Exercise calories

v_cowley

My BMR is 2050cal and MFP has given me a 500cal deficit at 1550cal.
I am generally eating between 1400cal and 1550cal - I've been trying to do at least some exercise every day but I've not been eating my exercise calories.
- Just would like general opinions on this as I've been reading neverending conficting things about BMRs ect ect.
- Bottom line: will I lose weight effectively like this?
Thanks!

galenofedgewood

I'd say eat them back, or at least half of it. If you lose weight, awesome!
If you don't, stop eating them back. If you lose weight, awesome!
If you don't, go back and ensure that you are accurately measuring your caloirc intake, you're probably underestimating calories at that point.

yarwell

v_cowley wrote: »

My BMR is 2050cal and MFP has given me a 500cal deficit at 1550cal.
Thanks!

Your BMR is less than 2050. That's your TDEE.

What you are doing will probably work, if not drop the intake a bit.

Sued0nim

Bottom line - yes

v_cowley

That's what confuses me the whole TDEE/BMR thing. On all the BMR calculators I've used gave me the result of 2050cal.

The imputs were:
Height: 6ft 0"
Weight: 273lb
Age: 25
Female.

Nothing else no exercise. If there is an exercise option I select none because I want the basic calculation.

Thanks for the advise though guys, my head just swirls with it all.

v_cowley

rabbitjb wrote: »

Bottom line - yes

Thanks, that's all I want to know!

BombshellPhoenix

It's all going to be a guess. I took a number from a calculator (though I calculated exercise in it) and figured my TDEE. Since that method you aim to not each back exercise, as it should be calculated, you'd eat one straight amount every day After a few weeks, I'd adjust the number up or down by 100 calories depending on where the weight was trending.

Keep in mind, weight loss will never be linear, so it's normal to fluctuate up to 3 ish lbs from one day to the next and up to 5 lbs in a single day for a myriad of reasons. You're looking for a weight loss trend over weeks. Hope this was helpful.

HerewardWake

Ahh, the age-old question. Eat the calories, or not? And, if not, let them accumulate over time for a big reward of something hedonistic? Personally, I tend to leave the exercise-related calories alone, but if I have an exceptionally productive day, I might use some of them for a rare treat (like, say, ice cream).

v_cowley

HerewardWake wrote: »

Personally, I tend to leave the exercise-related calories alone

Exactly! I feel that if you've worked to burn extra calories then that should be a bonus, not exercising just to eat.

BombshellPhoenix wrote: »

Keep in mind, weight loss will never be linear

I was questioning it because there are so many differing opinions about it. I know everyone is different. How I wish there was an answer right for everyone!

Seriously, thanks for your help, it's the community here that makes me feel I can do it this time! And I can ask silly questions and be understood!

lemurcat12

Without a body fat number BMR is a rough estimate and I wouldn't worry too much about it. It simply allows you to calculate a starting neat or tdee.

For tdee method you should include exercise in the calculation and not eat them back, but I think that another fine way to do it is what you are doing. 2 lbs a week is a safe rate of loss when you have plenty to lose, so do 1 lb by cutting calories and then exercise on top of that. So long as you feel good, the exercise isn't suffering, and you don't start losing way more than you should, stick with it.

If you don't lose as expected, it could be that the estimates don't fit you perfectly and you can adjust.

I'm wondering if you told mfp 1 lb, though, as I actually think it would give you more calories for that.

Liftng4Lis

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

50sFit

It seemed strange to eat back my exercise calories.
NO WAY! Eat back exercise calories?
Folks, do this any way you want, but I love eating back those calories. That's part of my motivation to train like I do.
SHHH....

50sFit

v_cowley wrote: »

My BMR is 2050cal and MFP has given me a 500cal deficit at 1550cal.
I am generally eating between 1400cal and 1550cal - I've been trying to do at least some exercise every day but I've not been eating my exercise calories.
- Just would like general opinions on this as I've been reading neverending conficting things about BMRs ect ect.
- Bottom line: will I lose weight effectively like this?
Thanks!

Yes, there are many paths to to success. Just find the one you can stick to for life...GOOD LUCK!

Icandoityayme

The deficit that it shows is only a subtraction of the calories you consume from the calories it shows being burned for normal daily activities. I thought it meant that was the deficit you were suppose to have. It really doesn't mean anything. The more calories you eat the less the deficit will be. Subtract your calorie intake from the number it gives for calories burned from daily activity. That's all it is.

v_cowley

50sFit wrote: »

Just find the one you can stick to for life...GOOD LUCK!

Thank you :] I feel completely fine on the calories I've been consuming, I don't feel the need to eat the exercise calories at all, so that's not a problem. I just don't want to eat too few (which has always been an odd concept to me) and get stuck in a rut before I'd ever really gotten anywhere.