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Total calorie intake

tralyn74
tralyn74 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
For my daily calorie intake, do I subtract my exercise or not. Say MFP says I can have 1720 calories a day then I exercise & burn 500 calories. Should I be eating 1220 or actually 2220...I hope this makes since!!

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Why would you subtract calories you burned instead of eating them? Isn't the whole reason for losing weight to improve your health and look better?
  • texteach66
    texteach66 Posts: 92 Member
    You can choose to eat them, part of them, or none of them.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited July 2017
    The number of calories MFP gives you excludes purposeful exercise. So if you burn 500 calories through exercise, you are meant to eat those back so that your daily allotment remains the 1720 you were given. Basically to need to replace the calories you burned through exercise.

    Having said that, though, calorie burns through exercise can be very inaccurate. Generally, most people eat back between 50 & 75% of their exercise calories, which leaves a little wiggle room in case either their exercise estimates or their food logging is inaccurate.

    You can always adjust either up or down a bit in a few weeks based on your actual weight loss.
  • dud311
    dud311 Posts: 2 Member
    Just enter your exercise and MFP will do the rest.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    edited July 2017
    1720 + 500 is 2220 (1220 would be subtraction) . You should eat 2220 or at least a portion of your exercise calories depending on how accurate they may be.
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    I do not eat exercise calories but I have a lot to lose. Exercise would not set you back 500 calories.
  • katnadreau
    katnadreau Posts: 149 Member
    sosteach wrote: »
    I do not eat exercise calories but I have a lot to lose. Exercise would not set you back 500 calories.
    I have a chest strap heart monitor that I wear during Cardio, just this morning it had me at 520 calories burned after an hour. So exercise can definitely adjust your calorie goal that far. :)
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