Why does MFP add cals burned to daily allowance?

Your 1600 limit is meant for a day when you aren't active. That way you'll know what to eat on a day when you don't get a chance to exercise at all (for whatever reason).

It adds the exercise calories because they aren't taken into consideration when calculating your daily goal. Those are added because your deficit is already built in and too high of a deficit can cause issues with losing weight and muscle mass along the way.

With MFP calculated exercise calories, I eat back 50 to 75% of them. With my FitBit or my heart rate monitor, I eat back all of them some days.

XRocker15 wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. Ive only just started and I plan to go to the gym and do an hour of cardio 3 days a week. Then 1 day do some weights for an hour with a friend. I usually leave the gym covered in sweat
Is this enough to start dropping the pounds?

If you're in a calorie deficit, yes.

As long as you maintain a deficit, you can lose weight.
How fast you lose is based on overall deficit.
Exercise brings health benefits, and can also help you achieve a deficit.

XRocker15 wrote: »

So if my goal cals is 1600. I would have to burn >1600 cals a day to lose weight ?

You already burn plenty throughout the day by working, running errands, socializing, taking care of the house/kids, cooking.

You just need to not go over 1600 calories net. MFP has picked the 1600 based on your input of height, weight, activity level, and weight loss goals. It'll start you with 1600 available from food, and if you exercise, you've now burned off some calories, so you can eat a little more. Calories burned estimations here are a bit on the generous side, so some people don't eat back their exercise calories, or only eat back 50% of them.

XRocker15 wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. Ive only just started and I plan to go to the gym and do an hour of cardio 3 days a week. Then 1 day do some weights for an hour with a friend. I usually leave the gym covered in sweat
Is this enough to start dropping the pounds?

If you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Also, sweating is not an accurate view of calories burned or if you would be losing weight as sweating is water loss, not fat.

You told MFP what you estimate is your baseline level of activity (sedentary, moderate, whatever words they use). MFP uses this and height/weight/age data to estimate what your daily calorie intake should be to maintain that weight and then...

You told MFP how fast you want to lose weight. So MFP subtracts the deficit you need each day, to achieve the desired weight loss rate.

The calorie target you are given is for the calories to consume to lose weight at your desired rate of weight loss (or gain, for muscle-builders). It is not the calories you need to maintain your current weight.

Since the deficit is already built into your target number, you just have to hit the target, not aim far below it. Since the target assumes you are only as active as you told MFP, any activity above your normal everyday background activity represents extra calories that you can either eat (to maintain your target rate of weight loss), or not eat (to get a faster rate of weight loss than you set as your goal).

Since most people set their MFP weight-loss rate to be healthy and live-able long-term, most people "eat back" their exercise calories, knowing they will stay on track for their weight loss if they do. This allows people to lose weight without quite so much food restriction and hunger.

(In addition to allowing you extra calories to eat, long, slow, fat-burning rates of exercise tend to suppress appetite, which also helps you stay on your calorie targets because you are less hungry.)

XRocker15 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys. I just dont have an active lifestyle really. I drive for work and I stay at home most nights programming or working on the computer. Eating chicken and veggies and turkey sandwiches for a day is a huge difference from fast food everyday and 80oz of regular soda.

Especially for those trying to maintain a deficit I highly recommend setting to sedentary and not eating back any exercise calories - you may want to try and eat back protein as a defense from losing your muscle mass.

Here's the math - ~3500kcals/lb of fat. Maintaining a caloric deficit of 500kcals/day (7x500=3500) will get you~ 1lb loss/week. Note that none of this in linear, so some weeks you may lose more, some less.

Also important to note that nutritional labeling has a 20% degree of error, so if you're not losing, check you entries carefully and ensure you are logging everything.

You're on the right path, just keep focused long term.

XRocker15 wrote: »

So if my goal cals is 1600. I would have to burn >1600 cals a day to lose weight ?

No. Just by eating 1600 calories/day and doing your normal routine, without additional exercise will allow you to lose weight. These calories keep you alive and healthy. You will lose weight because you programmed an amount into MFP (ie: lose 1 lb/week). MFP did the calculations for you and came up with 1600 calories per day.
Added exercise needs to be fueled so that you maintain your nutrients and keep your body healthy. Therefore, MFP adds your exercise calories to your day. One thing to keep in mind is that MFP is considered to be generous with the exercise calories. Most people only eat 50-75% of their exercise calories back.
You'll see. It works. You don't have to starve and you'll lose weight safely and in a healthful manner.