Watch weekly calorie goal for maintenance?

Wingg_

Do you guys watch your weekly calorie goal or otherwise? Like eating less on weekdays then eat back those calories on weekend, do you gain weight by doing so? Now that I'm finding maintenance calorie when I do log my food I would make sure I eat just my maintenance calorie. If I workout daily by doing figurerobic (exercise which combines aerobic and figure dance) for 30min am I sedentary? Now I set my activity level at sedentary and eat back 20cal for every 30min I workout because I do not know how much cal I burn through exercise so we burn 20cal sitting right? I guess. So I just eat 20cal back. Or am I not sedentary? Now that I'm eating this amount of calories I'm not losing weight yet so does that means it is my maintenance cal? Am I doing it right?? And can I eat at my maintenance level(sedentary) after a binge?

ShannonMpls

Weekly. Less on weekdays and more on weekends is exactly how I do it. It's worked well for me for a year and a half of maintenance. I've stayed within the same 5 pound goal range.

I don't think you are calculating your maintenance calories correctly, though. I'd eat at the lightly active TDEE for a few weeks and see what happens to your weight, then adjust.

Wingg_

Weekly. Less on weekdays and more on weekends is exactly how I do it. It's worked well for me for a year and a half of maintenance. I've stayed within the same 5 pound goal range.

I don't think you are calculating your maintenance calories correctly, though. I'd eat at the lightly active TDEE for a few weeks and see what happens to your weight, then adjust.

Do I then eat back my exercise cal? The figurerobic isn't a very vigorous exercise though so I doubt I should eat back the cal if I eat at the lightly active TDEE

sijomial

Wow! Blizzard of questions!!

Try not to over think this as it really is very simple - honest.

Working calories out weekly is absolutely fine, remember that laying down excess energy in a surplus and then burning it when in deficit is totally normal - which is also why it's one of many reasons it's totally normal for your weight to vary from day to day.

Exercise isn't part of your activity setting on MFP - activity setting reflects your lifestyle (job etc..).
If you follow the TDEE method then exercise is factored in already.

That's why when you follow the MFP routine you eat back exercise calories. You completely lost me with your "eat back 20 cals" part though - 30 minutes aerobic exercise is more likely to be around 250 - 300 cals not 20!

You did hit the nail on the head though - if you are neither losing or gaining weight over a period of time you have found your maintenance calories.

Wingg_

Wow! Blizzard of questions!!

Try not to over think this as it really is very simple - honest.

Working calories out weekly is absolutely fine, remember that laying down excess energy in a surplus and then burning it when in deficit is totally normal - which is also why it's one of many reasons it's totally normal for your weight to vary from day to day.

Exercise isn't part of your activity setting on MFP - activity setting reflects your lifestyle (job etc..).
If you follow the TDEE method then exercise is factored in already.

That's why when you follow the MFP routine you eat back exercise calories. You completely lost me with your "eat back 20 cals" part though - 30 minutes aerobic exercise is more likely to be around 250 - 300 cals not 20!

You did hit the nail on the head though - if you are neither losing or gaining weight over a period of time you have found your maintenance calories.

Figurerobic is not really aerobic so I don't really know how much to eat back... If I set my activity level to lightly active it's just a difference of 120cal and my 'a period of time' is actually 9 days(which I thought I've eaten at that cal for like forever already)… so should I try eating at lightly active cal? Because I'm not sure if I sedentary or lightly active...

Wingg_

Thank you very much for providing me with your thoughts I really thank you guys!

ShannonMpls

Weekly. Less on weekdays and more on weekends is exactly how I do it. It's worked well for me for a year and a half of maintenance. I've stayed within the same 5 pound goal range.

I don't think you are calculating your maintenance calories correctly, though. I'd eat at the lightly active TDEE for a few weeks and see what happens to your weight, then adjust.

Do I then eat back my exercise cal? The figurerobic isn't a very vigorous exercise though so I doubt I should eat back the cal if I eat at the lightly active TDEE

Nah, I'd probably set to lightly active, do not eat extra exercise calories, then see where your weight takes you. If you lose after a few weeks, you need to eat a bit more. If you gain, a bit less. You are burning more than 20 calories in your class, even if it's not vigorous aerobics.

Wingg_

Weekly. Less on weekdays and more on weekends is exactly how I do it. It's worked well for me for a year and a half of maintenance. I've stayed within the same 5 pound goal range.

I don't think you are calculating your maintenance calories correctly, though. I'd eat at the lightly active TDEE for a few weeks and see what happens to your weight, then adjust.

Do I then eat back my exercise cal? The figurerobic isn't a very vigorous exercise though so I doubt I should eat back the cal if I eat at the lightly active TDEE

Nah, I'd probably set to lightly active, do not eat extra exercise calories, then see where your weight takes you. If you lose after a few weeks, you need to eat a bit more. If you gain, a bit less. You are burning more than 20 calories in your class, even if it's not vigorous aerobics.

Okay! I shall do that!! Thanks for you great advice! It really does help me and I feel less insecure already! Thank you so much!

sijomial

Figurerobic is not really aerobic so I don't really know how much to eat back... If I set my activity level to lightly active it's just a difference of 120cal and my 'a period of time' is actually 9 days(which I thought I've eat at that cal for like forever already)… so should I try eating at lightly active cal? Because I'm not sure if I sedentary or lightly active...

If you feel like you have eaten at your current cals "like forever already" then carry on!
Why do you feel the need to fiddle about with various settings which will make a tiny difference anyway. If you are 120 cals out in your estimate then you might lose or gain a whole pound in a month.

Wingg_

Figurerobic is not really aerobic so I don't really know how much to eat back... If I set my activity level to lightly active it's just a difference of 120cal and my 'a period of time' is actually 9 days(which I thought I've eat at that cal for like forever already)… so should I try eating at lightly active cal? Because I'm not sure if I sedentary or lightly active...

If you feel like you have eaten at your current cals "like forever already" then carry on!
Why do you feel the need to fiddle about with various settings which will make a tiny difference anyway. If you are 120 cals out in your estimate then you might lose or gain a whole pound in a month.

But in fact I've only eaten that amount of cal for only 9 days :laugh:

sijomial

But in fact I've only eaten that amount of cal for only 9 days :laugh:

Or you could go to twenty different calculators on the web using a whole bunch of different formulas and come up with twenty different numbers. The one thing they have in common is that they are estimates.

Then you come to the real world where your food, activty and exercise are estimated and vary from day to day.....

What I'm saying is pick a number (your 9 day number is as good if not better than anything else!), be consistent and adjust as required.

Wingg_

But in fact I've only eaten that amount of cal for only 9 days :laugh:

Or you could go to twenty different calculators on the web using a whole bunch of different formulas and come up with twenty different numbers. The one thing they have in common is that they are estimates.

Then you come to the real world where your food, activty and exercise are estimated and vary from day to day.....

What I'm saying is pick a number (your 9 day number is as good if not better than anything else!), be consistent and adjust as required.

I will try to eat at lightly active cal for a month and see how things go, then adjust accordingly. What if I gain weight? Will I be able to lose that easily? Thanks for the great advice!! I really do appreciate it!