Eating back exercise calories?

HakunaMatata137

Hi!
I know this question has probably been asked tons of times, but I keep seeing mixed responses.
I have my goal right now at 1200 cals/day. I put that I’m “not very active” just to be on the safe side, because my week ranges from 4,000 steps/day to up to 11,000 steps. I also want to lose 1.5 lbs/week.
I workout about 5 times a week, and burn around 300 calories per workout. My Fitbit tells me it’s more like 400, but I always underestimate.
My question is - should I eat back those calories? Or keep it at strictly 1200? I’m feeling pretty hungry. But I don’t want to go over. Thanks for any help!

janejellyroll

MFP gives you a calorie goal with the intention that you will eat back additional calories burnt through exercise.

You are already at the very lowest calorie intake recommended for a woman. For your own health and fitness, I strongly recommend that you account -- in some way -- for the exercise you're doing.

TavistockToad

Yes, eat them

glassyo

If I had to live off 1200 calories, I'd be gnawing off appendages. Which would still mean I'd be eating my exercise calories back.

So eat them.

In real food.

mbaker566

eat them

garystrickland357

Eat. Them. All. Back.

Strudders67

Definitely eat them. If you're eating 1200 cals and your Fitbit says you've burned 400, you've actually only eaten 800 calories. That has the potential to make you very ill. To "be on the safe side" you need to be eating a NET of 1200 calories a day.

I'm also on 1200 cals/day. I have my activity level set to Sedentary as I sit at a desk all day - that, apparently, assumes I'll do about 3500 steps a day which, going to and from the kitchen area to make a drink, wandering to and from the printer etc is probably about right. However, I log my (brisk) walk to and from the office, weekend walks and time in the gym and, for those, MFP gives me more calories to eat. I then those exercise calories on top of my allocated 1200.

If my exercise is just walking, I think MFP is fairly accurate with calories and I eat what it says. If I spend an hour on the cross-trainer (elliptical), I know MFP is way off (based on what the machine tells me), so I only log half the time I exercised. I then eat the number of calories given to me by MFP. Some days I eat almost 2000 calories, but my net figure is 1200.

cwolfman13

Watch this video...

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

Also, 1200 is an aggressive weight loss calorie target meant for a sedentary individual...it accounts for very little activity in your day. 11K + steps and working out 5 days per week isn't accounted for in your calorie target and is far from sedentary. Lets say you burn off around 300 calories for your workouts and another 300 for your steps in excess of sedentary steps...your net calorie intake would be 600 calories. Now ask yourself...does that sound remotely healthy? It would be the same as just eating 600 calories.