Help! So confused!

beth0277

I'm so confused about MFP. So, it tells me at my weight to eat 1200 calories/day to lose 1.4 pounds/week. I have been eating closer to 1500 and losing. 1200 seems really low. Some days I exercise and I could eat back those calories and have a net of 1200 calories but I don't exercise every day. I prefer 1500/day and typically don't eat back exercise calories, which I'm now reading on here that a lot of successful people do recommend eating back exercise calories. What do I do? Aim for 1200/day NET and push myself to exercise more so that I can eat more or stick with 1500 every day and don't eat back exercise calories unless I work out very hard and feel like I need something extra.

wannakimmy

If what you are doing is working, why would you want to change things?

beth0277

Well, in what I have read, most people who have success in the long term eat back their exercise calories.

WBB55

Well, in what I have read, most people who have success in the long term eat back their exercise calories.

Some do. But that's not the only way to success. If you're having success eating a total of 1500 calories per day, I say don't change a thing!

Ready2Rock206

If what you are doing is working, why would you want to change things?

This. If it is working don't try and fix it by doing something else. Eat your 1500 every day.

Amerielle

Sounds like you are having success with the 1500, why change it? I also lose with eating about 1500 a day and not eating back exercise calories. Check out TDEE method...I think that is what you are doing and many people have great success with it.

edit to add: You can just go in and change your calorie goal to 1500 in your food diary.

_runnerbean_

I'm new to MFP and found that 1200 is low for me. But then I looked at my normal daily routine- I walk the kids to school every morning. I wasn't logging that as "cardio" because I do it every day. But if I did log it, it would add another 150 calories. So unless you log every single activity in your day, I would say eating 1500 cals and not logging exercise would be reasonable. Hope this makes sense!

WaterBunnie

If you're eating at 1500 instead of 1200 you effectively are eating back exercise calories but across the week rather than just on the days you exercised, and if you're losing it's obviously not worth changing things. No point going lower than you have to!

WaterBunnie

I'm new to MFP and found that 1200 is low for me. But then I looked at my normal daily routine- I walk the kids to school every morning. I wasn't logging that as "cardio" because I do it every day. But if I did log it, it would add another 150 calories. So unless you log every single activity in your day, I would say eating 1500 cals and not logging exercise would be reasonable. Hope this makes sense!

I wear a FitBit (synced with MFP) but I've found that the first 2-3 miles each day is already allowed for under sedentary here (so no extra exercise calories are given when synced) and therefore logging every bit of normal activity walking in MFP would probably result in over estimating exercise.

dglogan1

I would assume you're not losing 1.4lb a week though? I have mine set for losing roughly the same amount, and I remember seeing that it put me on an 800 calorie deficit (ie my body burns 2400 calories just to keep it running, and I'm eating 1600). The idea is that 3,500 calories lost is more or less the equivalent of a pound. So, if you're eating 800 calories less than you burn, you'll burn 800x7=5,600 calories a week, roughly equivalent to a pound and a half. You said you're eating 300 calories more than recommended, so you're still at a calories deficit, hence why you're losing weight, its just not enough (I assume) for you to lose 1.4lb per week.

Hope I helped!