Net calories/eating back exercise calories

navillus3
navillus3 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys!

I was going over the weekly data on MFP and noticed my weekly net calories were only around 600. That seems awfully low. Granted, the app I use to track my workouts tends to overestimate calorie burn (ex. 20 mile bike ride at 10mph burns 900 cals - I doubt it) however I am concerned that I am under fuelling for the activity that I do. I am already a low weight for my height (5’7, 113 lbs) and I want to prioritize my health. I use MFP mainly to track macros, but calories have always been majorly confusing to me. So do you eat back your calories or just ignore net calories?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    I eat my exercise calories and use the Net Average to ensure I'm roughly on track with my maintenance calories on a weekly basis. As you're underweight, you should definitely eat your exercise calories.

    Eat the number of calories that your app is giving you. After 6 weeks, you should be at a weight that's considered Normal BMI, albeit still at the lower end. Once you're there, you can play around with reducing the number of exercise calories eaten (perhaps manually entering your exercise in to MFP instead of using the figures from your app) to determine your maintenance number so that you can just concentrate on macros.


    Although I'm a lot shorter and probably a lot older, I'm about the same weight as you (and I'm at the low end of my weight range) so I just entered 2 hrs of cycling at 10mph into the exercise tab - and MFP gives me 404 calories. Your app is potentially over-estimating that bike ride by 500 cals. BUT, if your weekly average is only 600, you're under-eating by at least 600 a day and probably a lot more which is really not good. If you truly want to prioritise your health, you need to eat a lot more.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    Personally I use MFP to log food but base my calorie goal on TDEE which includes exercise.

    Do you have MFP set to maintain or to lose? If you are concerned that your weight is too low, then eating more would seem the reasonable thing to do.

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