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iOS negative calories adjustment - yes or no?

hablondi
hablondi Posts: 127 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if I should keep my negative calorie adjustment enabled. I use my Apple Watch to track my activity.

Today, I logged 8,164 steps and earned 305 calories for a 51 minute cardio workout based on the built in HRM.

I currently have a -60 calorie adjustment.

Does that seem right? If it is, I'll keep it enabled. But I was wondering if it might be adjusting it incorrectly. Or put it this way, I am hoping it is! LOL

Replies

  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    It might be a good estimate if your MFP Activity Level is set above Sedentary (Not Very Active). As the MFP Activity Level setting is increased, the Calorie adjustment for the number of steps (and any other activity) logged by an all-day activity tracker will not be positive until it exceeds the estimated MFP total daily Calories for your chosen Activity Level setting.
  • hablondi
    hablondi Posts: 127 Member
    edited January 2017
    CyberTone wrote: »
    It might be a good estimate if your MFP Activity Level is set above Sedentary (Not Very Active). As the MFP Activity Level setting is increased, the Calorie adjustment for the number of steps (and any other activity) logged by an all-day activity tracker will not be positive until it exceeds the estimated MFP total daily Calories for your chosen Activity Level setting.

    That makes sense. So, I just experimented and changed my active level to sedentary. I thought that maybe it would adjust positively for the extra activity and work out to be about even as when I had it set at lightly active.

    Instead, it made a drastic difference. It changed my calorie goal from 1380 to 1200 and still gave me a negative adjustment. Maybe because I didn't give the system a chance to update?

  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    Yes you need to wait for an update if you change your activity level and sometimes even need to delete the adjustment and let it figure it out again.
  • hablondi
    hablondi Posts: 127 Member
    edited January 2017
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    Yes you need to wait for an update if you change your activity level and sometimes even need to delete the adjustment and let it figure it out again.

    Thanks. I did delete and wait. Just looked and it added my workout in without the negative calorie adjustment. Since I use an activity tracker, should I just leave it at sedentary and let the tracker add activity?

    I was only eating back half my exercise calories before, but if I do that now I will only be eating around 1350 a day and my BMR is right around 1300. I don't want to go too low . . .
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    If you hit rock bottom 1200 calories then I'd be eating all of your exercise calories back. I average 15,000ish steps a day and am set at sedentary, and even then then i lose 60-70 calories between bedtime and the next morning, when i was set at lightly active i lost 200 calories most nights which pretty much negated the fact that i got an extra 250 calories going from sedentary to Lightly Active.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    hablondi wrote: »
    CyberTone wrote: »
    It might be a good estimate if your MFP Activity Level is set above Sedentary (Not Very Active). As the MFP Activity Level setting is increased, the Calorie adjustment for the number of steps (and any other activity) logged by an all-day activity tracker will not be positive until it exceeds the estimated MFP total daily Calories for your chosen Activity Level setting.

    That makes sense. So, I just experimented and changed my active level to sedentary. I thought that maybe it would adjust positively for the extra activity and work out to be about even as when I had it set at lightly active.

    Instead, it made a drastic difference. It changed my calorie goal from 1380 to 1200 and still gave me a negative adjustment. Maybe because I didn't give the system a chance to update?

    If your MFP daily goal was reduced by only 180 Cals per day to 1200, then you have hit the minimum Calories per day MFP will go. You also might want to reduce the weekly weight loss rate by a half pound from your current rate, since you are probably getting closer to your goal weight and you don't want as aggressive a deficit as you approach your goal weight.
  • hablondi
    hablondi Posts: 127 Member


    If your MFP daily goal was reduced by only 180 Cals per day to 1200, then you have hit the minimum Calories per day MFP will go. You also might want to reduce the weekly weight loss rate by a half pound from your current rate, since you are probably getting closer to your goal weight and you don't want as aggressive a deficit as you approach your goal weight.

    Thanks. I am at 150 and my goal weight is 125. I feel like that is still a bit away from lowering the weekly weight loss rate. What do you think?

