Qustion for those of you who have been successful

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randisaucier
randisaucier Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not trying to make this a debate by any means so I am asking those who do reply to please not make it one!

For those of you who have been successful long term, I am wondering did you eat your exercise calories back or not? I'm so confused on where to keep my calorie level so that I am not starving and still have a steady loss.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,245 Member
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    this is a good discussion,

    i also like to ask how they lose the last few pounds?
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,209 Member
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    No debate for me personally. I have lost 80lb and so far have kept it off for 3-4 mo already. I did eat most of my exercise calories back. I saved a few, less than 100, just in case I was off on cals in or out. Just what has worked for me, I would have starved, if I didn't. Good luck to you.
  • randisaucier
    randisaucier Posts: 178 Member
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    no one can answer that question for you. Did you pick the right level, do you have a suppressed metabolism, do you have any insulin related issues. How accurate is the "ESTIMATION" for calories for you?

    Assuming everything is right, you should eat back your calories if you use the MFP method.

    Me personally, I multiply weight by a number between 10-15. I am currently eating bodyweight * 10 with no issues. This method doesn't require you to eat back exercise calories. If you use something like "fat2fitradio.com" you don't eat calories back either on that method.

    Thanks for your help this is so foreign to me! Several years back I lost a lot of weight with low carb, so calorie counting has me totally confused! I guess I don't know how to determine if MFP sets my calories at the correct level or not. I do have hypothyroidism, but have not had issues losing in the past.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    I always ate at least a decent chunk of them back.

    Now that I am maintaining I eat every last calorie allotted to me. :)
  • temp666777
    temp666777 Posts: 169
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    Do not eat back your exercise calories.

    To do so is just silly.

    If you're going to do 100 of exercise, and "eat back" the 100 ... quite simply, DON'T DO the exercise. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    it's incredibly simple.

    If you can do arithmetic (like "100 - 100 == 0") you will understand this.

    There is nothing to debate.

    You must get REAL, SCIENTIFIC information on your side. Not sound bites from the internet.

    I urge you to read the latest .. Gary Taubes two books "Why we get fat" and "Good calories, Bad calories"

    I have very fortunately for me been very successful with total ease, even at my age. But only because I read so many books and got so much real information and made real decisions.

    You must read hard, scientific books. Don't go on a long journey .... in the wrong direction. Inform yourself totally. Hope it helps!!!
  • shady1987dre
    shady1987dre Posts: 186 Member
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    I am not trying to make this a debate by any means so I am asking those who do reply to please not make it one!

    For those of you who have been successful long term, I am wondering did you eat your exercise calories back or not? I'm so confused on where to keep my calorie level so that I am not starving and still have a steady loss.

    Thanks in advance!

    When i first started no not really. Then once i had a month long plateau i started eating them. Now i workout to eat. The more i workout the more i can pig out.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    If you've got MFP set up with the correct numbers, then yes, eat the exercise calories. If you've found a really good estimate of your TDEE by other means, then just take out a moderate deficit and eat that amount, ignoring exercise. That is all.

    As for the guy who answers every forum post by advising people to read Taubes, give us a break buddy. Your arithmetic is off. Don't you know that MFP has the deficit factored in?
  • themotto
    themotto Posts: 15 Member
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    no one can answer that question for you. Did you pick the right level, do you have a suppressed metabolism, do you have any insulin related issues. How accurate is the "ESTIMATION" for calories for you?

    Assuming everything is right, you should eat back your calories if you use the MFP method.

    Me personally, I multiply weight by a number between 10-15. I am currently eating bodyweight * 10 with no issues. This method doesn't require you to eat back exercise calories. If you use something like "fat2fitradio.com" you don't eat calories back either on that method.

    Funny, when I plug in my info on the Fat2Fit website, it gives me a calorie goal almost 8-900 higher than I get here. And that's on the sedentary level. Wtf?
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Do not eat back your exercise calories.

    To do so is just silly.

    If you're going to do 100 of exercise, and "eat back" the 100 ... quite simply, DON'T DO the exercise. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    it's incredibly simple.

    If you can do arithmetic (like "100 - 100 == 0") you will understand this.

    There is nothing to debate.

    You must get REAL, SCIENTIFIC information on your side. Not sound bites from the internet.

    I urge you to read the latest .. Gary Taubes two books "Why we get fat" and "Good calories, Bad calories"

    I have very fortunately for me been very successful with total ease, even at my age. But only because I read so many books and got so much real information and made real decisions.

    You must read hard, scientific books. Don't go on a long journey .... in the wrong direction. Inform yourself totally. Hope it helps!!!

    It's not silly if you are using MFP to calculate your calorie allowance.
    Every calorie calculator I've seen suggests that you eat more if you exercise. MFP just adds it on after you've done the exercise rather than make an estimate and add it every day whether you exercise or not. The numbers will work out about the same whichever way you do it, you just need to pick one method or the other and stick with it.

    Edited to add: Yes. I eat more when I exercise.
  • Kazzap1961
    Kazzap1961 Posts: 3
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    I was curious about this myself but I think I answered my own question. A few weeks ago. Every night when you tick on completed entry, it tells you if you eat that same amount of calories ever day then in 5 weeks time you will weigh 'x' amount.

    I am on 1400 a day and sometimes have a bit less and occasionally have more. Two weeks ago, I had 1856 calories and it told me that if I keep at that amount in 5 weeks time I would weigh - and it was only .3 of a kIlo less than I was at that time.

    Play around with hypothetical calories (you can always delete the meals,again) and start with say 2000 and work it out until your five week goal will be the same as it is now.

    It may not be accurate due to metabolism etc but it will give you some idea. I had actually assumed I would be able to eat around 2500+ to maintain my weight. I guess I was wrong.
  • MarinaPacheco
    MarinaPacheco Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm very short 5' 1, and therefore can only eat 1290 if I want to loose weight (which I do), so yes, I eat back my exercise calories otherwise I feel very deprived - not to mention the health benefits you gain from being active! I usually leave a margin of about 200 calories of exercise calories uneaten as I don't work very hard exercise wise and think the figures MFP gives for calories burned by exercise are somewhat optimistic, so I play it safe. One day I may invest in a heart rate monitor but as I've been on MFP for 11 months and I'm loosing consistently (punctuated by two, 3 month plateaus) I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing.
  • fluffysexyme
    fluffysexyme Posts: 104 Member
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    I've started eating my calories back after being stuck for a month and then gaining weight back even though I was at or below my calories/day. Finally I'm starting to lose again. I don't eat below my BMR either and have changed my MFP to reflect that. 3 lbs gone this week, thank you Lord!
  • aquagurl12
    aquagurl12 Posts: 8 Member
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    I originally lost 55lbs of my last diet...even if it took a year and a half lol. Lost my good paying job, gained some back. Went to college...gained all plus 3lbs back lol. So losing again...
  • londoneye
    londoneye Posts: 192 Member
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    Do not eat back your exercise calories.

    To do so is just silly.

    If you're going to do 100 of exercise, and "eat back" the 100 ... quite simply, DON'T DO the exercise. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    Hahaha! Well, from my point of view, I've achieved the ability to eat 100 extra calories that day! That might be a glass of wine, or piece of cheese while still losing weight with the default MFP defecit. Everyone's a winner!

    Also, you'll have achieved the significant health benefits of exercise. Endorphins, improved energy levels, lower risk of chronic disease...

    To call that 'nothing' is, frankly, bizarre!

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