calories

gibbieone

I just started using my fitness pal. I have noticed when I log my ex cerise that it adds more calories for the day. Do i need to eat all the added calories to lose weight?

debubbie

If MFP is estimating your calories, only eat back up to half of the calories. MFP typically overestimates calories burned and it can cause you not to lose weight if you eat all of the calories back because you are no longer in a calorie deficit.

jadam60268

Here is a great article on the MyFitnessPal blog about this very subject. Ask the Dietitian: Should I Eat Back My Exercise Calories?

erimethia_fekre

Depends on what you're doing. I'm trying to lose so I don't log my exercise and just eat a standard 1500 a day. It forces me to make healthier choices that will sustain me for the entire day. Once I'm where I want to be ill do exactly what debubbie suggested

ScubaSteve1962

I've always wonder about this question. When I complete my entry MFP tells me whether I would loose, maintain, or gain weight by how many calories I've eaten that day. If I'm trying to loose weight, why would I eat those calories back? Shouldn't I just make sure I eat enough maintenance calories?

AsISmile

The way you that MFP works is that you can lose weight without exercise. It is really hard to burn enough calories while working out to get a real weightloss which is why the focus is on diet. So those 1200 calories are the absolute net minimum you should eat for health reasons.
If you work out for 300 calories, and eat 1200 calories you get net 1200-300 is net 900 calories. Way too low. Which is why you need to eat back exercise calories. Your calorie defecit while eating net 1200 calories is already big enough to lose weight.