Why eat back exercise calories?

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Lift_hard_eat_big
Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Why do people recommend to other people who are attempting to lose weight, to eat back all their exercise calories? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of exercising, won't eating back all your exercise calories put you back at maintenance? Isn't the goal of weight loss to create a deficit rather than break even. I understand perhaps eating back a partial amount so as to create a deficit.
Am I missing something, does the MFP system take into account your weight goal and adjust your "earned calories" accordingly?

Replies

  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
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    MFP operates that you already have a deficit so you don't want to mess with that deficit.

    I asked that question on my personal page, do you want me to go find the info and copy/paste it to your page?
  • hayescarmen364
    hayescarmen364 Posts: 43
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    This question has me wondering as well. I try to burn 1000 calories on days that I dont work by running and exersices. I dont want to eat an extra 1000 calories.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    MFP operates that you already have a deficit so you don't want to mess with that deficit.

    I asked that question on my personal page, do you want me to go find the info and copy/paste it to your page?

    If you would be so kind, I'd greatly appreciate it.
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
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    fpacudan with you 100% , I only eat some of them back if im feeling peckish, it depends on what works for you. I think if you ran a marathon you need to eat them back, burning off 300 cals a day in a gym and you dont, just my opinion and im sticking to it.
    Most hotly disputed topic ever btw !!!!
  • shorty458
    shorty458 Posts: 163 Member
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    My fiancee actually just lost weight by using MFP and watching his calorie intake. The only exercise he did was walking the dog! On MFP they also have an estimated how many calories you burn by just doing nothing. My daily intake for calories is 1200. They estimated that I burn like 1300 a day. So even with no exercise, I would still be losing weight since I am still burning off more than I am consuming.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    MFP's approach is different in that it calculates your calories with the deficit already built in.

    Search the forums for why it's bad to overextend your deficit.
  • meredithd13
    meredithd13 Posts: 53
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    i'm no expert, but....

    isn't the idea that the calories you have on MFP are reduced from your normal intake (say from 1800 to 1200). on your normal intake you could sustain increased cardio or strength, but on the reduced calories, you won't have enough fuel to exert yourself regularly. so you need to eat more, but you're still eating a lot fewer calories than you were before, and exercising more.

    so, you'll lose weight but you won't run out of steam in the process and derail yourself.
  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
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    MFP operates that you already have a deficit so you don't want to mess with that deficit.

    I asked that question on my personal page, do you want me to go find the info and copy/paste it to your page?

    If you would be so kind, I'd greatly appreciate it.

    I'm messaging it to you.

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