Seriously DONT get it

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Replies

  • bmitchell42
    bmitchell42 Posts: 2
    I'm new to the MFP also. I started on the 2nd and I dont eat back what they give after exercising. I only eat my original daily calories.
  • weightlosshippie
    weightlosshippie Posts: 31 Member
    My 850 today would be from an hour long Spin class and 10 min of Elliptical training- so 70 min.
    [/quote]

    That's probably over shooting it a bit. I don't think many women can burn more than 10 calories a minute due to the lack of testosterone. Don't get panicked though, just scale back a bit this week and see how your body reacts. We're talking about the rest of your life, so a few weeks of experimentation won't mean much in the scheme of things.
  • malins2
    malins2 Posts: 154 Member
    Okay so I am beyond frustrated this week and very confused by the whole thing!!!!! I am new to MFP, but not to a calorie counter. So like all other calorie counters that i have used i logged my exercise and what i ate. I didn't go over my dailey goals, but i don't think i should be eating soooooo much. I feel like i'm eating all day long! I actually gained a pound this week not lost 1.5 like my set up is! Serously, if i'm working out 60 minutes 3 times a week why am i supposed to eat 2300 cal a day! my BMR is 1700! Please someone explain this to me! BEYOND FRUSTRATED!!! AND sincerly wondering if MFP has it set up correctly for me. I get the concept, but have yet to see the results from the whole thing! READY TO GIVE UP!

    Reset!

    Go back through the setup wizard, set your lifestyle to sedentary, and log your exercise as your exercise so you have to burn it to earn it.

    MFP can be inaccurate about calorie burn, often overstating it. 60 minutes of full-on burn for me (216 pounds, 40+ years old) is about 800 calories. The site is giving you 600 calories for a spinning class and 15 minutes of cardio - which may or may not be accurate for your weight and age. There are many "how many calories do I burn at a given heart rate" calculators out there that you can enter your weight, age, height, and heartrate and it will give you a reasonable guess. Work out on a cardio machine that measures heart rate, learn what you burn, and go from there. Or get a heart rate monitor.

    I'm 6' 3", 216LB, over 40, lifestyle at "sedentary", and the site has me at 1,450 net calories a day with a 2-pound-a-week weight loss. I found MFP was overestimating some of my exercise and about right on others. Once I got the calories of my "burn" correct, I found that I was losing weight at the pace I set.
    I agree with this, you have to set your lifestyle to sedentary or you will count your exercise twice.... and I still don't eat all my exercise calories back. But that can be very individual and also be careful and check that you really do burn as much as MFP says you do for the different exercises!
  • peacefulsong
    peacefulsong Posts: 223 Member
    That is TOTAL, my Goal is 1440 NET

    So if your goal is 1440 you're getting an 850 calorie burn from exercise? That's not beyond the bounds of possibility for 60 minutes but it does seem high.

    My 850 today would be from an hour long Spin class and 10 min of Elliptical training- so 70 min.

    How are you estimating your calories burned? Do you use a heart rate monitor? For me, MFP often overestimates my calories burned. If I do 45 minutes on my stationary bike, MFP tells me it's something like 600 calories, but the bike came with a chest strap HRM built into it and it would give me about 275 for that same 45 minutes. MFPs calories burned are just estimates and aren't necessarily going to be accurate. If I were you I'd invest in an HRM, or only eat back about half of the exercise calories for awhile and see if that makes a difference.
  • weightlosshippie
    weightlosshippie Posts: 31 Member
    I think there's a good trend here of responses. We all believe the estimated calories burned during exercise varies for many people. I think you could easily eat 1800-2000ish calories, feel good and see results.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    First, if you weren't exercising before and are now working out for an hour or more, it's very possible that the weight gain is due to water retention in your muscles. You're working them harder than they're used to so it's kind of akin to spraining an ankle - when that happens, fluid builds up and your ankle swells, right? Same thing happens with your muscle tissues, it's just not as obvious to the naked eye. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, and even drink a bit extra on workout days, and once the workouts are routine, you won't retain that fluid as much.

    Also, as someone else mentioned, track your sodium if you're not already. A couple high sodium days can throw your weight WAY off. You can't know the cause if you're not tracking it. And again, plan and react correctly with water. If you know you're making something high in sodium or going out to eat, drink plenty of water that day and keep drinking a little extra for the next day or two until your levels are stable again. I can usually tell because my rings are tight, my eyes are a bit dry and as long as I start drinking water right away, I'll pee like 6 times before lunch.

    And, the other source of water retention is TOM - be conscious of your cycle. Some also retain a bit more than usual during ovulation. Just something to keep in mind.

