How many calories am I supposed to be eating???
stacy26dallas
Posts: 18 Member
I am supposed to be eating 1,870 calories according to MFPs calculations. According to my Fitbit that I have linked to my account, I earn anywhere from 1,800 to 2600 exercise calories a day at work except for my two days off. Some days I don't eat all of the 1870 calories. On my days off sometimes I go over my calories. But for the most part I don't touch the exercise calories and when i do it's usually only about 500 of them. I'm confused on how many calories I'm supposed to actually eat. Do I have to eat all of the 1,870? Am I supposed to be eating any of the exercise calories, or is it okay to not touch the exercise calories cuz I really don't want to.
2
Replies
-
The calories MFP gives you include your deficit, whatever you set it to be. It doesn't include exercise calories. (That's a LOT of exercise calories from work! What do you do?) Eat all your calories, and some of your exercise calories -- up to about half.
Why? 1870 gives you enough to make sure you get all the nutrition you need to run your body and still lose weight. If you're outputting that kind of energy to do your job, then you have effectively run off all the energy you've taken in for the day. You're not just going to burn stored energy in the form of fat, but you'll be breaking down lean muscle and tissue, and trust me that's not something you want to do for long. In fact, you'll find yourself unable to do that for long -- expect tiredness, hunger, and other fun things.
Upkeep on your body is the same as upkeep on the house you live in. You're going to be in that body/house for a long time -- you want to keep it in good repair.3 -
Yes eat all of those 1870 calories and when you eat more from exercise, eat some of those too.
I take it you have synced both apps?1 -
what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????2
-
Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.4 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP is confusing exercise calorie burn with her TDEE4 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Yes eat all of those 1870 calories and when you eat more from exercise, eat some of those too.
I take it you have synced both apps?
Yes, they are synced0 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
I don't exercise. That's just work.0 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day1 -
stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.6 -
janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
On my days off it doesn't show anywhere near that usually doesn't add any exercise whatsoever because I'm just not that active but at work I am walking constantly for anywhere from 8 1/2 to 9 hours a day and that includes stocking and cleaning and down stacking and everything. I'm very very active at work. In the first six months of this job I lost 60 pounds alone without changing my diet any at all.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
I wish there was a way to just screen shot the fitbit and mfp screens. I'm confused even more now0 -
stacy26dallas wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
On my days off it doesn't show anywhere near that usually doesn't add any exercise whatsoever because I'm just not that active but at work I am walking constantly for anywhere from 8 1/2 to 9 hours a day and that includes stocking and cleaning and down stacking and everything. I'm very very active at work. In the first six months of this job I lost 60 pounds alone without changing my diet any at all.
If you lost 2.5 lbs per week for 6 months, then yes, you should eat most of the 1800-2600 extra calories.
If you're happy/comfortable on your off days with 1870, then keep eating that as a baseline.
5 -
stacy26dallas wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
I wish there was a way to just screen shot the fitbit and mfp screens. I'm confused even more now
First, thank you for staying engaged
Second, these details are the reason many of the experienced posters ask hard/detailed questions.
Your situation is very unusual, and the record indicates that the fitbit estimate isn't as far wrong as is often the case6 -
What's your current height and weight?0
-
stacy26dallas wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
I wish there was a way to just screen shot the fitbit and mfp screens. I'm confused even more now
The best thing to go by is real world results. You should be eating at least the 1870 plus some of the exercise calories. So start with a number that sounds doable to you, and hit it for 3-4 weeks, track your weight loss and comfort level over that time. If you are losing too fast or are often hungry, add calories. If you are losing at a comfortable rate, stick with it.
You don't want to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week at most, so if you are losing faster than that, eat more.
All the calculators can do is give you a starting point. When the data they are giving you is confusing, just pick a point and start from there. And keep asking questions until it makes sense
Good luck! 2 -
Ok, this is what MyFitnessPal shows on one of my days:
15,744 Fitbit steps adjustment 2,649 calories
1,870 goal - 2,250 food + 2,649 exercise = 2,269 remaining.
I do not go to a gym to exercise because I have a very physically demanding job. I run a stock crew at a grocery store where we receive anywhere from 22 to 36 8ft tall pallets of freight a day that have to be broken down, stocked, and the store has to be cleaned etc etc etc2 -
stacy26dallas wrote: »Ok, this is what MyFitnessPal shows on one of my days:
15,744 Fitbit steps adjustment 2,649 calories
1,870 goal - 2,250 food + 2,649 exercise = 2,269 remaining.
I do not go to a gym to exercise because I have a very physically demanding job. I run a stock crew at a grocery store where we receive anywhere from 22 to 36 8ft tall pallets of freight a day that have to be broken down, stocked, and the store has to be cleaned etc etc etc
What is your current weight?0 -
I had to change my settings because my fitbit was giving me like 400 calories extra for walking, and I wasnt losing, so I finally stopped it from letting Fitbit add burned calories, and I add them in manually if I actually workout
3 -
Do you have MFP set to Very Active? That will give you more calories to start and lower adjustments. Also, be sure negative calorie adjustment is set to no.0
-
stanmann571 wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »stacy26dallas wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »what are you doing that you think burns 1800-2600 calories through exercise???????
