Calorie intake ?

lorilynn1225
lorilynn1225 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I always get confused, but MFP has the calories at the top minus intake plus exercise. So if I exercise, I need to eat those calories as well as my goal calories for the day? What happens to my body if I don't?

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you need to net the number MFP gives you ..so if MFP gives you 1500 and your burn 300 exercising then you need to eat 1800 - 300 burned = 1500 net ...
    -
    caveat - most calorie burns are not accurate so you should only eat back half the burned calories..so in above example... burn 150 means you need to eat 1650 - 150 burned = 1500 net...
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    If you don't eat them, you shrivel up and burst into flame.

    No, you just lose weight more quickly.
  • lorilynn1225
    lorilynn1225 Posts: 3 Member
    I know I won't shrivel up
  • monica_reinert
    monica_reinert Posts: 99 Member
    I try not to eat back my exercise calories. I know some people say that they are so hungry after exercising they need the extra intake. It's your call if you feel you need them don't deprive yourself.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    If you have a moderate deficit (say 250-500 calories a day), and you do a little additional exercise on top of that, such as 250 calories, the only consequences of not eating them back is that (1) you will probably be somewhat hungrier and (2) you will lose weight somewhat faster.

    If you're already aiming for an aggressive deficit (750-1000 calories/day) or you do a lot of exercise (e.g. a 10-mile run), you run the risk of not supplying yourself with enough nutrients for your body to repair itself. It's not a problem if you just do it once or twice, but on a regular basis it's not a good idea.

    For me, one of the many benefits of exercise was being able to eat more while still losing weight at the rate I desired. It was much easier for me to eat 2000 calories a day, while averaging 450 calories exercising, than to eat 1550 calories a day without exercise. The caveat applies, though, that estimating exercise calories isn't perfectly accurate. My Garmin Edge and Forerunner HRM/GPS computers are a lot more accurate than MFP's database, but they're still only estimating things.
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