Eating calories expended through exercise?

Miss Fluff

Hoping some peeps can give a definitive answer on this! I'm using www.myfitnesspal.com for food and exercise tracking as have a big event coming up in a couple of months and want to look HOT. There seem to be very mixed opinions there on whether one should "eat up" all the exercise points gained in any day. I really don't understand the science behind it all but I know you need a calorie deficit of "X" amount to lose however many lbs you want to shift. Some people are saying not to eat them, some people are saying eat half of them and some people are saying you have to them eat all. If anyone could shed any light on the correct approach I'd appreciate it! Also if this is the wrong forum mods then feel free to move. Cheers!

Stench Blossoms

I think the debate with myfitnesspal is that it has already created a deficit for you which is the minimum you should eat.

Have you read the stickies here? Work out how many calories you should be eating and go from there.

Also, MFP over estimates calories burned. That's why you'll hear people saying eat half etc.

Miss Fluff

Thanks Stench, I guess I'm confused because of all the conflicting information! I'm thinking of eating half the calories as seems to be the general consensus but sourcing those calories through fruit and veg and going. Have read the stickies and they are great but I can't seem to find a definitive answer, like I say, lots of differing views out there....

saa

My assumption is you keep your net caloried above 1200 for a woman andn 1800(?) for a man your body needs that to function so it doesn't save fat, I apparently need to eat 2000 to maintain and 1600 to lose weight and exercise to burn 400 a day and my net is 1200, I'd never let my net go below 1000.

But thats just me, id imagine you don't eat 1200 a day and work out loads as then you'd be left with way below 1000 to function but then again lots of people do this and don't plateau! I wouldn't eat back every calorie just to get back up to 1200-1400, I used to eat 1200-1400 a day burning 200 cals a day and hit a plateau I do not know just trying to figure out how MY body works.

Eat your food back in good carbs and protein though you're right.. still lots of confusion.
Go check your BMR and calorie needs calculators and avoid going below thresholds.

Miss Fluff

Thanks saa. Yes, I'm in a similar boat. Net Calories of 1200 a day but doing 500 in exercise so while I feel I need to keep my energy levels up if burning 500 a day, it seems mad to replace all those 500 calories, it's almost like undoing the good work if you get me? But then I've been reading about risking going into "starvation mode" and how it can feck up your metabolism...aaaghhh:eek:

Mellor

I'd ignore anyone that said to eat them all. That's not a good idea for weight loss.

If you want an extra snack, you can eat some of your exercise calories, but you don't have to eat any of them if you find you manage ok. The 1200 figure is just a number MFP made up. An individuals lower limit varies, and for women and smaller people it's going to be lower.

The danger if eating exercise calories that that most people over estimate them. For example, I doubt you are burning 500 cals every workout.

seamus

Mellor wrote: »

The danger if eating exercise calories that that most people over estimate them. For example, I doubt you are burning 500 cals every workout.

+1
In general I don't really eat my exercise calories. I cycle to work (about an hour a day's total cycling) and run 3 times a week. The longest run I do is about an hour, and on that day I might throw some sugar into me as soon as I get home (a biscuit or two), and then just eat a normal dinner. Online estimates of my total calorie expenditure on exercise during the week give me figures ranging from 2800 - 5600 calories. So the potential to get it wrong is huge.

On the weekend I cycle for between 3 and 5 hours. I eat while on the bike, and I'll have a larger lunch when I get home (soup + two sandwiches), but then otherwise eat normally. Again, estimates for a 4-hour cycle usually vary from 1500kcal (strava) to 3000kcal (garmin), so playing the "eat your exercise" game is a very risky one.

I know myself when I'm excessively hungry or low on blood sugar due to exercise, so I up my intake a little at my next meal to compensate.

Glitter

I'm on MFP and supposed to be eating about 1290 cals a day for the correct loss too.
I walk for an hour a day 5 days a week and swim about 3-4 hours a week which according to MFP gains me anywhere between 198 and 700 cals per day some days.

Sunday-Thursday I never "eat back" many, if any, of those calories - I actually find it hard to hit 1200 net some days, but at the weekend I do let the ones gained from exercise ease my conscience about treating myself to a couple of whiskey and diet cokes or glasses of wine.

Seems to be working, my weight loss has dramatically sped up the last couple of weeks and I'm down by just over a stone since January 4th as of today.

Miss Fluff

Thanks so much all for the feedback and for the people that PM'd me. Seems like MFP WAY overestimate the number of calories used on exercise. Am going to get myself a decent heart rate monitor and use that as an accurate guide to what's being used. Until then, am going to avoid using them up. I don't mind using up 100 give or take but limiting it to that - the figures the site comes up with seem insane! :eek:

SteelyDanJalapeno

Another option to add to your plan would be to start avoiding high glycemic index foods, so anything thats gonna raise your insulin levels too high and prevent your body from accessing your stored fat reserves for fuel. It will take a little research but theres plenty of lists out there indication a particular foods level, commonly the likes of anything sugar based, sweets, soft drinks, sweeter fruits, bread, potatoes, chocolate, cereals etc...

