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Should I REALLY add the calories I burn back in to my count?
Replies
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Yes, that is how MFP is designed. You enter in your stats, activity level, goal and MFP spits out a number for you assuming exercise isn't part of your activity level.
Let's stay you maintain at 2500 calories and want to lose 1lb per week, so then you'd cut 500 calories per day.
2500 maintenance - 500 = 2000 calories per day to lose 1lb.
Let's say you add in a daily workout that burns 300 calories. You now maintain at 2800, So:
2500 + 300 workout cals = a new maintenance of 2800
2800 new maintenance - 500 = 2300 calories per day to lose 1lb per week.
Now, with that said, many say to start out eating back ~50-75% of exercise calories and adjust from there because it's all really an estimate.
Also, if you're a 30 year old male cutting at 1500 cals....you really should be making sure you eat back a good chunk of your exercise calories.
If you provide stats (ht/wt/workout routine) we can help out a more specifically.
Posted my stats but when you set up your profile on MFP it DOES calculate your exercise bc it asks for it. This is what confuses me. If its already calculating them then i shouldnt add it back in.. ? 250 5'11 300 -
fat2fitaddict wrote: »Yes, that is how MFP is designed. You enter in your stats, activity level, goal and MFP spits out a number for you assuming exercise isn't part of your activity level.
Let's stay you maintain at 2500 calories and want to lose 1lb per week, so then you'd cut 500 calories per day.
2500 maintenance - 500 = 2000 calories per day to lose 1lb.
Let's say you add in a daily workout that burns 300 calories. You now maintain at 2800, So:
2500 + 300 workout cals = a new maintenance of 2800
2800 new maintenance - 500 = 2300 calories per day to lose 1lb per week.
Now, with that said, many say to start out eating back ~50-75% of exercise calories and adjust from there because it's all really an estimate.
Also, if you're a 30 year old male cutting at 1500 cals....you really should be making sure you eat back a good chunk of your exercise calories.
If you provide stats (ht/wt/workout routine) we can help out a more specifically.
Posted my stats but when you set up your profile on MFP it DOES calculate your exercise bc it asks for it. This is what confuses me. If its already calculating them then i shouldnt add it back in.. ? 250 5'11 30
It asks you so you can set a separate exercise goal, but it does NOT include it in the calorie total until you actually log it. Try putting in 2 hours a day vs. nothing and you will get the same calorie goal if all else is equal. It confuses a lot of people.0 -
fat2fitaddict wrote: »Yes, that is how MFP is designed. You enter in your stats, activity level, goal and MFP spits out a number for you assuming exercise isn't part of your activity level.
Let's stay you maintain at 2500 calories and want to lose 1lb per week, so then you'd cut 500 calories per day.
2500 maintenance - 500 = 2000 calories per day to lose 1lb.
Let's say you add in a daily workout that burns 300 calories. You now maintain at 2800, So:
2500 + 300 workout cals = a new maintenance of 2800
2800 new maintenance - 500 = 2300 calories per day to lose 1lb per week.
Now, with that said, many say to start out eating back ~50-75% of exercise calories and adjust from there because it's all really an estimate.
Also, if you're a 30 year old male cutting at 1500 cals....you really should be making sure you eat back a good chunk of your exercise calories.
If you provide stats (ht/wt/workout routine) we can help out a more specifically.
Posted my stats but when you set up your profile on MFP it DOES calculate your exercise bc it asks for it. This is what confuses me. If its already calculating them then i shouldnt add it back in.. ? 250 5'11 30
It's just a goal for you to strive for. I know it is a little confusing actually, but it technically does not take into account the amount you enter there.0 -
Ahh gotcha! Yeh, I just went and played around with it a little and noticed that whether I put NO exercise or 7 days a week exercise, it didn't change. This makes a lot of sense! So, I will just follow the MFP format and cross my fingers that it will work! Which means, I can add my burned cals back in!0
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Also, anyone feel free to add me and help hold me accountable.!0
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Don't add them back if you want to be done with your weight loss faster.
What's the point of burning the calories if you're just going to eat them back?
Fitness. Preservation of lean mass. Strength. If I were only trying to lose weight I wouldn't do any exercise, I could keep my target deficit just fine on diet alone. Exercise is for all the other goals I have.
Plus, running too high of a deficit can be worse than running too low of a deficit, because if you lose too much muscle, rebuilding that muscle will take so much additional time that you would have been faster to eat at the lower deficit.0 -
A lot said on this topic!! I'm a 58 year old woman who just wants to lose 9 pounds. I know what to do, myfitnesspal helps me do it, and I have never taken calories burned into account; I just figure my body knows best, and if I feel weak, an apple or a few nuts fixes me up just fine. The process is interesting, and I am looking forward to the results. P.S. I work out 6 days a week, and have been since age 19.0
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extremelygrumpycat wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »extremelygrumpycat wrote: »This is up to you to figure out what works best for you and your goals.
Asking questions is a good way to figure out what might work best for him and his goals.
Because I checked to see if you were male or female, I note you are male.
Just another note - 1500 is considered the bottom intake for males. You don't give your height/weight/activity level but chances are you probably can and should eat more than 1500 and still lose weight.
Asking, sure. But no one can tell him yes or no he should or shouldn't eat the exercise calories back. Some will say yes eat all, some will say no don't eat any, some will say eat any range in between. It's something that's a personal preference that he needs to try out and see what works best for him based off of his weight loss and fitness goals. That's not something we can really answer for him.
Looks like OP has made a decision based on the good information he received. So, this is just to add my 2 cents on this - it's more than just "personal preference." A person should understand WHY some say yes and some say no. That has been explained well by many posters in this thread. Only once an individual understands how MFP works, and how it's different from other calculators, and why one may want to fuel their exercise/body and not want to create a large deficit, only then can they make an informed decision based on personal preference.0 -
extremelygrumpycat wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »extremelygrumpycat wrote: »This is up to you to figure out what works best for you and your goals.
Asking questions is a good way to figure out what might work best for him and his goals.
Because I checked to see if you were male or female, I note you are male.
Just another note - 1500 is considered the bottom intake for males. You don't give your height/weight/activity level but chances are you probably can and should eat more than 1500 and still lose weight.
Asking, sure. But no one can tell him yes or no he should or shouldn't eat the exercise calories back. Some will say yes eat all, some will say no don't eat any, some will say eat any range in between. It's something that's a personal preference that he needs to try out and see what works best for him based off of his weight loss and fitness goals. That's not something we can really answer for him.
Looks like OP has made a decision based on the good information he received. So, this is just to add my 2 cents on this - it's more than just "personal preference." A person should understand WHY some say yes and some say no. That has been explained well by many posters in this thread. Only once an individual understands how MFP works, and how it's different from other calculators, and why one may want to fuel their exercise/body and not want to create a large deficit, only then can they make an informed decision based on personal preference.
Perfectly said! I value everyones thoughts and input on this subject! I just went out and did a 7 mile walk, burned 1000 cals and entered it in! Looks like I can have a nice dinner tonight.
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