How do I work MFP?

TaraJerard

So my calorie intake is set to 1200 and I have just joined the gym. I work out in the morning before breakfast. So do I eat until it goes back to zero from being in the negatives after a workout or do I eat from the negatives right up to 1200? Also if anyone has any beginner gym plans they could she would be awesome too. Cheers.

yarwell

By the end of the day you should have eaten the negatives up to zero and the positives down to zero.

queenmedusa

There will be differences of opinion on this. Some will tell you to "eat back" the calories that you burned during exercise, some will tell you not to. Really it's a decision that we all have to make for ourselves.
If you exercise and burn, say, 300 calories before you eat then MFP will say: 1200 Goal - 0 Food + 300 Exercise = -1500 Net (and 1500 remaining). You can choose to either eat your 1200 or the full 1500 (so you will have 0 remaining at the end of the day).
The 1200 goal will be set so that you lose the amount of weight that you want at the pace that you set when you joined. If you exercise at the rate that you set (i.e. 5 x per week) then you should hit your goal even if you eat back your exercise calories.

kommodevaran

I don't log exercise - problem solved

Liftng4Lis

Most people only eat half of the calories back, as they tend to be overestimated and it gives room for error in underestimation of food.