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Calorie allowance

helenboagey
helenboagey Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello
I am using my fitness pal to track food and exercise. I have an office job so have set my activity level to low. I walk every morning 4.5-5.5km. I am doing a boot camp 3 nights a week.
My calorie allowance has set at 1220 to lose 2 pound a week. Should i eat any exercise calories that get added on for weight loss??
I have lost a lot of weight but have stuck the last few years. I got comfortable and started going out more.
I don’t struggle with healthy food, my example menu would be
Breakfast - bread thin and an egg
Snack - apple
dinner - rice and tuna and veg
Snack - 0% Greek yogurt, berries and granola
Tea - chicken , veg , sweet potato mash
Snack - 100 calorie snack - something sweet
I drink at least 3 litres of water a day and green tea.
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

Replies

  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    Yes, you’re meant to eat back your exercise calories. But a lot of people find that the calories burned by exercise are overestimated, so you may want to start by only eating back half and adjusting as necessary.

    Your example menu looks reasonable, if possibly a bit low in fat. Are you using a food scale to weigh portions?
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Absolutely eat back your exercise calories. But, like the above poster said, MFP tends to overestimate calories burnt, so if you don't have another way to log more accurately (like a FitBit linked with your MFP account), then you should only eat a portion of them back.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You goal is plus exercise as your exercise isn't accounted for otherwise.
    The daily goal wouldn't change if you weren't supposed to eat them! It's not a trick to keep you overweight. :smile:

    BTW - is 2lb/week actually an appropriate rate of loss as you say you have already lost a lot of weight? The less you have to lose the slower the rate of loss you should select.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,298 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    You goal is plus exercise as your exercise isn't accounted for otherwise.
    The daily goal wouldn't change if you weren't supposed to eat them! It's not a trick to keep you overweight. :smile:

    BTW - is 2lb/week actually an appropriate rate of loss as you say you have already lost a lot of weight? The less you have to lose the slower the rate of loss you should select.

    He's right, you know. :)

    If you're over 200 pounds still, or have more than 50-60 pounds to lose, 2 pounds a week might be OK for a while yet. . . but slower is always fine if it's more doable. If below 200 pounds, or within 50 pounds of goal, 2 pounds a week isn't likely the be the healthiest possible goal rate.
  • helenboagey
    helenboagey Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you everyone . I thought my calories might be too low. Some days I only eat 900 ?? I know it’s no good and i shouldn’t be scared to eat them . I weigh all my food. I will start maybe eating half the calories I earn and take it from there. I still have about 40 pound to loose x
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    helenboagey wrote: »
    Thank you everyone . I thought my calories might be too low. Some days I only eat 900 ?? I know it’s no good and i shouldn’t be scared to eat them . I weigh all my food. I will start maybe eating half the calories I earn and take it from there. I still have about 40 pound to loose x

    set your calorie goal to lose 1lb per week, add in some avocado and peanut butter to increase your cals and fat.
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