My Fitness Pal Calories/Goal Versus Calories Remaining Question

For y'all that use MFP to log your food/exercise...I have a question.  You know how there's the daily calorie limit on there?  So mine is currently like 1,069.  Then it'll have my calories for the amount of food I have eaten up to that point of the day and then add in calories for exercise...it all will equal what my remaining calories are for the day.  Here's my q:

Do you focus on the food calorie limit without paying attention to the exercise calories figured in?  I know some don't log exercise because they feel the numbers aren't accurate and it messes up their eating for the day...and others pay full attention.  I am taking a poll.  What do you do?  I hadn't been taking the exercise numbers into account at all but I happened upon an article and this made me question whether I should be.  Thanks for your answers!

It depends on whether you are losing or maintaining.  If you're losing, it can be in your best interest to ignore exercise calories and take the slightly faster loss.  However, ultimately maintaining your weight means eating in balance with your activity.

It's certainly true that exercise numbers are probably not accurate for you, however, as long as they are consistent then you can still use them to inform your food intake.  It's important to remember that no matter how much you measure, how much you journal, or how much you wear your FitBit there are tons of estimates and assumptions for every single number.  The bottom line is the number on the scale.  Everything else is, while certainly useful, more of a guide or sanity check.

MFP had my calories listed at 1200 ish for the day. I never easy that much.  I will likely use it when I get to maintenance,  but I shoot for 800 calories total per day,  tops.  I also never count my exercise calories.  

I ignore the exercise calories

When I track on mfp it is because I am trying to lose and never add in my exercise calories.

Don't eat back exercise calories. It's a trap.

If you are trying to lose, you want your calories low. If you are aiming for 800 calories, 900, or whatever, let that be your limit.

If you are maintaining, your exercise evens out over time. So if you are maintaining your weight eating 1500 calories per day, that already takes into account all your activity. If you are gaining a little, or losing a little at 1500, add or drop 100 until your weight holds steady again.

But eating 500 extra calories today because MFP says you can is just dangerous. It's a real slippery slope, like that voice in the back of your head that says you've been good all week, you DESERVE that hot fudge sundae as a reward.

I manually set my calories and I do put in my exercise, but I change the calories burned to just 1.  That way I feel good about exercising but don't feel like I should eat more just because I got some exercise in.  Sometimes my pals there will wonder why I only got 'credit' for 1 calorie after exercising for an hour and then I explain that those calories burned were messing with my head and it isn't helpful for me to see it displayed like that.

Yea, I agree, the calories burned in excercise is a trap.  It like a diabetic who doesn't adjust their diet - just up the inuslin to make up for the excess sugars they choose to consume.  

I look at my fitness lifestyle as something I do because I enjoy and I'm gonna use this body because my years of MO didn't allow me that luxury.

Igore! Myfitnesspal is over counting the calories you burn through exercise. If you must, at least cut the number of exercise calories in half first. That might keep you from gaining weight, but I wouldn't bet my waistline on it.

I never use eat my exercise calories.  I also think Fitbit goes over board on the calories burned.