So the more you work out, the more you get to eat???

Rahsgirl1099

I am new to this site and just wanna be sure I am reading this right. When I was playing around with the food and exercise calculator, the calories I burned added on to my calorie food allowance? I thought you are supposed to consume less calories than you burn?? Please help me understand. I don't want to add on extra calories when I am not supposed to.

THANKS!!!

michelle7673

Yes -- because you already have a deficit calculated in....depending on the rate of weight loss you picked.
So for example, if you picked "lose 1 pound a week", the number is already 500 calories less than "maintenance", or the point where you would neither lose nor gain weight. So if you exercise, and you eat the extra calories, you're still at a deficit.

ThriftyChica12

here's the thing....my fitness pal ALREADY gives u a "shortage" of cals...so if u ate what MFP gives u, and did no workout, you'd be at a "deficit" and u would lose.

however, that is assuming u do no exercise. so, let's say you jog for 2o mins, u have expended energy to do this. if u eat nothing extra, then u are at MORE of a deficit...perhaps too much of a deficit.

u may be thinking, "good--the more of a deficit, the better". but u do not want to make your body think it is starving...

if u are set to "sedentary" and "lose 1 lb a week" under your goals, then be sure to add your exercise, and eat back at least some of those cals. otherwise, u run the risk of undereating, which will slow your metabolism and ultimately sabotage your loss

starfinale

I was wondering the same thing. It makes no sense to me.

I was eating the extra calories that I burned for a week and I didn't lose any. my weight stayed the same. I don't bother with it anymore, now. I just stay under the original number.

dfonte

I set my goal at maintenance for an 'inactive' lifestyle and I usually eat that many calories per day. I don't log exercise, but I'm at the gym at least 6 times a week. Whatever I'm burning is my deficit. This way if I don't go to the gym, I'm not gaining anything.

Just another way to do things.

JustMQ

Are you following the recommended calories that MFP assigned to you? If you are, then yes, you can eat back your exercise calories.

Crackers777

I am new to this site and just wanna be sure I am reading this right. When I was playing around with the food and exercise calculator, the calories I burned added on to my calorie food allowance? I thought you are supposed to consume less calories than you burn?? Please help me understand. I don't want to add on extra calories when I am not supposed to.

THANKS!!!

My Registered Dietitian has all his clients use MFP and he said those extra calories are optional, that you could eat them if you want. As long as you get your daily recommended calories you should be fine. I personally always have my calorie intake lower then my calories burned at least that is what I have been taught.

_noob_

Also, the bigger you are the more you get...

knittingwitch

The calories you get at first are the calories your body burns on a regular day, that will help you lose weight even if you don't workout at all. When you workout you burn more calories, so you need to consume more calories to sin stain your body.
Think of it this way you want to lose fat not lean body mass right? Well if you don't eat your back calories, your body will eat the fat and the lean body mass, so feed it food.

JoanB5

it depends on your starting point as well. If a person is setting themselves at a severe deficit from their current maintenance calories (two pounds weight loss a week, say), they may need to add some back for muscle building and energy if they are working out hard. Second example, if a person is going from a medium size to a small size, their calorie allowance is already so low that they will also need to add some back to keep from dropping too low. Some people only eat back half if they can get away with it (especially those getting closer to goal or in maintenance mode), some switch it up according to hunger issues. Just be sure that your workouts are getting the fuel they need above what you normally need "just to live".

snooj

If you exercise, your maintenance calories is higher, so your dieting calories is also higher. Let's say without working out your maintenance is 1700, so you decide to diet at 1500. But now you work out, so your actual maintenance is now 2000 calories, meaning you can make the same weight loss dieting more than before, maybe 1800. (These numbers are totally random by the way). If you continue eating at 1500 calories, you'll just be in a bigger deficit than before and lose weight faster, which is definitely an option.

SteelySunshine

Today I made a decision on whether or to go on a walk based on wanting to eat more. Even if I hadn't gone for a walk my deficit would have been a bit more than the built into the plan one. But, I wanted a bigger deficit today, I think just to see that bigger number. But, it was my motivation for getting out of the house instead of playing another video game. But, still I consider that I did eat back some of those calories, since I did eat more than I had planned on eating.

gnalani

Honestly just figure out what works for you. Try eating them back, if it doesn't help you lose weight, then only eat some of them back, eat none of them back. Everybody's body is different. I eat some of them back because I burn 1000+ cals a workout and I'm too hungry to stay at 1600 calories. On days where I just take a walk and burn a few hundred, I try to stick to my 1600 cal goal.