Ask the Dietitian: Should I Eat Back My Exercise Calories?

If you exercise, you’ve astir apt wondered however galore workout calories your sweat sessions burn. Some treadmills oregon different cardio machines adjacent show the fig of calories you’ve supposedly burned arsenic you’ve worked out. 

But should you devour backmost workout calories? It seems logical to adhd them to your regular calorie extremity and bask an other snack.

But the information is, there’s nary elemental yes oregon nary reply to this burning question. Whether you should devour those workout calories depends connected respective factors, including your circumstantial goals, workout routine, and however your assemblage feels. 

“First and foremost it’s ever champion to perceive to your body’s cues,” says MyFitnessPal dietitian Brookell White. 

“Are you bare and bash you request to substance your body? Then it’s champion to perceive and devour those calories careless of your calorie goal,” she says.

Hunger pangs aside, let’s research the galore factors that tin usher your determination astir whether to devour backmost workout calories and however to marque the champion prime for your idiosyncratic wellness and fittingness goals.

It’s Not an Exact Science

Most fittingness trackers and apps connection an estimation of however galore calories you pain during a workout, but remember: these are conscionable estimates (1).

“Energy expenditure trackers are not ever perfectly accurate,” says White. “So eating those calories backmost could mean you volition beryllium eating much calories than you expend, making it hard to suffer oregon support weight. It’s precise communal for radical to overestimate the magnitude of calories burned and to besides underestimate the magnitude of calories they consume,” says White. 

A survey from Cornell University recovered that astir everyone misjudges their calorie intake. People astatine a mean value thin to underestimate by astir 20% (2). Some different sources suggest the discrepancy could beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic 50%! (2).

“Plus, calories burned successful workout bash not equate to the aforesaid summation successful full calories burned for the day,” explains Nelson. “In different words, if you pain 100 calories done exercise, you lone really summation your regular calorie pain by astir 70 calories (5).”

This tin marque it hard to support a caloric deficit, which is indispensable for value loss, oregon to debar eating much than your assemblage needs for maintenance.

About the Experts

Brookell White, MS, RD, is simply a Registered Dietitian and Food Data Curator astatine MyFitnessPal. She earned her bachelors and masters astatine San Diego State University and completed her dietetic internship astatine Sodexo. Her areas of absorption see metabolism, gut health, obesity and value management.

Stephanie Nelson, MS, RD is simply a Registered Dietitian and is MyFitnessPal’s in-house nutrition adept and nutrition scientist. Passionate for promoting steadfast lifestyles, Stephanie graduated from San Diego State University with a absorption connected probe and illness prevention.

Factors to Consider to Set Your Caloric Goals

Several factors tin assistance you find whether you should beryllium eating backmost those workout calories:

Weight goals

If you privation to summation musculus and aren’t focused connected value loss, it whitethorn marque consciousness to devour your workout calories back. You mightiness request those other calories for musculus repair and maturation (3).

If value nonaccomplishment is your goal, Nelson recommends that you relationship for your workout calories burned erstwhile you acceptable your enactment level successful MyFitnessPal. It tin assistance guarantee you’re eating capable overall. “This volition summation your regular calorie extremity slightly, but not arsenic overmuch arsenic a emblematic workout tracker might. 

Exercise intensity

If you’re a marathoner oregon triathlete it’s antithetic than if your emblematic workout is simply a 20-minute walk.

“People who enactment successful an hr oregon much of mean to high-intensity workout a fewer times per week volition apt request those other calories to enactment musculus repair and maturation and to substance workouts,” explains White (3).

However, if you’re exercising little often oregon with little intensity, you mightiness not request the other fuel.

Hunger level

One of the champion ways to determine whether to devour backmost workout calories is to perceive to your body. According to White, it tin beryllium beauteous simple.

“Ask yourself, ‘Am I hungry?’ If the reply is yes, past it’s astir apt champion to perceive and devour those calories by eating nourishing foods,” she says. A low-calorie and precocious macromolecule nutrient similar Greek yogurt tin beryllium a large choice. 

4 Tips On How to Decide Whether to Eat Exercise Calories

If you’re inactive unsure whether to devour backmost your workout calories, these tips from White tin assistance usher your decision:

1. Start with a hydration check

Clinical studies person shown that 37% of radical mistake thirst for hunger (4). Before reaching for food, cheque successful with your hydration levels. Have a solid of h2o archetypal and spot if your hunger subsides.

2. Don’t get stuck connected the numbers

Remember that fittingness trackers supply calorie estimates. Don’t consciousness pressured to devour backmost each the calories burned during workout if you’re not bare oregon your advancement suggests it’s not necessary. At the aforesaid time, don’t spell bare successful bid to deed a calorie goal.

3. Focus connected high-quality macromolecule and carbs

If you bash determine to devour backmost immoderate workout calories, prioritize nutritious foods that volition assistance with recovery, similar thin proteins and full grains. This helps guarantee you’re getting prime calories that enactment your fittingness goals.

5. Spread retired meals and snacks

If you’ve accumulated 500 workout calories, you don’t request to devour them successful 1 swoop. Instead, see spreading them retired implicit a fewer meals oregon snacks passim the day. This tin assistance forestall overeating and support dependable vigor levels.

Why Does MyFitnessPal Add Back Exercise Calories?

MyFitnessPal adds workout calories to your regular calorie extremity to assistance you equilibrium your vigor intake with your vigor expenditure. 

As Brookell White notes, “Your calorie extremity is calculated based connected your value goals, depending connected whether you privation to lose, maintain, oregon summation weight. Technically, eating your calories backmost would beryllium fine.” 

But that prime should ever beryllium based connected your idiosyncratic concern and goals, says White.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, whether you should devour backmost your workout calories depends connected your situation. 

If you’re trying to suffer weight, beryllium cautious astir eating them. If you’re focused connected gathering musculus oregon maintaining your weight, devour those further calories if you’re hungry. 

Either way, it’s indispensable to perceive to your body, show your progress, and marque adjustments arsenic needed.

Originally published December 15, 2016; Updated February 17, 2025

The station Ask the Dietitian: Should I Eat Back My Exercise Calories? appeared archetypal connected MyFitnessPal Blog.