Question about exercise calories
waddrs
Posts: 2 Member
Hello
Based on MFP’s calculations I should be eating 1,280 calories per day - based on my goal to lose 2lbs per week and my Activity Level set to Active.
I do various exercise DVD's most days which roughly burn 200-250 calories which I make sure to eat back.
Now the question I have is this - I have linked my Fitbit to my MFP account to track steps. I easily do over 20,000 steps a day due to a combination of the school run (I walk - in an effort to get my kids to do more exercise too), housework (always lots to do!) and chasing around after my 2 year old all day. But these steps show as a calorie adjustment in my exercise activity on MFP - some days it’s over 1,000 calories. I thought my steps activity was already included in MFP’s original calorie allowance based on my Activity Level.
Should I ignore the steps calories and just focus on my workout calories or should I eat it all back? I’m 5’2” and can’t imagine I would lose much weight eating 2,280 calories a day.
Thanks for your advice.
Based on MFP’s calculations I should be eating 1,280 calories per day - based on my goal to lose 2lbs per week and my Activity Level set to Active.
I do various exercise DVD's most days which roughly burn 200-250 calories which I make sure to eat back.
Now the question I have is this - I have linked my Fitbit to my MFP account to track steps. I easily do over 20,000 steps a day due to a combination of the school run (I walk - in an effort to get my kids to do more exercise too), housework (always lots to do!) and chasing around after my 2 year old all day. But these steps show as a calorie adjustment in my exercise activity on MFP - some days it’s over 1,000 calories. I thought my steps activity was already included in MFP’s original calorie allowance based on my Activity Level.
Should I ignore the steps calories and just focus on my workout calories or should I eat it all back? I’m 5’2” and can’t imagine I would lose much weight eating 2,280 calories a day.
Thanks for your advice.
0
Replies
-
What are your full stats - Height, Age, Current Weight? 1280 seems pretty low baseline for someone set to Active. It's seems likely that 2lb loss per week is not suitable for what you have to lose and that is maybe throwing your calorie adjustment off.
I only do around 14000 steps per day, I'm set to lightly active but my calorie adjustments dependant on other workouts can be anywhere from 700-1000+ and I still lose eating them back.
3 -
This content has been removed.
-
JerSchmare wrote: »I would not count steps.
OP is doing 20000 steps per day, that seems like an awful lot of activity to ignore when on such a low calorie allowance to start with?10 -
MFP takes activity level into consideration when it calculates the fit bit adjustment. You can click on your adjustment and see where it comes from. It doesn't come from your steps.1
-
Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.
capaul42 - I've just looked at the adjustment as you suggested and I see now that it isn't just steps, thanks.
I still think the adjustment seems awfully high. I'm 5'2", 171lbs and want to lose 35lbs. My Activity Level is Active - I don't think I'm as active as a carpenter which is why I didn't choose Very Active. MFP recommends 1,280 daily cals based on those inputs.
I put on a lot of weight with all 3 pregnancies (just ate everything in sight) but lost the weight in between by eating 1200 calories and then to maintain my weight of 135lbs I was eating around 2500 calories - I didn't have a Fitbit back then to confuse matters! I just can't believe that eating over 2,000 cals will help me to lose weight. Current advice is to eat more to lose more so maybe I'll give it a go and eat 50% of the adjustment and go from there.
1 -
Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.
capaul42 - I've just looked at the adjustment as you suggested and I see now that it isn't just steps, thanks.
I still think the adjustment seems awfully high. I'm 5'2", 171lbs and want to lose 35lbs. My Activity Level is Active - I don't think I'm as active as a carpenter which is why I didn't choose Very Active. MFP recommends 1,280 daily cals based on those inputs.
I put on a lot of weight with all 3 pregnancies (just ate everything in sight) but lost the weight in between by eating 1200 calories and then to maintain my weight of 135lbs I was eating around 2500 calories - I didn't have a Fitbit back then to confuse matters! I just can't believe that eating over 2,000 cals will help me to lose weight. Current advice is to eat more to lose more so maybe I'll give it a go and eat 50% of the adjustment and go from there.
