EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES......(if you burn a lot)
Replies
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Please explain. When you lose weight, you lose body fat. Now, if you mean doing cardio all day and losing LBM, that is something different.
I ate all my exercise calories while losing weight, it worked for me. Now I'm trying to lose body fat (not necessarily weight, per se), and I find it a whole different ball game. I can't eat my exercise calories.... :sad:So if i burn 800, only eat back 200?...
I don't under stand how losing bodyfat would be some different procedure then losing weight.
This is going to confuse matters!! I'm just trying to address the person I've quoted here (!)
You are right--not a different procedure, I guess I mean that things have changed for MY body (I'm not sure how to even explain it!). I was losing weight for months eating my exercise calories and got to my goal weight (which I'm at now, and have been for almost a year) then I've been trying to lose body fat (and will likely lose some weight) but I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, I'm getting smaller and leaner, weighing the same (because of a small amount of muscle gain, about a pound every two months). I'm trying to be smaller, not necessarily weigh less. I am trying to increase LBM and lower fat.... GAD!! Sorry, I can barely explain this!!!!!!!!!!
1. Don't go into a massive calorie deficit.
2. Lift weight to increase LBM.
3. Use cardio as a means of conditioning and not a means of creating a calorie deficit.0 -
That is the exactly why I said, slowly increase by 200 calorie increments.So if i burn 800, only eat back 200?...
No. If you burn 800, you eat back 800.
However, be sure that you really burn 800. Don't trust MFP or the machines.
Buy a good HRM in which you can enter all your stats (age, weight, gender, height, VO2max).
This will give you a more accurate number of calories burned.0 -
That is the exactly why I said, slowly increase by 200 calorie increments.So if i burn 800, only eat back 200?...
No. If you burn 800, you eat back 800.
However, be sure that you really burn 800. Don't trust MFP or the machines.
Buy a good HRM in which you can enter all your stats (age, weight, gender, height, VO2max).
This will give you a more accurate number of calories burned.
Ok! Sorry, I missed that part.0 -
If you burn 800 calories then eat 800 calories then youve probably just thrown away 90% of your fat loss.
No, no, no!!!
It's not the Biggest Loser! It's not a race, it's a lifestyle change! It's meant to be slow!0 -
Please explain. When you lose weight, you lose body fat. Now, if you mean doing cardio all day and losing LBM, that is something different.
I ate all my exercise calories while losing weight, it worked for me. Now I'm trying to lose body fat (not necessarily weight, per se), and I find it a whole different ball game. I can't eat my exercise calories.... :sad:So if i burn 800, only eat back 200?...
I don't under stand how losing bodyfat would be some different procedure then losing weight.
This is going to confuse matters!! I'm just trying to address the person I've quoted here (!)
You are right--not a different procedure, I guess I mean that things have changed for MY body (I'm not sure how to even explain it!). I was losing weight for months eating my exercise calories and got to my goal weight (which I'm at now, and have been for almost a year) then I've been trying to lose body fat (and will likely lose some weight) but I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight, I'm getting smaller and leaner, weighing the same (because of a small amount of muscle gain, about a pound every two months). I'm trying to be smaller, not necessarily weigh less. I am trying to increase LBM and lower fat.... GAD!! Sorry, I can barely explain this!!!!!!!!!!
1. Don't go into a massive calorie deficit.
2. Lift weight to increase LBM.
3. Use cardio as a means of conditioning and not a means of creating a calorie deficit.
1. Will try not to (changed my tactics recently, so don't bother looking at my diary!!
2. Doing for 5 months (following NROLFW) and any advice Lyle McDonald et al offer.
3. Definitely NOT doing (training for a half marathon just because I want to!! Not because I want to eat!)
Thank you... (will stop hijacking thread now!)0 -
Dont eat them back. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) takes into account calories burned during exercise already. Thats why it asks for your activity level.
Eating back exercise calories will just slow your progress. If you feel fine and your workouts arent lacking, dont eat them.
The caloric burn on the cardio machines is a loose estimate at best. They can be very inaccurate.
Don't say stupid thing.
People have to understand that we don't ''need'' to exercise to lose weight.
It's all about calorie deficit and we do that with food (eating less).
