Burning calories vs eating them back?

If you're using MFP as it's designed and are able to determine your calorie burn accurately, you should be eating all 500 back.

I used to deduct about 30% of what my HRM said to account for estimation error. What exactly were you doing? That's the equivalent of running about 5 miles give or take. If you're using a database, who knows...could be high, could be low, could be dead on...machine is a bit more accurate but I'd still knock some off. When really in doubt, eat back 50% to make sure you're getting something to fuel that activity...then listen to your body if you can and know how to do so.

You do need to realize that this is the way MFP is designed to work. It is to give incentive to people to get off the couch and move. The goal MFP gives you is a calorie deficit from maintenance net of exercise...thereby exercise is extra activity that is NOT included in your activity level when you set your profile up. If you use TDEE then exercise is already included in your activity level and thus included in your deficit calorie goal...thus you would not eat those calories back.

If you don't eat them back with a NEAT method calculator like MFP you are just creating a bigger deficit...sounds good...but can most definitely be counterproductive to your weight loss and fitness goals.

:glasses: I agree with the last post.
MFP definitely helps you make your own decision. i personally don't try to eat up all the calories I've burned.
However i can treat myself to respectable snack at night.
Bottom line is calories in vs calories out\, and of exercise 45 minutes daily.
It's worked for me for 4 months now ,and I have no plan to stop .
Hope it helps.

Eat your exercise calories just don't eat them all back, machines, hrm and MFP vastly overestimate calories burnt, so if you burn 500 calories says figure for me to eat back would be 300-375

i've wondered about this too .....i use a body bugg so i think i'm accurately tracking the calories i burn during my workouts - in the beginning i was eating most of them back daily BUT recently the "light bulb" went off and i decided to ATTEMPT to not do that , i figure the deficient will come in handy on the 2 days a week i don't work out !