Eating back your exercise calories

When you exercise you burn calories. If you then eat that # of calories you are eating back your exercise calories.

what makes you think it puts you back into maintenance? you're already at a deficit you can eat them. though most things overestimate calories burnt so i usually eat half of them back i've lost 8kg (18lb) in two months

Which puts you into maintainance not calorie reduction, don't expect anything spectacular when doing this.

In my opinion, that is false. I'm set at 1200 calories a day, which is creating a deficit so I can lose about 2lbs a week. If I burn an extra 500 calories on a given day, and eat back those calories, I will still lose 2lbs a week. Maintenance would be if I took away the deficit entirely.

Great minds, good sir. Cheers! :drinker:

Which puts you into maintainance not calorie reduction, don't expect anything spectacular when doing this.

No, it doesn't. MFP has your calories figured at a deficit, and if you work out, you create an even greater deficit. If you eat the calories you burned back, you are still at a deficit.

I had the same problem I used think the same way. Someone once wrote to me and opened my eyes. I hope it does the same for you.

It depends on how you have your account set up. Did you tell MFP that you want to lose x amount per week? If so, then you need to eat back your calories. The reason why is that your calorie deficit is already included in the amount of calories they are giving you. If you don't eat back your calories, you will not net enough calories per day and in the long run hurt your metabolism. My best advice is to always net above 1200 calories per day. I personally try to net my BMR per day. It took me a long time to figure out that I could lose weight without starving myself and that I could repair my broken metabolism from years of starvation diets. Losing weight quickly is not a wise idea...if you are losing more than say 1-2 pounds per week consistently, you are losing too quickly and are most likely losing lean body mass. Loss of LBM= skinny fat soft body, slowed metabolism and almost guarantees you will gain it all back

I generally don't eat back all the exercise calories. Partly because I don't assume the exercise calorie count is 100% accurate and partly because when the amount of exercise doubles my intake goal for the day I can't do it without feeling exceedingly bloated.
If I get half back I have accomplished something.

The whole idea of eating back your exercise calories is just a different way of doing TDEE less a fixed number of cals or a %.

Based on a number of calculators I've seen my TDEE is in the 2600 to 2700 cal range, knocking 500 cal per day off that gives me 2100 to 200 cal per day to lose 1lb per week. MFP sets my "net cals" at 1650 per day (activity level set a sedentary) assuming I exercise, on average, the equivalent of 500 cal I get to eat 2150. Same difference.

I like to leave a little margin for error, too, although some days I eat back all my exercise calories plus more.