I don't understand the whole eating back calorie's that you'

hi - you will get a lot of replies, I'm sure. Basically, MFP has already set your daily caloric intake at a defecit to lose weight based on what you set as your goal (1#/week for example). When you exercise, you will need some fuel - hence eating back some of your exercise calories. You want to make sure you are netting what was set as your daily goal. everyone is different however, so you will have to figure out what is the best for you. hope this helps and good luck!

I think the idea is to maintain a small caloric deficit, such that if you try to create too large a deficit, you will slow down your metabolism. So that might mean adding 800 calories back because you burned 1200, to avoid a caloric deficit of say 1200 calories in a single day. Instead a 400 calorie deficit will preserve your metabolic rate.

search 'exercise calories', there's a ton of information on the forums already.

To lose weight you need to be in a healthy caloric deficit. There are 2 ways to accomplish that:

Set your daily caloric intake at a deficit
This is what most people do, and is how MFP is designed to work. You figure out your daily caloric need (total daily energy expenditure: TDEE), then set your calorie goal lower than that. For example.. if your TDEE is 1800, you might set your daily calorie goal to 1400. That puts you in a caloric deficit and you will start to lose weight**. When you exercise you burn additional calories. These burned calories are not accounted for in your TDEE or the calorie goal you set based on your TDEE. So exercising increases that caloric deficit. The thing to watch here is how big that deficit gets. Every body responds differently, but the larger the deficit the worse it is for your body (the assumption is that the larger the deficit gets the harder it is to properly fuel your body). And this is why people recommend eating back exercise calories.

Use exercise to create the deficit
With this method you set your daily caloric intake to equal your TDEE. Then you exercise and burn calories. Those burned calories are not accounted for when you set your daily goal equal to your TDEE, and thus you end up in a deficit. The size of that deficit is dependent on your workouts. You burn 75cals walking the dog and your deficit is 75 cals. You burn 500 cals running and the deficit is 500.



**This is VERY simiplified and makes A LOT of assumptions, but is good enough for this conversation.

So on a typical day you eat 1000-1100 cals and burn 500 doing exercise. This gives your body a mere 500-600 calories to do regular daily activities (walk, stairs, work, housework, chase kids, stand, sit, sex etc) as well as breathe, beat your heart, fuel your brain, maintain/grow muscle, operate organs, digest food, grow hair, skin and nails.
Because 500-600 calories isn't enough your body will using lean muscle as fuel. Over a long period of time, undereating can mess with your heart, circulation, temperature, immune system, moods, concentration, sleep, sex drive, fertility, digestion, hair, nails, skin.

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

:laugh: :laugh:

You figure out your daily caloric need (BMR), then set your calorie goal lower than that. For example.. if your BMR is 1800, you might set your daily calorie goal to 1400.

Close, but no cigar!

You do not want to eat below your BMR, which is the suggested calories for healthy body that is just sleeping or in a coma. Basic body functions. Do that for long enough, your body will just lower the BMR to compensate, you'll be chasing a downward spiral you'll never win.

You want to eat below your maintenance, or TDEE, or AMR, calories. Which is BMR plus normal avg daily activity.

Ok everyone I'm being honest - I'm really upset by all of this

You did the best you could with the information you had. Now you know more, and you're ready to move on!! :happy:

My base is 1400

Not eating back my cals = plateau

Eating back most my cals = steadily losing again

Me too! I was not just plateaued. It was the plateau from hell. I was at a freaking stalemate for MONTHS! I finally re-evaluated, upped my overall calories AND started to eat exercise calories, and VOILA! Like magic, I'm back to dropping a pound a week or more.