Eating back your calories

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cherylastone1
cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am new here (less than 1 month) and having a lot of success. I am currently set at 1910 calories to lose 1# a week. I have lost 8 so far. I am eating 3 meals a day, with some snacks, not always. I am eating lots of lean protein, veggies, watching carbs. I eat when I am hungry, don't when I'm not. Trying to eat healthier and less is really what I'm doing. The calorie count MFP has me set at is a HUGE help to me (and I realize it will adjust as I lose weight) in tracking my food choices. Knowing I can eat only 1910 calories a day to lose 1# a week helps me make BETTER choices. I am staying full, and feeling good. NOW ... having said all of that, I try to exercise 3-4 times a week. So I find after exercise, I am left with calories. Last night, I was left with almost 800 calories I could 'eat back'. My husband and I stopped for a small vanilla shake at Sonic (a REAL TREAT for me - haven't had one in like, forever). I still was left with 300+ calories. Am I supposed to "eat those back" and why? Will NOT eating those back hinder my weight loss?

Replies

  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
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    Yesterday was a good day for getting to the Y and I was hungry all day but I did not eat all the caloriesw back. I wonder the same thing. I did eat when I felt hungry but I think for the most part I choose healthy food. Everyone talks about your body going into stavation mode if you don't consume enough calories. I been having good results too and been eating some of the calories back if I feel hungry or low on energy. I was very sleepy after my work out that I actually took a nap. Good luck with deciding what to do about the caloris for working out.
  • cior
    cior Posts: 133 Member
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    I am wondering the same thing! Good luck with your weight loss. Sounds like you are doing great thus far!
  • adamb83
    adamb83 Posts: 719 Member
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    I am new here (less than 1 month) and having a lot of success. I am currently set at 1910 calories to lose 1# a week. I have lost 8 so far. I am eating 3 meals a day, with some snacks, not always. I am eating lots of lean protein, veggies, watching carbs. I eat when I am hungry, don't when I'm not. Trying to eat healthier and less is really what I'm doing. The calorie count MFP has me set at is a HUGE help to me (and I realize it will adjust as I lose weight) in tracking my food choices. Knowing I can eat only 1910 calories a day to lose 1# a week helps me make BETTER choices. I am staying full, and feeling good. NOW ... having said all of that, I try to exercise 3-4 times a week. So I find after exercise, I am left with calories. Last night, I was left with almost 800 calories I could 'eat back'. My husband and I stopped for a small vanilla shake at Sonic (a REAL TREAT for me - haven't had one in like, forever). I still was left with 300+ calories. Am I supposed to "eat those back" and why? Will NOT eating those back hinder my weight loss?

    If you're eating your calorie goal the majority of days, it's not going to make or break you to be off (under or over) every once in a while. Personally, I do eat back most (not all) of my exercise calories, because when you exercise - your body is using up that extra energy that would have normally gone toward regular every-day body function/fuel. So, you definitely don't want to burn 500 calories and not eat at least some of it back... it could cause stagnation in your weight loss.

    Hope that helps. :)
  • MamaSonyaP
    MamaSonyaP Posts: 90 Member
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    When making your goals on MFP, they have allotted the amount of calories for you to reach your goal in 5 weeks. It seems like an obvious choice to come WAY under your calorie goal for the day to lose weight, but in fact it will only harm you. A person's body will go through something called 'ketosis'.

    This is from Wikipedia; very science-y, but I'll explain...

    During prolonged fasting or starvation, acetyl-CoA in the liver is used to produce ketone bodies instead, leading to a state of ketosis.

    During starvation or a long physical training session, the body starts using fatty acids instead of glucose. The brain cannot use long-chain fatty acids for energy because they are completely albumin-bound and cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Not all medium-chain fatty acids are bound to albumin.

    Ok, ladies and gents, what this means is that if you aren't eating back your calories, then your body may feel like you're starving, therefore it clings on to the fat stores instead of burning the readily available glucose. Which means...you may actually will STOP losing weight! Your body needs calories to work out, so you lose calories. Just make sure it's QUALITY calories, and not QUANTITY!

    So, everyone, make your goals, eat back your calories and enjoy the shred!
  • khagador
    khagador Posts: 175 Member
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    I find MFPs exercise calories to be off. If you do plan on eating back your calories from exercise, you need to make sure that you aren't overestimating how many calories you burned. Best bet is to get a HRM.