    As far as your exercise calories go, if you think that's too much food you have a couple options. One, only eat back 1/2 to 2/3rds of the calories MFP gives you - the number might be a bit high anyway. Two, start planning for your workout days by getting in a few more calorie dense meals/snacks like nuts.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    I've been eating 1200 calories and only eating my exercise calories back every now and then.

    If I eat above that, I gain or stay at the same weight. I'm not lifting weight right now though, so I might be able to add calories back in once I do that.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member

    And, the other source of water retention is TOM - be conscious of your cycle. Some also retain a bit more than usual during ovulation. Just something to keep in mind.

    This is me. The week after I usually drop 3 or 4 pounds in water weight.
  • jlawson113
    jlawson113 Posts: 27 Member

    How are you estimating your calories burned? Do you use a heart rate monitor? For me, MFP often overestimates my calories burned. If I do 45 minutes on my stationary bike, MFP tells me it's something like 600 calories, but the bike came with a chest strap HRM built into it and it would give me about 275 for that same 45 minutes. MFPs calories burned are just estimates and aren't necessarily going to be accurate. If I were you I'd invest in an HRM, or only eat back about half of the exercise calories for awhile and see if that makes a difference.

    that is the biggest discrepancy I have seen anyone state as far as actual calories burned vs MFP stated...I really hope that's not true...I at least thought the estimates were in the ball park o_O
  • Gwoman2012
    Gwoman2012 Posts: 163 Member
    I don't trust the MFP exercise calculator, so I just set my calories to custom and use the Fat2Fit # (I think it is TDEE-20%) for calories and I don't log my exercise (which is at least 60 minutes 3x a week plus walks almost daily). That gives me a high window (1970 daily, I am 160 and 5'7).

    I also set my macros to 45(carbs)/30(Fat)/25(Protein), otherwise I won't eat nearly enough protein.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member

    How are you estimating your calories burned? Do you use a heart rate monitor? For me, MFP often overestimates my calories burned. If I do 45 minutes on my stationary bike, MFP tells me it's something like 600 calories, but the bike came with a chest strap HRM built into it and it would give me about 275 for that same 45 minutes. MFPs calories burned are just estimates and aren't necessarily going to be accurate. If I were you I'd invest in an HRM, or only eat back about half of the exercise calories for awhile and see if that makes a difference.

    that is the biggest discrepancy I have seen anyone state as far as actual calories burned vs MFP stated...I really hope that's not true...I at least thought the estimates were in the ball park o_O

    An HRM is really the best way to go. There seems to be a lot of fluctuation with mfp's estimates depending on the person and the exercise. Some types of exercises are overestimated, some are underestimated, etc.
  • peacefulsong
    peacefulsong Posts: 223 Member

    How are you estimating your calories burned? Do you use a heart rate monitor? For me, MFP often overestimates my calories burned. If I do 45 minutes on my stationary bike, MFP tells me it's something like 600 calories, but the bike came with a chest strap HRM built into it and it would give me about 275 for that same 45 minutes. MFPs calories burned are just estimates and aren't necessarily going to be accurate. If I were you I'd invest in an HRM, or only eat back about half of the exercise calories for awhile and see if that makes a difference.

    that is the biggest discrepancy I have seen anyone state as far as actual calories burned vs MFP stated...I really hope that's not true...I at least thought the estimates were in the ball park o_O

    It was awhile back so it might have been a bit smaller than that but I remember being surprised at the discrepancy and thinking MFP told me something close to 600 (maybe it was more like 575 or something). I just now went in and put in 45 minutes of stationary bike, general and MFP gave me 620 calories burned, when last night I did 250 in 38 minutes according to my bike's HRM. It probably depends on how MFP is calculating it. They are probably assuming a faster speed than I'm going to go, etc. I think other exercises might not be as off.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Go back through the setup wizard, set your lifestyle to sedentary, and log your exercise as your exercise so you have to burn it to earn it.

    MFP can be inaccurate about calorie burn, often overstating it. 60 minutes of full-on burn for me (216 pounds, 40+ years old) is about 800 calories. The site is giving you 600 calories for a spinning class and 15 minutes of cardio - which may or may not be accurate for your weight and age. There are many "how many calories do I burn at a given heart rate" calculators out there that you can enter your weight, age, height, and heartrate and it will give you a reasonable guess. Work out on a cardio machine that measures heart rate, learn what you burn, and go from there. Or get a heart rate monitor.

    I got a heart rate monitor and found out that the equipment at the gym reports less than the HRM and MFP greatly overestimates.

    Also, I am an IT worker so I spend all day at a desk unless I'm walking out to the lab to change out a failed piece of equipment. So I've set my lifestyle to sedentary and record my exercise. I've lost 40lbs since Jan 1st so I must be doing something right. :)

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