Eating back calories and the built in deficit

sandylion

No, this is not another rehash of the same "What do you mean I have to eat my exercise calories" topic. I just have a question that I don't know the answer too.

I've recently switched to maintenance mode for a little bit to give myself a break. I find my maintenance calories seem REALLY high and a lot of it is because I put in 5 work outs for 30 minutes each week. I understand eating back calories that you burn to maintain the 1 lb loss and keep your body well fuelled, but I am wondering how this plays into maintenance? I already have those calories accounted for in my profile that set me up with my maintenance number, do I still eat the calories back? And if so, why do I get a higher maintenance number for doing work outs? Seems liked double duty.

TavistockToad

I am set to sedentary and i am at maintenance, so i log my exercise when i do it and eat back my exercise calories so that i am not at a deficit.

the alternative is to set your activity level higher to account for the regular exercise and then dont log your exercise, and therefor dont eat the exercise cals back.

neverstray

MFP doesn't add that in to your cals. It's just there, like just daa, but not used in the calculation. So, yes, even in maint mode you are supposed to eat back your exercise cals.

swthrtsmrf

While I cannot answer the original question you ask...I just felt the need to say this about your statement of rehashing the same thing...Sometimes it is easier to ask it again rather than do a search in the boards for the information. And everyone will just have to deal with it and get over it.

On the other note...Best of luck on your journey!

yarwell

Maintenance is a zero deficit, so if you set the thing up for sedentary then log exercise you should eat the exercise calories (assuming they're accurate and extra over sedentary). This is how it's designed.

You said " I already have those calories accounted for in my profile that set me up with my maintenance number" which suggests that you're using a lot more than sedentary as your base calories, if that fully reflects the exercise then don't log the exercise at all, or enter it as 1 calorie or something.

MFP assumes your base level is a normal day without exercise and that you log exercise separately.

sandylion

Thanks for all the advice/info everybody!