This is my last try to get a response!!!!

2

Replies

  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 959 Member
    The reason why I asked was cuz I went to the Best in the West rib cookoff today and wanted to enjoy myself without the guilt!

    THAT is a completely different thing. Sometimes, you just need to give yourself a day to be free of guilt and enjoy yourself. It won't hurt you. :o)
  • fairestthings
    fairestthings Posts: 335 Member
    I've had difficulties with this, and I think you kind of have to play with it before you realize what works for your body.

    For now, my BMR is somewhere around 1650. I make sure to net at least 1650, but this doesn't mean I eat back ALL my exercise calories, just some. If I don't exercise at all and eat my BMR, it's a maintenance day. Otherwise I try to eat my BMR with exercise and then I usually lose.

    Some people are able to lose by eating back exercise cals, some aren't. Give each way 2-3 weeks and see what works for you.
  • edwardda
    edwardda Posts: 1
    I think so, but just in case, don't! Unless it's a special occasion and you can be careful for the next few days! Hang in there!:smile:
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
    Yes it does, but if you eat all of them and you close out for the day ,they will tell you that you will weigh more in 5 weeks than if you don't eat the extra calories!!

    Basil
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    As several people have mentioned above, BMR is not what you burn in a day -- it's your metabolic rate at complete rest (for some people, even sleeping metabolic rate can be higher than BMR).

    BMR is not a suitable number to take your deficit from -- you need to multiply it by an activity factor which varies depending on how active you are (ie a construction worker's daily requirement is different from an office worker's daily requirement even if their BMR is the same). MFP does this for you when you tell it your activity level. If you want to know how many calories you need per day, google TDEE calculator. This includes exercise but would give you a rough estimation of your maintenance level.

    When MFP estimates your maintenance level, it doesn't factor in exercise, which is why you are supposed to eat more when you exercise on the MFP plan.

    Hope that helps!
  • Droope2
    Droope2 Posts: 82
    I was told by my nutritionist not to eat back my exercise calories, so if I exercise and have an extra 500 calories, I do not touch them, I stay at about 1500 calories a day and have been doing okay, good luck!
  • WickedBean
    WickedBean Posts: 244 Member
    Yes. Its the way MFP is set up.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Recently I had a DXA scan done and someone gave me this using my LBM of 104.5 (I am 5'1"), perhaps the formula will help you!


    Wow! Awesome about your bone density. An LBM of of 104.5?? That is amazing for you height!!
    The Katch-mcardle formula takes LBM into the equation, so may be more accurate for you. It is:

    BMR= 370+ (21.6 x Lean mass in kg)
    BMR=1396
  • Antlady69
    Antlady69 Posts: 204 Member
    This incredible post will answer all your questions:

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

    (sorry if someone else has already posted the link, I didn't take the time to read all replies.)
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
    Yes thyroid issues definitely make a difference and I know I can't eat back many of my exercise calories if I want to lose at all. I have hypothyroidism. Even with medication my metabolism is slow. So I try to stay within 100 calories above or less than the 1240 MFP suggested for me. I always eat at least 1200 though.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I do not eat back my exercise calories. I have not gone into starvation mode. The proof is in the pudding.

    This was me last week, on the far right. I am still building muscle and I do not eat back exercise calories.. just a few sometimes but mainly they are way higher than reality.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobbiesfitness/7909829252/in/photostream/lightbox/
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    I was told by my nutritionist not to eat back my exercise calories, so if I exercise and have an extra 500 calories, I do not touch them, I stay at about 1500 calories a day and have been doing okay, good luck!

