Do I HAVE to eat my exercise calories??

Welcome! Yes, if you are following MFP. You don't want your net calories to go below 1200. If you are eating 1460 - 300 calories burned per day, you want to be eating 1760 a day. Good luck!

I'm glad you asked this!! I have been wanting to know and did not know how to make a post about it! I have been losing 2lbs every week almost since I started. Sometimes I do eat them back and sometimes I don't. I was told once you should eat at least half of those calories back. Another thing I'm curious about Is, a lot of times I have 4-500 cal left over but ill be right on in my protein and carbs and stuff. Do those matter if your just counting calories or how does that work!!! lol

That's a good question! I really don't understand completely either. Mfp calculates the amount of calories you should eat with your exercise level as part of the equation. I guess it comes down to whatever works best for you. If its easy for you to throw in an extra 300 calories a day, see how that works. If it's going to be difficult based on your meal plans, then stick with the 1400 per day until you can plan and shop for next weeks meals.

That's a good question! I really don't understand completely either. Mfp calculates the amount of calories you should eat with your exercise level as part of the equation. I guess it comes down to whatever works best for you. If its easy for you to throw in an extra 300 calories a day, see how that works. If it's going to be difficult based on your meal plans, then stick with the 1400 per day until you can plan and shop for next weeks meals.

No, it doesn't. It calculates it with your activity level (desk job v. messenger job, chasing around toddlers v. couch potato). Your exercise level is different and it does not calculate that, it expects that you will add and eat the calories back. A TDEE calculator would take exercise into account and not have you eat them back, but MFP does not use TDEE.

Correct. MFP does NOT include exercise calories burned into your goal and ASSUMES that you are going to eat them back. So you should eat them back, you don't want to disappoint the MFP calculator do you?

I sometimes save up my uneaten calories during the week for my day off (where I don't track food or exercise) and eat something yummy. This has been a good tactic so far and helps me avoid deprivation mode. I don't go super crazy but if I want a ice cream or chocolate bar then I don't feel bad about it.

If you are burning 1000+ calories, you should be eating some of them back with good solid nutrients.
otherwise a 500 calorie deficit is what I shoot for. I don't always accomplish that, but that's my goal; exercise calories or food calories. 500 calories a day from exercise works out better for me because it not only lets me eat a little more, but it helps me stay focused on exercising, helps my depression and ultimately helps my appetite. It works for me.

I can tell you what happened to me. I started on the MediFast program (VLCD) and the weight came off. I lost over 35 pounds in around 90 days (Oct 23-Jan 15). This was controlled eating. Unsustainable but controlled calories of around 1000 per day. Too few calories...lethargic, moody, hard to focus on things, etc....and way to frickin hungry!! Since January, I have been on my own. Learning, experimenting with my body, gaining a few pounds, losing the same few pounds, "yo-yoing" I guess.

MFP was set to 1400 calories (my error) and I worked out 3X/week ~500 calories per day, per my HRM. On my rest days, I walked on my "working treadmill". Averaging 2.5 hrs/ 15000 steps/ ~5 miles / ~550 calories. I never ate those "walking" calories back. I gained weight (~4 pounds). Sometimes I even walked on my treadmill after working out. Because I was concerned, I started to see a dietician. She made a lot of sense of my madness and she has been worth the time for me.

I had my MFP set too low. I wasn't eating my walking calories back, nor was I eating 50% of my exercise calories back and I was trying to over-compensate with additional exercise (calorie burns) to lose the weight I had put on. I have since corrected some of my errors and I am on the way back down.

Long answer to your question but for me the answer is yes, I have to eat them back. IMO you should be eating at least a percentage back, too. I think I am too new to give you advice on what that percentage should be. It seems counter productive to eat to lose weight but that's what I need to do.

My goal is 1220 (damn office job) so I definitely make sure I eat those exercise calories or else I wouldn't be getting enough protein and carbs to fuel my body. It's kind of exciting like "Yes! I get to eat some more!!! Go me!"

That's a good question! I really don't understand completely either. Mfp calculates the amount of calories you should eat with your exercise level as part of the equation. I guess it comes down to whatever works best for you. If its easy for you to throw in an extra 300 calories a day, see how that works. If it's going to be difficult based on your meal plans, then stick with the 1400 per day until you can plan and shop for next weeks meals.

No .......MFP does not include exercise. MFP includes activity only. This is sedentary, lightly active .....whatever.

The reason MFP does this is some people can't/won't exercise.....numbers MFP gives will work for them too.

The purpose of eating calories back, when the calorie deficit is too large you will lose fat + muscle....as opposed to mainly muscle. Now the hard part......calorie burns are estimates. If using MFP numbers try eating back 50-75%. If you feel run down.....eat more.

TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).....this is a different method, it does include exercise. You could use this number minus a percent.

A goal is a goal, its what you should be trying to hit. If your goal is 1460 calories that means you should NET 1460 calories every day that you can. If you eat 1460 and then burn 300 you net 1160 and therefore you are missing your goal. Undershooting your goal is not additional success, it is failing to meet your goal.

We should get this put in big bold letters at the top of the MFP page. It's the most common mistake people make here.

Sometimes I eat mine if I'm hungry but if your not hungry don't eat

1200 is what MFP tells you when you go so aggressive in your requested pounds lost per week that MFP bottoms out (it refuses to go below 1200 as it considers below 1200 to be unsafe for pretty much anyone). Truth is though 1200 is pretty unsafe/unsustainable for most people and unless you are a 70 year old 4 foot tall sedentary woman 1200 calories is likely not enough for you, 1460 sounded much more reasonable as an amount to NET (meaning after you eat back calories burned from exercise).

you could be creating too large of a calorie deficiency which is not good because your body will not have enough calories/fuel to burn away the fat/pounds.

Err...well no. Its bad because your body needs a certain number of calories to function healthily. You need nutrition and you need a certain amount of macros and your calorie goal reflects that. If you exercise you need to eat those calories back to ensure your deficit isn't too great. If your deficit it too great you will lose weight faster, meaning you will lose fat...and muscle...and bone density and your fitness level and strength.

There isn't some deficit point at which if you eat less you stop losing fat though.

For me, I don't lose if I don't eat enough calories. I am not a special snowflake but it's the way my body works.

I am a special snowflake, my mommy says so!!

To give you an idea, I started at 208, am 5'4" tall and my calorie goal started around 1900 a day and I eat back my exercise calories. I've lost 17 pounds since January and my current calorie goal is 1690 and I eat back my exercise calories. So, I think you should eat more.