Exercise calories - subtract base calories for time?

MomChemist
MomChemist Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi --

I was wondering about how MFP just adds exercise calories to your calorie allotment for the day. It seems to me that there should be some calories subtracted as well. Let me try to explain with an example:

Let's say my calorie goal to lose 1 lb/week is about 1450 cals/day.
Now, I take a walk for an hour, and that works out to about 250 calories for the hour.
BUT, the original 1450 calories/day already included about 60 calorie/hour for just sitting on my butt. (1450cals/24 hours)
So, shouldn't my calorie intake for the day now be 1450-60+250 = 1640?

But MFP lets me double count that hour as 60 minutes on my butt and 60 minutes walking. It seems to me that this should be accounted for.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I don't think the 60 calories is accounted for. Besides, MFP over estimates exercise calories quite often. Your best bet is to log a percentage of the 250 (or whatever)....consistantly. Go with that number for a time and see how it goes. If you start feeling run down....eat more. If your weight loss stalls, eat less.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It bothered me at first too. Then I was like 'whatever'. But yes MFP calories are often inaccurate anyway.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    It comes down to a question of rates. If you are, for example, running at any kind of reasonable pace, you don't really have to worry about backing out the non-exercise number because it is such a small percentage of the total.

    But if you're, for example, walking, yes, backing that number makes sense because it comprises as much as half the burned calories. Personally, IMO, most people should not be logging any walk under an hour/3 miles anyway, but that's another story for another time.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
    Before I started using a FitBit, that's exactly what I did with any sort of lower-intensity, long-duration exercise.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    250/hr is your estimated gross calorie burn. If your bmr is 1450 and 60/hr is what you burn sitting then you add 1450+250-60, thats what you eat back. 250-60 is your net calorie burn.

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