I know this wasn't really part of your initial question but you do need to be adequately fueling your body for your activity level and you're not going to be doing that on 1280 calories per day, MFP has recommended 1280 because presumably you have chosen 2lbs per week, which you don't have a high enough weight to do healthily and it won't go any lower than 1200, I'd suggest setting your rate of loss to 1-1.5lb per week, that should give you a base calorie allowance of around 1570-1820 which should account for the majority of the steps you're taking.
Your BMR is somewhere around 1450 calories, your maintenance at sedentary is just over 1800 (In MFP this accounts for around 3000 steps before receiving an adjustment) so by the time you factor in a day running around after your toddler + work that's going to be significantly higher, that's before even taking your intentional exercise into account.
3 -
Many people on MFP will recommend only eating half of your calories back. Personally, I don't eat any of them back.
I have been on a 1,300/day calorie diet consistently for three months and lost 30 lbs. I also use the elliptical 3 days a week, 35 minutes each time, and lift weights for 3 days a week as well, never eating back the calories, and I am still losing.
I would let your weight loss guide you. If you are consistently obtaining your goal of losing 2lbs/week, then you are probably consuming the appropriate amount of calories. If you are only losing 1lb per week, you are probably eating too many calories back. Anything significantly over 2lbs per week and you are probably not eating enough.
Keep in mind that even though you are walking a lot of steps, your heart rate generally isn't significantly elevated, and therefore you are not burning a ton of calories, even though you might be walking a lot. A Harvard study indicated that you may only burn 100-150 calories walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 miles per hour, which is a brisk walk. Don't get me wrong, every bit helps, but I would consider these extra steps as a bonus to help get you to your goal, and not plan to eat extra calories around them.
Most people don't realize that to lose 2lbs per week, you need a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week, which equates to deficit of 1,000 calories a day.
On my last go around, I set my daily calorie limit to 1,750, and then wondered why I was hardly losing anything. The answer was my calorie deficit was only set low enough to lose 1lb per week, and if I cheated just a little, I was getting zero progress.
Also, weighing, logging can be somewhat imprecise, particularly if you eat out occasionally. My intake might be set at 1,300, but I probably pick up extra calories here and there to where actual intake is slightly higher.
Just my two cents.7 -
Change your settings to active and even then you will see an adjustment in calories as you are more than active if you're averaging 20k every day.2
-
RunRutheeRun wrote: »Change your settings to active and even then you will see an adjustment in calories as you are more than active if you're averaging 20k every day.
@RunRutheeRun think she is already set at Active according to OP.1 -
Many people on MFP will recommend only eating half of your calories back. Personally, I don't eat any of them back.
I have been on a 1,300/day calorie diet consistently for three months and lost 30 lbs. I also use the elliptical 3 days a week, 35 minutes each time, and lift weights for 3 days a week as well, never eating back the calories, and I am still losing.
I would let your weight loss guide you. If you are consistently obtaining your goal of losing 2lbs/week, then you are probably consuming the appropriate amount of calories. If you are only losing 1lb per week, you are probably eating too many calories back. Anything significantly over 2lbs per week and you are probably not eating enough.
Keep in mind that even though you are walking a lot of steps, your heart rate generally isn't significantly elevated, and therefore you are not burning a ton of calories, even though you might be walking a lot. A Harvard study indicated that you may only burn 100-150 calories walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 miles per hour, which is a brisk walk. Don't get me wrong, every bit helps, but I would consider these extra steps as a bonus to help get you to your goal, and not plan to eat extra calories around them.
Most people don't realize that to lose 2lbs per week, you need a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week, which equates to deficit of 1,000 calories a day.
On my last go around, I set my daily calorie limit to 1,750, and then wondered why I was hardly losing anything. The answer was my calorie deficit was only set low enough to lose 1lb per week, and if I cheated just a little, I was getting zero progress.
Also, weighing, logging can be somewhat imprecise, particularly if you eat out occasionally. My intake might be set at 1,300, but I probably pick up extra calories here and there to where actual intake is slightly higher.
Just my two cents.
And this is exactly why MFP recommends to eat the calories back. You’re already eating lower than the minimum intake for men. Creating a higher deficit than necessary (not everyone has the fat stores to lose 2 pounds a week) will cause additional muscle loss as well as a host of other health issues.6 -
Many people on MFP will recommend only eating half of your calories back. Personally, I don't eat any of them back.