Miss Fluff

Thanks TiltedBrain, am doing just that and eating as much "clean" food as possible so nothing from packets or anything processed and off the booze for Lent....must go and polish my halo while I'm at it

Mellor

Miss Fluff wrote: »

Thanks so much all for the feedback and for the people that PM'd me. Seems like MFP WAY overestimate the number of calories used on exercise.

MFP calculates exactly what you enter. The problem is that people enter their low intensity aerobics aas high intensity. Or if they are doing 30 minutes of step-ups/boxing/circuits, they don't account for rest times.

Plus, MFP (and everyone else) adds these gross calories on top, when they should add on the net cals.

HRM is the way to go though.

Miss Fluff

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between gross and net calories and how do you work them out? (I get sooo confused ))

Stench Blossoms

Gross with be food consumed.

Net would be the food consumed minus calories burned.

MFP suggest that you always NET 1200 (meaning eat your exercise calories)

Glitter

I'm confused now too!

Is it bad for your diet if you don't eat them back??

On the days where I walk and go to the gym for an hour I might "gain" 600 or 700 calories (according to MFP!) - there's no way I'd eat that much on top of my daily basic 1290, that'd nearly be another two meals!

Stench Blossoms

Glitter wrote: »

I'm confused now too!

Is it bad for your diet if you don't eat them back??

On the days where I walk and go to the gym for an hour I might "gain" 600 or 700 calories (according to MFP!) - there's no way I'd eat that much on top of my daily basic 1290, that'd nearly be another two meals!

As already stated the exercise calories MFP give you are grossly over estimated.

I don't think anyone should stick to the calories MFP gives you. Look at the stickies here and work out your calories allowance and just use MFP to log food.

Mellor

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Gross with be food consumed.

Net would be the food consumed minus calories burned.

MFP suggest that you always NET 1200 (meaning eat your exercise calories)

Afraid you are wrong here.
Net is the word used my MFP for calories left over but it doesn't suggest that you always net 1200. It suggests that you eat 1200 min. (try it an see, I enter 1500 from food and 3000 from exercise, and the warnign didn't come up). Net is used for predicting weight loss (or gain).
It is a random figure that MFP decided upon, its meaningless. There is a lower limit for everyone, but not 1200 accross the board. MFP suggests 1200 for everyone even if they are 50kg and sedantry, or 100kg and active. Obviously a flaw.

The daily goal in MFP is based on your weight, activity, and your intended weight loss OR 1200 which ever is greater. Normally it works fine, and the 1200 is a figure most peopel should stay above. But smaller people need to be careful. If somebody had a maintenance level of 1250, MFP would only allow a 50 cal deficit. They won't lose weight like that.

Miss Fluff wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between gross and net calories and how do you work them out? (I get sooo confused ))

Net and gross calories refers to calories burned during exercise

For example, somebody does 1 hour of light excercise, say they go for a walk. They might burn 200 calories. They've worked off a bonus 200 calories today, right.?

Nope.
Had they sat on the couch for that hour, they would have still burned off some calories. Maybe 70 calories. So the extra they burned off was only 130. It something that people don't consider, and is more of an issue at low intensity.

If you are eating all your exercise calories, you are probably going to slow your weight loss.

Stench Blossoms

Sorry I was only to referring to NET from MFP point of few

* Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned

I used 1200 because it's the lowest amount of calories MFP suggests eating.

Either way I agree with you that eating all your exercise calories would slow weight loss.

Mellor

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Sorry I was only to referring to NET from MFP point of few



I used 1200 because it's the lowest amount of calories MFP suggests eating.

Either way I agree with you that eating all your exercise calories would slow weight loss.

It was worth point out from an MFP point of view too.

I was just trying to explain that 1200 is a random number. Prob one of the few criticism of the app. They could easily have it as a % of maintenance number.

Miss Fluff

Mellor wrote: »

It was worth point out from an MFP point of view too.

I was just trying to explain that 1200 is a random number. Prob one of the few criticism of the app. They could easily have it as a % of maintenance number.

Agree, seems like the best approach is to work out personal BMR and then calculate what deficit is needed yourself in order to work out projected desired weekly weight loss.

Glitter

Alrighty, I did the sums on the nutrition sticky (g'em's post) and it seems to be saying I should be eating nearly 2500 cals per day for weight loss!

I also did my sums for what I've been eating for the last four weeks via my MFP calorie logger - I log everything, down to the lime juice in my drinking water and every drop of cooking oil and all that stuff - and I have been eating an average of a little under 1500 cals per day (gross). Which would be the 1290 MFP advised and eating back about 200 exercise cals (a fraction of what MFP would have me believe I had spare anyway!), and including one break out meal per week.

So, um... I don't know what to think now!

Maybe I'm just really crap at maths??

Here's the sums:
I'm 30 (31 in a couple of weeks), 93.3kgs, 5'1 tall, and female, aiming to lose around 2lbs a week until I hit a size 10-12, currently a 16.
Started this diet 8 weeks ago and have lost a bit over a stone.

