About exercise calories....

mirahonthawall

Ok so we all know that having a calorie deficit of 1000 = 2lb/wk loss, 750 - 1.5lb/wk loss, 500 = 1lb/wk loss and so on.

What i'm wondering is how do your exercise calories burned play a role in weight loss. I know burning 3500 calories with exercise burns about a pound, I guess what I'm confused about how your exercise calorie deficit and your calorie intake deficits work together.

Is it the total amount in a week, taking BOTH into account? Or do they work differently? I know what i'm trying to ask but I hope this isn't confusing.

Here are my stats if it'll help anyone in helping me understand:

Maintainance = 2060 cals/day
I currently have it set to NET 1400 cals a day (so MFP has me set at losing 1.3lbs with a 660cal deficit)
I eat exercise calories
I will be burning about 4800-5000 cals with exercise each week

LuckyLeprechaun

a deficit is created when you don't eat, or when you burn off the calories. So the food calorie reduction and the exercise burn together contributes to your total deficit.

I think I answered what you were asking...I hope?

kerriBB37

Wow, this is exactly what I was thinking!!!! I don't get it all either. I know it's hard to put into words. I know that it's a combination of the two. I try and eat 1200 cals a day and burn 500 a day. I wonder if I'm doing this ALL wrong! I also am hoping someone can explain the formulas to us

LuckyLeprechaun

Kerri...if you're eating 1200, and you're burning 500, you're asking your body to run on 700 cal/day. That's not enough for an adult, even if you're very short.

You get to eat back the calories you have burned up through exercise, because the calories MFP has given you already have a deficit built into them...and your body needs the fuel to keep your metabolism burning up that body fat.

Mindful_Trent

I posted this on another thread where someone asked about eating exercise calories and thought this may help you...

MFP is designed around the idea of having a set calorie deficit. So if you're trying to lose 2 lbs/week, that's 1000 calorie deficit per day. MFP builds that deficit into your eating goals BEFORE any exercise is considered. So, to keep that same deficit, you are supposed to eat the additional calories earned through exercise.

Example:

Person A normally burns 2500 calories per day based on their height/weight/age/gender and normal daily activity level
So to lose 2 lbs/week, they need to eat 1500 calories/day (2500 - 1000 = 1500)

If they workout and burn 500 calories, then they've burned 2500 + 500 = 3000 calories. If they only eat 1500, their deficit will now be 1500 instead of the 1000 that is planned.

You may be thinking that a higher deficit is better, but that's not really the case. Slower weight loss is better - it is more likely to stay off, and it can ward off health problems from losing weight too fast. 2 lbs/week (1000 calorie deficit per day) is the highest amount recommended unless you're under doctor supervision.

So - yes, you're supposed to eat those extra exercise calories, especially if you're only on a lower number of regular calories per day. You need to keep your net calories (calories eaten minus exercise calories) at a high enough level to keep your metabolism from slowing down. If you eat low net calories for a long period of time consistently, then you will lower your metabolism and weight loss will be difficult.

That said, one day of not eating them won't hurt - just try not to do it regularly. When you know you'll be working out, plan ahead and eat a heavier lunch or breakfast. Also, you don't necessarily need to eat ALL of them - it's very easy to overestimate exercise calories (I find MFP tends to be pretty high estimates), and if you eat all of them, that can slow weight loss because you're decreasing your deficit. I aim to eat 50-75% of mine.

Aimee_PD

im all blurry about the formulas as well.
i eat atleast 1200 cals. and burn atleast 300 daily. so that would put me at able to eat 1500 correct? im wondering if what i do is wrong too lol...hope someone has clear answers for us all!

mirahonthawall

i'm not asking about exercise calories, i eat mine every day!
i guess what i'm wondering is how exercise calories burned and your daily calorie deficit work hand in hand?

or, because my NET calories is 1400/day after eating exercise calories, do they sort of cancel each other out?

maybe i should sit down and do some math...

Mindful_Trent

A more direct answer to the OP's question - both your exercise calories and the deficit MFP gives you each day (660 or something like that) count toward your deficit for weight loss. Your MFP deficit is built in without any exercise being considered. Regarding the exercise calories - most people eat back some of their exercise calories - see the 1st response I posted for an explanation of that.

