Question about Exercise Tracking

The calories MFP give you have a deficit for weight loss already built in. By exercising, you are burning even more calories, so you can eat those back if you want to without affecting your projected weight loss. If you don't eat any of your exercise calories back, you may find your weight loss stalling, or you may feel tired and lethargic through not eating enough to fuel yourself. I eat back about half of my exercise calories most times, eating all of them on hungry days!

Thanks for your quick response.

So that means, I get more calories on the days I do a lot of extensive exercise. I'm nervous about adding more calories. LOL I've been doing so well, without doing that, plus the exercise. But I guess it's healthier to maintain a net calorie as you say.

Yeah, it it hard for some people to accept at first, but as knittyflitty said, not eating enough calories can actually stall your weight loss. Just go with the MFP number for a while and see how you do, you may be surprised (I know I was).

You SHOULD NOT "eat back" your calories burned.

This is a huge debate in health science.

Many people think you SHOULD "eat back" ...... many people think you "SHOULD NOT" eat back.

it is a huge debate.

At the moment, MFP happens to default to the "should" mode. This is just silly.

They are changing it so that it can work one way, or the other, depending on what your scientific beliefs are.

if you are trying to make up your mind, scientifically, about which approach you should take - don't base it on jabberings seen on the internet. I recommend the book "Good calories, bad calories" by Gary Taubes.

once again, CURRENTLY as it happens MFP only uses the "should eat back" model --- that's why they have that absurd "you've earned! ..." line of text that you are seeing.

What does everyone do who uses MFP, who is in the "should not" camp? Simply IGNORE that ridiculous line of test.

In a few months the will update the system to handle "both" paradigms. (ie, they will simply delete that one ridiculous line of text for people in the "should not" camp).

For example: my calorie goal presently is 1400. So indeed I eat 1400.

Yesterday I ran 15km, which is something like 1000 cals.

MFP ridiculously says "You've eaten 1400! You CAN eat 2400! You've earned 1000 from running!!!!"

I simply ignore this idiocy, and stop reading at "You've eaten 1400"

Males sense?

Similarly on the reports page ...just ignore the silly "NET calories" thing and print out your "Calories Eaten" graph.

once again .. in a few months they're changing it to work "either" way for the "two camps" of thinkers.

(It's just a matter of deleting that one stupid line.) Like I say at the moment everyone just IGNORES the silly part. I stop reading at "You've eaten 1400!"

(well, people who are in to "eat back!" of course, they keep reading to the end!)

Enjoy !

it's a great site IF you use it properly.

"But I guess it's healthier to maintain a net calorie as you say."

Nonsense. It's healthy to have no excess fat. :-)

This is an example of science from internet soundbites, versus science.

To make a REAL DECISION, I recommend the book I mention! It's a great book, if a little technical, enjoy.

Failing that, stick to what has been working for you and what you feel is right.

The whole thing is really silly -- ok so you "eat back!" your exercise. So what do you do about carbs? protein? fat? do they go up ... proportionately? or what?

I exercise so I can eat more. I am pregnant and I am hungry all the time now. I am get at maintain right now then in a few weeks I will move up to gain 1/2 lb a week. I have gained 50 lbs with my boys and I want to gain the 15-25 my doctor has recommend. I am up 15 so I have to be careful for that next 21 weeks.

I don't eat the exercise calories burned. I put them in the tracker to see how many I have earned, then delete them again so that I can clearly see and stick to my 1200 per day. That way I know that if I have underestimated the amount of calories in a particular food, or had to eat something I cannot accurately measure, I have a wee hidden 'bank' of exercise calories to mop up the accidents.

I understand your confusion. it took me a while to get this, and all the numbers were floating around in my head. Basically you are going to either pick a 1lb/week loss or 2lb/week. Which one did you choose? If you choose 1lb/week, mfp will build in a 500cal/day deficit. If 2#/week, mfp builds in a 1000cal/day deficit. You eat back your exercise calories, otherwise you will have a greater deficit than the 500 or 1000 calories you decided on.

The confusion may lie the the fact that you would like to maximize your weight loss in hopes of losing more than 1 or 2 lbs. This is not recommended because
1. you may not be able to sustain that calorie deficit (hunger, mood, etc)
2. you may be more tired, not exercise as hard, etc

So pick your weight loss rate, and see what your progress looks like:
1. changes in your measurements
2. changes in how you look and feel
3. changes on the scale.

Have fun...fitness is awesome!

I think the people at MFP have studied the "eat back" situation pretty well. if you create too much of a deficit you will send your body into starvation mode. This will slow down your metabolism and make it harder for you to expend the calories you already have.

Quick diets are dangerous and a waste of time. if you are not going to change your eating lifestyle you may as well just "pig out" and enjoy obesity. The key to effective weight loss is nutrient density of the calories consumed. You can eat all you want if you eat the right foods. Good nutrition is more than refusing to supersize your happy meal.

"But I guess it's healthier to maintain a net calorie as you say."

Nonsense. It's healthy to have no excess fat. :-)

This is an example of science from internet soundbites, versus science.

To make a REAL DECISION, I recommend the book I mention! It's a great book, if a little technical, enjoy.

Failing that, stick to what has been working for you and what you feel is right.


The whole thing is really silly -- ok so you "eat back!" your exercise. So what do you do about carbs? protein? fat? do they go up ... proportionately? or what?

I understand having an opinion but to come across as if it is your way or the highway makes no sense. If it only worked your way then why have I lost 18 pounds? Why not just give advice and say this works for me instead of saying everyone else is nonsense.