RMR
Age Women
19-30 (bw (kg) * 14.7) + 496

93.3kgs * 14.7 = 1371 + 1867

Activity level
mostly seated or standing RMR * 1.4

1867 * 1.4 = 2613

Exercise Average
Total 4 walking + 3-4 swimming = avg. 7 hours per week
Low Intensity Cardio = 300 cals / hour
7 * 300 = 2100
2100 / 7 days = 300 cals / day

Totals: 2613 + 300 = 2913

Calculate -15% lowering for weight loss
2913 * 0.85 = 2476 cals per day

Gross cals in and actual weight loss:
Avg four weeks ago = 1434 / day 1.1 lbs lost
Avg three weeks ago = 1698 / day 0.9 lbs lost
Avg two weeks ago = 1386 / day 2.6 lbs lost
Avg last week = 1454 / day 3.5 lbs lost

Miss Fluff

OK guys, someone posted this recently on one of the MFP chat forums and I think it describes what's needed REALLY well:

Wed 02/29/12 02:26 run down:

BMI = Body Mass Index; Its a formula that takes your height and weight and turns it to one number. Its pretty much the universal method for telling you if you're normal, overweight, obese, etc. It does have erroneous results if you're extremely muscular though because the excess muscle weight will erroneously show an overweight/obese result.

BMR = Basal metabolic rate. Its the amount of calories you burn if you were to lay in bed all day just to keep everything going in your body. Generally most people working out are between moderately and intensively active so you must account for that extra effort by taking your BMI and multiplying it by 1.2-1.5 since you're 20-50% more active than someone who lays in bed all day.
IE my BMR is 2200. I'd burn that laying in bed all day. Multiply by 1.2 for moderate activity and my daily calories are about 2800.

Now take your BMR and figure out how much weight you want to lose. Say a pound a week. A pound is 3500 calories. Divide that by 7 days for a week (3500/7 = 500) to get a needed deficit of 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week. My BMR being 2800 means I take 2800 - 500 = 2300. I should eat 2300 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week.

Now lets throw exercise into the mix. I am eating 2300 calories a day, but I exercise 6 days a week burning 400 calories a day. That lowers my NET calories every day (but my off day) to 1900. I have to option to eat back those calories to a NET 2300 (total 2700) or too let them add to my weight loss. I choose to let them go towards weight loss so thats a 900/day calorie deficit which multiplied by 7 days (for simplicity even though I take a day off) = 5400 calorie deficit per week. That is roughly 1.5 lb loss per week.

A lot of people get discouraged by water weight though which and cause them to appear to lose a lot more or less depending on salt and carb intake prior to weigh in. I weigh in daily but only record my official weight on Sundays. Knowing my fluctuations helps me keep an idea of how much water I am retaining. It only takes 1 liter of water to add 2 lbs of weight to you, so that tells you why water can affect weigh ins so much.

Glitter

Thank you so much ! Those calculations give me about 1400-1500 gross cals a day for 2lbs a week weight loss. Pretty much what I'm doing! Phew.

verywell

Miss Fluff wrote: »

OK guys, someone posted this recently on one of the MFP chat forums and I think it describes what's needed REALLY well:

Wed 02/29/12 02:26 run down:

BMI = Body Mass Index; Its a formula that takes your height and weight and turns it to one number. Its pretty much the universal method for telling you if you're normal, overweight, obese, etc. It does have erroneous results if you're extremely muscular though because the excess muscle weight will erroneously show an overweight/obese result.

BMR = Basal metabolic rate. Its the amount of calories you burn if you were to lay in bed all day just to keep everything going in your body. Generally most people working out are between moderately and intensively active so you must account for that extra effort by taking your BMI and multiplying it by 1.2-1.5 since you're 20-50% more active than someone who lays in bed all day.
IE my BMR is 2200. I'd burn that laying in bed all day. Multiply by 1.2 for moderate activity and my daily calories are about 2800.

Now take your BMR and figure out how much weight you want to lose. Say a pound a week. A pound is 3500 calories. Divide that by 7 days for a week (3500/7 = 500) to get a needed deficit of 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week. My BMR being 2800 means I take 2800 - 500 = 2300. I should eat 2300 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week.

Now lets throw exercise into the mix. I am eating 2300 calories a day, but I exercise 6 days a week burning 400 calories a day. That lowers my NET calories every day (but my off day) to 1900. I have to option to eat back those calories to a NET 2300 (total 2700) or too let them add to my weight loss. I choose to let them go towards weight loss so thats a 900/day calorie deficit which multiplied by 7 days (for simplicity even though I take a day off) = 5400 calorie deficit per week. That is roughly 1.5 lb loss per week.

A lot of people get discouraged by water weight though which and cause them to appear to lose a lot more or less depending on salt and carb intake prior to weigh in. I weigh in daily but only record my official weight on Sundays. Knowing my fluctuations helps me keep an idea of how much water I am retaining. It only takes 1 liter of water to add 2 lbs of weight to you, so that tells you why water can affect weigh ins so much.

Thank you! So easy now to understand:)