So my normal deficit from eating my normal MFP goal might be 750/day, and if I burned 300 in exercise and ate back half that (150), then my total deficit for the day would be 750 + 150 = 900.

mirahonthawall

So my normal deficit from eating my normal MFP goal might be 750/day, and if I burned 300 in exercise and ate back half that (150), then my total deficit for the day would be 750 + 150 = 900.

this is what i was looking for! i guess i just needed to see it typed out to actually understand it.

so...my deficit is 660 before exercise, so if i burned 1000 calories that day and ate back 650, my new deficit would be 660 + 350 (the non eaten portion of my exercise calories) = 1010

so if i did this every day (hypothetically), my weekly deficit would be 7070 calories?

mccach

Thank you for the detailed info.

Mindful_Trent

So my normal deficit from eating my normal MFP goal might be 750/day, and if I burned 300 in exercise and ate back half that (150), then my total deficit for the day would be 750 + 150 = 900.

this is what i was looking for! i guess i just needed to see it typed out to actually understand it.

so...my deficit is 660 before exercise, so if i burned 1000 calories that day and ate back 650, my new deficit would be 660 + 350 (the non eaten portion of my exercise calories) = 1010

so if i did this every day (hypothetically), my weekly deficit would be 7070 calories?

Exactly. Luckily, MFP does the math for you, indirectly. All you have to do is take your normal deficit (so 660) and add any leftover calories (or subtract negative/excess calories eaten) from you food diary at the end of the day to get your final deficit. So If your food diary show 300 calories remaining, you would add 300 for a 960 deficit, or if it shows negative 50, then you would subtract 50 to get a final deficit of 610 for the day. I'm keeping a spreadsheet on my computer of all my final deficits for each day so I know how much weight I *should* be losing - unfortunately the body doesn't always cooperate! (In reality my exercise calorie calculations or calories consumed were probably off, or I'm retaining water weight.)

mirahonthawall

Exactly. Luckily, MFP does the math for you, indirectly. All you have to do is take your normal deficit (so 660) and add any leftover calories (or subtract negative/excess calories eaten) from you food diary at the end of the day to get your final deficit. So If your food diary show 300 calories remaining, you would add 300 for a 960 deficit, or if it shows negative 50, then you would subtract 50 to get a final deficit of 610 for the day. I'm keeping a spreadsheet on my computer of all my final deficits for each day so I know how much weight I *should* be losing - unfortunately the body doesn't always cooperate! (In reality my exercise calorie calculations or calories consumed were probably off, or I'm retaining water weight.)

That is an amazing idea! I need to be way more organized like this and maybe i'd be less confused. I guess I was confused because even though I change the the amount of calories burned through exercise under goals, it never change the projected weight loss.

Thanks so much!

Mindful_Trent

That is an amazing idea! I need to be way more organized like this and maybe i'd be less confused. I guess I was confused because even though I change the the amount of calories burned through exercise under goals, it never change the projected weight loss.

Thanks so much!

FYI - Your goal workout time/calories burned in exercise does NOT impact your calorie deficit or projected weight loss - they simply give you targets to shoot for. (The exercise log compares actuals to your goal) MFP only counts exercise calories when you actually do the exercise and log it - then it adjusts your daily calorie goal as is appropriate. This is to avoid you planning a whole bunch of exercise, getting a goal that includes it, but then not doing the exercise and overeating.

mirahonthawall

ahhh yes i figured as much after putting some thought into it!

you = excellent source of information!

HeidiMightyRawr

If your maintenance is 2060 cals a day and you eat 1400 and don't take any exercise, you're 660 in a deficit. If you the next day burn 500 cals exercising but eat all of those you are still 660 in a deficit, so it's almost like it cancels each other out, but obviously the exercise is still important for fitness reasons and you can enjoy more food

Basically on you're main page, whatever it shows you at the top as leftover at the end of the day is your deficit + 660

Hope that's clear
Heidi

Mindful_Trent

ahhh yes i figured as much after putting some thought into it!

you = excellent source of information!

Glad I can help!