Lifestyle calories or exercise calories-serious questions

superhippiechik

When you set up your goals it asks how many times a week and for how long you plan to exercise. Making it a part of your lifestyle,right? That is why it asks you how active you are daily,right? So it does not make sense to log when you exercise unless you enter in that you plan not to work out at all when you set up your goals,right? Also,cleaning would not figure in as exercise(I don't count it) because it is a part of life even if it is your job because that would figure in as you daily life,right? This makes sense to me and I wonder if that may be a small part of why I am taking forever; I am giving myself too much credit.
:glasses: I want to be sure and I really want feedback. Thanks!!:smooched:

GemUK84

I just changed my goal for how many times a week i want to work out however this didnt change my daily calorie goal so no i dont think this included in your lifestyle. Gem

Mike523

No... Here's the thing. When it asks you how often/how much you plan to exercise when you set up your goals, that is only used for your reference. It does not use those numbers to calculate your goal calories at all. Try it... Enter some numbers there and see your calorie goal. Then change the numbers or remove them completely... Your calorie goal will stay the same.

You absolutely should be entering your actual exercise every day, and eating the extra calories you earn from that exercise to keep your daily calorie deficit at the right level.

stanvoodoo

They are two different issues. Daily activity should never be confused with exercise. If you have a very active life and a job with alot of physical activity that would determine your Daily Activity Level. Beyond that MFP wants to know how much exercise you will be doing during the week. That is counted as exercise.

bluellies

The way I understand it is that you pick what type of lifestyle you have at the beginning. If you pick one of the more active ones, then yeah, you wouldn't log all of your day to day stuff. But if you pick the first one or two you would, as you're busier than your lifestyle choice allows for. Make sense?

And about logging the exercise if you tell MFP that you're going to do it so many times a week...I thought that was to keep us honest, and motivated. Could be wrong, though.

sweetiepie31612

MFP does not assume you will exercise for as long as you indicate you intend to or as much as you intend to. The daily activity levels are general. If I spend the majority of my day at a desk, I'm not very active, yet I generally try and get to the gym 4-6 days a week. Thus I eat all my exercise calories. Similarly, a waitress who is on her feet, running back and forth between tables all day would have an active lifestyle even if she doesn't go to the gym at all. She wouldn't have any exercise calories to eat but MFP has already calculated the calories she's burned running back and forth. If she were to exercise in addition to that, she should eat back the exercise calories. Does that make sense?

stellcorb

I could be wrong... but I believe excersize should still be logged and added into your calories if it's done for excersize sake. Like, if you walk alot at work or clean, I would only log that activity if you put yourself as sedentary lifestyle BUT if you logged yourself as having an active job, you will double count the calorie deficit (giving yourself more than you will burn). If you just go for a run or something though, this should be logged b/c even though you put the # of days you work out, I believe that's more for a goal, not added into your calorie limit.

therobinator

Please read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/238136-myfitnesspal-builds-in-your-deficit-for-you

Oishii

I've found that if I only count my 'proper' exercise I have to list my activity as the same as a bike courier, even though I'm a teacher, so the equations don't work for everyone.