Confused

NikkiFoster36
NikkiFoster36 Posts: 1 Member
edited January 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I do Zumba 2 times a day for at least an hour and I am buring around 700 calories depending on how seriously I take the workout. I am confused because I have to get in at 1300 calories from food but after working out I see where i have to continue to eat just to make up what I lost during my workout. If you are suppose to burn more calories than you take in for weight lost why does it says I need more food calories?

Replies

  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    If you do a "search" for "eating exercise calories" you'll get a variety of responses, but basically:

    MFP set the 1300 calories based on your weight loss goal WITHOUT any exercise (just based on your height, weight, goal, and activity level you checked).

    When you add exercise calories, MFP ups your allotment for the day by that amount. So, in short, yes, you CAN "eat" those extra exercise calories. But do you HAVE to eat those calories? That's where you'll get differences of opinion. I generally don't, or if I do, I may eat about half of them--but not all of them.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,458 MFP Moderator
    The deficit is already built in. Too large of a deficit and you can cause problem.. hormones essentially prevent fat loss. So MFP is designed for when you exercise you can eat more because diet is for weight loss and exercise is for fitness. So if you exercise, you should eat more (especially proteins) so your muscles can repair and you can maintain your muscle mass. If you eat too little your body will catabolize muscle to create energy. And since muscle has a larger caloric need, it's much easier to lose than fat. So when you workout, if MFP is estimating your calories, eat at least 50% of them back. If a HRM is estimating your burned calories, then eat 80% of them back. Or since you workout twice a week, set your account to lightly active and not worry about exercise calories.
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