Eating back exercise calories?

If you are following MFP's recommendations, yes you're supposed to eat back those calories. MFP does NOT account for exercise calories. If you're following IIFYM recommendations, or TDEE guidelines, do NOT eat back those calories as both IIFYM and TDEE account for exercise levels.

MFP gives you a goal based on what it thinks you will burn without exercise. When you exercise, you need to eat more to maintain the same rate of loss.

Example:
MFP estimates a daily burn without exercise is: 2000
Pick 1lb per week loss: -500
Goal to lose weight without exercise: 1500

You exercise:
MFP estimates you burned 400 calories.
MFP tends to overestimate, so for that reason we'll say the actual burn was 200 calories.
Your new estimated TDEE is: 2200
1lb per week loss: -500
Goal to lose weight: 1700 or (1500 NET)

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However you can also use online calculators to get a rough estimate of your TDEE with exercise. Then you subtract 10-20% and that is the number of calories you eat at to lose weight.

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I have my MFP profile set to sedentary, because I use Fitbit adjustments to get the calories from my day to day activity and exercise. It shows up as exercise. In my case, if I didn't eat those calories, I would be one very hangry person. MFP gives me a goal of around 1400 for 1lb per week loss. If I didn't eat the fitbit calories, I'd end up with a very large deficit of around 1200 calories, because based on intake vs loss my average TDEE is around 2600.

IAteAllTheVegans wrote: »

Should I or should I not?
I exercise a lot.
I generally aim for 1200-1800 calories a day and burn around 700-1000 calories a day.
Should i eat them back?
I never really understood eating them back but sometimes i worry about it because I don't want to lose muscle mass.

Advice?
Thoughts?
Opinions?

Yes, that is how MFP is intended. Basically you're eating as low as 500 and no more than 1100. Unless you're 4'1" at your age and how much is sounds like you exercise you should be aiming for more like 1800-2100.

MFP is designed to eat them back. It's a good idea to eat back half, as it gives room for miscalculations on the burns (MFP overestimates).

Hmw06280 wrote: »

I was wondering the same thing....however my situation is a little different. MFP says I can't go lower than 1200 calories a day for health reasons, but it also says I won't lose weight based on all my other inputs (although I need to lose about 7-8 lbs. I was curious if not eating the exercise calories (which are way generous on MFP) would help compensate for that. I'm sorta in a catch 22.

The 1200 number is based on the minimum daily nutrients people need. If losing weight would put you lower than that number, then you need to increase your activity so that you have the deficit required without going below 1200. Of course, if you are very short, 1200 calories may be more than you would have to have anyway, but in general, women need at least 1200.