Do I have to eat the calories I burn at the gym?

ladyraven68

I need help figuring out what my calorie goal should be because someone told me 1200 is too low. I'm 24 years old, 5ft 5in and weigh 147. I go to the gym 4 times per week and usually burn around 400 calories. I do not like eating back my calories because it's too much food and I feel like it defeats going to the gym. Someone please help because I'm confused and still have 17 pounds to go.

If you are going with the MFP method, it gives you 1200 PLUS exercise calories, not just 1200 calories. The site is designed so that people can lose weight even if they don't exercise, and it takes a defict from your non-exercise calories. If you exercise you are increasing the defict, which is not always a good thing.

If you are going with a TDEE less defict , then no you don't eat them as the T from TDEE stands for TOTAL, and already includes your exercise calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

ladyraven68

What lmao if your trying to lose weight why are you eating back the calories you burn? That just defeats the purpose of dieting and doing cardio

There are more benefits to exercising than just increasing yuor deficit.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

You could have two people with identical weight, height job, who wanted to lose 1lb a week, so MFP would give them the same calorie goal after deducting 500 calories from their daily non-exercise calorie expenditure.

If person A goes home and sits on the sofa watching TV every night, and eats MFP's calorie goal, they should lose 1lb a week.

If person B goes to the gym or runs/bikes every night, they are increasing their defict, So they can eat back their exercise calories to get back to the 500 deficit to lose the 1lb a week they chose.

imanahole662

Thanks everyone I'm going to give the TDEE method a go. That way I don't feel like I'm eating an overwhelming amount of calories on the days I do go to the gym.