Eating Burned Calories
9RG1RL
Posts: 1 Member
Hey there! Newbie here. Should I be ignoring my calories that I burn or include them in my daily total?
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Replies
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if you used MFP to calculate your goal calories - then yes. MFP is designed to eat back calories. It gives you an amount to eat including the calorie deficit for selected rate of loss WITHOUT purposeful exercise.
The exercise would increase the deficit which can lead to under eating which is bad.
here is a more detailed explanation: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
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^ yup.
Now, the big trick is actually figuring out your burned calories accurately. Going off of fitbits or machine readouts could throw you into a world of hurt. (potentially)2 -
Or you can choose to not let MFP determine your allowance, but create your own calorie and macros goals based on TDEE (total daily energy expenditure or in other words just how much calories you need in order to maintain your current weight with your current activity). And then calculate a cut based on that TDEE (usually recommended is about 20% less or -500 calories/day).
Easiest to calculate is: https://tdeecalculator.net0 -
Or you can choose to not let MFP determine your allowance, but create your own calorie and macros goals based on TDEE (total daily energy expenditure or in other words just how much calories you need in order to maintain your current weight with your current activity). And then calculate a cut based on that TDEE (usually recommended is about 20% less or -500 calories/day).
Easiest to calculate is: https://tdeecalculator.net
Which would work out about the same as using MFP and logging exercise (not that there is anything wrong with using TDEE method but why not just use the tool as it's meant to be used first, before changing to a different method and confusing matters).6 -
Or you can choose to not let MFP determine your allowance, but create your own calorie and macros goals based on TDEE (total daily energy expenditure or in other words just how much calories you need in order to maintain your current weight with your current activity). And then calculate a cut based on that TDEE (usually recommended is about 20% less or -500 calories/day).
Easiest to calculate is: https://tdeecalculator.net
There's a couple of important words missing in your phrase...
"total daily energy expenditure or in other words just how much calories you need in order to maintain your current weight with your current activity and exercise"
TDEE method and MyFitnessPal both have you eating back exercise calories, an average instead of a variable amount for the former. Inherently less accurate and opposed to potentially more accurate (at least you know duration and intensity after the event).
That the fairly vague TDEE method also works should reassure people that estimating exercise isn't a hopeless endeavour.
OP - if your main exercise is cycling is relatively easy to get perfectly reasonable/usable estimates. You aren't constrained by using the exercise database here. I just use the headings and overwrite my own more accurate estimates from a power meter or Garmin or Strava.
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Or you can choose to not let MFP determine your allowance, but create your own calorie and macros goals based on TDEE (total daily energy expenditure or in other words just how much calories you need in order to maintain your current weight with your current activity). And then calculate a cut based on that TDEE (usually recommended is about 20% less or -500 calories/day).
Easiest to calculate is: https://tdeecalculator.net
Gotta suggest that site is even worse than others as far as help trying to decide from only 5 activity levels based on the Harris 1919 study. Tries to make it sound like some major accuracy going on.
I'd call it a rough estimate, easiest not always best.
Is 3 days of weight lifting for 30 min each, really the same estimate as walking 5 days weekly for 2 hrs each day?
And what if you are desk jockey for work and gamer at night, compared to a mail carrier with 3 kids busy in evening?
At least adjustments can be made from there if someone understands to do it.5 -
I believe, although I could be wrong, the more you burn ( TDEE + Exercising) the quicker you will lose your weight.3
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Commander_Keen wrote: »I believe, although I could be wrong, the more you burn ( TDEE + Exercising) the quicker you will lose your weight.
Quicker is not always good, preferable or healthy.7 -
Commander_Keen wrote: »I believe, although I could be wrong, the more you burn ( TDEE + Exercising) the quicker you will lose your weight.
The amount you burn is irrelevant for weight loss.
The amount you eat less than you burn is what matters.
Also - TDEE by definition already includes exercise in the figure - hence the Total in TDEE.
Ditto to quicker is likely a recipe for failure for the majority that fail to maintain weight loss.6 -
I chose to use MFP plus exercise because if I miss a workout or two, I will be overeating if I use TDEE. This way I have to earn those calories.4
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