Calorie Confusion

MackynDibsMom

So heres the background, as part of my weight loss/getting healthier plan I have begun walking my dogs approx 2-3 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week, now since I walk at a fairly brisk pace I'm actually "burning" (so it says) about 820 to 1230 a day. My goal caloric intake with no exercise is about 1400 calories, and I hit but dont go over that on most days.
So heres the question, am I helping or harming myself by NOT eating all the calories MFP says I can? I feel as though there must be a happy medium, but I'm not sure where it is.
As a somewhat related question, at what point do you the MFP community consider activities part of you day (ie active, moderate, sedentary lifestyle) and at what point do you consider them exercise? Im currently only counting the walking I'm doing, but there are days that as a Vet Tech I do a TON of moving/running around within the hospital that I typically dont account for. I dont want to "cheat" myself into a false sense of accomplishing more than I have but I also dont want to "cheat" myself out of eating more (good stuff of course) which would ultimatly slow my metabolism due to going into starvation mode. ***Sigh***
Anyone have ANY ideas.

Thanks for being here, MFP is a real hidden treasure.:flowerforyou:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” ~Newt Gingrich

MackynDibsMom

So heres the background, as part of my weight loss/getting healthier plan I have begun walking my dogs approx 2-3 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week, now since I walk at a fairly brisk pace I'm actually "burning" (so it says) about 820 to 1230 a day. My goal caloric intake with no exercise is about 1400 calories, and I hit but dont go over that on most days.
So heres the question, am I helping or harming myself by NOT eating all the calories MFP says I can? I feel as though there must be a happy medium, but I'm not sure where it is.
As a somewhat related question, at what point do you the MFP community consider activities part of you day (ie active, moderate, sedentary lifestyle) and at what point do you consider them exercise? Im currently only counting the walking I'm doing, but there are days that as a Vet Tech I do a TON of moving/running around within the hospital that I typically dont account for. I dont want to "cheat" myself into a false sense of accomplishing more than I have but I also dont want to "cheat" myself out of eating more (good stuff of course) which would ultimatly slow my metabolism due to going into starvation mode. ***Sigh***
Anyone have ANY ideas.

Thanks for being here, MFP is a real hidden treasure.:flowerforyou:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” ~Newt Gingrich

mommy2js

hopefully someone here will post the link to the thread about eating all of your exercise calories - i don't know how to do that but in short - you should eat ALL of your exercise calories or you will lose less for sure.

as far as when is it considered exercise? anything above your normal daily routine is considered exercise. if you walk your dog for 3 hours a day every single day for a year (or less)- you should probably increase your time or intensity in order to continue to keep raising your metabolism because at some point it will be considered normal daily activity

when it asks you what your normal daily activity is, if you are busy and don't sit all day i would say you are pretty active. that will increase your daily allotment of calories even if you don't exercise at all. if after at least 2-3 weeks of trying this, you aren't losing, you may need to lower your activity level to moderate to decrease your daily intake a little, but always eat your exercise calories - i know because i tried to lose faster by eating less and all that happened is that my body stopped losing all together and then it took forever to get back on track

mommy2js

also, buying a heart rate monitor was probably the best $$$ i spent on my weight loss journey

MackynDibsMom

As far as walking, my intensity/duration has gone up since I started, I started at 3mph for 1hr a day, though it hasn't been very long. And I have my lifestyle set at moderate (MPF lists nurse as an idea, and essentially thats what I am), because most days thats what it is, its just the occasional day thats particularly active that I'm wondering about.

arewethereyet

I also bumped it. This is the long explanation Banks took the time to write.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo?page=11#posts-247000

:flowerforyou: