calories

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rizzle4shizzle
rizzle4shizzle Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I'm fairly new to the site but am a bit confused as to why my calories burned from exercise gets added to my daily calorie intake? Shouldnt I just stick to my daily alloted calories(1200) otherwise I feel that I will just even out and end up at the same weight?!
Please help:-)!!

Replies

  • donnalord
    donnalord Posts: 18 Member
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    MFP works out how many calories your body needs to lose weight, ie you would maybe need 1600 cals per day but to lose 2lbs per week you will need 1200, therefore the calories you burn exercising are extra as the calorie deficit is already taken in to account, good luck with all your goals
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    It's because your MFP calorie target already has your calorie deficit factored in. To keep your deficit constant, you "eat back the exercise calories".

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390145-should-i-eat-my-exercise-calories
  • glennam1
    glennam1 Posts: 172 Member
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    you will get many different replys for this one I'm sure, But when you logged in all your information, height ,weight, age it already sets you at a deficit (that's why you're at 1200)..so by exercising you push yourself into a bigger deficit...so it says to eat at least 1200 net calories....(make sense?)
  • emelou81
    emelou81 Posts: 9
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    Hi and welcome!!!
    The calorie intake recommended by MFP already takes into account the deficit required to lose weight at the rate you have put in. i.e if you wish to lose 2lbs per week, then you would need to vreate a deficit of 7,000 calories (3500 per pound). Therefore, if you exercise, then you have room to eat those calories back and still have the deficit in place.
    This might not work well for everyone - in my case, eating back my calories does not assist me in losing weight. So I only eat some of them. Its a case of trial and error!
    Hope that makes sense
  • vsmurrow
    vsmurrow Posts: 145
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    you-must-be-new-here-willy-wonka.jpg
  • KatKatatrophic
    KatKatatrophic Posts: 448 Member
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    When you do exercises, they give you some extra calories that you are allowed to intake...like mine is 1,200. I burned about 800 calories today. I have 675 calories left. Since I burned 800 calories, I was give 846 calories. So now, I have 1,396 calories that I am allowed to eat. Hope this is what you mean!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    My feelings on this:
    * Eat a caloric deficit to lose weight.
    * Exercise to gain good health.
    Eating more calories - while maintaining a deficit (but a reasonable one) - does not negate the health benefits gained through exercise.

    So yes, I eat my exercise calories.



    ... but hey, what do I know? I've only shed 130+ pounds, decreased my body fat from a whopping 56% to 22-ish%, and shed 100 inches from all over my body..
  • rizzle4shizzle
    rizzle4shizzle Posts: 8
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    Thanks for your help everyone!I guess I'm just a bit hesitant to eat all those exercise calories back.....I burned off about 600 cals exercising today so it's like eating a whole extra meal. I never ate this many calories even before I started this weight loss journey but obviously alot of you have had great success so I'll give it a go.
  • rizzle4shizzle
    rizzle4shizzle Posts: 8
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    Thanks for your help everyone!I guess I'm just a bit hesitant to eat all those exercise calories back.....I burned off about 600 cals exercising today so it's like eating a whole extra meal. I never ate this many calories even before I started this weight loss journey but obviously alot of you have had great success so I'll give it a go.

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