New to MFP with some ?s

cloza12

I have been using Sparkpeople for 2 weeks and came across MFP. Not sure which is better but I noticed that MFP gives you a daily calorie limit but if you exercise you get those calories added to your calorie intake. How is that? I thought you have to burn the calories not eat back the calories you just burned?

yarwell

I have been using Sparkpeople for 2 weeks and came across MFP. Not sure which is better but I noticed that MFP gives you a daily calorie limit but if you exercise you get those calories added to your calorie intake. How is that? I thought you have to burn the calories not eat back the calories you just burned?

The initial calorie goal on here has a calorie deficit, based on your size, lifestyle etc without logged exercise.

When you log exercise it adds to the calories to retain the original deficit for weight loss.

mcarter99

MFP uses this bizarre method of calcing your calorie goal without exercise. So if you do exercise, you're supposed to eat more those days, if you like their deficit level for you. It's not for the math-haters.

myfitnessnmhoy

This one comes up a lot, and I'm in before the argument ensues.

Here's the theory behind how MFP works:

1. Your daily calorie allotment includes a deficit that allows you to lose weight at the pace you set.
2. Exercise calories are intended to be eaten because you already have a deficit built in. MFP does not generally support super-fast weight loss, slow and steady is the way the site was intended to be used.

That's the theory, and it works for me - I'm losing weight steadily without much hunger, and I feel like I can keep this up for a long time, but it has a lot of detractors.

I eat at a deficit to lose weight, and I work out to become more fit and healthy and maintain muscle mass so I can more effectively lower my body fat percentage. In order to work out, I need to eat back those calories.