Eating back calories.

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AshShayneSyd
AshShayneSyd Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm kinda confused [New to this weight loss stuff]
Why should we eat back the calories burned like at the gym? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?
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  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    Depends on how many calories you're eating without exercise, and whether or not your estimation of how many calories you burned is accurate.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    Your body needs a certain number of calories to sustain basic function. This is known as your basic metabolic rate. This rate includes only essential life functions if you were a vegetable laying in bed doing nothing ever.
    When you go to the gym, you burn lots of extra calories. If you burn too many, and don't replenish them, your body will go into starvation mode which will actually cause it to hoard weight and calories and you will not lose weight.
    MFP calculates your daily allowance based on how many calories you burn in a day and can still eat to lose weight safely. When you add vigorous activity to that list (anything other than being a couch potato, really), you're dipping into that and giving your body a need for more nutrition. Even if you replenish those calories, you will still be under the amount of calories necessary to still lose weight. So, for example, my MFP says my daily allowance is 1700 calories. I can sit on my bum, eat 1700 calories a day, and I will still lose some weight. If I were trying to MAINTAIN my current weight, though, I would probably need to eat around 2100 calories a day. So, if I burn an additional 400 calories at the gym, my body only has 1300 calories with which to carry out basic life functions (like my heart, lungs, digestion, etc). Burn too many, and my body will starve even though I'm still eating - I'm burning through everything I put in my body so my body can't get proper nutrition for basic life functions.
    Does this make sense?
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    If you're new to MFP, set up a goal. Log everything you eat. Log all the exercise you do. The amount of calories you are "allowed" to eat is the exact amount you should eat. Not less. It takes a calorie deficit into consideration. You "eat back" your exercise calories and are still eating LESS than the number of calories it takes to maintain your current weight.
  • AshShayneSyd
    AshShayneSyd Posts: 24
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    MFP says 1200 calories a day.
    I'm suppose to burn 480/day. [I've only been burning 150-200 a day.
    I go to the gym for an hour, a day. [Yesterday twice a day]
    But not able to totally get a full on work out going so I burn about 100 each time.
    This morning it was 140, I burnt.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    MFP says 1200 calories a day.
    I'm suppose to burn 480/day. [I've only been burning 150-200 a day.
    I go to the gym for an hour, a day. [Yesterday twice a day]
    But not able to totally get a full on work out going so I burn about 100 each time.
    This morning it was 140, I burnt.
    What are you doing to burn calories? After an hour-long workout, 150 calories burned seems kind of low to me.
  • skendrick0601
    skendrick0601 Posts: 58 Member
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    Your body needs a certain number of calories to sustain basic function. This is known as your basic metabolic rate. This rate includes only essential life functions if you were a vegetable laying in bed doing nothing ever.
    When you go to the gym, you burn lots of extra calories. If you burn too many, and don't replenish them, your body will go into starvation mode which will actually cause it to hoard weight and calories and you will not lose weight.
    MFP calculates your daily allowance based on how many calories you burn in a day and can still eat to lose weight safely. When you add vigorous activity to that list (anything other than being a couch potato, really), you're dipping into that and giving your body a need for more nutrition. Even if you replenish those calories, you will still be under the amount of calories necessary to still lose weight. So, for example, my MFP says my daily allowance is 1700 calories. I can sit on my bum, eat 1700 calories a day, and I will still lose some weight. If I were trying to MAINTAIN my current weight, though, I would probably need to eat around 2100 calories a day. So, if I burn an additional 400 calories at the gym, my body only has 1300 calories with which to carry out basic life functions (like my heart, lungs, digestion, etc). Burn too many, and my body will starve even though I'm still eating - I'm burning through everything I put in my body so my body can't get proper nutrition for basic life functions.
    Does this make sense?
  • skendrick0601
    skendrick0601 Posts: 58 Member
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    Beautiful explanation!
  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I don't know the complete maths behind it, but here's what I know about it...

    Based on the info. you gave MFP, you have been given a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose. This goal already has a calorie deficit built into it meaning that if you do no exercise all day but eat your calorie goal (or under it) you can still lose weight (at the rate you told MFP you want to lose it - 1lb a week, 2lb a week etc).
    Your body needs a certain amount of calories for it to function properly depending on your weight, height and how active your lifestyle is (your basic metabolic rate or BMR or resting metabolic rate - RMR), you have to eat (at least) this number of calories or your body will go into 'starvation mode' (again, I don't know the science behind this) and you won't be able to lose weight in a healthy or realistic way.

    In terms of eating back your calories, you don't have to be exactly at your calorie goal, but your net calories (what you've eaten minus what you've burned) should be as close to your calorie goal as possible in order for you to lose/gain weight in a healthy way.

    If I've made any mistakes here, I'm sure someone will correct me (and I welcome said corrections). Hope I helped

    and seems someone beat me to it...oh well:tongue:
  • AshShayneSyd
    AshShayneSyd Posts: 24
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    I'm going on the bike and tredmil.

