Is saying I'm active and clocking in workouts double?

cwils35

As subject says: if I calculate calories as me being active but also put in my cardio double counting workout calories?
Thanks

JenMc14

That depends. What is your normal day like? Do you have an office job? Are you in manual labor? I have an office job, I'm mostly at a desk, but I am often on my feet for a couple of hours at a time, but nothing strenuous. I work out 5-6 days a week, So, I was setting up an MFP account, I could set it at sedentary and then log my exercise and eat back (some of) the calories, or I could set to moderately active and not eat the calories back. But, let's say I was a construction worker, and I was on my feet, moving things, building stuff and being construction worker-y all day and I had the same workout schedule. I would think that would be moderately active and eat back exercise calories or set it to highly active and not.

If you have an office job and set your goal to active, then log your exercise calories and eat those back, you will likely not lose weight, and you could possibly see a slow weight gain.

GetSoda

If you use your regular cardio workout to decide you are "light' or "moderately" active, then DO NOT track those exercises. Otherwise you are double dipping your exercise calories.

lcvaughn520

It depends on WHY you said you were "active." If you said you were active because you work out however many times a week, then you do not count your exercise calories. If you said you were active because you tend to be up and about throughout the day, walking arond a lot, and THEN you exercise on top of that, then you do record your exercise calories and eat those back.

Basically, any activity that you included in your consideration of your activity level does not get counted back. Anything above and beyond that does.

3dogsrunning

Are you using MFP? Or following an outside formula?

MFP does not account for exercise in their formula. The active level would be for someone who is active in daily life/job, like a waitress. It still expects you to log exercise and eat those calories. So in that case, no it's not. It is not meant to be used to provide enough calories for exercise.

TDEE methods include exercise. So if you select active that would include your workouts. So yes, that would be double dipping.

cwils35

Thanks all! Makes sense.