Do I have this right? Re: exercise calories

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jamiesokd
jamiesokd Posts: 99 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First, I want to make sure I have this right.

If I follow MFP, it factors in my deficit and I have to eat back my exercise calories (about 1/2 of them to compensate for over estimating). So for me, this is 1750 a day plus 1/2 exercise.

If I use TDEE, I subtract 15-20 percent and then do not eat back exercise calories. For me this is 1850. (Subtracted 20%)

Do these look right? I am 5'3, 206 lbs, lightly active (a job on my feet/walking all day, but do not exercise much otherwise at the moment) and body fat calculators gave me 30% (don't have calipers, used measurements) have I understood everything correctly? Is there one method that is preferred over the other? Or one that is more recommended?

Thank you!

Replies

  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

    Allan
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Those numbers look fine for you OP.

    Which method you choose is personal preference. Some people prefer TDEE because it gives the same calorie goal every day, making it simpler. Some people also feel too hungry on non-exercise days using the MFP method.
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
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    You are correct in your assessment, its a matter of personal preference really. To be honest, with either method your should be eating approximately the same number of calories throughout the week (it won't be exact but it will be in the ballpark of eachother), but the day to day calories differ in the myfitnesspal vs. TDEE which is a constant number.

    I use the myfitnesspal method but I don't mind my calories differing everyday either. A ton of people prefer TDEE simply because they know how much they are going to eat everyday.

    Again, it truly does not matter, it is purely personal taste.

    edit: I also forgot to add. Sometimes with myfitnesspal method people get...overly ambitious (being polite), and try and lose 2 pounds a week when they only have 10 pounds to lose, when you get to that point, its better to lose something like 1/2 pound a week instead.

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