Activity level? Eating back calories? Need advice!

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dannylou81
dannylou81 Posts: 10
in Getting Started
I am not sure what my activity level should be? I do not want to eat to many calories or not enough. I have 100 pounds to lose. I am doing cardio in the morning and at night and also doing a weight lifting program once a day. I have a desk job so most of the day I sit. I do not want to choose sedentary because of the cardio and weight lifting but not sure which one I would choose? Any advice??

Any thoughts on eating back the calories gained working out too would be good? Currently I have it set at lightly active and I get 1500 calories a day but with cardio twice a day and weights I can sometimes burn 800 calories. How much should I eat back? I heard sometimes not eating enough calories can be bad.

Thank you!!!

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    1. If you are going to log your exercise then select sedentary, otherwise you are double counting those calories. You can log exercise under the cardio section of your diary, and it will add calories to your goal for that day based on how much you burned. That is typically the best way to handle exercise calories. You can include them in your activity level if you prefer, but if so do not log the exercise and you have ot be really good about actually doing the exercise you say you will or else you are eating back calories you did not burn.

    2. If you are tracking very accurately (food scale) and also measuring your burns accurately (HRM) then feel free to eat them back. If accuracy is lacking and you really want to make sure you are hitting your intended deficit then only eat back a portion of the calories, maybe half.
  • dannylou81
    dannylou81 Posts: 10
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    that makes sense! Thank you! I will put it sedentary and add the exercise. I do measure my food with a scale and have a heart monitor so this makes sense! I appreicate you anwsering!
  • Amanda4change
    Amanda4change Posts: 620 Member
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    If your using MFP's calculations your daily activity level is everything you do in a day except exercise, then you track your exercise calories and eat them back. MFP's calculation give you a calorie allowance that is already at a deficit to lose the amount per week you set your goal at. If you are using a HRM I would eat more of the exercise calories back than if your using MFP burn estimates. For me personally I don't eat all of mine back (even though I use an HRM) but I do make sure that my net calories are at least 1,200-1,400 (calories in-minus exercise=net calories) otherwise my workouts suffer.
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
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    Sedentary, and if your goal is weight loss (as opposed to building muscle), then no, don't eat the calories back.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    rand486 wrote: »
    Sedentary, and if your goal is weight loss (as opposed to building muscle), then no, don't eat the calories back.

    maybe, maybe not depending on how much you are burning through exercise. Creating an overly large deficit over time can be just as hazardous to your health as being too heavy, and setting yourself up a plan where you will crash and burn and give up will not get you where you want to go either.

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