However, we exercise to be healthier and to avoid becoming skinny fat.
Exercises make muscles, tone that flabby skin and reduce body fat %.
Not eating the calories back leads to a slower metabolism and then a plateau.
THAT slows down the progress.
It's a lifestyle change not a race.
It has to be slow and steady.
^ that0 -
I always read these same arguments over and over and it doesnt need to be this way. Look, everyone is different on here. our bodies act differently than others. If you running large defecits and you have 800 left on the table, try maybe eating back half at first. If your stalling in weightloss change it up from time to time. Eat back all whether your hungry or not. Find higher caloric healthy foods to eat like protein supp or nuts etc. Bottom line is, learn to listen and notice what your body is telling you. Escpecially when it comes to stalled weightloss. Ive been changing things up for myself lately due to stalled weightloss and it seems to be working for me right now but I know Im going to have to change them up again soon. Its a good time now to learn more about your body and what to feed it and how to notice changes.0
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I always read these same arguments over and over and it doesnt need to be this way. Look, everyone is different on here. our bodies act differently than others. If you running large defecits and you have 800 left on the table, try maybe eating back half at first. If your stalling in weightloss change it up from time to time. Eat back all whether your hungry or not. Find higher caloric healthy foods to eat like protein supp or nuts etc. Bottom line is, learn to listen and notice what your body is telling you. Escpecially when it comes to stalled weightloss. Ive been changing things up for myself lately due to stalled weightloss and it seems to be working for me right now but I know Im going to have to change them up again soon. Its a good time now to learn more about your body and what to feed it and how to notice changes.
... such good advice.... hard to learn (to listen to your body) for some people (read: me), but this is just such good advice...0 -
Funny... When I lost my weight six years ago I found eating 1500 calories six days a week then eating 5000 on the seventh had a profound effect on my weight. Mind you I was doing an hour cardio daily at 240 pounds and I did an hour cardio daily for a good year. I was lifting 3-4 days like I am now BUT the only change was my diet. Add in more protein, take out more fat and in more carbs it was all a learning process for my body.
When I started maintenance I added back 100 calories per week from my weekly average and ended up eating 1800 per day after a while plus my 5000 on the one day.
I have never eaten my exercise calories just varied my calories.
Nothing works forever and what worked for me to lose the weight six years is now a myth I honestly know the principles but with a whopping 50 pounds on me I have gained from 140 lbs with muscle I have learned what matters most is how you feel, perform if these are to your liking then be happy and continue on and change your eating plan accordingly.
Sometimes NOT exercising as much and NOT eating back calories works too. Its not all about the burn but a balance.
I have found when I burn 800 I find myself constantly hungry and no matter how much I eat I am on empty.
Listen to your body its your best doctor, trainer and nutritionist.0 -
This is not meant to be a diet, it's meant to be a sustainable lifestyle change, and you don't want to feel hungry for the rest of your life, so no, you don't need to feel hungry.
As for the calories, MFP has alreday set a deficit for you to lose weight, even without exercise, so if you are exercising on top you are making the deficit larger. There is no need to increase it and you can eat back all the exercise calories if you want, as the calorie deficit you set to lose your target (0.5lb, 1lb etc) will still be there.
I don't agree with this. If you eat back 100% of your exercise calories, you will not lose the prdicted amount that MFP suggests. The reason is that the calories burned will very likely be over-estimated to a degree and your food consumed will probably be slightly under-estimated, in terms of calories actually consumed.
I eat back some but definitely not all of my exercise cals and this has worked for me, just fine. Listen to your own body... if you are hungry: eat. If you are not hungry but have 300 calories left over for the day: don't eat for the sake of it and eating back all of your calories.
Also wanted to say that a lot of people write that it is not sustainable over a long time to have a large deficit. Why would it need to be?? When you reach target you should be maintaining, not running at a large deficit...?
