Negative Calories

jfevens
jfevens Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all, I don't think I have a grasp on the negative calories. Here is what I think is supposed to happen.
FitnessPal calculates an estimated number of steps that I will do during the day based on my Settings. And then adjusts the calories accordingly. Having a fitness watch tracking my steps now, i'm feeling my fitnesspal The actual number of steps that I take, fitnesspal then adjusts accordingly. But what I am seeing is as my step count goes up so to the negative calories. I have stepped over 10,000 steps one day and had -289 cal the next 9000 steps and have -110 calories, down the third day over 11,000 steps and -500 calories. What I don't understand is the more steps I take the more negative calories I get. Is this correct?

Replies

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    Yes. Those are all the extra calories you burned by walking more.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,501 Member
    When you enter your info, the calories set are what you need to consume to lose 1-2lbs a week WITHOUT exercise. So without any exercise, you lose 1-2lbs a week. Adding in exercise gives you whatever calories you burn EXTRA to consume and still lose 1-2lbs a week.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • jfevens
    jfevens Posts: 3 Member
    Yes that is how it works when you use an app for cardio walk, or biking, hiking etc. But this is negative calories. This app estimates the number of calories you will burn thoughout the day NOT including exercise. With a step counter it starts comparing its estimates to the actual data from the counter. Then it adjust the total amount of calories you need can consume to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

    For example I have 1500 calories a day to loose 2 pounds a week. I walk my dog and track it in Endomondo and it tells me that I have burned 300 calories. So my total intake for the is now 1800 calorie. But my step counter says I only walked 9000 steps, so it less than what my fitnesspal estimated so, it adjusts my in take by -150 calories. So now my total intake for the day is reduced to 1650 calories for the day.

    This, I understand, my fitnesspal thinks i am walking 12000 steps a day, hypothetically, and with that in mind says I need to have 15000 calories a da. But in actualit,y it was only 9000 so it adjusts and lowers the calories intake for the day to maintain a 2 pound loss a week. The issue is, as I walk more steps the negative calories keep getting bigger and I never earn positive calories from my steps, only if I'm "working out". So with this app, the more I walk the less I am allowed to eat because it lowers my intake, never increasing it.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I have negative calories enabled and it gives me a certain amount of negative calories before exercise. as I exercise or get steps it will deduct those negative calories and then the more I walk or exercise it starts adding the positive calories. sounds like something is off with your tracker or app because it should not be doing that. you can always turn off the negative calorie thing and go from there.
  • jfevens
    jfevens Posts: 3 Member
    Ya, with everything I have looked at and heard, there is something going wrong
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    jfevens wrote: »
    Ya, with everything I have looked at and heard, there is something going wrong

    How so? Having the same number of steps on two different days doesn't mean your adjustment will be the same. Your adjustment is based off your calorie burn, not your step count. You can burn 1700 a day with 10, 000 steps. And the next day burn 2000 with only 7, 000 steps. Its about the calories, not the steps.

    You can click on the adjustment to see how its calculated.

Categories