We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Confused about calorie intake and loss?

xXBadInfluenceXx
xXBadInfluenceXx Posts: 2
edited January 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I started using the app for here today, and I became quite confused on the way the calorie calculator works. Now, I know this question has been asked many times, but what I've read did not answer my question completely.
My calorie goal is 1900. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner - then exercised inbetween them all. But now, the calories remaining are 2418. I know, this is under my limit by, I think, 518 calories. I'm just really confused because, I hear that this is bad... But in other sites I've read that it's a good thing to be under your calorie goal. Can someone please help me understand a little better? I know, this question is silly, and that's putting it lightly.

Replies

  • jzaz903
    jzaz903 Posts: 306 Member
    MFP doesn't act like all other calorie counters- it gives you a goal, INCLUDING the deficit. you can eat all those 1900 calories WITHOUT EXERCISE and still lose weight.
    if you do exercise, it adds those calories to your goal for the day, so you can eat them back. not eating them back puts you at more and more of a deficit, which is harmful in the long run.

    Hope that makes sense. Think of your calorie goal like it's "The Price is Right"- you want to be as close as you can, without going over.
  • xXBadInfluenceXx
    xXBadInfluenceXx Posts: 2
    Thank you! This really clears things up.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories