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MFP says I get to eat more calories because I exercised

amph23
amph23 Posts: 6 Member
edited December 18 in Social Groups
I've been exercising a lot - heavy gardening and hiking - this past week. MFP says that I get to eat several hundred extra calories above and beyond my goal as a result. If I take advantage of the extra calories, am I really going to lose any weight?

What do you do?

Replies

  • deez2015
    deez2015 Posts: 54 Member
    Good question...i've been wondering the same thing.
  • hrdollar
    hrdollar Posts: 1
    I know that if you cut your body to short on calories it will have the opposite effect. So if you up your exercise and don't feed your body it can work against you. You have to judge if you should eat all the calories it recommends though. I would try and eat some of them.
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    This is a topic raised very, very often on MFP. Try doing a search on "eating back calories" - there are plenty of people who can explain it (much) better, but bascially, it boils down to this: MFP has set your daily calorie goal at a deficit -- you eat that many and you will lose your target weight for the week (1 lb or 2lbs). If you eat under that your MFP amount, that can put you into a much larger deficit -- which is not good. Once in a while is okay (just like eating over once in a while is okay), but to consistenly not eat back your calories will make your metabolism slow down & will work against your weight loss plan. There are plenty of postings from people who only began to lose after they upped their caloric intake.

    Also, if the heavy gardening is new actiity, ie not included in how you describe your activity level then I'd say go ahead and eat some/all of them back.

    But if you took the gardening into consideration when you described your activity level, then I wouldn't
  • deez2015
    deez2015 Posts: 54 Member
    that makes sense, thanks!
  • amph23
    amph23 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks everyone! I feel like I'm on a science lab experiment... but maybe that will keep it interesting.
  • SlinkyNewMe
    SlinkyNewMe Posts: 213 Member
    This is a topic raised very, very often on MFP. Try doing a search on "eating back calories" - there are plenty of people who can explain it (much) better, but bascially, it boils down to this: MFP has set your daily calorie goal at a deficit -- you eat that many and you will lose your target weight for the week (1 lb or 2lbs). If you eat under that your MFP amount, that can put you into a much larger deficit -- which is not good. Once in a while is okay (just like eating over once in a while is okay), but to consistenly not eat back your calories will make your metabolism slow down & will work against your weight loss plan. There are plenty of postings from people who only began to lose after they upped their caloric intake.

    Also, if the heavy gardening is new actiity, ie not included in how you describe your activity level then I'd say go ahead and eat some/all of them back.

    But if you took the gardening into consideration when you described your activity level, then I wouldn't

    What she said ^^^^^^^
  • amph23
    amph23 Posts: 6 Member
    I set my daily activity to a lower setting. Maybe next week I'll lose some weight instead of gaining 1/2 lb.
  • PandoraMoon
    PandoraMoon Posts: 24
    Isn't that just the best?!:laugh: I love that part!
  • LifeinDC
    LifeinDC Posts: 34
    Thanks everyone! I feel like I'm on a science lab experiment... but maybe that will keep it interesting.

    I think we are in a science lab experiment. A friend who is a science teacher makes her college students log all they eat for a week on a similar site so they can see what happens.

    My theory is that you log exercise calories and eat them when the effort felt real and that varies for all of us. If I end up going for a long but slow stroll that not that hard for me, but if I go hiking or more obviously to spin class than it does. I don't log weightlifting as cardio because I don't do it fast enough.
  • salgalruns
    salgalruns Posts: 83 Member
    I tend to not eat back my calories, but that's just me. If I feel myself get lightheaded or like I have no energy, I wouldn't have a problem doing so - not worth it to pass out. I'm close to my goal and feel that when I do get there, I'll be more likely to find ways to do that so that I maintain and don't continue to lose.

    However, I also am realistic enough to know that my body cannot survive on negative calories so I try to mix up my "light" days with heavier ones. I've been pretty consistent with my weight loss, so it seems to work for me right now.
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