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Exercise calories?

Dexy24
Dexy24 Posts: 62 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If my calories are set to 1220 and I burn 200 calls exercising am I supposed to eat only 1220 or eat my exercise cals? Not sure how the 500 cal deficit works?

Replies

  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Your net calories should equal your calorie goal at the end of the day. So yes...you should be eating that 200 calories. The deficit is already included, you don't need to figure that out separately at all.
  • 16hats
    16hats Posts: 24 Member
    You can, and should, eat back your calories. When you log the calories burned in the Exercise area, the Food section should update your daily calorie goal and that's still what you're trying to reach (though not go over). 1220 is your calorie goal already with the deficit, so if you burn 200 calories exercising, your daily goal would actually be 1420 and it wouldn't change or hinder the deficit at all.
  • mtnhiker1
    mtnhiker1 Posts: 114 Member
    Lots of opinions on this. Here is my take. I started at 271. After a couple of days of adding in my calories for exercise (mowing the lawn, walking to work, gym, swimming. I decided that I would be better off keeping up my normal exercise routine and ignoring any calories from activity. If I go to the gym (like yesterday) and burn off 450 calories on the rowing machine and 150 on the treadmill, I no not log this onto MFP, and therefore I do not increase my caloric intake for a given day. This seems to work for me.

    Keep in mind -- everyone has opinions --
  • aNewCreation84
    aNewCreation84 Posts: 29
    You should eat your exercise calories back... or at least, that's the general rule. However, with me, I usually only eat a very few back... but, never too many. I'm always afraid my HRM has counted too many calories burned when I exercise. Some days, however, like today, I just can't seem to get myself to eat all of my goal calories anyway... much less exercise calories.

    So... my answer is DO NOT starve yourself... but, eat reasonably and until you are satisfied.
  • victoriousO
    victoriousO Posts: 63 Member
    I try to eat a portion of my exercise calories but not all of them and I seem to lose faster then:) This is just what works for me!
  • NicoleCooney92
    NicoleCooney92 Posts: 43 Member
    So glad you asked this question; I was wondering the same thing!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    You can, and should, eat back your calories. When you log the calories burned in the Exercise area, the Food section should update your daily calorie goal and that's still what you're trying to reach (though not go over). 1220 is your calorie goal already with the deficit, so if you burn 200 calories exercising, your daily goal would actually be 1420 and it wouldn't change or hinder the deficit at all.

    This. MFP is designed this way. If you don't eat them back you multiplied your deficit..possibly to unhealthy levels. If you don't net enough calories your body can actually slow or stop your loss...it thinks you're in a famine and is trying to save your life by hanging on to everything it can...and possibly metabolising muscle as well as fat. You don't want that.

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