Help understanding calories

JTzmommy

Hello, can you explain to me how it works if you are trying to make a calorie deficit with working out vs what your taking in, how when you exercise they give you back the calories you just burned off and how that is ok? I am confused. Thanks

diannethegeek

Your body uses a certain amount of calories every day. This is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). This includes all of the calories your body burns just keeping itself alive, as well as day to day activities like going to work, cooking, and brushing your teeth, and the calories you burn through exercise. This TDEE is the amount of calories you could eat to maintain your current weight. Eating below it creates a calorie deficit that allows you to lose weight.

When MFP calculates the number of calories you burn every day, it doesn't take your workouts into account. Basically, it doesn't trust you to actually exercise until after you've logged it. So, instead, it calculates a calorie deficit based on your lifestyle (sedentary, lightly active, etc - whatever you entered into that part of your profile) and figures out how many calories you could eat to lose weight without exercise.

When you burn more calories through exercise, you make your calorie deficit larger. The larger this calorie deficit is, the harder it is to get adequate nutrition and the more likely it is that you'll lose muscle along with the fat. MFP wants to keep you at a nice, safe calorie level, so it adds those calories back to your goal to keep you at the weight loss pace that you asked for.

You'll find that the exercise calories are a pretty frequently asked question around here. Because of that, several posters have tried to post guides to explain why they're added back to your goal. I happen to like this one best, and it probably explains it more clearly than my explanation above: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf

bug1114

diannethegeek wrote: »

Your body uses a certain amount of calories every day. This is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). This includes all of the calories your body burns just keeping itself alive, as well as day to day activities like going to work, cooking, and brushing your teeth, and the calories you burn through exercise. This TDEE is the amount of calories you could eat to maintain your current weight. Eating below it creates a calorie deficit that allows you to lose weight.

When MFP calculates the number of calories you burn every day, it doesn't take your workouts into account. Basically, it doesn't trust you to actually exercise until after you've logged it. So, instead, it calculates a calorie deficit based on your lifestyle (sedentary, lightly active, etc - whatever you entered into that part of your profile) and figures out how many calories you could eat to lose weight without exercise.

When you burn more calories through exercise, you make your calorie deficit larger. The larger this calorie deficit is, the harder it is to get adequate nutrition and the more likely it is that you'll lose muscle along with the fat. MFP wants to keep you at a nice, safe calorie level, so it adds those calories back to your goal to keep you at the weight loss pace that you asked for.

You'll find that the exercise calories are a pretty frequently asked question around here. Because of that, several posters have tried to post guides to explain why they're added back to your goal. I happen to like this one best, and it probably explains it more clearly than my explanation above: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf

^^ This. I personally like to use this calculator, which will tell you your TDEE to maintain, and will also tell you the calorie level you should be eating at based off of your activity level and other factors. Then you just eat that amount of calories, period. No bothering with eating back excercise calories because it's all already factored in.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#top

Sam_I_Am77

JTzmommy wrote: »

Hello, can you explain to me how it works if you are trying to make a calorie deficit with working out vs what your taking in, how when you exercise they give you back the calories you just burned off and how that is ok? I am confused. Thanks

There are many ways to determine calorie needs. Using a system of calorie deficit and calorie burn can work but it's a little more challenging and you should really make weight-loss as simple as possible so you can be successful. Use a Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculation is far and away simpler. With that, all you need to do is calculate your maintenance calories and start small with your calorie deficit (like 5%), so calorie maintenance x 0.95. Always try and lose weight on as many calories as possible for long-term success. Why eat less when you might be able to eat more?

kshadows

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest

MKEgal

JTzmommy wrote:

can you explain to me how it works if you are trying to make a calorie deficit with working out vs what your (sic) taking in, how when you exercise they give you back the calories you just burned off and how that is ok?

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories (based on BMI) & ignore exercise calories. Exercise is a bonus toward weight loss. In fact, they'd never heard of the concept of "net calories". It's much easier not to eat 500 calories than it is to work it off.

If you're really hungry at the end of the day, have 1/3 - 1/2 of your exercise calories, but don't make it a habit.
Most people underestimate what they eat, and most machines (including MFP) overestimate calories burned.
For most people, most of the time, those errors will cancel out.

mirrim52

MKEgal wrote: »

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories (based on BMI) & ignore exercise calories. Exercise is a bonus toward weight loss. In fact, they'd never heard of the concept of "net calories". It's much easier not to eat 500 calories than it is to work it off.

That might work for some, but not all people. As a 5'0" woman, my goal weight is between 105-110 lbs. I play roller derby and practice hard 5-8 hrs a week, plus lift weights 3 days a week. There is no way I could function off of less than 1100 calories a day. I calculated my TDEE and subtracted 20% and that is my goal for calories. Keep in mind with the TDEE-20% method, you do not eat back exercise calories.

Sam_I_Am77

mirrim52 wrote: »

MKEgal wrote: »

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories (based on BMI) & ignore exercise calories. Exercise is a bonus toward weight loss. In fact, they'd never heard of the concept of "net calories". It's much easier not to eat 500 calories than it is to work it off.

That might work for some, but not all people. As a 5'0" woman, my goal weight is between 105-110 lbs. I play roller derby and practice hard 5-8 hrs a week, plus lift weights 3 days a week. There is no way I could function off of less than 1100 calories a day. I calculated my TDEE and subtracted 20% and that is my goal for calories. Keep in mind with the TDEE-20% method, you do not eat back exercise calories.

I agree and disagree with that. For some 10x goal BW is an extreme change and far too drastic at first. A dietitian made the same recommendation at first and it was too much, it didn't work well for her. I put her on TDEE, cut 10% from maintenance and she lost 6lbs in 3-weeks. Use the 10x but graduate the formula. Let's say for instance you weight 150lbs and your goal weight is 110lbs. Well, you have to get to 140lbs before you can get to 110lbs right? Do 140 x 10 and use that until you get to 140. When you get to 140 do 135 x 10 or 130 x 10 and so on and so forth... OR, use TDEE and start with small deficits off of that.

LeslieB042812

MKEgal wrote: »

JTzmommy wrote:

can you explain to me how it works if you are trying to make a calorie deficit with working out vs what your (sic) taking in, how when you exercise they give you back the calories you just burned off and how that is ok?

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories (based on BMI) & ignore exercise calories. Exercise is a bonus toward weight loss. In fact, they'd never heard of the concept of "net calories". It's much easier not to eat 500 calories than it is to work it off.

If you're really hungry at the end of the day, have 1/3 - 1/2 of your exercise calories, but don't make it a habit.
Most people underestimate what they eat, and most machines (including MFP) overestimate calories burned.
For most people, most of the time, those errors will cancel out.

This is mostly spot on! However, most people actually OVERESTIMATE both calories consumed AND calories burned. Therefore, that can add up to no weight loss (despite believing you're in a deficit). I think it's best to only eat exercise calories if you absolutely have to (typically if you're doing large amounts of exercise) and then no more than 1/2. Good luck!