Exercise Calories

athompson217 · June 2012

Hi!

I have been working out the last 3 weeks a lot. I try to run 5-7 miles a day and take Zumba classes along with some strength training. I didn't lose any weight those 3 weeks, so I decided to start logging everything I eat today!

I did have a question, I lose almost 1,000 calories when I do a 7 mile run. Do I really need to eat an extra 1,000 calories that day? I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out. My log says I should be getting 1,200 calories a day. I am 189lbs with a goal weight of 160. Any advice?

Thanks!!!

Anayalata · June 2012

Hi!

I have been working out the last 3 weeks a lot. I try to run 5-7 miles a day and take Zumba classes along with some strength training. I didn't lose any weight those 3 weeks, so I decided to start logging everything I eat today!

I did have a question, I lose almost 1,000 calories when I do a 7 mile run. Do I really need to eat an extra 1,000 calories that day? I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out. My log says I should be getting 1,200 calories a day. I am 189lbs with a goal weight of 160. Any advice?

Thanks!!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories

To paraphrase that post...

Your body needs fuel. When you burn 1000 calories exercising, your body is now in a 1000 calorie deficit on top of whatever deficit you were already in.

Please fuel your body properly.

queezle_sister · June 2012

I have been wondering the same thing! I'm not nearly as ambitious/athletic as you, but I want those exercise calories to go to weight loss, and not consume them.
So I guess the question (for me) boils down to - How do those exercise calories figure into the "activate starvation mode" metabolism?

myfitnessnmhoy · June 2012

MFP already set you up with a deficit when you set your weight loss goal.

You maintain that deficit to lose weight at the pace you set. You eat back your exercise calories to keep that deficit from getting ridiculous.

Eating 1,200 calories and burning 1,000 is functionally the same as not exercising and eating 200 calories a day. Your choice, but I'd be unable to sustain that running for very long on 200 net calories a day!

mmapags · June 2012

Your food goal for the day already has your defict built in for weight loss based on your normal daily activity not including exercise. When you exercise, you are burning additional calories. So, yes, you should eat them or your intake drops to an unhealthy level. An additional observation is that MFP will allow you to set up to 2lbs per week for loss. This will bring you to a default of no less than 1200 calories which is the minimum level someone should safely consume. 2 thoughts. If you are at 1200 and don't eat back all of the calories you burn, that is unhealthy as you are not giving your body enough nutrients. Second, I think any goal that has you at the bare minimum has issues. It make compliance difficult. It has the potential of stalling you out from inadequate nutrition. I'd drop the goal back to 1 lb per week and take a slower but more sustainable approach.

myfitnessnmhoy · June 2012

I have been wondering the same thing! I'm not nearly as ambitious/athletic as you, but I want those exercise calories to go to weight loss, and not consume them.
So I guess the question (for me) boils down to - How do those exercise calories figure into the "activate starvation mode" metabolism?

"starvation mode" is a severely overstated, emotive term. However, you'll probably tend to find yourself fatigued, not sleeping well, and generally unable to sustain good calorie-burning workouts. I can attest to this, I used extremely-low-calorie diets to lose weight for years. And I did lose weight quickly. At first. Then stopped and started chasing calories down to the level of 4-day water-only fasts to keep losing weight.

If you maintain an average 1,000 calorie deficit (eaten - burned, including exercise) per day, you will lose an average of 2 pounds per week. You can keep doing this for a very long time with little discomfort and little impact to your daily life.

Bitter experience has taught me, time and time again, that trying to shortcut this tends to be the longest path. Your mileage may vary - your body your rules. But keep these thoughts in mind if you plateau after a month of really awesome weight loss, because there's probably going to be some real heartbreak as you gain most of that back trying to get your metabolism back up to snuff again.

Slow and steady wins the race. But you get to run it any way you want. I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.

yarwell · June 2012

I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out.

It is, from the point of view of calorie deficit. It also runs the risk of reducing the deficit if there are estimating issues. Eating back half of them would be an alternative.

