extra calories added on exercise days

nhguy78

If I want to burn 1 pound of weight a week, I need to burn 3500 calories one way or another per week. This amounts to 500 calorie deficit each day for a week. Or, if I take off the weekends then 700 calorie deficit for 5 days. So, if I factor in the days I exercise and MFP calculates that I burn 400 calories in the activity I give, it tells me I have 400 extra calories available to eat. Should I avoid taking those extra calories and stick with the total food intake as my guideline? I don't want to shoot myself in the foot, so-to-speak.

AmandaTWaH

Think of it this way... if you have your MFP set for you to lose 1 pound a week, that means you need to take in 500 calories less than you burn.

If your goal calories on here is 1500, that is already 500 under what MFP assumes you will be burning each day. (How much MFP thinks you are burning depends on if you set it to sedentary, lightly active, etc.)

If you burn 500 calories from exercise on top of that, that would be a 1000 calorie deficit if you only eat to your goals. That means you can eat those back and still lose one pound a week.

lilpoindexter

You will lose fat faster if you leave the 400 cals on the table.

jacksonpt

It depends. Anyone who gives you a blanket yes or no doesn't understand the concept. Search for "exercise calories explained" and read that.... It'll explain it all. I'm posting from my phone otherwise I'd link it for you.

nhguy78

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained

nhguy78

So I guess it depends on the activity level I've selected. If I include my cardio into my activity level, I should not include it in my calorie count. If I choose a lower activity level, I should eat the extra calories. Sound about right?

BeckySBowen

When you eat them back, you're basically breaking even. You've burned them off, now add them back in order to maintain the caloric goal set by MFP.

jacksonpt

So I guess it depends on the activity level I've selected. If I include my cardio into my activity level, I should not include it in my calorie count. If I choose a lower activity level, I should eat the extra calories. Sound about right?

Yes, that is correct.

litajoc

I'm still trying to figure this out...I keep reading and reading but am afraid I'll be one of the oddities that those "exercise calories" will pack it on!

nhguy78

litajoc, the thing I was trying to figure out ended up being a question of my activity level and how to judge it. If you include your workout in your overall activity level then you should not be adding calories. If you do NOT include your workout in your overall activity level then you should be adding calories.