Can exercise cals not be added to target?

Karenk1010
Karenk1010 Posts: 6 Member
in Getting Started
I dont like that the exercise calories adjust my target calorie and nutrition goals. Is there a way to turn that off?

Replies

  • Shuuma
    Shuuma Posts: 465 Member
    That's a feature I kind of like. I put all my food in for the day and then, when I add my exercise, it gives me back the calories and carbs and proteins I need to eat back. Then, I just eat half of those back. I feel like I'm burning a lot so I need to eat some back to fuel that workout. I just eat less than it recommends so I am still eating at a deficit.

    I'm not sure how to turn that off without tracking exercise elsewhere. If you use MFP to put in your exercise, you'll get an adjusted macros count to fuel that workout.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
    You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories which is why MFP does that. You should try to net your goal calories. If you don't eat back the exercise calories you're depriving your body nutritionally.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    Just don't add your exercise. Though you are suppose to eat at least part of those back.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    It's not compulsory to eat back those calories, though that IS the way MFP is set up, and many people find it works for them.

    You can either:

    Not record your exercise. if you want to keep a note of it, use the "notes" section of your diary.

    or

    Manually input a very small number for the calories burned.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    No, there is no option. If you ask this question on the Website Feedback a moderator will respond with an explanation that this is how the site is set up and they strongly discourage people from not including their exercise. Keep in mind the website does not account for exercise when it sets a calorie goal. There are other ways to figure calories goals but most take into account how active you are, including exercise.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
    MFP does that so if you are under a healthy amount of calories, it will blink at you that are depriving yourself at the end of the day. It is MFPs way of saying, hey, you are doing this wrong.

    I only exercise so I can have more calories. No problem losing weight here.
  • Eloira
    Eloira Posts: 82 Member
    I only pay attention to the net calorie intake if I'm still hungry between meals. I.e. I exercise around 2, tea isn't till 5/6 then I'll have something within the net range based on how much I've burned.
    Other than that I ignore the net and focus on the "food" calorie for the day
    (Hope that makes sense lol)
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Since it has been suggested that the calorie burns listed on machine readouts and MFP are typically too high, I manually input the calories as 2/3 of the value it gives.

    For example, if MFP says that 30 minutes of a certain activity burns 300 calories, I will say I burned 200. I then eat those back because, as others have mentioned, your body needs it for the nutrition/fuel.

    Also in the case of the protein so you can build muscle if you're strength training which will also help burn weight since muscle is "greedy" with calories...it requires a lot to keep them powered and your body will use some stored calories (AKA fat) to keep 'em going.

Categories