If MFP gives me 1200 calories, I should eat my exercise calories right?

napilibay

I'm 5'5, 166 female... I should eat my exercise calories if I'm only given 1200 calories per day, right?

janejellyroll

MFP is designed for people to eat back their exercise calories. If your calorie goal is very low (as yours is), it's extra important to make sure you are fueling your activity properly.

StaciMarie1974

Yes. But with a disclaimer: be careful not to overestimate your exercise calories. Machines and online calculators tend to overestimate. Use a heart rate monitor if possible for cardio, or just consider eating back a portion of what the online/machine #s read.

Aaron_K123

1200 seems very low for a 5'5 166 pound female. Understand that MFP is a brainless calculator that will only spit out what you put in. It refuses to go below 1200 so hitting 1200 basically means you broke it. Its quite possible that you are asking for an overly aggressive weight loss rate or you are underestimating your activity level.

1200 calories is probably the amount a completely sedentary 90 year old 100 pound 4'10'' woman needs to maintain her weight.

Totally guessing an age for you but if you are 35 here is a suggested BMR. Keep in mind BMR is the amount you would burn doing absolutely nothing, just lying in bed.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/#result

That is 1550 calories per day if you were just sleeping all day. Assuming you get out of bed and walk around then your average burn per day is going to be more like 1900 or 2000 and if you exercise then even higher. If you eat only 1200 calories that is a HUGE deficit, probably overly aggressive.

My BMR as a 6'0 180 pound man is about 1750 but I require something like 2,400 calories to maintain my weight.