Help w/understand this tracker

janel814

So I have been tracking for the last three weeks and I thought I was doing good but my question is...why does the tracker add calories when you do exercise? And should you not eat the exercise calories that the tracker adds in order to lose weight?

Thanks, I know it is a really stupid question but it would explain why I am not losing any weight.

ImSoPerfectlyFlawed

The tracker adds calories for exercise for the purpose of "maintaining your weight" and no you should not eat the "additonal calories" back if so, you'll stay at the same weight

janel814

Thanks! I also just read one of the other post about the same thing.....bye bye exercise calories!

TheMaidOfAstolat

You NEED to eat them. MFP puts you in a deficit aleady...you're only creating a bigger deficit by not eating them back. You'll go into starvation mode if you keep it up.

jpmajors

TheMaid is correct. If you filled your info in (BMR, weight, age activity level) correctly and set your weight loss per week, MFP will set your caloric intake at a deficit. My BMR is 1946 Kcal my calories are 1200 Kcal so a deficit of 746 Kcal. I normally burn 600-800 Kcal in cardio if I did not eat at least some of them back i would be starving myself and my body will try and survive by storing fat. i guess if you burn 100-200 a day then maybe ok not to eat them.

janel814

There is no way MFP is setting as a deficit. The one day that I ate almost all of the cals for the day it says that I would only be down 4-6 pounds in 5 weeks whereas the days I was 200-300 under the calorie counter for the day (this is with the extra exercise cals) it said I would be down 10-12 pounds. For 5 weeks that is the safe pound loss per week. Thanks for the input, I think I am going to try zig zagging (eating exercise cals 1-2 days then saying 200-300 under 1-2 days) calorie intake.

TheMaidOfAstolat

There is no way MFP is setting as a deficit. The one day that I ate almost all of the cals for the day it says that I would only be down 4-6 pounds in 5 weeks whereas the days I was 200-300 under the calorie counter for the day (this is with the extra exercise cals) it said I would be down 10-12 pounds. For 5 weeks that is the safe pound loss per week. Thanks for the input, I think I am going to try zig zagging (eating exercise cals 1-2 days then saying 200-300 under 1-2 days) calorie intake.

When you enter your information at the begining of starting MFP. It sets you up with a 500 calorie a week deficit. Please read the sticky notes.

Fat2FitChick

You need to eat them. Your body won't get the necessary Net calories. Net calories are what your goal is for, not overall calories. Exercise calories are subtracted from the net calories so you need to eat them. I tried both ways and I lost weight both ways but the weight i lost when i didn't eat them was muscle not fat, and that is the opposite of what you want. You need to burn fat not muscle.

Do what you feel is right for you but I say try it both ways and see which makes a difference. You may drop weight but you may not see a change in your bosy shape or inches lost because it won't be the fat dropping but muscle.

janel814

Thanks for the replies but I found the reason I was not losing any weight....my calories burned each day are incorrect. I got a bodybugg and I use the food intake here to keep my deficiency at a better balance. I burn almost 3000 cals a day and only eating 1200 - 1500 cals is putting my body into starvation.

xraychick77

only eat them if you feel hungry. if you dont you'll be fine..usually people do just fine without eating those cals back. some swear by having to eat them back, but its really up to you and how your body feels. if you do eat them back, then whats the point of even exercising? right? the whole point of exercising to lose weight is to burn calories. other than that, its for overall health.