Exercise, calories burned, net calories

charpat58 · August 2013

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!

bwogilvie · August 2013

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 · August 2013

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 · August 2013

Thanks, that is very helpful!!!! I, too, thought the estimates were high and have been doing basically what you suggested. Much appreciated!
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Exercise, calories burned, net calories

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