Thena81 · June 2012

pay attn to the deficit!! stay within your guidelines under goals i believe and u will lose. if workout too much and dont refuel, your only doing damage, not workkk! lol

mfpcopine · June 2012

First, you may not actually be burning as many calories as you think, although 7 miles is a long run. Are you losing weight in a crazy fashion? Try eating a bit more -- not 1,000 calories -- and see what happens. Make adjustments as needed.

PayneAS · June 2012

www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

vim_n_vigor · June 2012

If you are doing all of that exercise, you are not sedentary. 1200 calories isn't going to support that amount of exercise very long.

lornathewizzard · June 2012

Hi!

I have been working out the last 3 weeks a lot. I try to run 5-7 miles a day and take Zumba classes along with some strength training. I didn't lose any weight those 3 weeks, so I decided to start logging everything I eat today!

I did have a question, I lose almost 1,000 calories when I do a 7 mile run. Do I really need to eat an extra 1,000 calories that day? I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out. My log says I should be getting 1,200 calories a day. I am 189lbs with a goal weight of 160. Any advice?

Thanks!!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories

To paraphrase that post...

Your body needs fuel. When you burn 1000 calories exercising, your body is now in a 1000 calorie deficit on top of whatever deficit you were already in.

Please fuel your body properly.

^^^this. Please read this

myfitnessnmhoy · June 2012

I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out.

It is, from the point of view of calorie deficit. It also runs the risk of reducing the deficit if there are estimating issues. Eating back half of them would be an alternative.

Agreed - any calories that you calculate for both eating and burning are merely estimates, even using things like heart rate monitors.

I'd suggest the following:

1. Eat something between half and all of them back to start out. I went with all, but your choice.

2. Monitor your weight loss and follow this general rule:

If you are losing weight at about your goal pace, and feel good, you're doing it right.

If you are losing weight at more than 2 pounds a week after a month (unless you are VERY overweight), you probably want to consider eating 500 calories a day for each pound a week over 2 that you are losing, and slow your weight loss down to 2 pounds a week. This is a long-term project, not a quick fix. You want to do this in a healthy and sustainable manner.

If you are not losing weight or you are losing it significantly slower than you had planned, then go by how your body feels. If you aren't feeling a lot of fatigue or hunger, cut back your calories for a few weeks and see if that starts things. If you feel tired, constantly hungry, or your workouts are getting worse and not better, try adding a couple hundred calories a day and see how that goes.

It's all about experimenting, learning from the results, and applying them to continued experimentation. There are no hard-and-fast rules, there's just what works for you.

But I'd urge you to experiment toward establishing sustainable, steady weight loss before jumping in with both feet and trying to lose weight too fast. I've given up on too many diets in frustration and gained all the weight back to recommend that.

Your body, your rules. Take my opinion for what you feel it's worth, and good luck.

chrisb75 · June 2012

Hi!

I have been working out the last 3 weeks a lot. I try to run 5-7 miles a day and take Zumba classes along with some strength training. I didn't lose any weight those 3 weeks, so I decided to start logging everything I eat today!

I did have a question, I lose almost 1,000 calories when I do a 7 mile run. Do I really need to eat an extra 1,000 calories that day? I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out. My log says I should be getting 1,200 calories a day. I am 189lbs with a goal weight of 160. Any advice?

Thanks!!!

What is your deficit set at?

And to answer your question, YES, you need to eat 1000 calories that day (if you are sure you are burning a 1000) to fuel your exercise. Do you expect to drive your car 800 miles and only fill it half way? Calories are not the enemy. They are the fuel for your body. If you are asking your body to perform at that high of a level, you need to fuel it properly.

ZombieSlayer · June 2012

Food = weight loss/gain
Exercise = physical fitness.

Do not exercise to lose weight. Eat to lose weight. Exercise to be healthy.

p.s. You need to fuel your workouts.

sherronh · June 2012

honestly I think it depends on your personal preference. I am a frequent gym goer and i burn on normal days 700-900 calories.
Ive lost in total about 40 pounds, but a little over 35 since the middle of january.

