Do you "eat back" the calories that you burn?
Replies
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Can we get a "sticky" on this?
(Seriously)
Yes please!!!0 -
Ok, so all this advice is great. I completely understand why you should eat back your calories. But I don't (usually). I hope that this doesn't have a negative effect later on when I'm closer to my goal weight. From what I can tell, people have success either way and it depends on the indivdual. I don't feel tired or hungry. If this becomes the case I will increase my calorie intake.
My main reason for not eating back the calories I burn though is that I usually do my exercise at night when the kids are in bed and I try not to eat later than 5:30pm. I don't know how many calories I'm going to burn and sometimes something gets in the way of this planned exercise so I would be over for the day if I ate more.
It only depends on the individual in terms of how much each individual has to lose. If you have a lot to lose you can cut your calories further than if you don't. It doesn't matter what time of day you eat either, nor do you have to balance your calories on a daily basis - over a week will do!0 -
Ok, so all this advice is great. I completely understand why you should eat back your calories. But I don't (usually). I hope that this doesn't have a negative effect later on when I'm closer to my goal weight. From what I can tell, people have success either way and it depends on the indivdual. I don't feel tired or hungry. If this becomes the case I will increase my calorie intake.
My main reason for not eating back the calories I burn though is that I usually do my exercise at night when the kids are in bed and I try not to eat later than 5:30pm. I don't know how many calories I'm going to burn and sometimes something gets in the way of this planned exercise so I would be over for the day if I ate more.
Most days, I can't eat back my calories. I try, but I'm just not that hungry. Some days, though, I feel like I'm going to starve before supper and I have to add in another snack. I think that I am helping my body learn to monitor when I really need food. Before starting MFP - I ate all the time. I can't even remember if I ever felt hunger.0 -
This same question gets asked every couple of days.... and most of what comes back is I do or I don't responses with little or no explanation as to why or why not or much understanding of what this site is doing.
MFP calculates your BMR based off your vitals (height, weight, age, gender, etc.). That BMR is the calorie level your body burns just at rest in 24 hours. No activity, no exercise, just basic life support.
When you input your normal daily activity level, MFP takes your BMR and increases it by a multiplying factor based on that activity level to estimate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). If your normal, everyday activity includes little more than sitting at a desk or on the couch, you are sedentary and your TDEE is only a little above your BMR. If you walk 3 miles a day as your normal activity (say you live in a large city and get around by walking or bus / subway) then you are active and your TDEE is well above your BMR. In the end, TDEE is what matters so make sure your activity level is as accurate as possible.
MFP takes your TDEE and subtracts to create the necessary deficit for you to lose weight without changing your normal activity level. 3500 calories to burn 1 lb of body fat. Your goal is to lose 2 lbs a week.... 2 x 3500 / 7 = 1000 calorie deficit per day. TDEE - deficit = net calorie goal.
Here is the most important part: When you input your daily activity level, was the exercise you are doing today part of that? yes or no. Exercise in this stand point is any physical activity burning calories above and beyond the daily activity level you input. If the answer is no and you are now exercising (you input a sedentary activity level but are now at the gym 5 days a week), every calorie burned is increasing your TDEE, meaning it increases your net calorie goal BECAUSE THE DEFICIT IS BUILT INTO THE NET CALORIE GOAL.
You can eat your exercise calories back and you will still be at the planned calorie deficit, meaning you will still lose weight.
If you only eat 1200 calories and burn 400 calories exercising, your body only is getting 800 calories to function on. For most people that is not sustainable for very long. If you start to fatigue easily, get irritable easily, have trouble concentrating or other sudden changes, please re-think how little you're eating.
This has been a bit confusing for me too, so thanks for this0 -
No I dont, I just eat my 1200 everyday.
I also just eat my 1200 i never eat my exercise calories back, although MFP says we must....0 -
If I'm craving something I'll burn off the calories I want to eat, then I don't feel so bad.0
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Let's say you're 5'4" and weigh 180lbs and lightly active. You would need to consume about 2200 calories in a day to maintain your weight. Not lose. Not gain. Maintain. If you limit your calories to 1200 per day, you're already at a deficit of 1000 calories per day. Now, if you burn 200 of those 1200 calories, you're down to a net of 1000 calories per day - or a deficit of 1200 calories per day. So if you eat back those 200 calories you burned, you'll still have a 1000 calorie, daily deficit. AND you'll still be getting the added benefit of moving your body and working your muscles which will help with fat loss.
well explained :-)0 -
if you enter your food consumed & the exercise done, my fitness pal subtracts the workout from your allowed food - so it seemed like common sense to me.
Plus anything below 1200 net cals is kicking you into starvation mode, it's just going to backfire later on =/
I wouldnt say under 1200 is starving most days im under that and i dont feel starved0 -
sometimes i do,sometimes i don't,i listen to my body and if it's telling me i'm hungry,but i don't use it as an excuse to go to maccyd's.0
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I eat all of the food. All of it.