Good luck
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Lol woww!0
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This is why I view my calorie consumption over a week rather than a day. I aim to have a 7,000 calorie deficit over a week, and i am aiming to achieve that by 3,500 calories in exercise (3 gym workouts and a long walk at the weekend are getting me roughly there!) and 3,500 calories through cutting down on food. If I viewed it on a daily basis, MFP would be telling me to eat 2000 calroies on the days i go to the gym and 1200 on the days i don't - I'd rather have 1,600 on both days 0
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Let me give you one example: 2 weeks back I went for a 200 km Brevet bike ride wherein I burnt over 6600 calories...I had to eat back a lot of these..otherwise I would have lost muscle and body fluids.
I guess if you want to lose weight you should have some deficit in calories..even during maintenance one must have deficit in order to counter unexpected binging or sodium overload on certain days.0 -
Bump 0
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You can and you SHOULD eat them back because you'll slow down your metabolism too much.
Do you want a messed up metabolism?
How do you know you will mess up your metabolism? Your metabolism actually does not change up all that much... Lifting improves it but not by much.
The reason metabolism changes over time is because as we age we lose muscle and if you do not challenge the muscle with strength training your muscles do not grow. Food in a way does build muscle but lifting is where it counts while taking in protein.
I think our minds mess up our metabolisms more then we think.
Nelson,
"No one can tell you what you need to do. Not me, not this coach, not that trainer, not your mom, nor your significant other, not this fitness pro and not that expert. This process is truly one of introspection. We always want someone to tell us the answer or rescue us somehow. The humbling truth is that ultimately, there is no one that can do that for us. No magical plan or diet or coach or system. The “right” system for you will be the one you develop over time, on your own, based on your own unique insights, experiences and growth opportunities. The good news is that you get to create it–and it truly becomes what you make of it." - Jill Coleman0 -
You can still eat all your exercise calories and lose weight. I don't always eat mine back. Most days I eat some back. My general rule is: if I'm hungry or draggin' A, I eat. It's a lifestyle not a race to a number.0
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Dont eat them back. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) takes into account calories burned during exercise already. Thats why it asks for your activity level.
No it doesn't.
Not on the MFP site, other sites, yes, include estimating your workout calories in there. You might go remind yourself at the Settings - Diet/Fitness Profile.
But on MFP, you are intended to record your exercise activity, and since it is NOT in your daily maintenance, or non-exercise TDEE, and therefore eat them back.
Gotta learn how MFP works.
MFP is trying to give encouragement by you getting to log exercise, which includes calories, so you can visually see what you are doing.
Probably because they know too many would just select sedentary, and even the higher activity levels would leave you rather short for some of the workouts being done.0 -
Hi! I know you guys get this question a lot, but if you exercise and burn off around 800 calories in one workout - can you eat those calories back? Because it just feels like I'm wasting my gym workout.. and i feel full and not hungry. When you're dieting arent you suppose to feel hungry
You are not suppose to feel hungry when dieting. That being said, you need to determine your BMR and then factor your activity level in. If you're burning 800 calories per workout, I suspect your activity level is high. I also suggest your read this:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
THANK YOU, THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL.0 -
Bump..:happy:0
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If you burn 800 calories then eat 800 calories then youve probably just thrown away 90% of your fat loss.
No, no, no!!!
It's not the Biggest Loser! It's not a race, it's a lifestyle change! It's meant to be slow!
Is it? Says who? How slow?0 -
To anybody asking about eating back their exercise calories, be very, very careful that you know exactly how many you burned.
Many times calories burned are overestimated, sometimes severely so. Imagine thinking you had burned 800 calories, eat them all back and then find that in actual fact, your calorie burn was recorded wrongly and it was, in actual fact, just 400 to 500 you had burned.
Do that over the course of three months and you will be seeing a rise in weight.
Be wary of what you think you have burned.0 -
Dont eat them back. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) takes into account calories burned during exercise already. Thats why it asks for your activity level.
Eating back exercise calories will just slow your progress. If you feel fine and your workouts arent lacking, dont eat them.
The caloric burn on the cardio machines is a loose estimate at best. They can be very inaccurate.
Oh geez.0 -
Dont eat them back. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) takes into account calories burned during exercise already. Thats why it asks for your activity level.
Eating back exercise calories will just slow your progress. If you feel fine and your workouts arent lacking, dont eat them.
The caloric burn on the cardio machines is a loose estimate at best. They can be very inaccurate.
