Ok all you long time MFP users...do you.....

Masterofnone40
Masterofnone40 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Really try to eat all the calories back that you burn during exercise? I'm on target today (until I goof up) to have around 300 calories left from my daily recommended amount, and I haven't gone to the gym yet.
What do you guys do?

Thanks,
Kristin

Replies

  • jkldsmom
    jkldsmom Posts: 15
    I lose weight faster if I eat back at least most of my exercise calories. It also makes me feel less hungry the next day. If i exercise at night I eat something small that night and then eat the calories the next day when I am actually hungry. I also frequently zig zag calories - one day over, one day under..
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I lose weight faster if I eat back at least most of my exercise calories.

    Me too. I am at maintenance now and if I don't eat them back I start losing again.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    I only eat them back if/when I am hungry.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    As long as your macros are in line and you are above your BMR it shouldn't matter too much, but I am purposefully trying to eat back my exercise calories so I can get used to eating more. MFP started me at 1200 which is too low for me, my body got used to eating that low and now I am gradually adding calories so that I can eat at a more healthy level.

    Still losing weight, so it's working.

    Lotsa proteinz.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I eat when I'm hungry. I don't (often) eat when I'm not hungry.

    I do, however, often decide whether I can have one more glass of wine with dinner based on my exercise calories. :drinker:
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    If you don't eat them back, the just increase your cut for the day: for example, if you had a 1800 TDEE and a 1300 goal you have a 500 cut (or 1 lb a week), exercise 200 without eating back increases it to a 700 cut.

    I alwasy eat them back because I am eating below my BMR so I only want to lose 1 lb per week, and if I don't eat them back I would be losing more than that. But if I were overweight I wouldn't (right now I am in the healthy range) unless I was hungry for them.

    BUT ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a Heart Rate Monitor, because other estimators LIE LIE LIE.
  • minnesota_deere
    minnesota_deere Posts: 232 Member
    Really try to eat all the calories back that you burn during exercise? I'm on target today (until I goof up) to have around 300 calories left from my daily recommended amount, and I haven't gone to the gym yet.
    What do you guys do?

    Thanks,
    Kristin

    no
  • CDaug
    CDaug Posts: 2
    If your goal is to loose a pound a week you need to reduce your calorie intake a day by 500 calories on days you exercise. Part of those calories should come from what you burn during exercise. You still need to eat a min amt of calories (1200, 1500 depending on what your calorie intake a day is). So if on a 1200 calorie a day plan and you burn 800 calories exercising then you should eat 1500 calories that day. (1200 + 800 = 2000 - 500 = 1500). Does that make sense? For a 1/2 pound a week weight loss reduce calorie intake by 250 on exercise days.
    This is what I have done since Jan and in 4 months have obtained my weight loss goal of 18 lbs!
  • hongruss
    hongruss Posts: 389 Member
    I am trying to gain weight(slowly) & therefore I eat slightly over my TDEE & consume 3000 Cals whether I workout or not, I have a very active job & I use my exercise as a natural deficit, between 400 & 770, my lowest & highest recorded burns. I am slowly gaining weight BUT more importantly I am changing my body composition:love:

    Russ
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 856 Member
    yes.

    Most of them! Being careful of where you are getting your burn estimations from, as MFP and website info can be sketchy and a HRM is usually more accurate.
  • jodienc1
    jodienc1 Posts: 13
    I went to my Dr last week.. who recomended MFP to me, and he told me under no circmstance what so ever, to eat back my exercise calories. said that is for extreme athletes that burn excessive calories during exercise and need to replenish their system.

    Now, there are people that have had success eating them back... I am down 54 pounds since December without it.
  • Masterofnone40
    Masterofnone40 Posts: 9 Member
    yes.

    Most of them! Being careful of where you are getting your burn estimations from, as MFP and website info can be sketchy and a HRM is usually more accurate.
    I have noticed that MFP website gave over 600 calorie burn for 50 minutes on the eliptical, but the machine I was using said it was 425 calories, so I go with the lesser to be safe.

Categories