Question about counting calories

pros696

So when I eat something I add it to my food diary and I was wondering if lets say I get to 100 calories away from eating my maximum for the day but then I work out and burn 500 calories and my maximum calorie count says I can now eat another 600 (100 left + 500 burned) Should I eat those calories back? (Kind of unsure how to phrase my question exactly but this is close)

Dave198lbs

never mind

pros696

that was just example numbers if thats what you mean. I am just asking about the calorie counter there is "Goal" "Food" "Exercise" "=net"

So you eat more then your daily goal the numbers turn red. Then you exercise and the numbers are now green, should you be eating those calories back is my question?? I just recently started using MFP daily and I am trying to understand how the calorie counter works.

diannethegeek

I eat the exercise calories back, or most of them anyway. A lot of people don't. And there's a huge debate about whether or not to do so around here. Read some of the threads about it and decide for yourself.

wild_wild_life

MFP is set up to give you a certain deficit up front, no exercise required. It then wants you to log your exercise and gives you additional calories for that exercise so your deficit stays the same (ie you are not creating additional deficit by exercising). Some people use exercise to increase their deficit and so don't eat those calories. I always did because I was happy with the deficit I already had. Some people say they are an overestimation of calories burned however so only eat back half or three quarters. So yes, you are supposed to according to the site but it may be ok not to depending on factors like your weight, goal weight, and deficit you have been set. You need to be careful though because having too large a deficit can be metabolically detrimental. Hope that helps.

monty619

i would stick with a caloric limit for the day say 2500 and not count calories burned through exercise... if you are losing weight you keep it there and if your weight loss stalls then you lower the calories.