Why eat back calories?

ZoeyRobinson
ZoeyRobinson Posts: 301 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Why would one want to eat back the calories burned though exercise? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of exercising? I am confused about this topic. I eat 1200-1500 calories and burn at least 1,000 a day. So that makes my deficit 7,000 calories which is 2 pound weight loss a week. I thought I was doing it the healthy way and the "slow and steady wins the race" way. So why would I want to eat my calories back?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    When you set the thing up your daily goal has a deficit that ignores your exercise. If you eat back the exercise calories you keep that deficit, rather than increasing it.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    MFP does not assume you will exercise. Some people will not/cannot exercise. When the calorie deficit is too large you will burn muscle as well as fat. Remember your body requires a minimum calorie amount for basic bodily function (heart, lungs, kidneys).

    Caution: make sure your exercise calories are not overstated. Machines & MFP often overstate calorie burns & you may eat back too much.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Why would one want to eat back the calories burned though exercise? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of exercising? I am confused about this topic. I eat 1200-1500 calories and burn at least 1,000 a day. So that makes my deficit 7,000 calories which is 2 pound weight loss a week. I thought I was doing it the healthy way and the "slow and steady wins the race" way. So why would I want to eat my calories back?

    Eating 1500 and burning 1000 is not leaving you with a 1000/day deficit, unless 1500 is your maintenance at your current weight. It's leaving you with more than that.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    So you eat 1,200 to 1,500 but you burn 1,000? That means you only have a net of 200 to 500 calories per day. Your body needs more than that. I don't eat all my exercise calories back, but I also don't burn as many as you do, I only burn about 300 a day. I eat about half back which works fine for me. I think your net (the number you are left with at the end of the day after you eat and exercise) should be 1,200 or above. You can eat some back or all back as long as you are netting 1,200 per day. Some people find that they actually lose weight faster by netting more. If you forget to eat them back, that's okay, make up for it the next day by eating a few extra healthy snacks.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    "Caution: make sure your exercise calories are not overstated."


    This is the thing I"m wondering about. I'm kind of thinking there are generally a few things I've left off my log or gotten wrong and that calories are sometimes overstated. I'm trying to decide how close to my 'goal' I should actually get, in light of that. According to MFP, I have about 400 left but I'm really not hungry and I just ate a good dinner. The only thing I could think to eat at this point would be ice cream, and that can't be healthy!
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