How many calories do I eat/burn?

jordipie55

I'm 5'5 3/4 (basically 5'6) and 180 lbs. MFP gave me a calorie goal of 1280. I'm just a little confused about how many calories to eat, and how many to burn off .

So, for example, if I eat 1200 calories, then exercises off 200, do I eat that 200 back, or do I leave it be? Or should I eat 1500 and exercise off 300? Or is there an Option C that I'm just not understanding?

I'm a kind of frustrated that I can't figure this out. Any and all help will be appreciated, thank you!

MelAb8709

If you eat 1200 calories, then exercise and burn 200, then eat that 200 back (1200 - 200 + 1200) you end up with 1200.

If you eat 1500 then exercise 300 and do not eat any back (1500 - 300 + 0) you also end up with 1200.

The end result is the same.

If you use MFP's recommendation, you should eat back your exercise calories, but know that MFP and most fitness machines overestimate calorie burn.

Option C would be to figure out your BMR, and your TDEE, but if you use this method, you do NOT eat any exercise calories back.

One of several calculators to figure out TDEE is iifym.com. There are others - if you haven't read the posts that are at the very top of the general diet and weight loss help page yet, read up.

jordipie55

Thank you so much, this makes tons more sense. Thank you

Kalikel

Everyone does it differently! Some don't even use the MFP numbers, lol.

Eat the 1280.

If you exercise, it will add calories back in. A lot of folks (including moi) think that MFP is overly ambitious with the totals burned doing exercise. Some don't eat any back. Some eat balk half or some other percentage. Some say they eat them all. It's kind of up to you.

Me: Barring a hurricane and the rare <40 degree morning, I swim and do water weights. That never gets eaten back. If I do something else and I'm hungry, I'll eat those back. But I base everything more on hunger than numbers, which makes me the oddball. I think most people eat up or down to the calorie goal.

Play around a bit, see what works for you!

jordipie55

Also great advice Thank you for your time!

Liftng4Lis

Eat the 1280 plus half of the exercise calories back.

Kalikel

Eat the 1280 plus half of the exercise calories back.

Concise and sound advice.

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