Help with calories

Loosingittogainitall
Loosingittogainitall Posts: 12 Member
edited June 2016 in Getting Started
Hi All

I'm pretty new to using MFP. I am a little confused and would like some clarification if you can help please.

I have MFP linked to my fitbit. I am on 1200 calories a day and am trying to loose 2lb a week (I weighed 240lb at start and trying to get to 135 so a lot to loose).

Anyway I digress. I log and eat my 1200 calories and then walk to meet my fitbit targets which increase the amount of calories, my question is should I be eating these calories or in theory should I loose weight because of the deficit.

I hope I'm making sense. Right now after having all my meals totalling 1200 calories and done all my walking it shows I have 502 calories left. Am I hindering or helping my weight loss by not eating them?

If you understand my ramblings and can help thank you so much.

Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    When myfitnesspal sets your calorie target, it assumes you will be doing exercise and it then increases your calorie target because of that exercise.

    Sometimes the amounts are off, but generally speaking if you are using MFP's default intake recommendations you should be eating back exercise calories.

    One thing you could try would be to eat about 50 to 75% of them back and observe rate of weight loss and how you feel and make adjustments based on that.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    MFP is set up for you to eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is already included. Especially with your calorie goal being the bare minimum. You don't have to eat all of them back, but start out eating back at least half of them for a few weeks and see how it goes.

    Also, make sure you are choosing accurate food entries from the database (a lot of user-entered items are wrong) and try to weigh out your portions as often as possible. Good luck!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    edited June 2016
    When you set your goal to the absolute lowest calories possible as you have, I always recommend to eat a least a portion of your exercise/fitbit calories back.
  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,900 Member
    If you will link it to your fit bit, calculate your goals at little activity and listen to your fit bit.

    You don't want to creat so much deficit that your body suffers nutritionally then get stuck in a plato too soon

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