Eating burned calories?

Personally, I only eat my burn calories if I am really hungry and need a little something to tide me over. Otherwise I just leave them alone.

I was also confused by this! I thought that was the point of the exercise.

Yes, you have to eat your burned calories if you are trying to reach your stated goal. If you don't eat them back, then you're trying to exceed your stated goal.

For instance, when MFP tells you to eat 1,200 calories to lose 1 lb. per week, that's "net" calories. Therefore, if you burn 300 calories during an hour of exercise, you'd have to eat 1,500 calories to net 1,200 (1500 - 300 = 1,200). If you don't eat those calories back, then your net is 1,200 - 300 = 900. This means that you're no longer trying to lose 1 lb. a week, but more than your stated goal.

Will your (scale) weight loss be slower if you eat them back? Yes. But you will retain more lean body mass and look better, even at heavier (scale) weights.

Some people also find they don't see the maximum benefits of their workout if the body is not fueled properly. The comment about overestimating burn is a good one. For that reason, calculate your TDEE and subtract 20%. Eat that everyday regardless of exercise. That way your deficit is built in.

Are you really supposed to eat the calories you have burned off through exercise? I thought in order to lose weight you are supposed to create a calorie deficit? Doesn't eating burned calories go against this?

It's the invincible horse again! There are dozens of threads about this. Technically, the way this site is set up, you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories because this site focuses on the "net" calories. Because of the fact that different people are in different physical conditions, your actual calories burned from exercise may be hard to gauge and some people struggle to lose weight.

The elliptical is the king when it comes to this problem. People will log that they burned 700 calories on the elliptical when the reality is they probably burned half that. Combine that with cheating and going 100 calories over in a day and you find out that you only lose one pound a month instead of a week.

I've always included my exercise calories and I'm down 24 pounds in 25 weeks. If not for a few bad weeks where I was out of town and ate really poorly, and a few indiscretions at the dining table, I would undoubtedly be well over a pound per week rather than right at it.

This gets asked almost daily.

Heck, it got asked an hour ago and still a new thread was posted.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686416-eat-calories-you-burn

Its just confusing