I don't eat back all of my calories.

1. Just because a machine or app says you burned that much doesn't mean it actually happened. Do you have a hrm? that might be a better judge of calories burned.
2. I am short and need less of a calorie intake (5'1'')
3. The most I eat back on average is 200-300
4. I also sustain a 1200 calorie diet

I feel that its about the quality of food that you eat. on 1200 calories a day I can hit all my protein and vitamin intakes. (I actually usually double and triple them). Eating just to eat when I'm not hungry or have had all my protein (muscle's fuel) doesn't make sense to me so I don't do it.

Like I said its all about what works for you. And I have had success in this.

Sean_The_IT_Guy · June 2012

The problem I had with logging / eating my exercise calories was this:

I often underestimate how much I'm eating when I log.
MFP often overestimates how much I'm burning when I exercise.

These two factors combined meant I was eating pretty much my maintenance allowance, and neither losing nor gaining.

I've since stopped logging exercise entirely (I bike commute about 12km a day) , and I try (and likely still fail) to log my food accurately.

I'm now dropping my projected 1-2lb a week.

So, I guess the moral of the story is "Try to do it the way MFP intended, then if it's not working, modify to suit your particular body / lifestyle / habits".

athompson217 · June 2012

Thank you all for your replies! I am going to try by eating the calories that I lose when I work out, but with healthy food options. I agree that eating back a little less is a great recommendation too, since calories burned is sometimes over estimated I feel. I use the Nike plus GPS app when I run and that is what estimates my calories when running so I am not sure how accurate it is.

I will follow the plan pretty closely and see if I need to make adjustments after that. I will let you all know how it goes!

athompson217 · June 2012

Thank you all!

waldo56 · June 2012

I feel like eating back all of the calories I lose is defeating the purpose of working out.

It is, from the point of view of calorie deficit. It also runs the risk of reducing the deficit if there are estimating issues. Eating back half of them would be an alternative.

Or just keeping track of your loss results, and adjusting your calorie goals accordingly.

Entering in the data straight from MFP's exercise database without conservatism in the least bit, MFP's estimate for my maintenence calories is about 600 calories too low.

If I didn't eat back my exercise calories, and ate at MFP's maintence level for me, I'd have a real deficit in the 1300-1600 cal/day area (which ain't good when in the single digits of BF%).

athompson217 · June 2012

First, you may not actually be burning as many calories as you think, although 7 miles is a long run. Are you losing weight in a crazy fashion? Try eating a bit more -- not 1,000 calories -- and see what happens. Make adjustments as needed.

I haven't been losing weight in a crazy fashion, I haven't lost any. Which is what made me decide to start keeping track of what I was eating too, because with all the workouts I had been doing I expected more weight loss. Maybe I thought I needed to cut calories when I really needed to add more!

myfitnessnmhoy · June 2012

First, you may not actually be burning as many calories as you think, although 7 miles is a long run. Are you losing weight in a crazy fashion? Try eating a bit more -- not 1,000 calories -- and see what happens. Make adjustments as needed.

I haven't been losing weight in a crazy fashion, I haven't lost any. Which is what made me decide to start keeping track of what I was eating too, because with all the workouts I had been doing I expected more weight loss. Maybe I thought I needed to cut calories when I really needed to add more!

Honestly, given that MFP's calculation for your metabolic rate, exercise calories burned, and even calories consumed are all estimates, you need to experiment.

If your workouts are going well and you are seeing an improvement (can go a little further, faster, etc) then you are probably eating too many calories and you should reduce them. If you find you aren't improving your workouts then you probably need to fuel them better and eat more. But those are just general guidelines.

Start with what feels right. If that doesn't work, try something else.

Make sure your fats, calories, and proteins are in reasonable balance.

