Why would you want to 'eat back your exercise calories'?!?

dorite7
dorite7 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not understanding why you would want to do this.....can someone explain this to me?!? Just seems like its defeating the purpose!! Thx!

Replies

  • loufranks
    loufranks Posts: 45
    Once when I was doing a lot of exercise I stopped losing weight - eating some of the exercise calories helped boost the weight loss for me. Under normal circumstances I'd use the exercise calories to boost the weight loss though. This was just one of those things where I'd plateaud and couldn't get out of it.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    I'm not understanding why you would want to do this.....can someone explain this to me?!? Thx!

    Can I suggest you go to the top of the page, and read the Info For Newbies threads, starting with this

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

    When MFP sets your calorie goal, it already includes a defict, depending in whether you chose 1lb , 2lb it will give you a defict of 500-1000. MFP does not take into account your exercise, so when you exercise you are making that defict larger, which isn;t always a good thing.

    When you said you want to lose 2lb with a 1000 defict, MFP thinks you meant it, so if you exercise and burn 300 calories, your defict becomes 1000+300 = 1300. MFP then tells you to eat back those 300 exercise calories to get back to the 1000 defict you originally set.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Specifically in MFP's method of calculating a calorie intake, MFP will ask you your goal weight loss per week. It will calculate a recommended intake to lose this amount of weight BEFORE exercise. When you exercise, you are creating an additional deficit that would effectively cause you to lose weight FASTER than your initial goal. Eating these calories gets you back to the original deficit that you told MFP to give you per your goal loss.

    That was way wordier than it needed to be, hopefully it made sense.

    EDIT: Or look at the above reply.
  • MsTonyaRenee
    MsTonyaRenee Posts: 116 Member
    If I exercise a little, like maybe burning 100-200 calories, then I usually don't eat them back. Sometimes when I exercise a lot or have a super active day at work, I eat some of them back. Mostly I look at my net calories and try to stay above 1000-1200. Thats just my personal preference and what is working for me!
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    Because the calories MFP gives you are already at a deficit of what you would need to eat. So without exercising your calories would be roughly 500 less than you'd need to maintain. If you then burn another 500 you'd only be netting say 1000 calories (based on an average woman needing 2000 and MFP giving them 1500) which isn't enough for most people.

    Personally I am calorie counting to lose weight and exercising to build muscle, I need to be eating enough calories to build that muscle!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Because I am really really hungry if I don't!
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    Because I am really really hungry if I don't!

    And this!!
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    What lady and Sidesteal said.

    But keep in mind, faster isn't better, and it's possible to set your deficit up in such a way that your body isn't happy with how quickly you're losing, and will stall out.

    The best way to do it in my experience, is to start by eating back them all. You will then slowly drop how much of your exercise calories you eat. Starting with perhaps 25%/session for a month, and increasing up to a max of about 50% of your exercise calories (so if you burn 750cal in a session, eat only 350cal back). If your weight loss stalls, increase your calories again.

    The problem with all of this is there is no hard/set rule forcing you to choose the correct deficit to begin with. You may think you're sedentary, when in fact you're moderately active. If you've done that, and DON'T eat back your exercise calories, that's a problem. So make sure you're making accurate choices in both your deficit, and your activity level.

    Hope that helps.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
    Because I am really really hungry if I don't!

    I always feel full after cardio. I think I'm weird! lol
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck
  • prairiewalker
    prairiewalker Posts: 184 Member
    You can't run a car on no gas..why would you exercise a body with no fuel? My blog today is about fuel tanks.

    See: Day 4 Is Your Fuel Tank Full
  • prairiewalker
    prairiewalker Posts: 184 Member
    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck
    [/quote]

    WOW!!!!! Impressive photos..EdDavenport ...you look AWESOME!!!! You must feel AWESOME!!!!!!!! Great Advice too!
  • shezlar1
    shezlar1 Posts: 19 Member
    bump
  • jimmie25
    jimmie25 Posts: 266
    .... there are already numerous topics on this..
  • Josette89
    Josette89 Posts: 244
    I feel when I don't eat back some calories I'm tired and weak and consistently getting hunger pangs. I rather have a ton of energy and not feel like I'm starving. My weight loss goals are coming much quicker when I do eat most of them back. :) But, try to experiment what works best for you.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Because they're delicious!!!!!!!!