True facts0 -
I don't know why people keep debating over this. To me it's simple. If I'm hungry, I eat them. If I'm not, I don't lol.0
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Let's say you're 5'4" and weigh 180lbs and lightly active. You would need to consume about 2200 calories in a day to maintain your weight. Not lose. Not gain. Maintain. If you limit your calories to 1200 per day, you're already at a deficit of 1000 calories per day. Now, if you burn 200 of those 1200 calories, you're down to a net of 1000 calories per day - or a deficit of 1200 calories per day. So if you eat back those 200 calories you burned, you'll still have a 1000 calorie, daily deficit. AND you'll still be getting the added benefit of moving your body and working your muscles which will help with fat loss.
This. And I eat mine back.0 -
if you enter your food consumed & the exercise done, my fitness pal subtracts the workout from your allowed food - so it seemed like common sense to me.
Plus anything below 1200 net cals is kicking you into starvation mode, it's just going to backfire later on =/
I wouldnt say under 1200 is starving most days im under that and i dont feel starved
You don't have to feel "starving" (aka have an appetite) for it to be unhealthy. You wanna be healthy, don't you?0 -
I eat back every single delicious calorie I burn, it's how MFP is designed. You still remain at your target calorie deficit but don't feel hungry and have the energy to fuel your next workout. All my friends who are long-term MFP success stories eat them back too.0
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As I see it, MFP bases your maintenance calories as approx 1800, ie to not lose or gain and based on no exercise, this is what your body needs for all your organs etc to function and get around the day.
To lose weight and depending on your goals, it caluclates what you should aim for to lose weight so that you have a deficit of cals in and cals out that lets you lose weight. Eg if you eat only 1200 cals you have a 600cal deficit.
So yes you can "eat back your cals burned", (but you dont need to eat them ALL back!).
for example if you burn 150cals exercising and ate this back, then cals out = 1800 + 150 = 1950. Cals in = 1200+ 150 = 1350. Leaving a deficit of still 600cals!
Some people get upset when they go over their 1200 limit, but forget that maintenance is still 1800. If you are still staying under the 1800 they are not gaining weight, just losing weight at a slower rate. So instead of say losing a pound a week it might take you two weeks.
Some other schools of thought out there is that by breakng up your low calroies diets with higher calories intake on one or two days is good for keeping your metabolism guessing and making it work harder. Ie on weekends treat yourself, eat more, but remember you need to exercise more too, which you should be able to with more time! then go back to your low calorie diet during the week. this is often the reason behind weight loss plateau. your body needs change and eating more is a change!
your body's hunger is highly related to your exertion levels. you shouldn't be any hungrier on the days you dont exercise because you ate more on the days you did. just need to find better foods that keep you satisfied and within your calroie goals. on exercise days yes you should be hungrier but you dont need to eat back all your cals. im amazed at how much some people burn! and i dont think i could literally fit all that food in if i tried to eat back what they burn!!!
however the more fitter you get and the more muscle you build the higher your metabolism will be even when resting. so you may find yourself that as time passes that yes you do need to eat more. but not all foods are equal in cals so find foods that you add without adding a whole heap of cals.0 -
We should all answer questions in this way0
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I have been.
Then I started gaining weight again.
I thought I was overestimating calories burned, so I got a Polar HRM. According to the Polar, I'm actually burning MORE than I thought by a good amount.
So, starting as of mid last week or so my current plan is to eat above my BMR gross, (2400-2500 calories) and not consume any exercise calories.0 -
Ok, so all this advice is great. I completely understand why you should eat back your calories. But I don't (usually). I hope that this doesn't have a negative effect later on when I'm closer to my goal weight. From what I can tell, people have success either way and it depends on the indivdual. I don't feel tired or hungry. If this becomes the case I will increase my calorie intake.
My main reason for not eating back the calories I burn though is that I usually do my exercise at night when the kids are in bed and I try not to eat later than 5:30pm. I don't know how many calories I'm going to burn and sometimes something gets in the way of this planned exercise so I would be over for the day if I ate more.
What might happen, and I see it a lot here, is you might plateau because you aren't eating enough and your body will stop letting go. It will hold on to all that you fed it and you will no linger be able to lose weight. When that happens, you will have to eat more to lose more. That's just how it works. But, it may or may not happen. I'm betting it will, so, if it does, just remember,
One method to combat that is to very slowly increase your calories until you start to lose again. So, increase 100 calories every week. It might take 6 weeks or more, but at some point, your body will be happy with you eating more and will release the fat. Then just maintain that level of eating.
Also, just so you are more educated, when you eat has nothing to do with it. I usually eat dinner around 9pm. It doesn't matter. That is a myth.
Cheers.0 -
I am 50 years old 5'4 inches and weigh 165 lbs
I have a sit down job but walk for about 45 mins 3 days a week plus I bike about 60-90 mins 6 days a week
my mfp is set at 1300 calories a day
I do eat back some calories not all of them but occasionally I do eat more of them.
I have only lost 17 lbs in 105 days but my clothes feel a little loser.
am I doing ok ??
so much confusion about all this
thanks0 -
I try to eat back as many as possible but if I'm not hungry, it's not happening. I hope I don't plateau. That'll make me sooo mad. >.<0
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