Exercise calories and eating

SDMS

I need some clarification...

If I am supposed to eat my exercise calories...then I won't have a deficit in calorie intake.
How does the weight come off if I eat the amount of calories that I just burn?

I am set to eat 1200 calories a day and burn about 500 calories per workout.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

ElizabethRoad

Of course you would have a deficit. 1200 calories creates a deficit if you don't do ANY exercise.

SDMS

I understand that, but I keep reading that you need to eat more than 1200 if you are excercising.
I thought that weight loss comes from a deficit in calories. If I eat my excercise calories, then there is not deficit.
That is where I am confused.

Captain_Tightpants

The deficit is already built into your mfp calorie goal... not including exercises you add.

Exercise calories add to the deficit. That's why the number of calories you can eat in a day goes up if you add workout information. If you don't eat at least most of them back you risk running too high a deficit.

billcastro123

Trust your MFP calorie goals, including the added calories after you log exercise. Your required calorie deficit is already calculated for you. This is the only reason I have stuck with MFP - the more I exercise the more I can eat!! :-)

SDMS

Ah...now I understand! Thank you all for the input. It is much appreciated!!!