Should I log my exercise?

jamestarrobal21

So I have a problem when I log my exercise, a huge amount of calories are burned so now I need to re-consume the calories burnt. As much as I want to eat I feel like I shouldn't be eating more than what was burned or for the most part just consume the needed calories and be fine with not logging my exercise as I don't want to eat more for the day.

Should I log my exercise but eat more or don't log my exercise and just follow my calorie goals for the day?

janejellyroll

If your calorie goal comes from MFP, it's given to you with the intention of you eating back the additional calories burnt through exercise.

This isn't a "problem," it's how MFP ensures you're getting enough food to fuel your body while you're losing weight.

How are you estimating the calories burnt through exercise? If you're seeing "huge" calorie burns, there is a possibility that you're over-estimating how much your exercise is burning.

jeagogo

You should absolutely log and eat your exercise calories. MFP is designed for you to eat those calories. That said, a lot of the estimations for calories burned (either using MFP exercise library only or using a fitness watch) may be inaccurate, so many folks will aim to only eat back half of their exercise calories.

jamestarrobal21

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your calorie goal comes from MFP, it's given to you with the intention of you eating back the additional calories burnt through exercise.

This isn't a "problem," it's how MFP ensures you're getting enough food to fuel your body while you're losing weight.

How are you estimating the calories burnt through exercise? If you're seeing "huge" calorie burns, there is a possibility that you're over-estimating how much your exercise is burning.

I'm not exactly sure if I am over estimating I would usually go for let say a 1 hour jog remove 15-20 min from that jog due to resting, walking and stretching then choose the lowest kph in the exercise choices possible. then log the 40-45 min I jog.

A quick question is it fine not to exercise but still consume the needed calories?

janejellyroll

jamestarrobal21 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your calorie goal comes from MFP, it's given to you with the intention of you eating back the additional calories burnt through exercise.

This isn't a "problem," it's how MFP ensures you're getting enough food to fuel your body while you're losing weight.

How are you estimating the calories burnt through exercise? If you're seeing "huge" calorie burns, there is a possibility that you're over-estimating how much your exercise is burning.

I'm not exactly sure if I am over estimating I would usually go for let say a 1 hour jog remove 15-20 min from that jog due to resting, walking and stretching then choose the lowest kph in the exercise choices possible. then log the 40-45 min I jog.

A quick question is it fine not to exercise but still consume the needed calories?

Exercise is associated with a host of benefits for your physical and mental health, so I always encourage everyone to exercise.

But if by "fine" you mean, "is it possible to lose weight without exercise?", then the answer is yes. There are people here who lost weight while being very sedentary. All you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit and you can do that without doing any exercise.

serindipte

You will lose weight as long as you remain in a calorie deficit. You gain health if you exercise. If you opt not to eat back your exercise calories, there is a bigger chance that some of the weight you lose will be muscle mass. If you choose this route, you may still get down to your goal weight, but you aren't going to look the way you imagine. Chances are, you'll be heading into "skinny fat" because of the loss of muscle and lack of exercise.

"Diet to look good with clothes on. Exercise to look good naked." -Unknown

jeagogo

Absolutely no exercise isn't great for maintaining lean mass as you lose weight, but exercise is not a requirement for weight loss at all.
The MFP calorie target assumes zero activity outside of what you set as your baseline daily activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc). Those activity levels are generally based on how much activity you get in your normal daily routine, like whether you having a desk job or walk around for work.

jamestarrobal21

Understood. Thanks.

PAV8888

You take in energy by eating and drinking.

You spend energy by existing (sleeping, sitting, thinking, cooking, going to the bathroom). You spend energy by deliberately exercising.

You lose weight by spending more energy than what you take in.

Spending more energy than you take in is called creating an energy deficit, deficit for short.

When you first started mfp you selected (hopefully) an appropriate goal based on your current weight and goals.

while losing 0.5 to 2 pounds a week is relatively safe for the vast majority of people, losing at a particular rate is not necessarily most safe and most optimal for every person.

If two pounds a week is safe and optimal for someone who is 300 pounds and needs to be 160, it probably makes sense that it might not be optimal for someone who is 160 lbs and needs to be 155.

Mfp gave you an eating Target based on the activity level you selected and on the deficit you selected.

The eating Target already includes the deficit.

Exercise is good for you.

Exercise requires energy.

The actual amount of energy you spend on exercise which has not already been accounted for by mfp needs to be accounted for in order to continue with your reasonable deficit.

To avoid really complicated accounting, and assuming that the initial goal your chose is not too aggressive (already creating too large of a deficit), an easy trick is to eat half to three-quarters of your exercise calories.

After a reasonable amount of time (four to six weeks for females who may have water retention due to their hormonal cycle, 3 weeks or so for males) you can evaluate your loss and compare it to your logged calories and adjust your goals and exercise eat back.

kshama2001

jamestarrobal21 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

If your calorie goal comes from MFP, it's given to you with the intention of you eating back the additional calories burnt through exercise.

This isn't a "problem," it's how MFP ensures you're getting enough food to fuel your body while you're losing weight.

How are you estimating the calories burnt through exercise? If you're seeing "huge" calorie burns, there is a possibility that you're over-estimating how much your exercise is burning.

I'm not exactly sure if I am over estimating I would usually go for let say a 1 hour jog remove 15-20 min from that jog due to resting, walking and stretching then choose the lowest kph in the exercise choices possible. then log the 40-45 min I jog.

A quick question is it fine not to exercise but still consume the needed calories?

While you could lose weight without exercising, a better question is if you should.

The short answer to that is "No."

The longer answer is that everyone who can exercise, should exercise, due to the numerous health benefits of exercising.

This does not to be droning away on a machine in a gym (unless that is your thing.) Strive to find a form of exercise you love, and do that.