A question about exercise and calorie goals

Unfairman

Hi All,

I'm hoping to get some insight into this. I've put my weight and my goals into the MFP auto calculator and it came back with a calorie goal of 1510. Great, no problem! I've actually been under this goal pretty often, especially after adding exercise.

My question is this: after subtracting the exercise, should I eat more to hit that goal?

I've been eating much more healthfully since I've been tracking my food (which, I know, it's the point of tracking!) and because of this I feel like I eat the same volume of food, it just has fewer calories. I'm eating more nutrient rich, denser foods so I remain full, and don't feel the need to overeat. If I'm only getting 1300 calories a day, and then burning 500 calories with exercise, should I be 'forcing' myself to eat more? And if so, what's the best way to do that? Protein bars, etc?

Thanks guys,

Chris

(edited for spelling/grammar)

sk_pirate

If you're eating at the goals MFP set for you, go ahead and eat your burned calories back When I first started, I ate about 75% of the burned calories, as I found MFP to over-estimate the exercise values.

As I progressed and got used to how things worked I switched to a calculation method known as TDEE-20%. If you're just starting out, I'd stick with the MFP values, but you can always search for the thread "In Place of a Roadmap" for more info. Hopefully it won't overwhelm you!

Biggest thing you'll want to do is make sure you eat filling whole foods (whole grains, fruits, green veggies, lean protein, healthy fats) Don't deprive yourself though! If you want that treat, go for it, everything in moderation!!

I'm new to the working out part but quite seasoned on the "eating" part LOL!

All the best :flowerforyou:

cwolfman13

MFP is a NEAT method (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator. What this means is that when you set your activity level, you do NOT include exercise in your activity level. Thus, exercise becomes extra activity above and beyond your normal daily hum drum. To be healthy, that activity needs to be fueled...thus, when you log exercise, you get a bump in your calorie goal.

When I did MFP I at back about 70% of what my HRM said I burned to account for estimation error (it's all still estimation). I always ate back at least 50%.

The benefit of the NEAT method is that it provides additional motivation for people to get off the couch...but if they miss a day of exercise or are otherwise inconsistent, it's ok...so long as they're meeting their calorie goals they will lose.

Conversely, with the TDEE method, you have to make sure you're really on top of your exercise and being consistent...if you're inconsistent, your activity level becomes not applicable. The NEAT method is very common with people new to diet and fitness as it doesn't punish the individual for being inconsistent in exercise.

TwelveSticks

It depends on what you entered as your activity level settings when you used MFP to calculate your goal. If you entered anything more than the basic "sedentary" level, then the goal MFP has given you will already include some calories to take account of the exercise levels you told it you were doing.

The surest way to handle it is to ask MFP for your goals and make sure you set it to the 'laziest'/least active setting. THEN eat to the goal it sets for you, PLUS any exercise calories you earn each day.

I would add one caveat to this though - personally, I treat all exercise burn values with suspicion and thus only eat back 2/3rds of them, so be sure...

Lammerchops

I would never use MFP goals to guide my overall intake, macro distribution, or exercise calories.

I don't want MFP pre-calculating my daily burn and then helping itself by estimating what I burn during exercise.

The most way to calculate your daily caloric requirements is the TDEE method.

Case in point: I set my MFP activity level to sedentary because I don't want it arbitrarily guessing what I burn during exercise (how could it possibly due that with no knowledge of my fitness level, body composition or heart rate during activity?). At 5'7" and 125lbs, it told me to eat 1,200 calories per day, of which 45g should be protein.

......how ridiculous is that?!

Use the TDEE method to calculate your caloric needs, and then manually override your goal settings so that you can tell MFP how many cals you'll be eating, and how your macros are broken down. I wouldn't bother inputting your exercise into MFP either, because it'll then add more calories to your requirements using an equation that has nothing to do with YOU personally and your burn rate.

A grown man eating 1,300 calories per day is outrageously low. Steady, maintainable fat loss can be successfully achieved at a 20% deficit. No need to go drastic, especially if this is for the long haul.

corgicake

Eat your exercise calories, and preferably in the form of carbs. Because your body is usually still raiding carb stores at that stage, you might not feel hungry. I've found that when my body doesn't get those back, I'm dragging keister the next day.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/your-workout-is-eating-you-alive/

For extra jaw slack, read the third comment down

Unfairman

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

I did set my MFP activity level to sedentary for the same reason you guys mentioned: I wanted to be able to determine my exercise/activity for myself, which is why I track it and enter my own using Map My Ride (I'm a former avid cyclist who is ramping up that activity again now that summer has finally arrived in Minneapolis).