    Normally you shouldn't eat back exercise calories if you are trying to lose but the way MFP is set up, you are given a deficit without exercise. If you exercise and don't eat more, your deficit is higher. This may or may not be a good idea depending on what your deficit was and how much you burned though exercise (ie it could make your deficit too large). So I understand why a nutritionist would say that but most people who recommend that don't understand how the site works. That said, if it's working for you, great!
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    link to a calculator (used on this site a lot) to help you figure out your numbers http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
    1. Figure out you BMR (what you burn if your sick in bed all day) and your TDEE (basically what your work or home sched. is - I always choose sedentary) Eat MORE than your BMR and less than your TDEE NO MATTER WHAT. I set my 'calorie goal' at my BMR, and eat back EVERY exercise calorie I burn (via HRM) Honestly I think this only works for me b/c I do go over calories a bit EVERY weekend. You really do need to eat more to weigh less if you are eatiing good foods and working out.

    Check this out:

    https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=138e3e6a2a00f213&mt=application/vnd.ms-excel&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=96469e59e3&view=att&th=138e3e6a2a00f213&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw&sig=AHIEtbTvLPx6mwk3WwOzmgyCn1WLYQ0_3w

    I honestly do not know if that link will work, but someone on this site made a huge excell sheet where you input your stats and it figures oput EVERYTHING for you. It is a little hard to follow at 1st, but super informative. I hope my link works :-/
  • _EmmaStrong_
    _EmmaStrong_ Posts: 647 Member
    I think BMR is highly unreliable. Peoples' metabolism are as different as night and day. My BMR is supposedly right around 1300 and my exercise calories average around 300. If I ate 1600 calories everyday, I would not be able to lose weight, most likely just maintain. You really just have to experiment and see what works. There is no magic formula, I don't care what they say. You have to have a deficit to lose weight. I do not eat back my exercise calories and I eat below my BMR, always. I believe that my metabolism is very slow, as my resting heart is around 45. I know people will disagree with this. Experiment, experiment, experiment, until you find the right amount of calories that will work for you. That's all you can do. I know, I've been there, done that!!
  • rm830
    rm830 Posts: 531 Member
    Sometimes threads just don't get seen, don't take it personally because you are far from the only one it happens to.

    Your BMR is what you would burn if you laid in bed all day. If you eat that much plus the calories burned from exercise you would still be under your TDEE by the amount of calories you burn walking around, cooking and doing all your normal daily activities.

    ^^This!
  • KaidaKantri
    KaidaKantri Posts: 401
    Yes. you want your NET to be at your bmr number. For example, if your bmr was 1400 and you exercised 400 calories, you would be able to eat 1800 calories and net the 1400. You don't want too much of a deficit at the end of the day. If you did NOT eat those 400 calories back then you would be at a 1000 net for the day which equals unhealthy. 1400 (bmr) - 400 (Exercise) =1000 which would be your net. 1400+400 =1800. Take that 1800 and MINUS the 400 for exercise would bring you back down to your NET goal. This all is very hard to explain I hoped it helped somewhat. If I were you, I would assume that your not burning as much and just eat 50-75% of your exercise calories back, if your not comfortable with eating them all back. I eat MOST of mine back every day (that's why I exercise >:( ) and I'm still losing weight steadily. :)
  • badfattitude
    badfattitude Posts: 54 Member
    My weight loss doctor told me to eat back 1/2 of the work out calories, but no more than 500. But that is for me (after all the tests he's conducted).

    Bottom line, you have to do what feels right for you.

    If this is about your guilty feelings, well, no amount of reading about BMR and TDEE numbers is going to make that go away.

    My philosophy is if I have to ask myself if it's okay if I eat something..... it probably isn't.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    BMR is you Basal Metabolic Rate. what that means, is that it is the bare minimum of calories you need to consume to sustain your basic bodily functions.

    your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the amount of calories, based on your current level of activity (including exercise) that you need to maintain your weight.

    one thing that works for people is that they split the difference between their tdee and your bmr, and then eat their exercise calories.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    If my BMR is 1,480 and I had 403 exercise calories does that mean I can eat 1,883 calories without gaining?

    No clue. Your body's needs vary depending on so many different factors....experiment and find out what works for you. If a certain amount of calories is not working for you after a month or so, revisit and revise where needed. :)

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