    I think I might leave it at sedentary and just eat back all of my exercise calories like the previous poster mentioned. Or at least give it a try and see how I feel and what the scale does . . .
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    I have myself set at the lowest activity level and negative adjustments enabled from fitbit. It took about 2 days for the systems to sync up properly but now it is very accurate for me
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    If you've only got 25lbs left to lose then I'd set it to lose 0.5lbs a week, 1lb max. For me, i'd go with 0.5 because i cant function eating low calories. It's up to you tho.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    hablondi wrote: »

    If your MFP daily goal was reduced by only 180 Cals per day to 1200, then you have hit the minimum Calories per day MFP will go. You also might want to reduce the weekly weight loss rate by a half pound from your current rate, since you are probably getting closer to your goal weight and you don't want as aggressive a deficit as you approach your goal weight.

    Thanks. I am at 150 and my goal weight is 125. I feel like that is still a bit away from lowering the weekly weight loss rate. What do you think?

    I think I might leave it at sedentary and just eat back all of my exercise calories like the previous poster mentioned. Or at least give it a try and see how I feel and what the scale does . . .

    Definitely eat back most of your earned exercise Calories. I have a Fitbit and lost and maintain at Sedentary by eating back all step-based earned Calories; Fitbit is spot on for me. What was your rate of loss set at? The rule of thumb is that a person's fat stores can safely sustain about a 30 Cal/pound of fat/day deficit, so 25 lbs x 30 is 750 Cal deficit per day. Your daily deficit should not exceed that, and your net Calories should not be much lower than your BMR, nor any lower than 1200. As you have less fat stores to lose, the deficit rate should be less aggressive.
  • hablondi
    hablondi Posts: 127 Member
    CyberTone wrote: »
    hablondi wrote: »

    If your MFP daily goal was reduced by only 180 Cals per day to 1200, then you have hit the minimum Calories per day MFP will go. You also might want to reduce the weekly weight loss rate by a half pound from your current rate, since you are probably getting closer to your goal weight and you don't want as aggressive a deficit as you approach your goal weight.

    Thanks. I am at 150 and my goal weight is 125. I feel like that is still a bit away from lowering the weekly weight loss rate. What do you think?

    I think I might leave it at sedentary and just eat back all of my exercise calories like the previous poster mentioned. Or at least give it a try and see how I feel and what the scale does . . .

    Definitely eat back most of your earned exercise Calories. I have a Fitbit and lost and maintain at Sedentary by eating back all step-based earned Calories; Fitbit is spot on for me. What was your rate of loss set at? The rule of thumb is that a person's fat stores can safely sustain about a 30 Cal/pound of fat/day deficit, so 25 lbs x 30 is 750 Cal deficit per day. Your daily deficit should not exceed that, and your net Calories should not be much lower than your BMR, nor any lower than 1200. As you have less fat stores to lose, the deficit rate should be less aggressive.

    My rate of loss has been set to 1 pound a week. That should be a 500 calorie a day deficit, right? Which should be safe based on your calculations above, yes?

    I am going to get an Inbody scan done tomorrow. That will give me a better indication of how many pounds of fat I need to lose.

  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    hablondi wrote: »
    CyberTone wrote: »
    hablondi wrote: »

    If your MFP daily goal was reduced by only 180 Cals per day to 1200, then you have hit the minimum Calories per day MFP will go. You also might want to reduce the weekly weight loss rate by a half pound from your current rate, since you are probably getting closer to your goal weight and you don't want as aggressive a deficit as you approach your goal weight.

    Thanks. I am at 150 and my goal weight is 125. I feel like that is still a bit away from lowering the weekly weight loss rate. What do you think?

    I think I might leave it at sedentary and just eat back all of my exercise calories like the previous poster mentioned. Or at least give it a try and see how I feel and what the scale does . . .

    Definitely eat back most of your earned exercise Calories. I have a Fitbit and lost and maintain at Sedentary by eating back all step-based earned Calories; Fitbit is spot on for me. What was your rate of loss set at? The rule of thumb is that a person's fat stores can safely sustain about a 30 Cal/pound of fat/day deficit, so 25 lbs x 30 is 750 Cal deficit per day. Your daily deficit should not exceed that, and your net Calories should not be much lower than your BMR, nor any lower than 1200. As you have less fat stores to lose, the deficit rate should be less aggressive.

    My rate of loss has been set to 1 pound a week. That should be a 500 calorie a day deficit, right? Which should be safe based on your calculations above, yes?

    I am going to get an Inbody scan done tomorrow. That will give me a better indication of how many pounds of fat I need to lose.

    Yes, it is 500 Cals per day deficit for about one pound per week rate of loss.
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