Do you always eat the calories you earn??

Options
1246

Replies

  • CallmeSbo
    CallmeSbo Posts: 611 Member
    Options
    Each and every single last one of them... It helped me lose the 40 pounds I gained after I had my babies and now I've maintained that weight for almost a year... thank god it works for me... I can't imagine not eating the 3000-4000 calories I burn a week!!! I guess it's different for everyone...

    That's a lie, isn't it?
    Your diary is public and you don't eat your calories back.
    On Saturday you had only 2 meals and 1,201 calories left! on friday 626 cal, on Wednesday 1,574 cal and so on...
  • kschr201
    kschr201 Posts: 219 Member
    Options
    I didn't before I got my HRM because I knew MFP overestimated so much.

    But now I eat back about 90% of the way. Listen to yourself, if you're truly hungry (not bored...) eat something.
  • whatshewants
    whatshewants Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    I try not to but I feel less bad if I do. If I have to still hit my nutrient goals for the day then I try to do that, at least. But my goal is to not do that, especially if I've hit nutrient goals for the day. Basically, I'll do it if I'm super hungry. Depends on how many calories I've lost.
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Options
    It's really difficult to know what to do.

    In the last 10 days that I've been logging (although I've been dieting for 2 weeks) I've gained and lost the same two pounds several times--this morning, I'm back up14 oz from yesterday. I can't seem to break below 170.

    I come on MFP--people tell me to eat my calories back. I go to the gym and my trainer tells me to stay at my daily caloric goal and to replace my evening meal with a protein shake (which I did not do yesterday--it was a "cheat" day, although I stayed below calories burned). Some days, like yesterday, I burn so many calories that my body pretty much tells me, "Eat or else." Other days, I don't feel as if I can poke another bite of food down my gullet.

    If it weren't for my 1.3% body fat loss since last week--I'd totally lose my dieting mind.
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    I just posted this yesterday on my wall, because I was confused. I do believe the people who say that you should eat them back. I believe in at least trying to eat half of them back. I don't want to do anything to hurt my body in the long run. Yes, I want to lose weight, and yes, I would love to lose a lot very quickly, but that isn't good for my body, in the long run. It is better to lose slower, and stay healthier altogether. I am very impatient, and 1-2 lbs a week seems like so little...but, it is better than 0 lbs. I trust the people who have come before me, and I don't believe MFP would even have those additional calories added, if it was the wrong thing to do. I can't afford a nutritionist or a personal trainer, so I am using this site and the people on it for support, and for suggestions.
  • melhayes1115
    melhayes1115 Posts: 187 Member
    Options
    Depends on how much I work out. I find that if I burn more than 700 calories during a workout, I have a harder time eating that much extra during the day. If I only burn 200-300, I eat the extra.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Options
    My understanding is that it really depends on how much you have to lose. If you are overweight then you can have a higher deficit and so not eating them back is an option as your body has the fat to feed off, if you are close to your target weight, say 20lbs or less, then you should eat them as you need to maintain a smaller deficit to ensure you are losing fat and not lean mass.

    I only have 10lbs to lose and when I wasn't eating them back I lost NOTHING, now I am eating them all back I am steadily losing.
  • kschr201
    kschr201 Posts: 219 Member
    Options

    If it weren't for my 1.3% body fat loss since last week--I'd totally lose my dieting mind.

    Not all losses are scale losses. I'd say good job!
  • Sophie983
    Sophie983 Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    Each and every single last one of them... It helped me lose the 40 pounds I gained after I had my babies and now I've maintained that weight for almost a year... thank god it works for me... I can't imagine not eating the 3000-4000 calories I burn a week!!! I guess it's different for everyone...

    That's a lie, isn't it?
    Your diary is public and you don't eat your calories back.
    On Saturday you had only 2 meals and 1,201 calories left! on friday 626 cal, on Wednesday 1,574 cal and so on...

    WOW!!!! :noway: Thats pretty crappy. :explode: Glad to see your diary is private so nobody can see, and you are going to attack somebody like that. you should be ashamed, she knows what she is doing, and she does not have to explain to anybody her methods for each day! Keep doing what works for you, and dont let people like this bother you!

    I am not ashamed at all. Why should I be? Because I was curious what's she's eating? Oh please! That is how we learn! Like I said before, I have trouble eating everything back, therefore I checked her diary - to look for some reasonable and healthy choices.
    She doesn't need to explain anything to me, but she didn't use past tense or any tense ("Each and every single last one of them). I am not english and that's why I'm even more careful about things like that.
    I do apologize, BUT she is not eating all the calories back. She did.
    And I am truly sorry that I checked her diary for some inspiration. Bad, bad me.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Options
    But to put it simply. YES, you should eat them to lose weight healthily. That is the entire reason MFP adds them back for you. This isn't just a "mistake" on the system set up - it has been set up like that because it is what is recommended.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Options
    I come on MFP--people tell me to eat my calories back. I go to the gym and my trainer tells me to stay at my daily caloric goal and to replace my evening meal with a protein shake (which I did not do yesterday--it was a "cheat" day, although I stayed below calories burned). Some days, like yesterday, I burn so many calories that my body pretty much tells me, "Eat or else." Other days, I don't feel as if I can poke another bite of food down my gullet.

    If it weren't for my 1.3% body fat loss since last week--I'd totally lose my dieting mind.

