Calorie Confusion

fitbrit19
fitbrit19 Posts: 55
in Getting Started
So MFP has me eating 1220 calories per day. That is like the bare minimum right? So should I eat back enough of my exercise calories to get a net of 1200 calories? I don't want to end up feeling starved and binge eat.

Replies

  • piratesluver
    piratesluver Posts: 105 Member
    Yes. People generally recommend eating back half - 3/4 of your exercise calories.

    That being said, if you eat the right stuff, you can feel full and satisfied with 1200 calories, no problem.
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    If you're not exercising, stick to the 1220 total. If you are exercising, enter it in your exercise diary and the calories you burned will automatically be taken away from your overall caloric intake for the day, giving you extra calories for food. So if you consumed 1200 calories and burned 300 calories exercising, you would be allowed to consume a total of 1500 calories and still be within your fitness target - ideally, anyway. Some people don't eat back their exercise, some eat back a portion of it, and some will eat right up until they have 0 calories left. It's all about finding what works best for you.

    Main thing: be honest!
  • fitbrit19
    fitbrit19 Posts: 55
    Okay that makes sense! Thank you ladies :)
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    On that calorie per day goal, you'll need to eat back exercise calories in order to avoid falling below the 1200 calories per day 'floor' that the MFP calculator considers the healthy minimum.

    I'm guessing you told the calculator that you're female, sedentary, and want to lose 2lb/week (MFP's largest recommended per week rate). On a sedentary setting, MFP's NEAT method of calculation assumes you will enter your calories, and eat them back, because it's already including a built-in deficit. Increasing the deficit from this starting point is more likely to adversely affect your health than it is to more rapidly increase your weight loss in a sustainable way.
  • Chickee8586
    Chickee8586 Posts: 155 Member
    I agree with the be honest about what you are eating.

    But, I'd like to add a disclaimer. I was eating the right stuff for two weeks when I started and at the end of those two weeks, I felt so run down and low on energy that I knew 1200 wasn't quite enough for me. I upped my calories to 1500 and I stay below that. But I also don't exercise every day, nor do I eat back my exercise calories.

    So in a nutshell, you have to experiment to find the right level for you. It is an individual pursuit that nobody can say, THIS is the exact amount you should consume. You have to have the energy to exercise, work, and anything else you have going on in your life.

    Give yourself a few weeks to a month to find the right level for you. Don't be afraid to waiver from the 1200 that MFP assigns to everyone. The same program doesn't work for every person, so neither will the same calorie requirement. Good luck!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    So MFP has me eating 1220 calories per day. That is like the bare minimum right? So should I eat back enough of my exercise calories to get a net of 1200 calories? I don't want to end up feeling starved and binge eat.

    are your weight loss goals 1lb or higher a week?
  • fitbrit19
    fitbrit19 Posts: 55
    So MFP has me eating 1220 calories per day. That is like the bare minimum right? So should I eat back enough of my exercise calories to get a net of 1200 calories? I don't want to end up feeling starved and binge eat.

    are your weight loss goals 1lb or higher a week?


    My weight loss goal is set at 2 pounds a week!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    So MFP has me eating 1220 calories per day. That is like the bare minimum right? So should I eat back enough of my exercise calories to get a net of 1200 calories? I don't want to end up feeling starved and binge eat.

    Yes, with some allowance made for estimation errors. Common pitfalls of using the MFP method is overestimating calorie burn while simultaneously underestimating intake. 9 of 10 if it isn't working, you are doing one or both of those things.
  • hastingsmassage
    hastingsmassage Posts: 162 Member
    You got 62 lbs to lose and MFP suggest 1200 cal diet?? Bit weird, fallow guided instruction. There is no one week miracle ...65 lbs may take up to a year
  • fitbrit19
    fitbrit19 Posts: 55
    I have a HRM .. it is my understanding that MFP overestimates calories burned quite a bit. I have read a few things since I posted this a few hours ago and am understanding the math/science behind this better. However, I understand that this will be a trial and error endeavor despite the calculations. I also have no disillusions of how fast I should lose 65 pounds! Thank you everyone!

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