    I've never been this active in my life, i've never had to gained a lot of weight after having three kids.
    Now trying to get rid of it.
    So i'm not running or anything, just walking on the tredmil, and biking at a pretty decent speed.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    Pretty sure I would have collapsed and fainted had I not eaten back my exercise calories when I was on 1200/day.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
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    I'm going on the bike and tredmil.

    I've never been this active in my life, i've never had to gained a lot of weight after having three kids.
    Now trying to get rid of it.
    So i'm not running or anything, just walking on the tredmil, and biking at a pretty decent speed.
    Are you doing anything for strength training? Muscle, although it weighs more than fat, also burns more energy than fat. If you can build muscle, you will start burning through fat reserves faster. I'd recommend incorporating 2-3 days a week of strength training (lift weights, any kind of resistance machines). You won't burn as many calories as you would on the treadmill, but you will build muscle that is capable of burning more calories overall. And if you add some incline or resistance to your treadmill workout or bike workout, that should boost it as well.
  • fruitful9
    fruitful9 Posts: 32
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    Your body needs a certain number of calories to sustain basic function. This is known as your basic metabolic rate. This rate includes only essential life functions if you were a vegetable laying in bed doing nothing ever.
    When you go to the gym, you burn lots of extra calories. If you burn too many, and don't replenish them, your body will go into starvation mode which will actually cause it to hoard weight and calories and you will not lose weight.
    MFP calculates your daily allowance based on how many calories you burn in a day and can still eat to lose weight safely. When you add vigorous activity to that list (anything other than being a couch potato, really), you're dipping into that and giving your body a need for more nutrition. Even if you replenish those calories, you will still be under the amount of calories necessary to still lose weight. So, for example, my MFP says my daily allowance is 1700 calories. I can sit on my bum, eat 1700 calories a day, and I will still lose some weight. If I were trying to MAINTAIN my current weight, though, I would probably need to eat around 2100 calories a day. So, if I burn an additional 400 calories at the gym, my body only has 1300 calories with which to carry out basic life functions (like my heart, lungs, digestion, etc). Burn too many, and my body will starve even though I'm still eating - I'm burning through everything I put in my body so my body can't get proper nutrition for basic life functions.
    Does this make sense?

    Well said! I might need to quote this to my teen daughter's that eat "too thin", and don't understand BMR, etc.
  • AshShayneSyd
    AshShayneSyd Posts: 24
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    Yeah, as of tomorrow it'll be a week at the gym and i've done like two days of strength training, but going to up it.
    I meet with my personal trainer on Sunday, so once I know more of what he wants me to do i'm going to start on that.
    I am going in for a 45min work out tomorrow, nothing to major because I have a Chiro appt right afterwards [With the kids I only can work out certain times, before my Husband goes to work]
    Maybe tomorrow i'll work on the weights and all that for the 45mins.
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
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    Well said!!! I'm not going to repeat what's already been said but I'd just like to add ... It goes back to that whole starvation mode thing. I prefer to lose my weight slow. It CAN be done a lil quicker BUT are you willing to pay the price it will have on your metabolism, if not today - soon enough?
    I do understand the confusion though. Try adding some strength training because muscle burns fat. That way you don't feel like you just did all that exercise so you could eat a lil more. Not knocking it but I'm honest and I hate to exercise, I'd much rather sit on my butt and eat less BUT try to concentrate on the longterm benefits of exercise on your health, your heart, the aging process, mental health, stamina, eventually your shape as well as your ability to keep it off...etc. Plus our body's eat muscle when were in the losing phase, you want to avoid that at all cost. That's my thoughts in a nutshell. Hope it helped.
    Ps- if your really zealous and have a lot to lose just try to keep your deficit around 1000 cals per day. (NOTE - everybody is different and I don't know your stats.) Some can go as far as a 1500 cal deficit, I personally can only do 500 a day.
  • jodigirl03
    jodigirl03 Posts: 111
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    Just thought I'd add to that ....
    I had my first weigh in today since joining MFP and I lost 2.4 lbs this week. I've NEVER lost more than a lb in a week. This is also the first time I've eaten back my calories burned. Coinicidence?
  • LeggyKettleBabe
    LeggyKettleBabe Posts: 300 Member
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    Eat back your exercise calories?

    YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Your calorie deficit is already baked into your goal. If you don't eat up to your goal or exercise and don't eat the calories back, you make it bigger and potentially harmfully so.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Diet is for weiggt loss, exercise is for fitness. And you can only get stronger if you supply your body with food as its the source of energy. So you should aim to eat 50-75% of you exercise calories if mfp estimates it. If you have a hrm, then aim for 80%.
  • tappleton17
    tappleton17 Posts: 29 Member
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    what if you do both in one day yesterday i did treadmill for 30 min and then did some weights. thats ok right?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    what if you do both in one day yesterday i did treadmill for 30 min and then did some weights. thats ok right?

    You are better off doing one or the other as your body can fight for other resources to repair itself. But if you only have time a few times a week, it is still better than nothing.

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