Trying to understand... Please help

steffystef

So I'm not sure if I'm working the app correctly. If you have a set amount, my calorie intake 1200 and i eat say 1000 and exercise 600, am I supposed to eat back the deficit? I now know that I should be eating the full 1200 in order to increase my metabolism.
I'd like to get on track so that I can do this the right way and get positive results!

lbritt5

MFP (Myfitnesspal) automatically schedules a calorie deficet into your diet. For example if you need 1700 calories to surivive it tells you to only eat 1200.

It is very important that you (net*) at least 1200 Cals a day, anything less will put your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode stores fat so your body has energy therefore counteracting your diet.

*Net Calories means total food + total exercise = 1200. So yes you should be eating your exercise cals.

etpx3

ohh crap =| so i've been starving myself?!

road2peachtree

If you go to search and type 'eating back exercise calories' you should come up with tons of threads on the subject.

The short answer is yes, you should eat your exercise calories because if you are taking in 1200, burning off 600 then your body really only has 600 to work with--and a body working off of 600 cals is very unhealthy. Now, sometimes it can be hard to eat back ALL of them, but you should try. I really do try to eat all of them back...sometimes it's harder than others. You'll find some people say absolutely do it and others will say don't sweat it. I say shoot for eating back the cals but if you fall just a little shy it's ok. Oh--and make sure you don't just grab any ol' thing to eat them back. A 300 cal burger is so different from a 300 cal salad. Hope that helps.

staciekins

You do not have to eat all the calories, but it is recommended. Your deficit shouldn't go under 1200 cals per day (or for you 1500), but as long as you eat SOME of your earned calories to suffice your body, it's OK. Maybe you should eat a little more during the beginning of the day if you know you will be working out later on so you don't have as much to eat.

The reason why eating them still works is that you are more than likely eating less calories than you were before you started working out. For example. My goal is 1200 without working out. When I work out, I try to eat around a third to half my earned calories, unless I am full, cause you should never force yourself to eat unless you have to. When I look back at what I was eating before I started to keep track, I was eating 2500+ cals a day with absolutely NO exercise. So, now I eat my 1200 and burn 600+ in a workout, I usually eat anywhere between 200 and 300 of those cals and I am still eating WAY less than what i was before. (I know I am not sticking to the deficit completely, but it's only because I get full really quickly and tend to get sick if I eat when not hungry.)

steffystef

wow! i am really starving myself as well! MFP said 1200 for me and I thought I needed to be way under and I rarely eat the full 1200 plus still exercise and not eat the cals lost back! Torturous! I will definitely change that and eat the full amount as well as whats lost. But good point brought up, what if I'm not hungry? Just let it go?

etpx3

dear lord!!! >=| thinking about it now i too used to eat probably 2500+ cals a day with no exercise also...now also down to my 1200 plus exercise...i can def see why its starving yourself....def need to change this too =p i feel dumb LOL