Exercise calories on MFP

sophiajackson99

I like logging my workouts on MFP, but I don't like that it subtracts out of my daily calorie count. Is there any way to change this? Does anyone know? I just feel that if I keep adding calories to my day for "walking across the parking lot" or other random acts, that I will lose sight of the fact that all of life is movement. I don't want to be to technical. Does anyone else have this concern? As I said, I do like tracking it (and even seeing the calories burned), I just wish it didn't figure into my total because then I have to recalculate.

Thanks ! Sophia

kerriBB37

I don't think the point of the cardiovascular and strength tabs are to input "every day life activities" like walking across the parking lot. Trainers say that you don't even start burning what you want to burn until 15 minutes into a good cardio workout. With that said, your daily activity level you choose when you set up all your goals should reflect what you do on an average day. I, personally, am usually sitting at a desk so I chose sedentary activity level vs the others. I only input "workout" calories burned if I am at the gym, breaking a sweat, wearing my heart rate monitor and am in the "let's get a good workout in" frame of mind. Hope this helps

EHuntRN

To my understanding replacing the calories is a good thing. Once you burn those calories your body is now calorie deficient. Your body needs a certain number of calorie intake to prevent fat storage. If you dont replace the cals then your body holds on to fat because it has not received the required amount of cals needed to burn fat without going into starvation. I might not have put in proper terms but I have read alot about it on this website and basically if you don't eat your workout calories you are calorie deficient and thats when the body holds on to fat.

ProTFitness

Try this don't add those little things. Count exercise when it is just that. A good walk, jog, cleaning session. A good workout at the gym ect. Don't add the little daily activities. They already ask how active you are when you set up yout page.

Example: I set mine up to lighty active due to working or sitting at a desk with light house work ect. So when I workout hard I add those calories in. Remember not everyone burns calories the same or at the same rate.

hpsnickers1

Exactly. You know you are burning calories when you do this but walking across a parking lot isn't a workout (of course it might be up north these days - say New York or Minnesota! ) I consider this part of my normal daily activity.

The only workouts I log are true workouts. And since MFP has me at 1250, I try to eat the calories I burned during the exercise - at least up to 1200. Most doctors give this number as the bare minimum of daily calories for women. It is a general number but if you dip under for too long - say a few days - then your body starts gearing up for famine and starts storing fat. It can hinder weight loss. Maybe not immediately but eventually.