Help?

I logged some exercise here and decided that I didn't trust the numbers it was spitting out, I do everything the easiest way possible, so "Quit logging" was my solution. Other people will have more helpful info!

But I do not think you're wrong about those exercise calorie amounts being way too high.

Apparently MFP exercise figures are inflated. I use this calculator since it also accounts for my weight:

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

At the end of the day I think a good heart rate monitor would be your best tool for tracking true burned calories. These days you can pick up a polar or something like it for a decent price.

Step aerobics....if you seriously bust your *kitten* (as in, can't talk, dripping sweat) for 60 minutes...900 calories can be burned with no problem.
If you are working up a medium sweat and breathing a little hard, you're probably closer to 4-600
If you are just going through the motions and not really busting anything...200-300 is more like it.

Its all in what you make of it. The heart-rate monitor would help you guess more accurately.

If the numbers sound strange to you, you should definitely turn to google! compare a few different websites and choose an average number. you can create your own exercise with those numbers and keep using that one. however, keep in mind that it LARGELY depends on your weight AND intensity level. make sure you find some calculators or data that takes that into account. i like using http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php or just google "calories burned calculator activity by weight" or some variation of that, and pick a few


as far as the "eating back" calories goes... don't do it! The idea of MyFitnessPal is to create a deficit so that you're burning more than you eat. every day it's set at a certain amount compared to what you'd burn by just "living". for example, my daily goal is 1200 calories per day, and i use about 1800 calories a day without exercise. this puts my deficit at 600 calories every day...meaning i should burn 600 more calories than i eat every day if i follow the plan. when i exercise and burn 300 calories, it will increase my daily food goal to 1500. that simply means i *could* eat 300 more calories and still be at my goal of a 600 calorie deficit every day. BUT....the higher the deficit, the better! if i burn 300 calories and still only eat 1200, i'm at a 900 calorie deficit, and reach my goal weight that much more quickly! so there is NO need to eat back the calories...but you could if you wanted to and still be at a steady weight loss pace. (i wouldn't though..why undo the work you just did??! )

the only thing to keep in mind is: Don't ever consume LESS than 1200 calories a day. that'll put your body in starvation mode and it will start trying to save every bit of food you eat to store as fat. increase your deficit by exercise, not starving yourself less than 1200 cal. hope i helped!