Exercise more.. Eat more calories? Does not make sense..

Aaro2n

Confused.
The app (which is awesome btw) tells me I need to eat 2200 calories a day to lose two pounds a week, but if I log in my exercise of the day, it tells me to eat more. In fact, I have the exact amount of calories gained to eat when I burn them. What would be the point of exercising strictly to lose weight if the app rewards me with more calories at the end?
Shouldn't exercise be a way to burn calories, not eat more? I realize the health benefits of daily exercise, but if I'm doing it to just lose the weight, what's the point of eating more?

heybales

Confused.
The app (which is awesome btw) tells me I need to eat 2200 calories a day to lose two pounds a week, but if I log in my exercise of the day, it tells me to eat more. In fact, I have the exact amount of calories gained to eat when I burn them. What would be the point of exercising strictly to lose weight if the app rewards me with more calories at the end?
Shouldn't exercise be a way to burn calories, not eat more? I realize the health benefits of daily exercise, but if I'm doing it to just lose the weight, what's the point of eating more?

When you selected your activity level - did you enter anything regarding exercise?

When MFP subtracted for weight loss, did it know about any exercise you haven't done or logged yet?

MFP already has that 2200 goal with 1000 calorie deficit from estimated total daily burn.

When you have exercise taking those calories you eat, which is ALREADY 1000 less than you may burn, you are creating a bigger deficit.

What, isn't that a good idea to lose faster?

In that case, just stop eating altogether and really lose it fast. Why not? Sound unsafe?

So is a deficit too big.

Or, go back to your weight loss goal, select Maintain (no weight loss), now exercise and don't eat back those calories, and let exercise totally create your deficit.

Guess what's easier to create a 1000 cal deficit with? Diet over 24 hrs, or 90 min if decent exercise?

DerDude

Hey Aaron!

Cool, isnt it?
The 2,2k are your BMR. Thats the Basic you have to eat. It´s because of your height and weight and job and things.
If you do nothing else and eat the 2200 you lose 2 pounds a week. If you workout, your body needs more food....or...you loose more weight Easy? Yes. But if you eat not enough, you wont loose weight.....so thats a kind o bad
So the calories of your workout are a bonus. Try to be in the range of your BMR + Bonus - 400 calories all about. That should be a good start and feel free to add.

Have a nice day.

suemorgan1969

200 a day? mine is 1200 a day? Not sure I understand why you have a 1000 more than me! Not fair . You dont have to eat bk the exercise calories, crickey I would struggle just consuming your 2200 a day. Are you sure you have set your settings correctly?

DerDude

Maybe you´re a girl sue

lururu

I saw a dietician last week who informed me that you do not need to eat back exercise calories plus exercise is only a tool you can use for maintaining weight rather than weight loss. It is still beneficial for your mind body and soul tho and good for you in other ways.

Make of that what you will, I for one am sick and tired of the conflicting advice and information overload.

suemorgan1969

I am, HMMMM we always lose out lol

jamface11

I think the problem is MFP is set up different to how you would normally think about.

To maintain my weight say I needed to eat 2400 calories including exercise, so to lose 1 pound a week I can take 500 off this and eat 1900 everyday. MFP normally sets you up without exercise built in (ie sedentary) which would say be 1700, so from this we can take off 500 calories to get a deficit of 1 pound a week without any exercise. Any exercise I now do would be an extra deficit on top of 500 im already not eating for the day. If you dont eat back the calories your deficit could be 750 and you should lose more, or if you eat them back its still 500 and you lose the pound.

I think its set up this way to make you more accountable with your exercise and hopefully motivate you to do more!

yarwell

What would be the point of exercising strictly to lose weight if the app rewards me with more calories at the end?

Some people enjoy it, believe it makes them more healthy or a better person or whatever.

But you are right that eating the exercise calories removes any contribution of exercise to calorie deficit.

ironanimal

If you want to strictly lose weight without any preference for where that comes from, then sure, don't eat them back. The idea of eating them back is to ensure you're getting enough nutrition to support the growth and repair needs of your muscles. At too high a deficit you increase your risk of losing lean mass (bones, organs, muscles, connective tissues etc) on top of fat loss, or in extreme cases BEFORE fat loss.

DanTTX

But if you eat not enough, you wont loose weight.....so thats a kind o bad

This is true; but I wonder why? Since we eat less, shouldn't we lose more weight?

DeeDoy

If you don't eat enough your metabolic rate slows down which means you burn calories slower. Exercising speeds that up and burns calories quicker BUT to be able to have the energy to exercise you need to eat enough calories.

I'm no expert though lol.

Often I'm at a calorie deficit myself, I exercise after dinner and then find I have at times almost 1000 calories gained from exercise. I couldn't eat that much without being ill so what I tend to do is have a shower and then some food, trying to ensure there is protein in what I eat as the muscles need this -- a lot of body builders etc will eat quite a bit of chicken or protein shakes to do the same. Personally I'm doing all of this to get healthier and lose some weight so I'm concentrating on cardio and just strength exercises to tone so I don't have flabby bits if I drop weight.

Sorry for the book, but you do need the calories for energy to exercise and the extra ensures you aren't wasting away body areas you shouldn't (muscle etc)

If it helps add it all up, and as long as you are coming out with some kind of deficit from the normal calories needed to maintain weight then you'll still lose even if you are eating extra as long as you exercise still.

Hope that makes sense and isn't just a blah mess of words.

SarahEBeth94

What would be the point of exercising strictly to lose weight if the app rewards me with more calories at the end?

Some people enjoy it, believe it makes them more healthy or a better person or whatever.

But you are right that eating the exercise calories removes any contribution of exercise to calorie deficit.

