How to set calorie goals?

Lobo6ft2

I'm trying to lose fat, but I'm not sure exactly how many calories I should be telling myfitness is my goal since it is synched with other apps that tell it how much I work out and adjust for calories. I am using this calorie calculator:
https://legionathletics.com/how-many-calories-should-i-eat/

It asked "how much do you work out a week" to calculate how many calories I should be taking in. Since myfitness adds earned calories I can eat from working out, should I say I don't work out at all in this calorie calculator?

Thanks!

Fflpnari

I do not add calories in on myfitness pal, its really inaccurate, nor do I snyc my fitbit with MFP.
I used the macros inc calculator. Its taken some trial and error to figure out what worked best for me. 2400 calories seems to be what i do best on. Im losing weight at a healthy rate but not overly hungry

AnnPT77

Lobo6ft2 wrote: »

I'm trying to lose fat, but I'm not sure exactly how many calories I should be telling myfitness is my goal since it is synched with other apps that tell it how much I work out and adjust for calories. I am using this calorie calculator:
https://legionathletics.com/how-many-calories-should-i-eat/

It asked "how much do you work out a week" to calculate how many calories I should be taking in. Since myfitness adds earned calories I can eat from working out, should I say I don't work out at all in this calorie calculator?

Thanks!

Um, huh?

Generally, there are two different methods of getting a calorie goal, in a calorie counting context.

Using terminology loosely, they are the TDEE method (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), and the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Expenditure).

The TDEE method relies on calculators that ask you about all of your activity, including intentional exercise. They then average the exercise calories over a week, and give you a calorie goal that already includes exercise. This means you should not log exercise seperately, because it's already included in your goal. (I'd say it also means you should not synch a fitness tracker or other exercise tracking app, because your base calorie goal already accounts for exercise.)

The NEAT method - which is the one built into MFP - you estimate your calorie needs *excluding* intentional exercise, and add the exercise calories by logging exercise when you actual do the exercise (or by synching a fitness tracker or other exercise apps).

The Legion calculator seems to be a TDEE calculator. As an aside, it seems like a not very good one, to me, because it seems only to ask about exercise activity levels. That implies that a journeyman bricklayer, who carries hods of bricks up ladders all day, has the same calorie needs as a reference librarian who sits at a desk and answers questions all day, if both are using the same marathon running training plan after work hours. That's . . . not sensible.

You have two sensible options:

1. Use a decent TDEE calculator to get a calorie goal, and put your calorie goal in MFP manually, then just follow that goal. Don't log exercise or synch apps/trackers, because exercise is already factored in.
2. Use MFP guided setup to get a calorie goal, setting your activity level (as per instructions) based on your daily life (job, home life, etc.) NOT including intentional exercise. Then, log a sensible estimate of exercise calories (or synch decent apps/trackers) and eat the total number of calories that it gives you each day.

Either of those can work.

Nony_Mouse

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Lobo6ft2 wrote: »

I'm trying to lose fat, but I'm not sure exactly how many calories I should be telling myfitness is my goal since it is synched with other apps that tell it how much I work out and adjust for calories. I am using this calorie calculator:
https://legionathletics.com/how-many-calories-should-i-eat/

It asked "how much do you work out a week" to calculate how many calories I should be taking in. Since myfitness adds earned calories I can eat from working out, should I say I don't work out at all in this calorie calculator?

Thanks!

Um, huh?

Generally, there are two different methods of getting a calorie goal, in a calorie counting context.

Using terminology loosely, they are the TDEE method (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), and the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Expenditure).

The TDEE method relies on calculators that ask you about all of your activity, including intentional exercise. They then average the exercise calories over a week, and give you a calorie goal that already includes exercise. This means you should not log exercise seperately, because it's already included in your goal. (I'd say it also means you should not synch a fitness tracker or other exercise tracking app, because your base calorie goal already accounts for exercise.)

The NEAT method - which is the one built into MFP - you estimate your calorie needs *excluding* intentional exercise, and add the exercise calories by logging exercise when you actual do the exercise (or by synching a fitness tracker or other exercise apps).

The Legion calculator seems to be a TDEE calculator. As an aside, it seems like a not very good one, to me, because it seems only to ask about exercise activity levels. That implies that a journeyman bricklayer, who carries hods of bricks up ladders all day, has the same calorie needs as a reference librarian who sits at a desk and answers questions all day, if both are using the same marathon running training plan after work hours. That's . . . not sensible.

You have two sensible options:

1. Use a decent TDEE calculator to get a calorie goal, and put your calorie goal in MFP manually, then just follow that goal. Don't log exercise or synch apps/trackers, because exercise is already factored in.
2. Use MFP guided setup to get a calorie goal, setting your activity level (as per instructions) based on your daily life (job, home life, etc.) NOT including intentional exercise. Then, log a sensible estimate of exercise calories (or synch decent apps/trackers) and eat the total number of calories that it gives you each day.

Either of those can work.

^^This.

Then after 4-6 weeks, look at your average weekly weight loss (it can be useful to exclude the first week's data, as you'll often have a larger lose due to water weight). If you're losing at the rate you expected, keep cals the same, if you're losing faster than expected increase cals, if you're losing slower lower them.