Exercise Calories???

The way weight loss works is by creating a caloric deficit. Some people do this simply by continuing to eat the same and exercising, some people by just eating less and some by doing a little of both... MFP sets you up with a caloric deficit and if you make that deficit too big by eating a lot less or by exercising and not eating back your calories, you run a large risk of doing your body real harm. Just make sure your NET calories (displayed on your home page) is at or over 1200 every day and you'll be fine.

www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

Exercise has very, very little to do with calories, in terms of what you lose versus what you input. Exercise has substantially more (when done properly) to do with spiking your metabolic rate.

Yes, eat them back.

Here's the thing though...creep up on the number. If you don't have an accurate (read: $70+) heart rate monitor...and your getting your calories burned from the list on this site...start with 60% or so of your exercise calories, then increase or decrease as your body dictates.

Don't just skip them though. This site has a built in deficit...meaning if you ate EVERY calorie of your exercise calories back...you'd still have the full deficit that MFP builds into its net total given to you when you set up your profile.

Meaning, you'll still lose weight.

if you go to the tools bar, you can calculate your BMR. that is the calories your body needs to function without any exercise. my guess it it's somewhere around 2000. so when MFP tells you to only eat 1200 calories, you are set up to lose weight without exercise. when you do exercise, you are suposed to eat those calories back so that your body dosn't go into starvation mode and start burning muscle and hang on to the fat. so, if your BMR is 2000, and you eat 1200 calories, your body is burning 800. if you exercise and burn 100 calories then your BMR jumps to 2100 and so you then eat 1300 calories and still are burning 800. get it??