Shall I use my exercise calories?

Antmcd1392
Antmcd1392 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm currently allowed 1500 calories a day, I've set my exercise as 'little or none' on mfp.

All the extra calories I earn are from my fitbit.

Am I allowed or surposed to use these or still try and not to?

I have days when I exercise and really struggle only consuming 1500 calories.

Thankyou in advance for any advice

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    What kind of exercise? How many calories above 1500? And what is your height and weight?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    I use some of my exercise calories, but not all. I figure there is some error and over estimating the exercise calories!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Yes eat your exercise cals.
  • Antmcd1392
    Antmcd1392 Posts: 7 Member
    Thankyou all for your help.

    I'm 5 foot 9 inches tall and currently weight 15 stone. I've lost 10 pound in 2 weeks but have found it hard keeping to just 1500 calories a day.

    I won't use all my exercise earned calories but I also won t feel bad for going into them a bit either.

    My goal weight is around12 stone as this will give me a healthy bmi.

    I have read up alot of information about this app and have found it so helpful.

    Thanks again
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    Antmcd1392 wrote: »
    Thankyou all for your help.

    I'm 5 foot 9 inches tall and currently weight 15 stone. I've lost 10 pound in 2 weeks but have found it hard keeping to just 1500 calories a day.

    I won't use all my exercise earned calories but I also won t feel bad for going into them a bit either.

    My goal weight is around12 stone as this will give me a healthy bmi.

    I have read up alot of information about this app and have found it so helpful.

    Thanks again

    Thanks for the info. I am the same height as you and weigh about 23lbs less. I cut on about 2000 to 2500 per day with an average daily burn of 2500 to 2900 calories. I have lost 17 lbs since May doing this and it is very sustainable.

    I am going to suggest you up your calories to the 1800 range plus at least 1/2 of your exercise calories. There is no need to be as low as you are and there can be some drawbacks in terms of compliance, energy level and muscle mass loss. The fast way isn't always the best way.

    This.

    Also I define fast as the way I have to spend the least time working on it.

    When you abandon your current plan whether it's when you get sick of it or when you reach your goal you'll simply put the weight back on because you haven't learned how to maintain your weight. You'll have no idea how to STAY at a healthy weight.

    If you're ok with the gain-and-lose cycle then keep doing what you're doing. If you want a much better shot at not needing to do this again, follow the advice above.

    Either way I wish you the best.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    I use the iifym calculator and have typically found it it be pretty accurate for me as long as I'm honest about my activity level. I don't like the "net" calories method as that is just too much variation from day to day for me - I much prefer knowing I can eat X amount at each meal, every day.
  • djbillybob
    djbillybob Posts: 1 Member
    So I started around 195 lbs, have lost 12 lbs since October and due to my activity have been given around 2150 calories (averaged out) to eat daily and still manage to get quite a few exercise calories on my work days. (I prefer the slow weight loss as it's easier to keep off.) Anyway, I often eat at least a quarter of my exercise calories, mostly focusing on getting protein to build muscle and try not to use those extra calories for carbs.

    Also, 10 lbs in the first 2 weeks should only occur from losing a lot of water weight. I'd seriously suggest that if you're losing more than 2 lbs in each of the following weeks to up your calorie intake to make sure you're getting enough to sustain your basic bodily functions. Eating too few calories can result in your body not just burning fat but also burning muscle which is the opposite of what you want. And if you're not getting enough calories and are working out be it cardio or strength training, it will be that much harder for your muscles to repair after workouts.

    I would also suggest, if you haven't already, track your neck, waist, and hip measurements. If you're working out you will build muscle (which as I'm sure you know is more dense than fat) and sometimes your weight loss will appear to slow down or even reverse. But if you're doing things right your measurements, especially waist and hip, will keep going down. And as you lose more fat and gain muscle those measurements will become a better indicator than the standard way of calculating BMI (kg/m^2) of whether or not you have a healthy amount of fat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Antmcd1392 wrote: »
    Hi, I'm currently allowed 1500 calories a day, I've set my exercise as 'little or none' on mfp.

    All the extra calories I earn are from my fitbit.

    Am I allowed or surposed to use these or still try and not to?

    I have days when I exercise and really struggle only consuming 1500 calories.

    Thankyou in advance for any advice

    You're eating the minimum calorie requirements for a sedentary male to lose 2 Lbs per week. If you're moving more and exercising, you aren't sedentary and your calorie requirements would go up.

    I ate back most of my exercise calories when I was losing weight...it is the way this tool is designed...it's not trying to trick you. On average I was eating around 2300 calories per day with exercise calories and losing about 1 Lb per week.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

    I set my "activity level" at sedentary, even though I'm not because I don't trust MFP to adjust for my activity level accurately.

    I set my own daily cal limit (based on my experience) in order to adjust my weight as desired.

    If I think that I need to lose some weight, I don't eat any cals back. If I think I'd on the mark or have cals to spare then I eat some or all back.

    By the next day, the scale will usually tell me if I was "right" or "wrong."

    Works for me.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    Not only all the above but your "exercise" calories are NOT real exercise calories (as in calories that accumulated because of a specific exercise).

    You are getting your "exercise" calories from your Fitbit which is evaluating your actual activity level independently of MFP.

    At the end of the day MFP and Fitbit integration "corrects" MFPs self selected estimate of "sedentary/lightly active/active/very active" with the actual value of calories burned that Fitbit estimated for you for the day.

    This adjustment to MFP's base calories is entered as an "exercise adjustment". it is NOT a real exercise. It is a correction of MFPs values based on the values calculated by Fitbit.

    While the value MAY be off (it isn't for most people), it would NOT off for the same reasons that "exercise" estimates often are ("machines are always high")

    Eat the dang calories ;-)

    Evaluate your progress by comparing your actual trending weight loss to your expected loss based on your logged Calories In vs Calories Out after a few weeks. Adjust if needed.

    (since you are using Fitbit, connect fitbit.com to trendweight.com to establish your trending weight)
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