I know, I know...it's asked a million times!

kskye82

But seriously! Obviously this is extremely confusing since sooooo many people constantly post about it! So I am going to try to ask this question in a way to make it for everyone (including myself) to completely understand lol!

MFP has set my Daily Calories to 1200 for weight loss. If I exercise and burn 300 calories, MFP brings my calorie intake up to 1500 calories for that day. In order to achieve the goal, do I strictly eat 1200 calories per day REGARDLESS of whether I burn 300 or 1000 calories that day? Or do I eat back the calories burned from my exercise for the day in order to get a NET of 1200?


Thanks sooooooo much!!!!!!!!!! Hope this will clear up the fog in the NET versus TOTAL calorie world lol!

EEpling89

You should always eat back your exercise calories. Period! lol.

And 1200 per day is too low for most people. Eating below your BMR can lead to yo-yo dieting because your body is starving.

kskye82

Thank you!!!!!

LPollock12

I was also wondering about this, thank you!

Eaglesfanintn

The only caveat to that is that you should be sure that you're actually burning what it says you're burning. I generally guess it at about 20% higher. As others will say, you should get a heart rate monitor to get a good idea of what you're actually burning.

Kara52217

Simple and clear thanks :-)

tigersword

Eat what MFP tells you to eat, including exercise calories. Don't make it harder than it is.

Lleldiranne

I always eat back my exercise calories. MFP already calculates a deficit when setting your calorie goals. When you exercise that gives you an even bigger deficit.

Some people like to keep the bigger deficit from not eating exercise calories. That's fine, unless it is too big of a deficit (for example, I do pretty intense stuff - like Jillian Michaels Shed & Shred, 75 minutes, oy). Or, if it has you set at 1200 calories, I would definitely eat back at least some of the calories (you said 300?) because you want to make sure that your body has enough for proper functioning. People will tell you that 1200 is a magic number and below that is starvation. I don't quite buy that. But it's really hard to get all the nutrients you need with only 1200 calories, and if you exercise your body needs more nutrients and it does need to maintain all of your regular functioning too.

Maybe my biggest thing is that I just like food. :laugh: If I exercise, then I get to eat more of the food I love (which is mostly healthy but not all). I'm still at a deficit, and I'm still losing 1/2 to 1 lb a week most of the time. This way, I'm not dying for the "diet" to be over. I feel like I can maintain this lifestyle, which is how I will keep the weight off.

05HeatherLouise05

You should always eat back your exercise calories. Period! lol.

And 1200 per day is too low for most people. Eating below your BMR can lead to yo-yo dieting because your body is starving.

This is what i thought, but i started with the goal of losing 1kg (2.2lbs) a week, and recently changed it to 2kgs (4.4lbs).
The only difference to my MFP diary was that they took my calories from 1500 down to 1200? And that got me thinking,
well if i was only eating 1200 calories a day wouldn't my body go into the starvation mode?

ccmccoy09

Simple advice in 1 sentence: Google "BMR," calculate yours, and never eat below that number, regardless of exercise.

1 more sentence if you want to get fancy: Google TDEE and calculate yours based on your activity level including exercise, stay between your BMR and TDEE numbers, and ignore the "earned from exercise" calories on your MFP diary.

Keep your actual daily caloric intake 500 calories below your TDEE and you should lose 1 pound a week, without having to figure out exactly how many calories you're burning, eating back exercise calories, or worrying about slowing your metabolism too much. Easy!

kskye82

The only caveat to that is that you should be sure that you're actually burning what it says you're burning. I generally guess it at about 20% higher. As others will say, you should get a heart rate monitor to get a good idea of what you're actually burning.

You are exactly right! And I use a heart rate monitor for at least the first time I do a new exercise so that I have an accurate basis for each time I do that workout for calories burned =D

mwcraig34

Wow my BMI calories are more than what MFP has given me!

guppygirl322

I only eat them back if I'm hungry, which sometimes I'm not.

mangosabayon

Simple advice in 1 sentence: Google "BMR," calculate yours, and never eat below that number, regardless of exercise.

I work in research and we have what we call a "chamber room", it's a sealed controlled environment. This room measures resting metabolic rates, we also use it for exercise studies to calculate exercise metabolic rates. In addition during most studies we are drawing blood samples to check varies lab values that measure things associated with metabolic rates. One thing I can assure you of is that a calculator on google.com is not going to give you and accurate resting metabolic rate. Most studies have groups of similar subjects (depending on what they are studying) example, women 25-30 BM 29-30 and their rates can range by up to 900 calories. We have one of the only metabolic chambers in the US and hundreds of studies use it, so I wouldn't believe everything you google. You really should listen to your bodies needs. Eat your minimum and if your hungry don't ignore your body, eat what satisfies you. If you are concerned about how many calories you should eat I recommend a visit to your doctor. I am just barely overweight, and my doctor said what I just mentioned above, I am eating 1200 calories/day and running.

laddyboy

Shoot me now!!!

ltlhmom

Simple advice in 1 sentence: Google "BMR," calculate yours, and never eat below that number, regardless of exercise.

1 more sentence if you want to get fancy: Google TDEE and calculate yours based on your activity level including exercise, stay between your BMR and TDEE numbers, and ignore the "earned from exercise" calories on your MFP diary.

Keep your actual daily caloric intake 500 calories below your TDEE and you should lose 1 pound a week, without having to figure out exactly how many calories you're burning, eating back exercise calories, or worrying about slowing your metabolism too much. Easy!

Thanks I will have to check that out.

Larry0445

You can get your true BMR,on this page. Never eat below your BMR.

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

jenniejengin

bump

mwcraig34

Simple advice in 1 sentence: Google "BMR," calculate yours, and never eat below that number, regardless of exercise.

1 more sentence if you want to get fancy: Google TDEE and calculate yours based on your activity level including exercise, stay between your BMR and TDEE numbers, and ignore the "earned from exercise" calories on your MFP diary.

Keep your actual daily caloric intake 500 calories below your TDEE and you should lose 1 pound a week, without having to figure out exactly how many calories you're burning, eating back exercise calories, or worrying about slowing your metabolism too much. Easy!

Thank you!

mangosabayon

I can't believe this BMR thing, how does a computer know how many calories I burn? Who decided my resting metabolic rate is the same everyday? It's just not. This BMR is like the new diet pill of the month. Seriously I hope everyone reads my post above about the metabolic chamber we use on my research department.

Micahroni84

Eat them back. As long as the food you eat back is healthy, you will not gain weight. The body will use those calories as fuel and from what I understand will not store any(?) or safer to say, all of them. I lost 1 pound more this week than I did last week and I excercise the same amount and I ate more so I am now a believer that eating excercise calorie can lead to weight loss.

ahubbard134

Wow my BMI calories are more than what MFP has given me!

That happens when you tell it you want to lose one or two pounds per week and aren't really overweight enough to justify it. Try changing your goal and see what happens.

nikkiprickett

DO THIS!!! I kept asking the same thing....this should explain everything

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538943-how-to-calculate-calorie-goals-according-to-nrolfw

LiddyBit

Wow my BMI calories are more than what MFP has given me!

That happens when you tell it you want to lose one or two pounds per week and aren't really overweight enough to justify it. Try changing your goal and see what happens.

MFP automatically adjusted my weight loss speed to .5 pounds per week so I think it does adjust your goal to a "justifiable" level.