net calories?

so basically.. i should always net 1200 calories.
so if i eat 1900 calories today but exercise and burn say 700.. id NET 1200. and that is the bare minimum.
so id be losing weight.
so to maintain... i should net like what 1500? so if i ate 2000 today but burnt 500 id net 1500 and i would maintain.
these are just examples.
im just seeing if i understand and if this is correct.
today i really actually ate about 1600 calories and burnt 600 so im netting around 1000 calories.
at this rate im still at a deficit.
i dont want to be.. but i am?

You've got the idea, now you just need to do it for a while to figure out what your numbers actually are. MFP's suggestions are usually a good start (assuming you setup your profile correctly), but often times you'll need to tweak things a bit over time.

Go into your goals... tell MFP you want to maintain your current weight (not lose or gain), and make a reasonable estimate for your normal daily activity level (and be sure to include your workouts in this estimate, not just your regular day to day stuff). The number it spits back to you is an estimate of your TDEE - that's the number you need to NET to maintain your current weight. Net slightly below that to lose, slightly above it to gain.

so if i hike everyday i shouldnt really worry.
just stay active and eat healthy and when my tummy tells me im hungry and never net below your goal unless your not hungry?

once again, set your goals to maintenance on MFP and eat back your exercise calories.

Plain and simple log everything in (food) and out (exercise) and get to zero for the end of the day!
Math is Math- leave it simple you want your total at the end of the day to be zero or as close to zero as possible. So add all your food and subtract all of your exercise and get your end number to be really little. I don't eat back all of my exercise calories and I have consistantly lost 2 pounds a week for 4 months. Some days you are over and some you are under. Sometimes I exercise harder and sometimes easier, sometimes I eat really clean and other days I only eat kinda clean. I try to get to zero or close to is everyday and it is working.

Very very bad advice, especially for someone as lean as the OP.

You are not reading it correctly. You want your total at the end of the day to be zero, you eat back what you burn and you eat what MFP tells you to eat. If that is wrong then I would probably be dead instead of losing 2 pounds a week!

*add- you have to be honest with your set up- I entered that I am Sedentary because I sit all day at work. So I log all of my exercise including a 15 minute walk. If I don't sit on my butt all day like went to the mall and walked for 3 hours I would log that I walked 3 hours. Then I would eat back the calories burned for the 3 hours of exercise. I need 2200 calories if I want to maintain and sit on my butt all day, so to lose 2 pounds a week I need to be a deficit of 1000 a day not 1000 plus all the workout calories, just 1000 total. My diary is open please look at how the math works. I have some green days and some red days but I try to get as close to zero as possible.

Yes the OP doesn't need to be a deficit because she isn't trying to lose weight but it doesn't change that her settings need to be true to her activity and profile. If she puts in active she needs to eat what MFP tells her to eat plus what she does above and beyond her normal active activities.

Being that I entered the exercise goal, is MFP calculating that into my net calories and therefore I should stay at 1210 calories consumed? Or should I be eating back those net calories?

My BMR is 1600 calories, by the way.