Poll: How many calories do you "eat back" after exercise?

jloh1214
jloh1214 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm curious what the broad approach is on this topic. When you exercise, how many of the calories do you "eat back", if any? i.e. If you burn 500 calories working out, do you add an 250 calories to your daily intake, or zero? I'm sure it's different for everyone but I would be curious how different people approach it and how successful it is. Thanks!
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Replies

  • shawnakelsey
    shawnakelsey Posts: 46 Member
    Hell there, Thats a great question. I try and stay within my 1200 cals no matter what I burn. But people have been telling me I should be eating my burn cals as well. So would love to see what people have to say.
  • orishp
    orishp Posts: 214 Member
    I eat all of them back, if I am hungry .... but I don't eat just for the sake of eating
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    I pretty much eat them all back - and I've lost 31 pounds and have been on maintenance for over a month (and am still losing very slowly). And if I don't that day, then I average it out during the week.
  • CryTerrell
    CryTerrell Posts: 55
    Well, I eat some of my exercise calories. But I tried to keep 500 calories left at the end of the day, so I reach my goal weight!!
  • casnic25
    casnic25 Posts: 81
    I eat back the calories I burned. I started this program 9 days ago and have lost 2.5 pounds. I started it after a friend lost 45 pounds using MYFITNESSPAL. She also ate back her calories. Your allotted 1200 calories a day and when you work out you have earned the extra calories. I find it motivates me to work that much harder while working out. I also space out my meals because this has proven successful with others I know. That is what works for me, but everyone is different.
  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
    Hell there, Thats a great question. I try and stay within my 1200 cals no matter what I burn. But people have been telling me I should be eating my burn cals as well. So would love to see what people have to say.

    That's what I do. Though I just ate a 170 cal yogurt to help up my calories so I could reach 1200! And I'm still 100 away...it's harder for me to eat all of my calories back on days I do exercise for some reason.
  • KayeeDaisyBee
    KayeeDaisyBee Posts: 124
    I generally try not to because of all the conflicting opinions there are on the subject. :huh:
    I will eat them if i'm hungry though...generally not all of them, just a few of them...i am very much a beginner with all this and i want to work out what works for me in terms of loss before i start experimenting with those exercise calories.
    When i do eat some back...is it just me or do they taste even more delicious than your regular calories? :wink:
  • skihills
    skihills Posts: 1 Member
    :glasses: I try to consume about half of the earned calories. After a heavy hour of cardio like I just finished, I'm not as interested in food as I would otherwise be. A side benefit of exercise!
  • africaa
    africaa Posts: 228
    I don't usually eat back my cals..I try to eat between 1200-1500 cals a day.
  • clehman71
    clehman71 Posts: 139 Member
    I try to eat back the calories from exercise. I am set at sedentary so the calorie burn is not calculated in to my figures. The only time I do not eat them all back is after an intense cycling session when I burn 1200 or more calories...hard to eat that many calories back on top of the daily intake.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    Today, I ate back about 550 of my 760 exercise calories. I may end up with another snack before bed because I usually stay up pretty late...

    Some days I eat about half, some days all and then some. Just depends. It all averages out at the end of the week/month to pretty much come out where I should.

    I have an HRM, so it's a little more accurate, too, I think...
  • feltlikesound
    feltlikesound Posts: 326 Member
    I eat all of them back, if I am hungry .... but I don't eat just for the sake of eating

