Eating back calories...

Yes. The program is designed that way..and it works.

A modest calorie deficit is for fat loss.
Exercise is for health and works better when fueled properly.

More info
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1187899-in-place-of-a-roadmap-short-n-sweet-reposted
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/840082-a-sad-realization?hl=sad
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

And a group to check out
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
(read the stickies)

I just made a post like this a few days ago and I say that if your "activity level" is set correctly then NO. not unless your activity is extremely out of the ordinary that day. Activity level already takes into account the amount exercise you usually get on a daily basis. If you know you're going for five mile jobs, doing p90x fives times a week, and swimming laps in the pool by night...... then set the activity level fairly high. That will significantly raise your daily calorie allowance.......no need to also log the calories and double count them. That's just my opinion. Now if you set the activity level to "sedentary" and then log your daily exercise, that's a whole different story.

A modest calorie deficit is for fat loss.
Exercise is for health and works better when fueled properly.

More info
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1187899-in-place-of-a-roadmap-short-n-sweet-reposted
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/840082-a-sad-realization?hl=sad
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

And a group to check out
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
(read the stickies)

^All that.

A short explanation: when you put all of your info and goals into MFP, the calorie goal it assigns you is what you need to eat to lose the amount of weight you specified. If you add extra exercise to your normal daily routine, you're burning more calories than you accounted for and should eat them back.

If you're using MFP's database or the readout on an exercise machine to calculate your calorie burns, then you will be better off eating only a portion of those exercise calories back. MFP tends to estimate calorie burns on the high side, and exercise machines are inaccurate. The best way to get an accurate reading is by wearing a heart rate monitor.

I lost 45 pounds eating my exercise calories back. Then I started rolling my exercise calories into my normal daily calorie total (TDEE method). It works.

I just made a post like this a few days ago and I say that if your "activity level" is set correctly then NO. not unless your activity is extremely out of the ordinary that day. Activity level already takes into account the amount exercise you usually get on a daily basis. If you know you're going for five mile jobs, doing p90x fives times a week, and swimming laps in the pool by night...... then set the activity level fairly high. That will significantly raise your daily calorie allowance.......no need to also log the calories and double count them. That's just my opinion. Now if you set the activity level to "sedentary" and then log your daily exercise, that's a whole different story.

Actually, MFP uses the NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) method to determine your calorie goal, which means you are supposed to account for your activity level BEFORE added exercise.

You absolutely CAN set your activity level to account for all of your activity, including exercise (the TDEE method - which you can read about here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets), but for people who want to lose weight and are just starting out on a new diet/exercise program, the NEAT method may be more reliable. If you're new to calorie deficits and exercise and don't yet have an established workout schedule, it might be more accurate to log exercise as you do it rather than accounting for it ahead of time in your daily or weekly calorie goal. If you account for added exercise that you end up not doing but continue to eat the number of calories for a higher activity level, your deficit will be much smaller.

Both the NEAT method and the TDEE method work, but you need to be aware of which one you're using and use it correctly. The above links are incredibly helpful and provide lots of valuable information.

I don't. MFP is knows for exaggerating how many calories you really burned. So I always log them, but never eat them. A lot of people on here eat back half.

Exaggerated or not, your daily goal already has you at a calorie deficit - eat all your calories every day, do zero exercise and you'll lose weight. Burning off more cals through exercise and then not eating any of them back leaves you with a HUGE deficit, which you don't want. You don't want to over eat, but under eating is no good either.

Food is fuel! Yes, the calorie burn estimates given my MFP are notoriously high. Either eat 50-75% of the calories back, or get yourself a good HRM so you have a better estimate of your burns, and then eat those calories! Don't sell yourself short by underfueling your body in hopes of quicker results. You may lose weight, but you can say goodbye to lean muscle along with any fat, and set yourself up for a host of troubles over time, including hair loss, brittle nails, saggy skin, a slimmer, yet still squishy body, screwed up hormones, lowered metabolism, and stalled weight loss.

Personally, my goal is to eat as many calories as possible and still lose weight. And I've been doing so quite successfully for over two years. Much more sustainable, no stopping and restarting, losing and gaining it back, or beating myself up for not staying under a goal that is too low.

Eat your calories, drink water, exercise, take rest days, get good sleep. And repeat.

Ok, so I have been using the app for over a year and I just ran across a concern. I have my intake set to 1200 cals which puts my "myfitnesspal calories burned at 2250 cals. This doesn't seem right. This means I would have to burn over 2250 to have a calorie deficit.