Can I eat the calories I burn?

xx1chloe5xx

So my recommended amount is 1200 calories however today I burned 600 calories from ballet and walking I entered this and my calorie intake went up to 1800. Does this mean I should eat 1800? I asked my friend and she said I should still stick to 1200 and the calorie tracker is probably overestimating what I have burned

spiriteagle99

It may be overestimating, or it may not. Try eating back some portion of your calories and see how it works. Some people just eat 50%. If you find yourself losing faster than you expect, eat more. If you lose more slowly, eat less. I have always eaten back all the calories mfp gives me and it worked to lose and maintain my weight for several years, but I also burn a bit high for my age and size.

kshama2001

If you use MFP to set your calorie goal, exercise, but don't eat back any exercise calories, you are not using MFP the way it was designed.

https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

That said, is 1200 calories an appropriate goal for you? Are you very very short AND sedentary?

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

1200 calories is just the recommended amount if you choose the max rate of loss per week.

sbelletti

Is exercise already included in your calorie allowance or not? If not, are you hungry? Eat some back! Most calculators overestimate, so I never eat more than half.

sijomial

Ballet is exercise and the MFP calorie goal intends you to estimate and eat back your exercise so that you keep to the calorie deficit that you selected.
Walking can be purposeful exercise or part of your activity setting if that walking is just part of your general day to day movement patterns.

Your friend really only gave half the story!
Yes some exercise estimates can be high (mine tend to be low) but she didn't mention that ignoring your exercise can only be an under-estimate, it can't be zero. The idea of calorie counting is to make a reasonable estimate - just like all the other component parts on both the in and out sides of the equation.

Would your friend also say only log calories from foods that you know precisely the calories of but if there's a food item with significant calories but you have to make a rough estimate just don't log it? Doesn't make any more sense than ignoring your exercise.

yirara

Yes, you should eat them (at least partially) back. Imagine you only ate 600 calories all day. Would you feel fine then? Because if you really burned 600 calories and don't eat them back then this is the same as only eating 600 calories. For one day it's probably fine, but if you did this regularly then you'd be undereating, potentially by a lot. Result? You might be damaging your health, losing much more muscle than you should, and potentially going on a binge.