Extra calories earned for exercise question

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ilovejesus2911
ilovejesus2911 Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm confused about something..... I'm allowed 1200 calories a day, but when I do 60 min. of cardio for example, I earn a bunch of extra calories which I'm expected to consume as part of my daily allowance on MFP. If I don't eat them and just stick to my 1200, it tells me that I haven't consumed enough. But isn't the point of exercising burning calories and not consuming more? TIA for any help!

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  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    The point of working out for me is improved fitness. The extra caloriea are a bonus.

    MFP already has your deficit factored into your original goal so if you are working out a lot and not giving your body the extra fuel your deficit becomes too steep and could pose health risks.
  • ericabrizzi3380
    ericabrizzi3380 Posts: 10 Member
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    Calories are based off what the body needs for fuel on a daily basis for general function. If you exercise it creates a deficit because you used the calories you gained through eating to have the fuel for exercise. So to replace those calories is to just replace what you used during exercise. 1200 calories I would think is already a deficit compared to the consumption amount before weight loss was being considered into the total calorie intake.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    No, the point of exercise isn't to lose weight. The point of exercise is that it improves your quality of life. The fact that it allows you to eat more or lose weight more quickly is just a minor side benefit.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    If it's telling you that you haven't consumed enough your eating under 1000.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Eat them, they taste the best!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    The 1200 is already including a deficit needed to lose weight. If you exercise and don't eat them back yes you may lose weight quicker BUT at 1200 you are already at minimum and should not aim to eat below that. If you don't want to eat all your exercise cals back, see how that goes, but at least eat enough that you are still netting 1200 at the minimum.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited April 2017
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    But isn't the point of exercising burning calories and not consuming more?
    No that's not the point of exercise.
    And the point of a healthy diet (noun) or diet (verb) isn't to have the minimum amount of nutrition.

    Exercise is as much a legitimate calorie need as having an active job or lifestyle for example.

    The point of a goal is to hit the goal, not to undercut it, your goal is 1200 + exercise calories.
    Whether that minimum allowable goal is even suitable for you also depends on your stats.
  • ilovejesus2911
    ilovejesus2911 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you so much for your replies everyone!
  • planetcadillac
    planetcadillac Posts: 137 Member
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    I get this question and often wondered. My calorie goal for the day is 1,500 and I pretty much stay close to it. I am also staying pretty close to my macro target of 40%C - 30%F - 30%P. With that said, over the course of 7 days, I am averaging about 550 calories burned through exercise according to MFP on a daily basis. That puts me at a net of around 1,000 per day. According to the program, I am getting enough nutrients through food and supplements including fiber. I have been on it 20 days now and have lost 6lbs. Prior to this, I was eating about 3,000/day and about 70% of them were coming from carbs.

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