saving calories earned through excersize

saoirse_v

can you save the extra calories you have earned through excersize for the weekend (ie eating out) or do extra calories need to be consumed on the same day?

jrich1

mathmatically is a deficit over time.

deathstarclock

These aren't roll-over calories. SORRY MENG.

chelsifina

I've heard that nutrition can be calculated over the course of a week, but I haven't done that in practice. Maybe see how you feel and how it works for you?

erickirb

yes and no, if you don't eat enough during the week your metabolism may slow down slightly so if you eat all of the saved calories you may not lose what is projected as your BMR and maintenance calories may be lowered due to not eating enough for 5 days straight, so your weekly deficit from your actual maintenance may not be as large as MFP predicts it to be. So if you goal was to lose 2 lbs/week, you may only average 1.5-1.8 lbs/week due to the slowing of your metabolism (if it happens within that time frame or not is up to debate, I am just giving an example of what may happen)

That being said if you save 100 or so each day for the weekend you should be pretty safe.

Capfau

I don't want to use those calories I lost during exercise so why does the "daily tracker" have to deduct them from my day? Is there any way to not to deduct them?

Thanks.

Carol

"Persevere and you will win the prize. "

Hirundo

I think you can yes... may be not all the calories of the monday for saturday but you could probably build a little more deficit on week days and be a bit over your d'ays on the week end... I like the MFP Iphone app, cause it does show your trend for the week...

I see loosing weight as a weeks and months process and even if for some reason MFP makes us calculate it all from day to day ( i think it's for commitment reasons) I think what's matter the most is the general trend ...

I say try it and you'll see how you do with that !


Good luck!

erickirb

I don't want to use those calories I lost during exercise so why does the "daily tracker" have to deduct them from my day? Is there any way to not to deduct them?

Thanks.

Carol

"Persevere and you will win the prize. "

You are supposed to eat them. Not eating them is only a good idea if you increase your activity level to account for your exercise. changing your activity level will give you more calories so you will be eating enough, without the thought of "eating your exercise calories".

Essentially you would be setting your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) then creating a deficit from that to lose weight. This is what most trainer/doctors/nutritionists do. Most professionals will tell you not to eat you exercise calories back because they added exercise into your TDEE, whereas MFP ignores exercise and only accounts for it when you perform it. Either way should get you to the same place.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 4x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1650 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 11,350 (1450*3+1850*4) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,550 (1650*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 4 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFP do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1650/day above.