RuthieCass · June 2012

If you are actually eating 1200 calories and running 7 miles, you will eventually find that your exercise performance suffers. It'd be one thing to eat 1200 if you were sedentary AND small/severely overweight. I am guessing that you enjoy your exercise, so you want to fuel your body sufficiently. So I do think you should eat back your exercise calories if your daily goal is 1200. Some people find it better to accurately describe their activity level (moderately active?), and calculate their BMR and TDEE. Then, find out how much to eat based on this. If you're close to your goal weight, you should probably aim for no more than half a pound loss per week.

Another thing to keep in mind is that MFP really overestimates exercise calories. Plus, I'm not sure if these calories subtract your BMR calories---you actually want to calculate your net calories burned (exercise calories-BMR calories) to be accurate in your accounting. I think this calculation is more accurate for the net burn per mile ran (walking will give you less):
0.63 X weight in pounds
Source: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-311-8402-0,00.html
So if you multiply the above by 7 pounds, you will get a decent estimate of calories burned.

Gt3ch · June 2012

If you're really burning 1000 cals/day you will almost certainly be RAVENOUS and it would be extremely difficult to eat only 1200 cals/day. If you really forced yourself to starve, you would certainly feel and see yourself getting weaker eventually to the point that you probably could no longer do such intense workouts.

These guidelines are trying to keep you in an optimal zone where you're eating enough to be active and healthy while still holding back enough food to loose weight. That's great but it's really easy to mess up your cal estimations and work with bogus numbers. Your body is smarter than all the rules of thumb and dogma that's out there. Listen to your body and use the feedback you're getting from it to figure out if you're on the right track and you're using the tools correctly.

mfpcopine · June 2012

First, you may not actually be burning as many calories as you think, although 7 miles is a long run. Are you losing weight in a crazy fashion? Try eating a bit more -- not 1,000 calories -- and see what happens. Make adjustments as needed.

I haven't been losing weight in a crazy fashion, I haven't lost any. Which is what made me decide to start keeping track of what I was eating too, because with all the workouts I had been doing I expected more weight loss. Maybe I thought I needed to cut calories when I really needed to add more!

It's trial-and-error. Sure, experiment, and eat more if you want, but don't go crazy. If you are creating a calorie deficit, you should be losing weight. I think it's likely that the problem is underestimation of calories consumed and overestimation of calories burned.

mcarter99 · June 2012

If part of your reason for exercising is to burn more calories, I wouldn't eat them back. Your body gets calories from stored body fat, not just food. That's what it's there for.

I would use your own hunger signals to the best extent you can, too. MFP tries to give you guidelines but if you're ok at 1200, you're ok.

If this exercise level is new to you, you might not be losing weight due to building muscle.

mmapags · June 2012

If part of your reason for exercising is to burn more calories, I wouldn't eat them back. Your body gets calories from stored body fat, not just food. That's what it's there for.

I would use your own hunger signals to the best extent you can, too. MFP tries to give you guidelines but if you're ok at 1200, you're ok.

If this exercise level is new to you, you might not be losing weight due to building muscle.

You do not build muscle while eating in deficit except under rare circustances. Also, if your excercise burn brings you significantly under 1200, you are no longer netting 1200 calories. There is a whole hormonal element to how your body uses energy and what happens in too large a deficit. It is not as simple as cut calories and your body gets them from stored fat. Oh, that is were.

yarwell · June 2012

There is a mathematical trap on MFP when it sets a minimum calories of 1200 too. If the actual calories for your deficit should be say 1100 it will give you 1200 as a goal, but if you then exercise 200 it expects you to eat the 200 - so your deficit is 100 less than you think it is.

Mainly relevant to smaller people with big deficits, but a lot of the "I'm not losing" posts come from people with 1200 calorie goals and exercising so this is another error to add to the list of other inaccuracies that can catch you out.

athompson217 · June 2012

I adjusted what I ate and started eating more when I was working out, I added back in healthy foods though. More vegetables, fruits, almonds, etc. And after just a few days I have finally seen the scale go down! I have been eating back a little less than what it tells me to, because of the fact that I am probably overestimating calories burned and underestimating my intake. But that helped a lot, who knew that eating more would help me lose weight! Thanks everyone for your input!

Exercise Calories

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