Why is there an added adjustment to my caloric intake when

peacefulstreet

Why is there an added adjustment to my caloric intake when I exercise???

ksoria9

You earn them. The more you exercise the more calories you get. Mfp subtracts calories from what your body would need based on weight for you to lose the goal you selected

CMmrsfloyd

MFP gives you a calorie goal for weightloss based on a calculation that does not include exercise. Basically the MFP calculator assumes you are not going to bother exercising so it focuses only on how much you should eat to lose weight at the rate you requested. So when you DO exercise, in order to keep the deficit that MFP precalculated for you the same, MFP let's you know that you have those extra calories that you 'earned' through exercise which you could consume and yet STILL be at the deficit you requested MFP to set.

chrisdaddino

when you exercise, you are burning calories, depending on what your fitness goal is, you have to make an adjustment to your calorie intake is.. if you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight, it all depends on how much you burn and how much you consume.... if you are trying to lose, and you burn an extra 700 calories, you can consume extra calories to make up for the amount burned

peacefulstreet

Oh thanks! Okay, but, in order for me to loose wight, I must burn less then I take in, right? To accelerate the loss, etc.

So, when dieting to obtain a certain target weight, we don't take in the full 2,500--which is pretty much the standard per USDA, and what MFP is based off of--is this correct?

ksoria9

Oh thanks bro! Okay, but I though in order for me to loose wight, I just have to burn less then I take in. I guess that correct, right. however, when dieting to obtain a certain weight, we don't take in the full 2,500?

Yes you are right but your body naturally burns calories so mfp calculates how much your body would burn with no exercise. So if your body burns 2200 a day and you want to lose a pound and half it subtracts 750 and you have 1450 for the day

CMmrsfloyd

Oh thanks bro! Okay, but I though in order for me to loose wight, I just have to burn less then I take in. I guess that correct, right. however, when dieting to obtain a certain weight, we don't take in the full 2,500?

2500 is a kind of arbitrary 'average'. MFP calculates based on your age, weight, height, current weight, and the amount you told it you want to lose. There is a certain amount (basal metabolic rate) of calories that your body burns yhroughout the course of a day even if you didn't roll out of bed. MFP takes that amount and multiplies it by a number that corresponds to the activity level you set in your profile - his gives an estimation of the calories you burn during a regular day where you DO roll out of bed and go about your normal daily activities. It's just an estimate, but a pretty good one if you set your activity level correctly. In order to come up with your weightloss calorie goal,MFP takes that number of calories you burn during a regular day and subtracts a number corresponding to the rate at which you said you want to lose weight (if you set your profile to "lose 1 lb per week", it takes your daily regular calorie burn and subtracts 500 per day, which amounts to a deficit of 3500 calories per week, which is exactly the amount it takes to lose 1 lb of fat. If you set your weightloss rate higher, it subtracts more, if you set it lower it subtracts less.

Basically, your body is burning calories continuously throughout the day even when you're not trying to. MFP takes that into account with its calculations/estimations. :-). Since MFPs numbers are based off of your normal activities, when you do additional exercise it truly is a 'bonus' that you've earned, if you choose to use it.

peacefulstreet

Sorry... Typing fast...

CORRECTION:

Oh thanks! Okay, but, in order for me to loose wight, I must burn less then I take in, right? To accelerate the loss, etc.

So, when dieting to obtain a certain target weight, we don't take in the full 2,500--which is pretty much the standard per USDA, and what MFP is based off of--is this correct?

peacefulstreet

Excellent. Thank you for taking the time to explain this.

Jeff~

EricMurano

2,000 calories is the average for all people but everyone's maintenance level is different. You need to figure out what your maintenance level is then consume slightly less than that BUT not too much less or you'll do all sorts of damage. MFP calculates your maintenance level for you.

When you exercise (which you should!) your body consumes more calories so you need to feed yourself some more callories to avoid starving your body.

It does seem counter intuitive to eat as many calories as you burn from exercise. Why exercise if you have to eat it all back again? Because it makes your general metabolism faster and therefore makes your body chew through calories easier.

It's a long running debate here on MFP. My advice is go with what your guts says. If you want to try not eating your exercise calories back then just keep aware of how drained you feel and if you feel like you're being sapped then eat a little more.

I do try to eat more when I exercise but if there's 400 calories left before bed and I can't eat any more I won't.

d1469d

You can wait and add your work outs later in the evening after you have had all your meals and snacks. I know the way mfp logs the calories verses the work outs seems a little off at first. However, I have been on MFP since last april and it seems to be working. The pounds I am taking off stay off and do not come back on. This website is free and very very helpful. It is good to here every ones goals and achieved goals. Good luck to you. Take Care.