I have been on a 1,300/day calorie diet consistently for three months and lost 30 lbs. I also use the elliptical 3 days a week, 35 minutes each time, and lift weights for 3 days a week as well, never eating back the calories, and I am still losing.
I would let your weight loss guide you. If you are consistently obtaining your goal of losing 2lbs/week, then you are probably consuming the appropriate amount of calories. If you are only losing 1lb per week, you are probably eating too many calories back. Anything significantly over 2lbs per week and you are probably not eating enough.
Keep in mind that even though you are walking a lot of steps, your heart rate generally isn't significantly elevated, and therefore you are not burning a ton of calories, even though you might be walking a lot. A Harvard study indicated that you may only burn 100-150 calories walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 miles per hour, which is a brisk walk. Don't get me wrong, every bit helps, but I would consider these extra steps as a bonus to help get you to your goal, and not plan to eat extra calories around them.
Most people don't realize that to lose 2lbs per week, you need a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week, which equates to deficit of 1,000 calories a day.
On my last go around, I set my daily calorie limit to 1,750, and then wondered why I was hardly losing anything. The answer was my calorie deficit was only set low enough to lose 1lb per week, and if I cheated just a little, I was getting zero progress.
Also, weighing, logging can be somewhat imprecise, particularly if you eat out occasionally. My intake might be set at 1,300, but I probably pick up extra calories here and there to where actual intake is slightly higher.
Just my two cents.
The bolded is probably why you're seeing a higher loss on 1300 than 1750, if you're not logging accurately it is more than easy to overeat and be eating at maintenance, one would hope you are eating more than 1300 per day because otherwise you're eating well below the recommended minimum for a male, which can have long term consequences which don't necessarily make themselves apparent straight away.4 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »RunRutheeRun wrote: »Change your settings to active and even then you will see an adjustment in calories as you are more than active if you're averaging 20k every day.
@RunRutheeRun think she is already set at Active according to OP.
oops I missed that, thanks
2 -
Ok, then why is the Mayo Clinic recommending 1,400 calories a day, plus 30-60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity when all I put in is my age, height, and weight? (43, 5'7, 190)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/itt-20084941
When I told my doctor I was going on a diet, he told me not to go below 1,200 calories.
Being overweight by 65lbs carries a lot of health risks as well.
Maybe I will bump it up to 1,400 per day based on Mayo recommendation, but eating back all of the calories burned is crazy.
5 -
Ok, then why is the Mayo Clinic recommending 1,400 calories a day, plus 30-60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity when all I put in is my age, height, and weight? (43, 5'7, 190)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/itt-20084941
When I told my doctor I was going on a diet, he told me not to go below 1,200 calories.
Being overweight by 65lbs carries a lot of health risks as well.
Maybe I will bump it up to 1,400 per day based on Mayo recommendation, but eating back all of the calories burned is crazy.
What are you? 100lbs? 1400 calories per day is lower than your BMR unless you are under 140, then add in your base activity level and you are going to be well over that. Sorry, you really need to do more research.
ETA: 1200 is the number your doctor gave you because it's the same one they give to small women too. It's considered the fewest calories before health issues are known to arise from malnutrition. That's not tailored to you, it's a caution based on general medical concerns, that's all.3 -
Ok, I guess the Mayo Clinic and the physicians don't know what they are talking about. I defer to the MFP experts.1
-
Ok, then why is the Mayo Clinic recommending 1,400 calories a day, plus 30-60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity when all I put in is my age, height, and weight? (43, 5'7, 190)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/itt-20084941
When I told my doctor I was going on a diet, he told me not to go below 1,200 calories.
Being overweight by 65lbs carries a lot of health risks as well.
Maybe I will bump it up to 1,400 per day based on Mayo recommendation, but eating back all of the calories burned is crazy.
If you are only eating 1300 calories and are exercising then you are going below 1200 net calories?2 -
The Mayo Clinic calculator assumes unlimited fruits and vegetables and error in logging - this is why they give lower calorie goals....4
-
Ok, I guess the Mayo Clinic and the physicians don't know what they are talking about. I defer to the MFP experts.