    Have you explained to your trainer that MFP already includes a deficit?
  • kimysc
    kimysc Posts: 12
    Options
    No, never. I don't need the extra calories that are earned by exercise.
  • wish21
    wish21 Posts: 602 Member
    Options
    This is why you should eat them back...

    First off, you should know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). That's the amount of calories your body needs just to keep all your organs functioning... your lungs breathing, your heart beating, your kidneys and liver filtering, your spleen doing... whatever it is spleens do. It's what you'd burn if you were completely at rest, as if you were in a coma. The second you wake up, the second you get out of bed, you burn more than that. Your BMR plus the amount of calories you burn in a normal day, is your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

    You need to eat less than your TDEE to lose weight. If you go into your "goals" page - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals - it will tell you what your body burns from normal daily activity. As a lightly active, 5'5" 39 year old weighing 133#, my BMR is only 1,279, but my TDEE is 1730.

    Generally speaking... If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal (1000 calorie deficit). If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal (750 calorie deficit). If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal (500 calories). If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal (500-250). If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal (250).

    If I wanted to lose one pound a week (in theory... I know I can't lose that much now and it would put me below my BMR), I'd eat 1230. That's 500 calories less than 1730. If I exercise like I did Friday, burning about 400 calories, my TDEE for the day is 2130. If I only ate 1230, my calorie deficit for the day would no longer be 500 calories, it would be 900, and that's way, way, way too much.

    With too large of a calorie deficit, your body thinks, "Hey! What the hell are you doing to me?" It might decide to hold onto your fat. It might decide to slow down your other body functions as a way to preserve energy (ie, slow your metabolism). It might decide to use your muscle for fuel.

    That's what happened to me when I ate low calorie and didn't understand that increased activity demands increased calories. Years ago, at 130#, I was skinnyfat with a muffin top and backfat rolls, and wore a size 8. This time around, eating enough to preserve my muscle mass, I'm a little more than 130# (133# at last check) and in a size 2 or 4. And as you can tell by my photos, there's no backfat or muffin top. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/449570-mfp-mythbusters-losing-weight-fast-exercise-calories-girl

    YOU are a lifesaver. Thank You for explaining!!!!!!!!
  • Sophie983
    Sophie983 Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    Each and every single last one of them... It helped me lose the 40 pounds I gained after I had my babies and now I've maintained that weight for almost a year... thank god it works for me... I can't imagine not eating the 3000-4000 calories I burn a week!!! I guess it's different for everyone...

    That's a lie, isn't it?
    Your diary is public and you don't eat your calories back.
    On Saturday you had only 2 meals and 1,201 calories left! on friday 626 cal, on Wednesday 1,574 cal and so on...

    WOW! You must not have much to do on a Sunday to start accusing people of lying....This is why all my stuff is private because of snoopers like you.

    I couldn't care less.
    Like I said in my previous post ... I loved the fact that she said that she eats everything back. I have trouble doing that, therefore I checked her diary. If that's snooping, than so be it. I thought that diaries are open, so other people can get ideas.

    I am sorry for accusing you of lying. I am sorry that I thought that you are writing in present tense and I am sorry that I checked your diary.
    I learned my lesson. :D
  • TrefG
    TrefG Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Normally I eat some back, but rarely more than half.
  • GemmaRowlands
    GemmaRowlands Posts: 360 Member
    Options
    I don't really see the point in eating for the sake if you don't really need energy to do much in the evening. If you were going to an exercise class later in the day then you should probably eat them but otherwise I tend to look at food and exercise as separate entities and always have done.
  • smplycomplicated
    smplycomplicated Posts: 484 Member
    Options
    I'm never able to. I have a hard time meeting my set calorie goal much less trying to hit 3,000. It seems i eat about 1200-1400 cal. a day. I'm not watching every lil calorie i consume, it just seems to always work out that way. I eat when i'm hungry, and i eat until i'm no longer hungry. I'm probably doing it wrong, but that's ok..as long as i'm doing it healthy.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Options
    I worry about eating them...........and then I worry about NOT eating them.....

    Oh yeah, that is a problem! ;)

    I am not allowed to eat back calories. The point of exercise is to increase the burn of extra body weight! I suppose anyway. I have always been told not to. My doctor does not want me to. So I don't.
    I guess a good rule of thumb is to eat when you're hungry! But listen for the signal to stop when you are full!
  • MenaMena
    MenaMena Posts: 232 Member
    Options
    I have only been doing the plan a month and I do not as a rule use them but there have been a couple days that I went over my limit that it was nice to know that I had that "cushion". I am really trying to approach this as an opportunity to learn how to manage my life forever, not just to lose weight, so I am trying to stick to the guidelines.

    What I am noticing though that scales differ on how many calories are used during exercise, so you should probably exercise some caution if you choose to use them.

    Good luck on making your decision.
  • Armygirl67
    Armygirl67 Posts: 177 Member
    Options
    Never ever ever. They are not bonus calories. If you eat the calories you just burnt of what was the point of exercising? I am very strict- zero junk, never go over calories limit and exercise is a daily bonus not to be used.

    This...



    When i ate half of my calories back for 3-weeks, i`ve gained 4-lbs, that i still wasn`t able to lose..
    I would never eat my excircise calories back, ever again...

Categories