Is there a dietitian in the house?

I am so confused!!! Do I or do I not eat my exercise calories? Some say yes, some say no. I look at other's food log and most people are staying under their calorie intake for the day, plus have not even dipped into their exercise calories.

Does anyone know the true answer?

When in doubt, use common sense. Your body is adept at letting you know what it needs. If you are hungry eat, if not, then don't!

I am so confused!!! Do I or do I not eat my exercise calories? Some say yes, some say no. I look at other's food log and most people are staying under their calorie intake for the day, plus have not even dipped into their exercise calories.

Does anyone know the true answer?

When in doubt, use common sense. Your body is adept at letting you know what it needs. If you are hungry eat, if not, then don't!

Actually hunger is not the best indication of nutritional requirements. Lets say MFP gives you 1300 cals to meet your goal, then you burn 500, well you should eat at least most of them as if you don't eat any it would be the same as eating 800 cals and not exercising.

Most professionals will tell you not to eat you exercise calories back because they added your planned exercise it into your TDEE to give you a caloric intake, whereas MFP ignores exercise and only accounts for it when you perform it. Either way should get you to the same place but keep in mind the dietitian will give you more calories than MFP to start with.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFP do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

Well im a dietitian in training :] Junior year!

Eat them most days. You do not have to every day but your body really needs the fuel!

How do I lose weight then? I'm confused too - if I need 1,800 cals a day according to doing the math by hand (the calculations for BMR) and MFP has me eating 1,300 and I "earn" exercise cals and eat them - bringing me to 1,700 for the day...where does weight loss happen!?

Your BMR is what you burn sitting around all day. If you move around then you burn more than your BMR. That's where it happens.

Nope, not a dietitian... doctor with a good grasp of nutrition and exercise physiology. Sunshine is exactly right. Especially if your calories burned is a large percentage of your daily quota. If you don't replace the calories burned during exercise you are essentially starving yourself. Your metabolism will slow. You don't have to be exact about it, but don't fall into the trap that the more calories under your net the better. That is a false economy. Have fun.

:noway:

Well there you have it folks. Thanks for all your advice. That is probably why my weight is staying the same. I am not eating enough.

People's weight stays the same when their calorie intake = calories burned.
Most people underestimate their caloric intake and overestimate their calories burned, so they THINK they are at a deficit, when in REALITY they are simply at maintenance.