calories burned and calories for the day

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mammabear1193
mammabear1193 Posts: 36 Member
in Getting Started
So I just started using mfp and I'm a little confused on something. For starters my total calorie intake for the day is 1800, but I see that when you exercise that your calories go back down, meaning you have more to eat. So my question is, if I'm trying to lose weight do I just eat my 1800 calories and exercise then leave whatever calories are in there or do I eat the 1800, exercise then eat my way back up to the 1800. Hopefully this makes sense!

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  • jaxjackjackie
    jaxjackjackie Posts: 24 Member
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    Don't eat back the calories, the deficit you're creating is what will help you lose weight. When you're trying to maintain you can eat them back.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Hi and welcome

    Don't worry everyone has the same concerns and this is what you need to know

    MFP is based on a NEAT method - which means the calories it gives you are based on your BMR + your general activity level excluding exercise - so you can lose weight by just living as long as you stick to those calories

    Every time you exercise you burn up more calories than you told the system you would - so MFP basically says "Oy in order to achieve this weight loss you told me you wanted to achieve weekly, you now need to eat back the extra calories you've just burned" - bonus!

    HOWEVER

    MFP database and most machines have weird estimates of calorie burns for a large number of users so the given advice is to only log / eat back 50- 75% of the calories you think you've burned and then judge that over time (eg 6-8 weeks) based on YOUR actual physical weight loss .. so if you're losing more than you targeted eat more .. if you're losing less eat less

    Good luck
  • missdaisydo
    missdaisydo Posts: 1
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    Well good luck on your journey! I have been on here for a few weeks and just wasted time not taking it seriously which is frustrating but I think I'm on it now. I hope to lose 5.5 stone by Christmas! Let's do it!! ;) Laura x
  • mammabear1193
    mammabear1193 Posts: 36 Member
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    missdaisydo wrote: »
    Well good luck on your journey! I have been on here for a few weeks and just wasted time not taking it seriously which is frustrating but I think I'm on it now. I hope to lose 5.5 stone by Christmas! Let's do it!! ;) Laura x

    You can do it! Good luck!
  • mammabear1193
    mammabear1193 Posts: 36 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Hi and welcome

    Don't worry everyone has the same concerns and this is what you need to know

    MFP is based on a NEAT method - which means the calories it gives you are based on your BMR + your general activity level excluding exercise - so you can lose weight by just living as long as you stick to those calories

    Every time you exercise you burn up more calories than you told the system you would - so MFP basically says "Oy in order to achieve this weight loss you told me you wanted to achieve weekly, you now need to eat back the extra calories you've just burned" - bonus!

    HOWEVER

    MFP database and most machines have weird estimates of calorie burns for a large number of users so the given advice is to only log / eat back 50- 75% of the calories you think you've burned and then judge that over time (eg 6-8 weeks) based on YOUR actual physical weight loss .. so if you're losing more than you targeted eat more .. if you're losing less eat less

    Good luck

    Thank you that makes sense!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    jaxjackjackie wrote: »
    Don't eat back the calories, the deficit you're creating is what will help you lose weight. When you're trying to maintain you can eat them back.

    As this is your first post, I think you don't know how MFP works. OP, Rabbitjb said it all! :)

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