1700 calories remaining after already consuming my goal??

dom_dmbtiling

I’ve set my goal to maintain my 72kg at the moment. I’ve entered a Very Active lifestyle as I’m a tiler (manual labour).
So I’m eating roughly my recommended 3000 calories. One massive problem though..
I class my job as my cardio so I managed to find vigorous cleaning in the exercise list (similar to my job) and selected 8 hours a day I do it for.

So after eating roughly my allowed 3000 calories and entering in my 8 hours of labour and 1 hour gym workout in the cardio section I STILL have about 1700 calories left just to stay at maintenance!!

Appreciate some advice here. I feel I’m missing something..What do you guys think of this?
Thanks
Dom

Redordeadhead

It sounds like you are counting your work twice: if you have already selected very active because of your job, you shouldn't then be adding your job again separately as 8 hours of exercise. It's giving you extra calories for the same thing.

Lietchi

Yup, looks like your double counting your job...

HokieBrad

Found this explanation
Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.
If you set your daily activity level to anything higher than sedentary, MFP will give you extra calories in your daily goal because it assumes you are burning more calories throughout the day. However, if your ACTUAL daily activity, as reported by your Fitbit steps, isn't accounting for the activity level you have set, then MFP will subtract the extra calories it gave you (this is what it means by negative calories). So if you aren't getting negative calories then it just means your daily activity is on par with what you set it as.

sijomial

Count your job in your activity setting only, do not add it as exercise - that's where you are going wrong.

If you do exercise (sports, training etc.) that's when you add that into the exercise diary.
From your example-
"So after eating roughly my allowed 3000 calories and entering in my 8 hours of labour and 1 hour gym workout in the cardio section."
It's the bolded part you are doing wrong, adding the 1 hour gym workout is correct

spiriteagle99

Enter the one hour at the gym, not the eight hours at work if you list yourself as very active. Or if there are days where you aren't working and being very active, list yourself as lightly active or sedentary and add the hours you work separately. Otherwise, you are counting the same activity twice, which gives you too many calories.