    On eating back calories, MFP lists your calories you need to lose 1 lb/week based on your current lifestyle (aka active, sedentary), with no exercise. If you exercise and don't eat back those calories, you'll lose weight faster. If you do eat back the calories, you'll still be losing 1 lb/week.
  • mugsy1335
    mugsy1335 Posts: 8
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    Agreed, MFP calories are way off, get a heart monitor and it will keep better track of your calories burning, that way if you do go over and eat your excercise points back you wont be going over it (because you used the MFP calorie count) and therefore defeating the whole purpose of burning it it the first place. I personally dont believe in the your body goes into starvation mode if you dont eat back your calories, I personally have a hard time just reaching my regular calories intake ,let alone adding more from the excercise I do, I say do what feels good to you, if you want to treat yourself every once in awhile and eat back your excerise calories go for it, but if you dont, than dont sweat it either.
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
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    If you have your goal set to 1lb per week that means that MFP took your maintenance calories for your weight and subtracted 500 calories creating a defict of 3500 calories per week. 3500 is the amount of calories you need to burn to lose 1lb. If you exercise then the amount of calories you burn is adding to your defict.

    example. you have to eat 2410 calories to maintain your current weight but you want to lose 1 lb per week. MFP calculates that you need to eat 1910 calories per day to reach that goal. you decide that you want to add exercise to you lifestyle you average 5 days burning 350 calories. When you do that it makes your defict 750 calories per day which you can do 1 of 2 things with.

    1. you can not eat back the calories and lose an average of 1.5 lbs per week.

    2. eat back those calories and still lose 1lb per week.
  • cherylastone1
    cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks - I just keep seeing posts about "eating back your calories" and am struggling to understand how the body deals with all of this.
  • cherylastone1
    cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks - that makes tons of sense. I guess that Sonic vanilla shake wasn't the most sensible way to eat back some of those calories, but it sure was good ! Now that I know what's going on, I'll be more careful about it!
  • cherylastone1
    cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    When making your goals on MFP, they have allotted the amount of calories for you to reach your goal in 5 weeks. It seems like an obvious choice to come WAY under your calorie goal for the day to lose weight, but in fact it will only harm you. A person's body will go through something called 'ketosis'.

    This is from Wikipedia; very science-y, but I'll explain...

    During prolonged fasting or starvation, acetyl-CoA in the liver is used to produce ketone bodies instead, leading to a state of ketosis.

    During starvation or a long physical training session, the body starts using fatty acids instead of glucose. The brain cannot use long-chain fatty acids for energy because they are completely albumin-bound and cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Not all medium-chain fatty acids are bound to albumin.

    Ok, ladies and gents, what this means is that if you aren't eating back your calories, then your body may feel like you're starving, therefore it clings on to the fat stores instead of burning the readily available glucose. Which means...you may actually will STOP losing weight! Your body needs calories to work out, so you lose calories. Just make sure it's QUALITY calories, and not QUANTITY!

    So, everyone, make your goals, eat back your calories and enjoy the shred!

    Thanks - that makes tons of sense. I guess that Sonic vanilla shake wasn't the most sensible way to eat back some of those calories, but it sure was good ! Now that I know what's going on, I'll be more careful about it!
  • cherylastone1
    cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    I am new here (less than 1 month) and having a lot of success. I am currently set at 1910 calories to lose 1# a week. I have lost 8 so far. I am eating 3 meals a day, with some snacks, not always. I am eating lots of lean protein, veggies, watching carbs. I eat when I am hungry, don't when I'm not. Trying to eat healthier and less is really what I'm doing. The calorie count MFP has me set at is a HUGE help to me (and I realize it will adjust as I lose weight) in tracking my food choices. Knowing I can eat only 1910 calories a day to lose 1# a week helps me make BETTER choices. I am staying full, and feeling good. NOW ... having said all of that, I try to exercise 3-4 times a week. So I find after exercise, I am left with calories. Last night, I was left with almost 800 calories I could 'eat back'. My husband and I stopped for a small vanilla shake at Sonic (a REAL TREAT for me - haven't had one in like, forever). I still was left with 300+ calories. Am I supposed to "eat those back" and why? Will NOT eating those back hinder my weight loss?

    Thanks - I just keep seeing posts about "eating back your calories" and am struggling to understand how the body deals with all of this.

    If you're eating your calorie goal the majority of days, it's not going to make or break you to be off (under or over) every once in a while. Personally, I do eat back most (not all) of my exercise calories, because when you exercise - your body is using up that extra energy that would have normally gone toward regular every-day body function/fuel. So, you definitely don't want to burn 500 calories and not eat at least some of it back... it could cause stagnation in your weight loss.

    Hope that helps. :)
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Thanks - that makes tons of sense. I guess that Sonic vanilla shake wasn't the most sensible way to eat back some of those calories, but it sure was good ! Now that I know what's going on, I'll be more careful about it!

    Meh, enjoy yourself once in awhile. When I'm on a diet, calories are calories to me, not good vs bad. It hasn't hindered my weight loss. Though some would disagree, since processed fatty foods definitely aren't as good for you as the healthy ones...
  • lk27
    lk27 Posts: 267 Member
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    I only eat my exercise calories if I am hungry. If I'm not I don't see the point in eating them. I let my body tell me.

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