I need help!

jillhodgdon2010
jillhodgdon2010 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so I'm kind of confused right now by the whole weight loss thing.. right now according to mfp I shouk d be eating 1360 a day.. If I'm working out and burning roughly 500 calories a work out should I be eating 1860 a day or just the 1360? I'm so confused right now..

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    MFP tells you to eat those exercise calories, doesn't it? It's not trying to trick you here.

    You need to NET 1360, which means if you exercise and burn 500, you need to EAT 1860.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Here, also going to quote another user as I think it's a good explanation.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1053492-calorie-debate-do-i-eat-them-back-after-working-out
    There is no debate if you understand the tool you are using. MFP is essentially a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...which means when you set your activity level, you do NOT include exercise...just your day to day job and hum drum. This makes exercise an extra activity that needs to be fueled. The NEAT method is often used for people unfamiliar with exercise as it gives them incentive to get off their fat *kitten* and move...but they don't have to...they can eat those 1200 calories (sedentary) and lose weight...but if they do happen to get off their *kitten* and move they are rewarded with add'l calories. This is how MFP works.

    Other calculators like TDEE calculators incorporate your estimated exercise calories in you activity level...so you wouldn't eat them back. It works out 6 of 1 when you do it right. When I did MFP my NET calorie goal was 1850 to lose one Lb per week...with exercise I grossed about 2100- 2200 calories per day. When I switched to the TDEE method (which included my exercise in my activity level...TDEE = 2700...multiply that by 80% to get roughly 1 Lb per week loss goal...= 2,160 gross calories. See...6 of 1.

    You just need to stick with a method...some people do MFP...some people set to maintenance and try to create a deficit with exercise alone..some people do TDEE - X%...you just have to understand which method you are using and what tool you are using.

    - cwolfman13
  • britzzie
    britzzie Posts: 338 Member
    Here, also going to quote another user as I think it's a good explanation.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1053492-calorie-debate-do-i-eat-them-back-after-working-out
    There is no debate if you understand the tool you are using. MFP is essentially a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...which means when you set your activity level, you do NOT include exercise...just your day to day job and hum drum. This makes exercise an extra activity that needs to be fueled. The NEAT method is often used for people unfamiliar with exercise as it gives them incentive to get off their fat *kitten* and move...but they don't have to...they can eat those 1200 calories (sedentary) and lose weight...but if they do happen to get off their *kitten* and move they are rewarded with add'l calories. This is how MFP works.

    Other calculators like TDEE calculators incorporate your estimated exercise calories in you activity level...so you wouldn't eat them back. It works out 6 of 1 when you do it right. When I did MFP my NET calorie goal was 1850 to lose one Lb per week...with exercise I grossed about 2100- 2200 calories per day. When I switched to the TDEE method (which included my exercise in my activity level...TDEE = 2700...multiply that by 80% to get roughly 1 Lb per week loss goal...= 2,160 gross calories. See...6 of 1.

    You just need to stick with a method...some people do MFP...some people set to maintenance and try to create a deficit with exercise alone..some people do TDEE - X%...you just have to understand which method you are using and what tool you are using.

    - cwolfman13

    I agree here. BUT please know that MFP tends to overestimate calories burned. The best way to know how many you burn (and how many to eat back) is to get a heart rate monitor. If that doesn't work for you for now, you can eat back some or all of them depending on how hungry you are. But eating back 100% of them 100% of the time could be too much.
  • jillhodgdon2010
    jillhodgdon2010 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you! I've just been so confused because I just started doing high intensity work outs amd the burn a crap ton of calories.. before I wasn't to worries because I was just walking and burning 100 calories here and there. I also did order a heart rate monitor last night to get a more accurate reading :-)

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