Mayo clinic did not take your activity level into consideration. It just gave me 1200 plus 30-60 minutes of exercise but I'm losing weight eating 2000-2200 gross. Following the mayo clinic calories I would not be eating enough.3 -
Ok, then why is the Mayo Clinic recommending 1,400 calories a day, plus 30-60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity when all I put in is my age, height, and weight? (43, 5'7, 190)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/itt-20084941
When I told my doctor I was going on a diet, he told me not to go below 1,200 calories.
Being overweight by 65lbs carries a lot of health risks as well.
Maybe I will bump it up to 1,400 per day based on Mayo recommendation, but eating back all of the calories burned is crazy.
Try playing with that link and you'll quickly understand that it's far from precise. I initially my age, height, and weight in (30, 5'8, 211lbs) and it gave me 1,400 calories per day. Then I put in 170, again 1,400. I decided to see what would happen if I put in 150lbs (a weight that would, historically, I wouldn't want to go under given that I'm also muscular) and you guessed it, it told me to eat 1,400 calories a day. While I trust the mayo clinic for a lot of information, calorie consumption, at least for weight loss, is not one of them. Additionally, they say:Burning extra calories through physical activity may increase your weight loss, so you may want to adjust your calorie intake if you're more active.
Note: Mayo Clinic calorie recommendations are sometimes lower than those of other diets to allow for unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruits and the occasional sweet. Calorie recommendations are also kept low to allow for the fact that people tend to underestimate how many calories they eat.3 -
FYI, I took a look at the Mayo Clinic calculator. They include this in their "Our Method" tab...Burning extra calories through physical activity may increase your weight loss, so you may want to adjust your calorie intake if you're more active.
Note: Mayo Clinic calorie recommendations are sometimes lower than those of other diets to allow for unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruits and the occasional sweet. Calorie recommendations are also kept low to allow for the fact that people tend to underestimate how many calories they eat.2 -
I'm just a bit taller than you and eat around 2k calories for weightloss. Sure it's only a lb per week, but at 5'4.5" and 140ish I really don't need to be losing much faster.Hello
Based on MFP’s calculations I should be eating 1,280 calories per day - based on my goal to lose 2lbs per week and my Activity Level set to Active.
I do various exercise DVD's most days which roughly burn 200-250 calories which I make sure to eat back.
Now the question I have is this - I have linked my Fitbit to my MFP account to track steps. I easily do over 20,000 steps a day due to a combination of the school run (I walk - in an effort to get my kids to do more exercise too), housework (always lots to do!) and chasing around after my 2 year old all day. But these steps show as a calorie adjustment in my exercise activity on MFP - some days it’s over 1,000 calories. I thought my steps activity was already included in MFP’s original calorie allowance based on my Activity Level.
Should I ignore the steps calories and just focus on my workout calories or should I eat it all back? I’m 5’2” and can’t imagine I would lose much weight eating 2,280 calories a day.
Thanks for your advice.
I think with what you described for activity, you could probably eat closer to 2000 cals per day and still lose 1-1.5 lbs per week on avg (maybe even 2).
1 -
Ok. After doing additional digging, I see that Harvard recommends a 1,500 calorie minimum for males when dieting. I will adjust to that and see how it works out.
Fyi, thank you for all of your comments. I am glad I posted, and was able to get feedback.
To original poster...sorry to hijack your thread...it was not my intention.6 -
Ok. After doing additional digging, I see that Harvard recommends a 1,500 calorie minimum for males when dieting. I will adjust to that and see how it works out.
Here's the thing, specific to you. If your current method is netting you a 2 lb per week loss, then you may not have to change a damn thing. With 65 lbs to lose, a 2 lb per week loss is a good rate. So whatever you are doing is working. It just isn't what you think you are doing. So you are eating more than you log, or burning less through exercise than you are estimating, or some combination of the two.
You can either improve your tracking and work a bit harder at the math, or shrug your shoulder and understand your tracking method is working fine for your circumstances. As long as the weight continues to come off at a reasonable pace, you don't need to make a change. If it slows down, then you may need to get more accurate, but why change if it's working?
As long as you are getting a balanced diet and not seriously under-eating (which would be a faster weight loss), meh.
Just bear in mind the issues before advising others as they may not hit the sweet spot you have.
Just my $0.02.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 419 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions