Exercise, calories burned, net calories

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charpat58
charpat58 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
If I exercise and burn 500 calories, can anyone tell me if I should try to maintain what MFP says should be my daily intake?

For example, I am supposed to eat 1300 calories a day but yesterday I exercised and burned approx 500 calories. At the end of the day I had a NET calorie count of 800. Am I eating enough or should I work at eating 1300NET calories?

I know that if one eats to little, the body will store fat.

Thanks!

Replies

  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    MFP's FAQ section (available through the Help link on the upper right of the screen) has an answer to this:
    http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/12031-what-are-net-calories-

    MFP has already set up your calorie deficit based on your height, weight, age, goal, and activity level *without exercise*. So 1300 calories is what you need to eat in order to lose the weight you specified, if you didn't exercise.

    Since you did exercise, you're now 500 calories (see below*) under that goal. Your body needs those calories to recover from the exercise and keep functioning normally. You should eat them; you earned them.

    *The caveat is that most exercise equipment and calorie tables exaggerate how many calories you consume during exercise. If I bike for an hour at 17 mph (pretty fast), I burn about 650 calories. MFP claims that I burn 966. That's a huge difference. A lot of MFP users eat back only 50-75% of their estimated exercise calories.
  • BarbieLuvsPINK
    BarbieLuvsPINK Posts: 5
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    you have to re eat the calories you've burned the calories MFP is telling you to eat you need to eat or get as close to it as possible. :) I joined yesterday and i was confused about that as well
  • charpat58
    charpat58 Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks, that is very helpful!!!! I, too, thought the estimates were high and have been doing basically what you suggested. Much appreciated!
    éc
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