What does exercise mean?

julie_x47
julie_x47 Posts: 12 Member
in Getting Started
Hi I'm a noobie to this app. I just wondered what the exercise number means, for instance at the top of my food diary it says as an example :

1200 - 350 + 189 = 870
Goal. Food. Exercise

Does this number mean I need to burn off 189 in exercise (I have a treadmill to use at home) :)

Thanks, just getting to grips with it :)

Replies

  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    no, it means thats what you've already burned today and should eat back if you are following what mfp has recommended for you. The 350 is what you've eaten so far.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited January 2016
    MFP sets your calorie goal (to eat) based on your height/weight/age/gender and your stated activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) before exercise. That is, MFP does not assume you are going to exercise every day. It creates a deficit in your normal daily routine. (Deficit means eating less in a day than your body burns thru all day activity.)

    If you log exercise (like a 30 minute walk, a 20 minute bike ride, etc.) then those calories get added to your goal. You can choose to eat more. If you're working out, your body may need additional fuel.

    If you are connected with an activity tracker (like Fitbit) to MFP, and you earn extra calories, it means that your Fitbit is showing your actual activity level (based on exercise AND regular activity) is on course to burn more total per day than MFP expected (which is just based on activity). Again, you can choose to eat the extra calories.
  • julie_x47
    julie_x47 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you! :)
  • huhhgh
    huhhgh Posts: 1 Member
    My thing says goal:1390 food: 1790 exercise :26 what does exercise 26 mean
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Same as above.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    huhhgh wrote: »
    My thing says goal:1390 food: 1790 exercise :26 what does exercise 26 mean

    If you are synched up to a fitness device, it has given you 26 extra calories due to activity. This should be added to your daily allowance, which means you could eat those as a bonus. Sometimes exercise calories are overestimated so people often recommend eating back half for a spell to see how your body reacts (are you losing more, less, or right at your target loss).

    **MFP is designed for you to eat back at least some of your exercise calories.**

    Many people assumed extra burned calories = bigger deficit = faster loss = a good thing.

    Or they think that because they are sometimes overestimated they better not eat any, just in case. But logic tells you that increased activity does not equal 0.

    For lower amounts it’s not a huge deal, but for bigger burns, if you don’t eat them back you can suffer some pretty nasty side effects from under nourishment (and in turn lose weight way too fast, losing muscle, hair, brittle nails, heart issues, etc. Not pretty, and in some cases very dangerous.)

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