Calories

Amys_Journey
Amys_Journey Posts: 8 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm on a 1380 calorie intake a day. My question is if I got to the gym and burn 300 calories is that mine to eat back or should I eat back that many or just leave it alone?

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Is this what MFP gave you? If so then eat back 1/4-1/2 of your exercise calories. How are you calculating your exercise calories burn?
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Eat.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    There are different schools of thought on this. If you believe that the calorie burn is accurate, sure, eat them back. If you are unsure maybe eat half of them back. Like all things, you need to evaluate as you go, if you eat back all your exercise calories and after say, 4 weeks you aren't losing a t a rate you think is accurate, your calorie burn may be lower than stated and you may want to eat fewer of your exercise calories. Make sense?
  • kelseymallen
    kelseymallen Posts: 85 Member
    edited March 2017
    I agree with the others who posted. Try eating 1/4 to 1/2 of your exercise calories and see how it goes for a little while. MFP calories burned for exercises can sometimes be inaccurate so you could possibly overeat because of that. Good luck! :-)
  • dovnkels
    dovnkels Posts: 25 Member
    The best article on this: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    dovnkels wrote: »
    The best article on this: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/

    That might be useful if you are trying to figure out your calories on your own, but that's not how mfp works. MFP calorie goal is based on the expectation that you will eat back your exercise calories. If you don't eat any of them back, and your food logging is accurate, you would be undereating.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    You can eat some exercise calories back for sure, but not all so that accounts for over estimation of calorie burn.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2017
    Do you want the short, easy answer and just be told what to do?
    Or do you want the long drawn out answer that explains the process and what those numbers mean so you understand what you're doing and why?
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    When MFP asked how active you are, how did you decide?

    Did you say "Well, I go to the gym three days a week, so I'm moderately active!"

    If you included your gym time when you decided on your activity level then don't eat those back.
    If you didn't include your gym time, you can eat some (or all) of those calories and still be within MFP's calculations for your goal.
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