Help I don't understand.....?

mandybullock2015

I'm trying to lose about 30lb

Why when I exercise am I then allowed to eat more calories because doesn't this just cancel out the calories I've just burnt so therefore it seems like exercise is pointless if I'm just going to re eat the calories again?

Damien_K

It seems confusing but if you do the math then you will note that you still remain in a healthy deficit when eating back the calories. Exercise is to promote cardiovascular health, build muscle mass, increase blood flow and all of which will aid you in the long run.

If you decide to not eat back your calories then your deficit increase and you run the risk of losing precious muscle mass, loose skin, decreasing recovery time and putting strain on your central nervous system. It really boils down to finding a balance that works for you and staying consistent with it.

Sued0nim

MFP is set up to NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis)

Which basically means you tell it your age, height, weight, activity level without exercise, and how much weight you'd like to lose a week

It then spits out a number based on how much you will burn, without exercise ..just living normally and taking away 500 calories for every 1lb per week you want to lose
(There is a floor though, it won't go below 1200 for a woman, 1500 for a man)

You have also set a target exercise sessions per week..this is a goal for you not part of the calculations.
So when you actually exercise you burn more calories and get to eat those back while still sticking to the defecit ..it's setting up a reward or a knowledge that I can lose weight without exercise but if I exercise I get to eat more while I lose weight

N0703989

Nice explanation @Damien_K

nosebag1212

You exercise for general health, body composition and to increase your TDEE, trying to eat at a deficit without any exercise *kitten* sucks because you don't get to eat much at all, especially if you're small.

Expat4Life

A lot of people (including myself) will eat back some percentage of the exercise calories but not all. This is largely because estimating the calories burned can be difficult (it depends on the exact physical exertion which is only estimated on calorie burn calculators like here on MFP). I usually eat back 50-75% of my exercise calories to account for errors in the burn calculation. I definitely agree that you don't want to totally avoid eating the calories you burned during exercise, it puts your deficit too low. Avoiding exercise all together isn't great either as you'll always lose lean mass while dieting and some moderate exercise / strength training will help prevent this (along with a good amount of protein in your diet). Lose muscle mass and you'll become a dreaded 'skinny fat'.

Think of it this way, too, if you exercise you get to eat more, improve your fitness, and still lose weight at the same time