OP must be new to Fitbit, that number is likely to include her BMR so the numbers are her total calorie burn for the day.
My total calorie burn for the day is 4500 to 6500 a day
You're getting 1,870 from MFP and then getting additional adjustments from your Fitbit that bring your goal up to 4,500 to 6,500? If this is the case, it sounds like your Fitbit may not be properly measuring your activity. This is a very, very high adjustment.
I wish there was a way to just screen shot the fitbit and mfp screens. I'm confused even more now
First, thank you for staying engaged
Second, these details are the reason many of the experienced posters ask hard/detailed questions.
Your situation is very unusual, and the record indicates that the fitbit estimate isn't as far wrong as is often the case
Ok, I put an example of one of my typical work days below. About how many calories should I typically eat a day because I got fat by overeating. I don't want to sabotage myself. I've lost 100 lbs over the last 4 years and my goal is to lose another 40 lb before the end of June which is my 40th birthday.1 -
Lesscookies12 wrote: »What's your current height and weight?
5'10 @ 290lbs0 -
I would suggest you start at 1/2-2/3. And monitor your progress. If after a month you’re not averaging 1% per week adjust up or down as merited0
-
stanmann571 wrote: »I would suggest you start at 1/2-2/3. And monitor your progress. If after a month you’re not averaging 1% per week adjust up or down as merited
Eating 1/2 to 2/3 of my exercise calories? 1% what?0 -
You do want MFP to very active. You do want negative adjustments to YES so that you don't over eat on non active days.
15k steps In a very active environment with lifting etc and multiple steps not counted because they don't trigger a consecutive minimum means that MFP very active would underestimate your work day and would need an extra "exercise" adjustment to balance out.
The point is that you want to generate a good but not excessive deficit such that it is proportional to the total energy you expend and the amount of stored energy (fat) you want to lose.
You don't, generally speaking, want to be losing more than 1% of your bodyweight per week so don't go out there trying to generate a bigger deficit when you're already losing at a rate of over 2lbs a week.
If you're still obese consider 25% deficits your limits. Otherwise move down to 20% deficits.
Kick kitten job! I should sign up!
1 -
Sorry yes 1/2-2/3 of the calculated calories.
1% of your current weight loss is considered maximum safe sustained loss.
Right now that would be 2.5-2.9 pounds per week1 -
1% of your current body weight should be about the max you aim to lose in a week. So for you right now, 1% would be 3 lbs a week (2.9 rounded up). That percentage, by the way, applies to just about everyone who wants to lose weight, barring any extreme medical condition. As we lose weight, the amount we can safely lose per week goes down, but the percentage of body weight stays the same. That's one reason weight loss slows down as we lose weight.0
-
You do want MFP to very active. You do want negative adjustments to YES so that you don't over eat on non active days.
15k steps In a very active environment with lifting etc and multiple steps not counted because they don't trigger a consecutive minimum means that MFP very active would underestimate your work day and would need an extra "exercise" adjustment to balance out.
The point is that you want to generate a good but not excessive deficit such that it is proportional to the total energy you expend and the amount of stored energy (fat) you want to lose.
You don't, generally speaking, want to be losing more than 1% of your bodyweight per week so don't go out there trying to generate a bigger deficit when you're already losing at a rate of over 2lbs a week.
If you're still obese consider 25% deficits your limits. Otherwise move down to 20% deficits.
Kick kitten job! I should sign up!
Ok, I have it on lightly active. So I should change that?
Lol, they wear me out, and pay me for it lol. Don't have to go to a gym lol2 -
1% of your current body weight should be about the max you aim to lose in a week. So for you right now, 1% would be 3 lbs a week (2.9 rounded up). That percentage, by the way, applies to just about everyone who wants to lose weight, barring any extreme medical condition. As we lose weight, the amount we can safely lose per week goes down, but the percentage of body weight stays the same. That's one reason weight loss slows down as we lose weight.
Awesome, thanks. Never heard that before and it's easy to calculate.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Sorry yes 1/2-2/3 of the calculated calories.
1% of your current weight loss is considered maximum safe sustained loss.
Right now that would be 2.5-2.9 pounds per week
Thank you!0 -
stacy26dallas wrote: »Ok, I have it on lightly active. So I should change that?
Based on your description, yes, you are above MFP's very active level. And based on your OP, your Fitbit does reflect that by giving you extra calories to eat.
If you change MFP to very active you may be able to plan your eating a bit better as you will start with more calories.
When you wake up in the morning you may see a negative adjustment which will disappear as you start moving more. After you stop work and power down for the evening you might see a drop in the calories that you can eat as Fitbit and MFP do their final reconciliation at midnight.
The totals (including exercise adjustment) at midnight will remain the same regardless of the activity level that you pick.
1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.9K Introduce Yourself
- 44K Getting Started
- 260.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.2K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.7K Fitness and Exercise
- 444 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.2K Motivation and Support
- 8.2K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 4.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 1.3K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.8K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions