HELP! Not getting it.

Baby_Belles

Okay so I've been eating healthy and exercising for the past few weeks and I've lost a few pounds and few great but I do not understand MFP really.

It says my daily calorie amount is 1200 and that my BMR is 1,578.
When I exercise it obviously adds more calories and then I eat some of those sometimes.
I'm just not sure about all this though how many am I supposed to have. I couldn't find the option to see what I entered in at the beginning.

Please respond with your answer. I've read all the links to articles about it but I still am just confused.

starlitesue

You should eat 1200 calories a day + the calories you burn working out. The difference between the calories your body burns in a day (your BMR), and the number of calories you eat is why you lose weight. So right now you're eating about 378 calories less than your body uses in a day.

Think of it like a bank. You're spending $1,578 a day, but only depositing $1,200 a day. So over time you lose money.

Does that help?

harrysdiner

Go under Home Then Goals. You can change them or just look to see what you entered. Your BMR will tell you how much you burn without doing anything. You need a deficit of 500 calories a day for a 11lb weight lose a week. So MFP calulates how many calories you can eat before excerise. If you excerise its add that to your total for the day. I only eat some of my exercise calories not sure what others do. Hope this helps.

MelleyJ

Everyone's numbers are different and I don't believe in the 1200 rule. Your number should be based on the number of kcal you burn at rest each day.
i also don't agree that everytime you exercise you can eat more. That's just an excuse to have more food in my opinion.
I personally eat 1500 kcal per day, exercise or not. That's based on my RMR, which I had tested professionaly by an exercise physiologist. She printed off a full report and counceled me on my caloric intake based on my numbers. I have been successful with this (It says I lost 3 lbs, but I updated after my first goal) and will continue to do this.
I don't report my exercise on mfp. Exercise calories burned are different for everyone. I wear my heartrate monitor and I know what I have burned for the day. It doesn't mean that I can sit down and have 250 more calories because I worked out. My calorie plan is based on the fact that my body needs this much fuel to provide me with the energy I need to work out.
I recommend seeing someone who can council you on the right numbers for you. MFP should be a tool to help you stay within your range and to help others and keep you motivated. I love the food diary and the forums to help you stay motivated and see others achieve the same goals you are working for. Don't let it determine your numbers for you!

NightOwl1

Okay, for starters, don't pay attention to your BMR. 1200 is the amount of net calories you are supposed to eat each day to hit your desired weight loss goal. Net calories is calculated as calories consumed - calories burned through exercise. So if you burn 500 calories through exercise, it will put your goal for the day up to 1700. That mean you should try to eat or get close to 1700 calories for the day to maintain your desired weight loss pace.

Does this make sense?

javamom

You want your total calories eaten minus the calories you burn off to be around 1200 calories. The calories you save are the difference between your BMR and your net calories (eaten-workout). When you bank about 3500 calories you lose about a pound.

So if you eat 1500 calories and exercise off 300 calories, your net for the day is 1200. You save 378 calories (Your BMR-net calories) towards 3500 calories (amound needed to lose one pound).

SweetToothMelissa

Well, you can go into settings under the "My Home" tab, and then click "Update diet/fitness profile" to change the settings. Other than that, a lot of people on here say that when they input an exercise MFP says that the exercise you're doing is actually burning more calories that it really is. Now, when some people exercise, they think the added calories should be eaten, meaning since you get extra calories from exercise, you should then eat more to compensate. However, I don't really think like that. Sometimes I will have a small extra snack if I exercise on that day, but just because it says I burned "x" calories, I don't eat "x" calories. Am I just confusing you more? LOL.

So...really, it is all just up to you. I believe that if I exercise and still stay within my 1200 calories that I will lose more, but that's just my opinion, and I know other people think the opposite. Just do what works for you, and keep in mind that you may not be burning as many calories as MFP says you are. I'm looking into buying a heart rate monitor to see how many I actually burn!

NightOwl1

I want to clear up a misconception I've seen on a couple of posts here. The amount of weight you lose is not your BMR - your Net Calories. It is your MAINTENANCE CALORIES - Net Calories. Your BMR is what you would burn if you stay in bed all day and do absolutely nothing. Since nobody does that, your daily activity means you burn more than your BMR just through that, without exercise. That's why MFP asks you to select an activity level as part of your profile. Based on the settings you select based on the type of job you have, it will calculate your maintenance calories for you. Your maintenance calories will be higher than your BMR.

NightOwl1

Also, I saw in your profile that you've got a baby. I don't know what age your child is and if you're still breastfeeding, but if you are, you should add an additional 300 calories to you day.

FrenchMob

Everyone's numbers are different and I don't believe in the 1200 rule. Your number should be based on the number of kcal you burn at rest each day.
i also don't agree that everytime you exercise you can eat more. That's just an excuse to have more food in my opinion.
I personally eat 1500 kcal per day, exercise or not. That's based on my RMR, which I had tested professionaly by an exercise physiologist. She printed off a full report and counceled me on my caloric intake based on my numbers. I have been successful with this (It says I lost 3 lbs, but I updated after my first goal) and will continue to do this.
I don't report my exercise on mfp. Exercise calories burned are different for everyone. I wear my heartrate monitor and I know what I have burned for the day. It doesn't mean that I can sit down and have 250 more calories because I worked out. My calorie plan is based on the fact that my body needs this much fuel to provide me with the energy I need to work out.
I recommend seeing someone who can council you on the right numbers for you. MFP should be a tool to help you stay within your range and to help others and keep you motivated. I love the food diary and the forums to help you stay motivated and see others achieve the same goals you are working for. Don't let it determine your numbers for you!

You're wrong. Your RMR is your Resting Metabolic Rate which means the amount of calories your body needs to sit and do nothing all day. The minute you start moving, you're burning cals beyond your 1500. If burn 500 cals from exercise every day, you'll theoretically lose 1 lbs a week, but that will put your net calories in the 1000/day. I can guarantee you after some time (varies from person to person), you're weight loss will stall as your metabolism compensates ("starvation mode") for not meeting your daily calories.

MelleyJ

Everyone's numbers are different and I don't believe in the 1200 rule. Your number should be based on the number of kcal you burn at rest each day.
i also don't agree that everytime you exercise you can eat more. That's just an excuse to have more food in my opinion.
I personally eat 1500 kcal per day, exercise or not. That's based on my RMR, which I had tested professionaly by an exercise physiologist. She printed off a full report and counceled me on my caloric intake based on my numbers. I have been successful with this (It says I lost 3 lbs, but I updated after my first goal) and will continue to do this.
I don't report my exercise on mfp. Exercise calories burned are different for everyone. I wear my heartrate monitor and I know what I have burned for the day. It doesn't mean that I can sit down and have 250 more calories because I worked out. My calorie plan is based on the fact that my body needs this much fuel to provide me with the energy I need to work out.
I recommend seeing someone who can council you on the right numbers for you. MFP should be a tool to help you stay within your range and to help others and keep you motivated. I love the food diary and the forums to help you stay motivated and see others achieve the same goals you are working for. Don't let it determine your numbers for you!

You're wrong. Your RMR is your Resting Metabolic Rate which means the amount of calories your body needs to sit and do nothing all day. The minute you start moving, you're burning cals beyond your 1500. If burn 500 cals from exercise every day, you'll theoretically lose 1 lbs a week, but that will put your net calories in the 1000/day. I can guarantee you after some time (varies from person to person), you're weight loss will stall as your metabolism compensates ("starvation mode") for not meeting your daily calories.

It is not wrong, and I know the difference between my BMR and my RMR. ( I have a degree in Kinesiology and I have worked with an Exercise Physiologist prior to starting my program.) I consulted a professional. She checked my RMR, which was lower than the 1500. Based on my RMR, she recommended that I eat 1500kcal per day so that I don't eat less than my RMR. If I did that, my metabolism would slow. If you eat less than your body needs to do the bare minimum, your metabolism will slow. I am doing this the right way, by seeing a professional and working with a nutritionist who came up with my numbers. (If I did the 1200, my metabolism would slow and my RMR would drop.)
I recommend seeing a professional who can help you find your numbers and get you where you need to be. There are several places out there where you can do this. Check with a nutritionist or with your local hospital to find a place that can do this. You may even check with a gym in order to find out if they know where these services are offered.