Remaining calories

sallsup85
sallsup85 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep reading posts on the calories MFP lists for net and remaining and it just doesn't make sense to me. If I burn x amount of calories through exercise and MFP adds it to my remaining calories for the day, won't I just maintain my current weight? Can someone please explain it to me?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    No, because the calories MFP tells you to eat before exercise already includes a deficit for weight loss. It's not a maintenance number.
  • sallsup85
    sallsup85 Posts: 2
    But if I'm consuming the calories I burn through exercise, how am I losing?
  • lindapeterson42
    lindapeterson42 Posts: 10 Member
    No Problem :) SO...lets say your goal is 1200 cals. If you exercise, it adds to your calorie allowance because you burned calories. Your starting total is what you are when you are doing nothing. SO ...if your new total is 1400 and you ate 1200 it would say 1200 net and 200 remaining because you earned an extra 200 through the exercise. IF you don't eat those...then you are still in a 200 cal minus for the day based on your food and activity..so yes you will lose. And the math is designed to help you lose 2 per week..so even if you ate all 1400 that day....you would still lose. Hope that helps.
  • lindapeterson42
    lindapeterson42 Posts: 10 Member
    Like the other person said, you are losing because you are eating less than before. And MFP is designed to start you at a point where you are at a minus thanks to predicted math from age, activity level and all of that you did when you joined. You will lose.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    No Problem :) SO...lets say your goal is 1200 cals. If you exercise, it adds to your calorie allowance because you burned calories. Your starting total is what you are when you are doing nothing. SO ...if your new total is 1400 and you ate 1200 it would say 1200 net and 200 remaining because you earned an extra 200 through the exercise. IF you don't eat those...then you are still in a 200 cal minus for the day based on your food and activity..so yes you will lose. And the math is designed to help you lose 2 per week..so even if you ate all 1400 that day....you would still lose. Hope that helps.

    Actually, in the scenario above, it would say 1000 net, because your net calories are calories consumed minus calories burned by exercise.

    My Fitness Pal assigns you a calorie deficit so that you can lose weight. Exercising is not about losing weight. It's about improving physical fitness and it needs to be properly fueled, especially when your body is already getting less calories than it uses each day. If MFP has you on a deficit of 500 calories a day and you burn 300 exercise calories, your deficit is now 800 calories. Eating back those 300 calories replaces the fuel your body burned working out and puts you back at a 500 calorie deficit.

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