg/dL. I'm no longer Pre-Diabetic and I'm in the best shape of my life. It wasn't easy but I can say that everyone can do it if they have the right program.

    If you're interested in my story please head over to Zdiets.net

    Cheers.

    Ryan E. Parker
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