I don't understand. Please help!

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mammafrog
mammafrog Posts: 176
in Food and Nutrition
MFP gives me 1200 calories to loose 1 pound a week. I know to loose weight I need a deficit but if I get a deficit then MFP tells me I am eating to much. I also read that I should eat back my exercise calories so I don't understand how I am suppose to safely get a deficit. Please help.

Replies

  • hazelnut861
    hazelnut861 Posts: 390 Member
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    You need to net at least 1200 after exercise and food.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you eat the 1200 your are in a deficit already, if you exercise your deficit gets bigger but since your goal is 1 lb/week you have to eat those back to keep your deficit at your goal amount.

    Do to your goals tab and look at the top right "calories burned from normal daily activity" that is maintenance, anything less than that you are in a deficit, when you exercise your maintenance increases by the amount you burn, so you eat more to keep your deficit the same each day.
  • jfcarlson713
    jfcarlson713 Posts: 108 Member
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    The deficit is built into the 1200 calories. Most of us burn someplace between 1600 - 2000 calories just by living. Eating back your exercise calories is a personal thing. You will read people adamant that you MUST eat them back and testimonials from people that do not eat them back. You will need to figure out what works for you by trial and error.

    Good luck!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    The deficit is built into the 1200 calories. Most of us burn someplace between 1600 - 2000 calories just by living. Eating back your exercise calories is a personal thing. You will read people adamant that you MUST eat them back and testimonials from people that do not eat them back. You will need to figure out what works for you by trial and error.

    Good luck!

    If your info is correct in MFP and your calories burned from exercise are correct, you must eat the exercise calls back in order to lose your goal amount of weight. If you don't lose the goal amount you are either under estimating how much you eat, over estimating how much you burn, or have a slower metabolism then MFP assumes based on age, gender and weight, or you have a thyroid issue. If all those are close to spot on it will work to a T without playing around.
  • sunrise611
    sunrise611 Posts: 1,906 Member
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    First of all, a small correction: it's "lose weight", not "loose weight".

    Think of it is this way: "You want to lose weight so that your clothes will be looser (or loose)."

    Also, "You want to be a biggest loser and have your clothes fit looser when you lose weight."

    (Wow, I can see how that would be confusing but hopefully it will make sense and be a helpful guide for you.)

    The other poster was right: you need to eat at least 1200 calories every day. It helps to eat back some of the calories that you burn as well but you don't have to eat back all of them. So, on exercise days you should a minimum of 1200 calories and up to whatever you earned burning calories - anywhere in between should be good.

    There is a lot of discussion and debate about eating back exercise calories on this forum. You can run a search on the topic.

    Jump in and give it a try. Experiment a bit. Strive to eat healthy and model yourself after MFP's that have successfully lost weight. Reading diaries and letting friends read yours and offer advice is helpful.

    Good luck.
  • dane11235813
    dane11235813 Posts: 684 Member
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    First of all, a small correction: it's "lose weight", not "loose weight".

    Think of it is this way: "You want to lose weight so that your clothes will be looser (or loose)."

    Also, "You want to be a biggest loser and have your clothes fit looser when you lose weight."

    (Wow, I can see how that would be confusing but hopefully it will make sense and be a helpful guide for you.)


    thanks grammar nazi

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