I need advice regarding calories earned

MarelizeS
MarelizeS Posts: 6 Member
Good day everyone :)

I have a question that may come across as silly, or that may have already been asked.

After logging your exercise in the app, it will state at the bottom "You have gained x Calories from exercise". Does that mean you can increase your daily food intake afterwards? As I understand it, I get 1600 Calories a day as calculated by the website, to lose 1kg a week, and that is what you should stick to in order to lose weight. So whatever I exercise is extra? I would appreciate advice and feedback.

Thank you! :)

Replies

  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,114 Member
    If you used mfp to get your goal then yes, you should eat back at least a portion of the exercise calories. TDEE calculators include your exercise when they give you your calorie goal, but mfp uses the NEAT formula, which does not include exercise, just your daily activity level. So your 1600 calories per day already includes a deficit of 1000 calories. That means if you don't do any exercise at all you can eat 1600 calories and be in a deficit and lose weight. If you exercise and burn 200 calories and don't eat them back you now have a deficit of 1200 calories. Lots of people don't trust the exercise calorie burn estimates and so will suggest only eating back 50% of them. I think it is a good idea to start with eating back 50-75% of your earned exercise calories and then after 3-4 weeks if you are losing faster than 1kg a week you know you can eat back more of the exercise calories but if you are not losing as expected then don't eat back as much of them.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »

    ^^was just about to post this. This is a fairly common question and the link above is my favorite explanation.
  • MarelizeS
    MarelizeS Posts: 6 Member
    edited July 2016
    Thank you! :D