Bit it doesn't take back the benefits of doing the exercise, like added muscle mass, increased cardiovascular health, etc...

myfitnessnmhoy

You can easily lose more weight by working out a lot and not eating the extra energy back. It works fine for some people. I am not some people. I'm already on a 1000 calorie a day deficit to lose 2 pounds a week, so if I don't eat at least most of those calories back daily I feel like crap the next day and cannot sustain good workouts and build stamina for really long workouts and I have little energy throughout the day. I'm also more prone to cheating, and when I cheat my food choices are poorer.

I HAVE lost weight using the "constant calorie intake, exercise lots" method. I've then gained that weight back more times than I'd care to count. The point of eating back your exercise calories is to have control over your weight, not just to lose it as fast as possible. I'm losing weight at about the pace I've set, so I know when I finish my journey I have the tools I need to keep the weight off. I'm taking the opportunity to learn how many calories I need to maintain my weight once I've lost the excess.

It takes longer to lose weight at a fixed pace. For me, it's worth the time. You're an adult, you get to choose whether it's worth the time for you. I can only say that shortcuts to weight loss have been, for me, the longest journey.

amandacowan1978

If you don't eat enough to maintain health and support muscle repair (from that exercise) etc, then your body will burn muscle and not fat.

If you have TOO big a deficit (let's say your basic burn rate from just maintaining your current weight is 2000 calories and you burn another 700 calories through extra walking and exercise or whatever but you only eat say.. 1500 calories, you're talking about a 1200 calorie deficit which is 8400 calories a week,1400 more than the 7000 needed to lose 2lbs per week) then your body will go into starvation mode and will hold onto fat. Burning muscle instead.

You don't want that. It's great to lose weight, but not at the expense of healthy muscle tissue.

So, if you want to lose two pounds a week (and you have enough weight to lose to LOSE two pounds a week) and your basic burn is 2200, you would eat 1100 calories to lose 2lbs a week (although, experts might say that 1200 is the minimum you should eat to remain healthy with healthy organ function, etc).

If your basic burn is 2200 and you DON'T do ANY extra exercise, walking around etc. and are very sedentary, then sure.. 1100-1200 calories is fine. But if you go to the gym and work out and burn another 500-600 calories you would be smart to eat at least some of that. Maybe 50-75% of the extra calories. Even if you're doing other things besides sitting on a chair/couch or at a desk all day you're not only burning 2200. Washing dishes, walking to and from cars, grocery shopping, regular shopping, pushing a stroller, lugging around a small child, walking up and down stairs in your office or house, cleaning, laundry, cooking.. ALL of that adds to your basic burn.

I don't eat all my exercise calories. But for example, the other day was a heavily active day for me and I burned something like 700 calories throughout two short walks and 45 minute cardio at the gym. My regular allotted calories are 1350. I ate about 1650 that day. Lots of protein, fat, etc. and an acceptable number of carbs from healthy sources. But I still lagged on my morning workout the next day.

Everyone is different. People who have a lot more to lose can probably get away with a bigger deficit? I'm not sure how that works.

I have about 10lbs or so to lose. I'm trying to lose at 1.5lbs per week, but I suspect I'll only get away with losing 1.

thistimeismytime

I agree with the other posters. A too-large deficit can result in loss of muscle mass, cause your metabolism to slow down as it adjusts to the lower calories, and eventually make losing weight more difficult. I'm a chick and I've lost 26 lbs eating about 2000 cals a day, so as an active male, you will likely need to eat more than that. The point of exercise is not JUST to create a deficit--it's to whip your rear into SHAPE, get you healthy, muscular, and fit.

Best wishes!!. :flowerforyou:

chaabounij

There are far more benefits to exercise than using up calories....building muscle, strengthening your heart, feeding your brain, stimulating bone calcification, lower blood pressure, producing serotonin, etc...the list is endless. Don't exercise "just to lose weight"...exercise because it FEELS good (once you get used to it) and because it increases your overall health and well-being!! Exercise is the most important thing we can do for ourselves besides eating right, in myri opinion.
I worked as a veterinary technician for 10 years and watching all those veterinary diets reverse diabetes, manage kidney failure, ease arthritis and allergies, etc. really convinced me of how important nutrition is too health!
Good luck in you fitness plans!!

70davis

Bump

lyttlewon

I find I struggle with a work out if I haven't had enough to eat. I was working with a pretty large deficit and I had very little fuel. I don't eat back my exercise calories every day, I maintain a steady amount each day regardless of if I worked out. Sometimes I eat more, but only up to my max.

Topsking2010

Bump

Nerdy_Rose

People will give you lots of conflicting advice. There are two equally vehement camps heres on MFP (I'm even in one of them!), but ultimately, you need to decide how to do this. Some good places to start are doing the math to figure out your BMR and TDEE and calculate your own deficit from there.

Yes, a steeper deficit does equal faster weight loss, but a smaller deficit helps the body preserve lean muscle mass and helps you look better in the long run. To the googles!

Going4Lean

Read this and find out how many calories you really have to eat.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

fmbomzo

I set my activity level to Sedentary and I log all exercise. My MFP goal is 1200 cals (I'm 5'2"). I exercise several times per week but I try to stay around a 300 calorie burn for each workout. I'd rather do it this way and control the additional deficit with workouts. When my schedule is erratic, then I don't stress about the inconsistent workouts because I haven't set my calorie goal to assume any.

nxd10

You exercise to lose FAT and not MUSCLE and to make yourself healthier and to look better.

If you just do calorie restriction, you will lose relatively more muscle and less fat.

Weight loss is mostly dietary restriction.

The other important thing is that calories are what keep you alive, thinking, and functioning. You can't keep working out and burning them without replenishing yourself. You particularly need easy to access calories when you are working hard because otherwise you just eat your muscles. Not helpful.

Tifffit23

I was just wondering message too, thanks for the advice it has really helped me.