exercise calories explained

Sorry if I am being dumb here but I still have a question about exercise and its results on calories.

I start with 1320 calories allowance.


Two possibilities:

1. I eat 1320 calories, but I exercise and save 320 calories - a net value of 1000.

2. I sit still all day and do no exercise. As a result I get by with 1000 calories.

In both cases, I save 320 calories. Surely the exercise option is better for me?


If I am expected to just eat more to make up any calories I save by exercising, what is the point of the exercise?


You seem to be saying I have to use up ALL of the allotted calories, including any I save from exercise.

It seems odd to be suggesting I can lose weight by eating more.

That was my question too.
Anyone care to answer?

you dont HAVE to exercise to lose weight. weight loss is 80% nutrition at least.... exercise is good for your HEALTH as well a TONING your body so you dont end up skinny fat. exercise also boosts metabolism.

find a calculator that will find our your MAINTENANCE calories needed per day. for example, i wore my heart rate monitor for 24 hrs on a rest day, absolutely did nothing all day, just went to my cousins bday party, and i burned 1750 cals. SO now i aim to net around 1400 calories becuase that leaves me with a 350 cal defecit...not too big but not too small. now, when i exercise and i burn 400 calories i now have a 750 cal deficit....this is too big....i will be burning muscle and holding on to my fat....MFP sets your cals according to your everyday stuff not exercise..plus, if you exercise you get to eat more...that right there gives me motivation to get off my butt hahhahaha hope that mumbling helped

A couple of things...

True, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. Losing weight happens when you maintain a healthy caloric deficit. Exercise can help you attain that deficit, but it's not necessary.

Now... weight loss simply means a smaller you. If you're a big marshmallow, then losing weight will turn you into a smaller marshmallow. Why? Because when you lose weight you lose a combination of fat and muscle. This is where exercise comes in (especially heavy lifting). Lifting (along with sufficient protein intake) helps retain muscle. And what happens when you lose weight while retaining muscle? You lose FAT. That is (or at least should be) the goal of every single person on this site.

And what happens when you lose fat? You start to change the way you look. That is the "toning" that people talk about. Stick with it and you'll eventually start looking fit and strong and defined.

Lastly... when you say you wore your HRM for 24 hours? Is that a traditional HRM (polar, or the like)? Or are you talking about a bodymedia fit or something along those lines? Traditional HRMs use calculations to estimate calorie burn. One of the assumptions made by HRMs is an increase in oxygen exchange which happens during steady state cardio. As such, wearing an HRM during rest times will give a very inaccurate reading of actual calories burned.

Just FYI.

jacksonpt, I am still confused... my profile says sedentary lifestyle because I am at a desk job all day. Then it asked how many times a week I plan to work out and I chose 6 times a week 30 min. when I chose that option, does it mean the MFP input it in my daily calorie calculations and I don't need to worry about eating back the workout calories? I also log exercise every day, do I need to do that or not? Please help.

I don't believe that impacts your numbers. I think those are simply benchmarks for you to use as goals. It's easy enough to figure it out though... setup your profile saying you don't plan to work out and see what number it comes back with, then go back in and set it to 30 mins/6x week and see if the number changes.

If you set your profile as sedentary because you have a desk job, then yes... you would want to log your exercise cals (and eat them back).