Eat back calories????????

I have the same question lol. I try to just eat when I am hungry. And sometimes when I think I am hungry I have green tea or a big glass of water because that feeling of hunger is quite often thirst (especially if you are working out a lot) Drinking often curbs that hunger. There are days when I eat them back and others when I don't. I always feel better when I don't; like I am accomplishing more. lol

1200 calories is usually the minimum people should eat. You might lose some weight at 1000 calories, but you will probably get stuck at some point because your body needs to eat more.

The closer you are to goal .... the more important eating back your exercise calories will be.

I NEVER NET below 1200 calories. I'm average height .... so 1200 is the bare minimum for basic bodily functions. Read posts re: hair loss..... scary. Very petite ladies may be able to make 1000 NET work.

The reason I eat my calories back

1. I have 15 pounds to lose not 50.
2. I want to keep ALL my existing muscle mass. This is very important for me (50+ years old). Besides, if I am going to workout .... I want to SEE some results. I don't want to eat way too few calories & have existing muscle being used as fuel. Skinny-fat .... no thanks.

I don't know a whole lot but from what I understand, if you eat too few calories, it will put your body in starvation mode and store the fat. What I have been told is to make healthier choices when you do eat and to eat something every cpl of hours to keep your metabolism working. I am confused about the eating exercise calories back too, some days I do and some I don't. My guess is your body needs more fuel when you exercise. Hopefully someone can explain.

At 33 your BMR is going to be a damn sight higher than 1000 or even 1200 calories, let alone your TDEE. This is a marathon and not a sprint - if you want your weightloss to be sustainable take it more slowly as erickirb suggested.

Yes eat your calories back..1000 calories is NOT enough..also eat healthy, thi srelaly shouldnt be about losing x amount of weight it should be about being healthy. A healthy weight is the result of good eating and excercise habits, not a pill, NOT a surgery etc.If your only goal is to lose ten pounds you will accomplish that here if once youve lost it you go back to your old ways youll gain it back plus ten..

I would think you are not eatting enough and therefore should eat your calories back.

I know you are trying to look wonderful (which you already do) for your wedding and you will probably lose the weight but as soon as you get back, unless you keep eatting so little you are just going to gain all the weight back and probably more! If you want to be heathly in your new upcoming life, I would make sure you are NETTING 1200 each day. Fill it with fruits, veggies and protein.
Not only will you look great on your wedding day in terms of your body but you beautiful on the inside and out!

Go to the serach function and read all the comments....everyone is different on here and 95% are not experts...only offering advice on what we have bought into! I don't always eat all my exercise calories back...but I do make sure that I am always netting 1200 calories.......

Best of luck and congratulations on your upcoming big day!!!!

You should be eating a minimum of 1200 calories to begin and then also your exercise cals so that you are NETTING 1200 cals..otherwise your body will think it is starving and will actually have the opposite effect you are going for..your body will STORE calories and fat. I understand it is very scary to eat your exercise calories back but it is absolutely necessary!

Best of luck!:flowerforyou:

^^ This. Also, welcome to what feels like the most asked question on MFP. The answer does not change. (^.^)



To be fair, though, I wondered about this at first as well. Trust me (And most everyone else in this thread) If you aren't eating enough, you will not lose. Best of luck on both your weight loss and the wedding!

yes, sounds about right.

I'm going to try this also. Reading up on this, it's made me think, and reviewing my calorie intake on my week of biggest weight loss, I was consistenly around 2k/day, up to 2500.

Pushed up my limit to 2k/day, and did 2400 today.. mmm.. burger for dinner.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/539912-why-eating-exercise-calories-is-so-important?error_user_id=16331858&error_username=Manabug01&hl=Why+eating+exercise+calories+is+so+important


Someone should make this a sticky.

Agreed. This was an excellent post.

Everyone is different in my opinion and what works for one, might not work for another. Something I've been doing and lost 15lbs in 3 months is Eating for my goal weight. I researched what a 130lb woman my height would need to eat in calories to maintain her weight and set my MFP to that. for me it is a 250 deficit from my maintenence calories which means every day I should lose something. Then I don't eat back my excercise calories as it is additional weight lose and icing on the cake. :P This also helps me establish good eating habits as I will have to eat like this forever to maintain my weight. it also stops me from planning to excercise and then not and going over my calories. (which i have been known to do) I also aim to eat a clean diet of no processed foods, but do have one cheat day. I also eat 3 meals and 3 snacks (including desert) keeps the metabolism going and not worrying about starving. I LOVE THIS! the weight has just melted off in recent partly due to my anniversary comming up and a new goal of burning 500 calories a day in excercise. P>S get a heart rate monitor if you don't have one. Best money spent.

I do make sure I am not going below 1100 calories even with excercise.

so I was on the 1200 cal thing for a while then I stopped losing (and yes I was eating it all back) then I decided to up it to 1400 and see what happens, for 2 weeks i gained about 4 lbs and then on the 3-4th week i lost all of it and plus 2lbs, so more=better, I love getting the extra food after working out it is like a reward lol