curious

nikkizamano

why does the app automatically add back the calories to my diet diary after i have burned them off with a work out? isnt that defeating the purpose if i consume in calories the same amount which i just burned off?

brandiuntz

MFP calculates a calorie deficit for you based on diet only. When you first set up your profile, it only took in account your activity level and how much you wanted to lose a week. So, because it has already created a deficit based on diet only, it puts exercise calories back in so you don't have too large of a deficit.

SteveHunt113

Some people "eat back" the calories they burn, while others don't. For those who don't, they often times are trying to lose weight more quickly. If they set up their weight loss goal to be .5 pounds per week, that's a 250 calorie deficit per day. If they burn 300 calories during a workout, but don't consume an additional 300 calories, they'd have a 550 calorie deficit per day and would theoretically see a 1 pound per week weight loss. Of course, this math assumes the individual works out 7 days/week.

Like Nikki points out, MFP adjusts your allowed calories to maintain the goal you have set based on extra calories you burn.

cwolfman13

There are essentiall two primary methods of calorie counting...the TDEE method and the MFP (NEAT) method. TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure...NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. There is one substantial difference between these two methods...

TDEE accounts for your estimated exercise burn by including that estimate in your activity level for total calorie expenditure...then you just take a % cut from that to lose weight. You account for the exercise up front...if you fail to perform your exercise, your formula becomes invalid.

MFP (NEAT) accounts for exercise after the fact. You do NOT assume exercise as part of your activity level when you use a NEAT method calculator like MFP...you account for it after the fact by logging and eating those calories back. So when you create your MFP profile, you are getting a calorie goal that already includes a deficit from maintenance in it based on how many pounds per week you said you wanted to lose...this calorie goal is NET of exercise and thus that activity needs proper fueling. Failure to do so results in overly large and counterproductive calorie deficits.

With MFP, you are not trying to create a calorie deficit with exercise...it's already built into your diet and calorie goal.