    This.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
    for me, is almost IMPOSSIBLE to eat back my calories. im at 1200, but i rarely get to 1000... i an not an over-eater, but an under-eater and have always been. I started using the body by vi protein shake powder to help me, and its amazing how much a little bit of calories (90 per shake, plus whatever you put int them.. i use fruit to make a smoothie) can help you burn! So, while i dont "eat" just to reach a number.. i do try to stay close to my 1200 (even if i have to drink half a pepsi!) because its hard to believe, but true what they say... you have to have calories to burn!! =)
  • jloh1214
    jloh1214 Posts: 3
    They are definitely more delicious, and guilt free :tongue:
  • summer827
    summer827 Posts: 516 Member
    I'm eating 20% below my TDEE. If I exercise, I eat 100% back. I may not necessarily eat them back that very day...might "use" the extra the next day if I'm not hungry at the moment. I'm always hungry eventually :).
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    I take whatever my heart rate monitor says I burned, subtract the number of minutes of the workout, and log that. For example, if I burn 400 calories in a 50 minute aerobics class I enter 350 in MFP. I then eat back all of my exercise calories. This has worked well for me.
  • SueKnapp
    SueKnapp Posts: 8
    I don't eat them back just because I have them. If I am hungry for a snack at the end of my day I use the calories I have earned by exercising. Rarely do I use them all, though. I have lost 80# and am close to my goal weight. Let your body tell you if you are hungry and you won't go wrong!
  • jyuubi
    jyuubi Posts: 109
    I try to eat as little as possible. My calories are 1,580...so if I gain some calories back, I try not to go over that number by much. I would never eat them all back because it's always hard to accurately tell how many you burned.
  • brimarie95
    brimarie95 Posts: 81 Member
    I have been using MFP for a couple weeks now and I am still figuring out what works best for me. So far, I have concluded that I want to eat up to 1500 cals even if I am working out more, in hopes that the pounds will shed off more quickly. Even at that amount, since I am eating healthy foods, I feel like I am eating a lot. Then, even if I go over 1500, I have no guilt becuase my workouts have way more than made up for the difference. I feel like it is working, but I am not weighing in until Sunday. I guess we will see and then over time, we will see even more. I am certainly up for adjusting my intake if I hit a plateau or something.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 heart rate monitor that I wear to get a more accurate calorie burn.. and I have always ate back 85% of my burned calories, leaving 15% for logging errors.... Been using this system throughout my journey and it has worked quite nicely.... Best of Luck....
  • JuneBPrice
    JuneBPrice Posts: 294 Member
    As a general rule, I don't eat back my calories at all. I like to stick with my regular limit. However, there are times when I do eat back my calories, but that's more because I want to eat than I want to lose weight :)
  • Silver14
    Silver14 Posts: 141
    I just try to get to my goal... But it's quite high I guess. (1800). But if my goal was 1200 I think I would be eating about 300cals more for exercise but I exercise a lot so... Idk.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 heart rate monitor that I wear to get a more accurate calorie burn.. and I have always ate back 85% of my burned calories, leaving 15% for logging errors.... Been using this system throughout my journey and it has worked quite nicely.... Best of Luck....

    You are one of the most motivating folks on here! Every time I see a post of yours, I look at the comparison pics, and every single time, I'm just like: O.o WOW.

    Thanks! :)
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I don't necessarily eat back my exercise calories. I will eat back a portion of them when I am hungry or craving a treat. But I look at it as saving a "bank" of calories that I'll need if I slip up!
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
    I eat all of them back, if I am hungry .... but I don't eat just for the sake of eating

    This.

    Yes.. This. If I'm hungry, I'll eat some or all of them back... but only if I really feel hungry. But since I exercise after work (my gym isn't open before I go to work), eating 500-800 cals at night would give me acid reflux and keep me awake.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Well it depends how many I've already eaten.... when I was losing weight I typically aimed for my calorie goal. I always tried to make that number "remaining calories" as close to zero as I could get it. So yes... I ate them back...
  • rebeccasedwards
    rebeccasedwards Posts: 208
    I try not to eat back. I'm on the 1200 calorie plan. I do pretty good.
  • shawnakelsey
    shawnakelsey Posts: 46 Member
    Hell there, Thats a great question. I try and stay within my 1200 cals no matter what I burn. But people have been telling me I should be eating my burn cals as well. So would love to see what people have to say.

    That's what I do. Though I just ate a 170 cal yogurt to help up my calories so I could reach 1200! And I'm still 100 away...it's harder for me to eat all of my calories back on days I do exercise for some reason.

    I no! I don't always get to my 1200cals. I only eat when i'm hungry! I shouldn't be forcing myself to eat. I just want to make sure i'm doing this the right way
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    Depends on how hungry I am. Sometimes all, sometimes none of them. Sometimes just a bit. If I burn a ton of calories I might eat some but I won't force myself to eat them all if I'm just not hungry.
  • heatgal976
    heatgal976 Posts: 53 Member
    Usually I eat back about half of my workout calories.

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