    But really, what everyone else said. Unlike most other calorie counting plans, MFP doesn't add the calories you SAY you'll burn exercising into your daily goal. It only adds them if and when you do them and log them. So you can SAY you're going to exercise for a half hour three times a week, or that you're going to exercise 90 minutes every day, and you'll get the same calorie goal. Surely someone who's kickin' butt for an hour and a half, seven days a week, is going to need more calories than someone who's only putting in 30 minutes of exercise three times a week?
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,238 Member
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck

    You sir, are full of WIN.
  • Melarie59
    Melarie59 Posts: 44
    You must feel like a different person...good for you! Your example, I'm sure, has inspired many...you inspire me :) Thank you!
  • Coffeeholic8
    Coffeeholic8 Posts: 272 Member
    Simple, it's fuel for tomorrows workout.
  • Ke1ra78
    Ke1ra78 Posts: 146 Member
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck

    well done! Great pics. You look amazing. ;-)
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    Because your hungry! I am usually, some days I don't eat them all back, just because I'm full. If I'm hungry I eat If I'm not I don't simple as that.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,628 Member
    to Ed Davenport ...... you are my hero !

    GoGranny.gif
  • TracyAnn90
    TracyAnn90 Posts: 20
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck

    Wow! Great job! What an inspiration!
  • dorite7
    dorite7 Posts: 27 Member
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck

    You are truly an inspiration to all!! Thank you for sharing and way to go!!! :):):)
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
    So you can go from this:

    2009May2.jpg

    To This!!

    DSCF0626.jpg

    You eat those calories back to fuel your body, has nothing to do with your calorie deficit because that is already built in when you set up your MFP weightloss goals... I eat mine back and love everyone of them.... Best of Luck

    Sir, you are AMAZING!!! Thanks for posting!!

    To the OP: Not every person's metabolism is the same, and not everyone should eat all of those calories back. But that having been written, you should also make sure that you're eating enough to fuel your body (like so many have already pointed out). You can end up in a cycle where you've actually starved your body and need to eat less and less to lose weight. Personally, I'd rather be able to eat a lot, so I do a wide variation of cardio, I weight train, and I eat back most (if not all) of my exercise calories. I base it by the week, though, not by the day, meaning that I usually "save up" 100-300 cals five days a week. That way I have extra cals on the weekends and can indulge in a nice meal out on Saturday or Sunday with my family. This keeps me from feeling deprived most of the time, and I've been losing 1-2 pounds a week pretty steadily since Dec 28, 2011.

    There is a lot more great information about this topic on the forums...best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    If you are going to use the calorie estimate from this site, it seems wise to use the site as designed. That would mean eating your exercise calories. If you want to figure out your calories elsewhere, such as here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ which include your intended exercise calories, then use that and you would not eat back exercise calories. Just note, if you do the second approach, you must exercise as the number given includes that. I used the second approach with good success until I had an injury, then I went back to the MFP number and added exercise calories since my exercise routine was not as regular. Things are improving now, so I may switch back to the other.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    If you are going to use the calorie estimate from this site, it seems wise to use the site as designed. That would mean eating your exercise calories. If you want to figure out your calories elsewhere, such as here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ which include your intended exercise calories, then use that and you would not eat back exercise calories. Just note, if you do the second approach, you must exercise as the number given includes that. I used the second approach with good success until I had an injury, then I went back to the MFP number and added exercise calories since my exercise routine was not as regular. Things are improving now, so I may switch back to the other.

    This definitely applies.

    I don't use MFP's system myself. It's complicated and annoying to plan my meals around. I set myself up with an activity level, which gives me a TDEE/maintenance number (2700-2800cal or so).

    http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ is the site I use for the calculations.

    This eliminates the need for logging exercise (though I still do, to keep track) and eating back those calories.

    I also calorie cycle, and love it. Workout days I eat at or over maintenance, rest days I eat below (as much as 1500cal below sometimes in order to maintain my 20% deficit).

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