Nope, if you are using MFP to calculate calories, it suggests that your daily activity level doesn't include exercise, then you log (and eat) exercise calories separately.
However, if you've chosen to include your exercise in your daily activity level then you don't add (or eat) those calories, you don't want to count them twice.
The numbers will work out about the same, so you need to choose which way you prefer.0 -
If you burn 800 calories then eat 800 calories then youve probably just thrown away 90% of your fat loss.
No, no, no!!!
It's not the Biggest Loser! It's not a race, it's a lifestyle change! It's meant to be slow!
Is it? Says who? How slow?
Excluding the initial lost of water weight, you shouldn't lose more than 1% of you body weight per week. So, yes it's going to be slow. Let's say you're 250 lbs and want to be 150 lbs. For the first few weeks, you can lose 2.5 lbs at a healthy rate. Then, when you weight 200 lbs, you switch to 2 lbs a week. The closer you get to your ideal weight, the slower you can lose weight. I'm talking about losing it in a healthy way. So, losing 100 lbs would probably take up to a year.
The Biggest Loser is a TV show. It's not based on health, it's a race to win some title and money. Those contestants lose a LOT of muscle mass and end up with a LOT of saggy skin. Then they have to get surgery (and yes, you can die from surgery). Most of them end up gaining back the weight they lost on the show.0 -
no doubt, that's a waste, not necessary0
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This is why I view my calorie consumption over a week rather than a day. I aim to have a 7,000 calorie deficit over a week, and i am aiming to achieve that by 3,500 calories in exercise (3 gym workouts and a long walk at the weekend are getting me roughly there!) and 3,500 calories through cutting down on food. If I viewed it on a daily basis, MFP would be telling me to eat 2000 calroies on the days i go to the gym and 1200 on the days i don't - I'd rather have 1,600 on both days
THIS. It seems to me that looking at things on a macro level is a little more helpful than being a calorie Nazi every day. The numbers for exercise calories burned are iffy at best... What I'm going to try to do is eat when I'm hungry and not stuff myself just because MFP tells me I burned 800 extra calories today. At the end of the week, if I have a significant deficit, I'll have a big ol' cheat day and eat myself stupid, with no exercise at all. That should keep me on schedule. I understand the principle of keeping a sustained level of caloric intake, but geez... does that have to include stuffing yourself with calories every day, even when you're not hungry?!0 -
Hi! I know you guys get this question a lot, but if you exercise and burn off around 800 calories in one workout - can you eat those calories back? Because it just feels like I'm wasting my gym workout.. and i feel full and not hungry. When you're dieting arent you suppose to feel hungry
You are not suppose to feel hungry when dieting. That being said, you need to determine your BMR and then factor your activity level in. If you're burning 800 calories per workout, I suspect your activity level is high. I also suggest your read this:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
This post kinda made me wonder, then should you eat all of what you burned? I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't been eating my workout calories. Could this be why? Doesn't this seem... not intuitive? Shouldn't you just lose more weight?
I don't understand?0 -
This post kinda made me wonder, then should you eat all of what you burned? I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't been eating my workout calories. Could this be why? Doesn't this seem... not intuitive? Shouldn't you just lose more weight?
I don't understand?
Because you don't understand what your body does if underfed. Don't worry, most don't.
And yes, food calories minus exercise calories could leave your body underfed for the most basic functions of life that must be provided energy from food, because they cannot be obtained through fat stores.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/477703-why-bmr-should-be-known-as-an-important-figure0 -
Many times calories burned are overestimated, sometimes severely so. Imagine thinking you had burned 800 calories, eat them all back and then find that in actual fact, your calorie burn was recorded wrongly and it was, in actual fact, just 400 to 500 you had burned.
Do that over the course of three months and you will be seeing a rise in weight.
Be wary of what you think you have burned.
Exactly.
In addition, if you have lowered your metabolism by underfeeding, those calorie calculations, especially HRM's, are based on studies of healthy metabolisms. Shoot, they calculate your BMR from the stats you provide.
If you have forced yours to slow down, that calorie count on the HRM is over estimated too, it could be 20% less easily.
Easy to fix though.
Get your metabolism rev'd up again, burning as high as it can!0 -
Bump0
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