My question is more along the lines of should I eat even if I'm not hungry to reach a MINIMUM caloric goal.

I'm completely sated with the calories I've been eating. Again, my MFP calorie goal is 1510, and when I add my exercise I'm usually netting about 1200-1300. I appreciate that this is on the low-end of what a normal, fully grown male should be netting, especially one of my size (5'7", broad shouldered, 240ish lbs).

To add to the mix, I'm a vegetarian and have been for years (not for dietary reasons). It's harder for us to get pure calories, as what we eat is typically low calorie and nutrient dense.

I've been thinking of supplementing both my calories and protein with supplement bars. I'm usually pretty close to protein goal of 71g/day - contrary to popular belief it's not THAT hard to get protein on a veggie diet.

I'm not an athlete, nor do I desire to be. I'm not competitive. My goals are to get a handle on my diet and introduce moderate exercise into my lifestyle. MFP allows me to feed my inner datahead

Unfairman

Thanks!

Should I be eating it back in carbs if my goal is fat loss? Isn't raiding my carb stores a good thing? Sorry if that sounds ignorant

Lammerchops

I would be eating twice as much protein if I were you (~140g).

There are easy, nutritious ways to up your calories. You can simply increase serving sizes, or add in dense items such as: olive oil, avocado, nuts.

Beans are good.

Do you eat eggs? Do you eat dairy?

The vast majority of supplement bars are full of garbage, so do your research. Protein powder is a great place to start. There are tons of recipes to make your own, clean protein bars out of a whey isolate and a few other basic ingredients (but 99% of them contain dairy FYI).

wahmx3

Totally agree with this....eat back your exercise calories or use the TDEE method and manually change your calorie goal on here.

If you're eating at the goals MFP set for you, go ahead and eat your burned calories back When I first started, I ate about 75% of the burned calories, as I found MFP to over-estimate the exercise values.

As I progressed and got used to how things worked I switched to a calculation method known as TDEE-20%. If you're just starting out, I'd stick with the MFP values, but you can always search for the thread "In Place of a Roadmap" for more info. Hopefully it won't overwhelm you!

Biggest thing you'll want to do is make sure you eat filling whole foods (whole grains, fruits, green veggies, lean protein, healthy fats) Don't deprive yourself though! If you want that treat, go for it, everything in moderation!!

I'm new to the working out part but quite seasoned on the "eating" part LOL!

All the best :flowerforyou:

Unfairman

Hi Lammer,

I do eat both eggs and dairy, though I try to limit both. I don't avoid eggs because eggs are in almost everything, but I rarely eat them outright as a meal. My biggest dairy intake is cheese, so I substitute almond or soy milk when I cook or eat cereal.

Beans. Yes. Beans are awesome, I totally agree.

I like the nuts idea. I'll go to the store after work and pick up a big thing of almonds, and use them to snack on during the day.

That's what I was worried about regarding protein bars; I definitely don't want/need all that junk. My concern with protein shakes is similar. Most of what I've seen is higher than I'd like regarding cholesterol. Do you have any brand recommendations?

Lammerchops

Hi Lammer,

I do eat both eggs and dairy, though I try to limit both. I don't avoid eggs because eggs are in almost everything, but I rarely eat them outright as a meal. My biggest dairy intake is cheese, so I substitute almond or soy milk when I cook or eat cereal.

Beans. Yes. Beans are awesome, I totally agree.

I like the nuts idea. I'll go to the store after work and pick up a big thing of almonds, and use them to snack on during the day.

That's what I was worried about regarding protein bars; I definitely don't want/need all that junk. My concern with protein shakes is similar. Most of what I've seen is higher than I'd like regarding cholesterol. Do you have any brand recommendations?

Pasteurized egg whites can be used in a shake in place of protein powder, if desired.
I'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions for a low/no cholesterol pro powder off-hand, but I'm sure this is a concern for many people - a 1.2 second google search reveals that there are indeed certain brands that offer isolates with low/no cholesterol. Not sure where you're located, but if you go to a supplement store that staffs people who know the basics, they should be able to point you in the right direction. You don't want to sacrifice taste, either, or else you won't use it.

Between protein powder, pasteurized egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese and fat-free greek yogurt, you can make some pretty impressive protein bars/muffins, protein pancakes, etc, etc. No need to eat cold, plain egg whites for dinner every night to up your daily protein intake if the thought of that makes you want to yak!