Calorie Goal confusion.

malgregoire4637
malgregoire4637 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I understand how eating food increases caloric intake and exercise burns calories but I don't understand the purpose of the calorie goal. Am I supposed to consume that number of calories on a daily basis or burn that number of calories. Can someone please explain how this app works in relation to calorie goals? I am a 76 YO male who needs to lose 30 pound by the summer to attend my daughter's wedding.

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    Eat the number of calories MFP tells you to eat. The number that is 'Your daily Goal'. If you add in exercise, MFP will add calories for that. Since those numbers are ESTIMATES, most people should start by eating back HALF the amount of 'extra' calories for a couple of weeks and watching their weight. If you are not losing near the projected amount (say ,1/2 pound per week) you want to eat back fewer calories. If you are losing MORE than the projected amount, eat back a bit more. It's a trial and error situation with that, and that is also assuming your logging and database entries used are correct.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,734 Member
    Provided you've entered your stats and your desired rate of loss, the calorie goal MFP gives you is the amount of calories you should eat.

    The way MFP is intended to be used is that your chosen activity level should reflect how active you are not counting intentional exercise. You then log intentional exercise separately, which will then increase your calorie goal, letting you eat more yet still stay at the desired rate of loss.

    Keep in mind that these are estimates though, both the calorie goal MFP gives you a end the calorie burns for exercise. So it's wise to observe your weight trend for at least 4 weeks and see if it corresponds with your intended rate of loss: if you're losing more quickly, eat more, and if you're losing more slowly, eat less. Losing at a rate of 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week is generally considered a safe rate of loss.

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