Is this right?

SteveO1966

I am a 200 lb male with a desk job. I exercise 6 days per week (3 aerobic, 3 weights). When I enter info into my profile, I check "sedentary" because of my job. The calculator sets me to 1240 calories per day. Is that right? I sounds really low.

DaniKenmir

You're active if you're exercising that much, i'm seditary because I dont exercise at all. and I have a desk job.

Healthydiner65

Sounds very low because you checked sedentary meaning no exercise at all and you are working out. You need to change the sedentary setting.

CkepiJinx

Yes but you need to add in your exercise and then it will give you more calories depending on how much you exercise. Then eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories.

MDWilliams1857

Its fine to leave it the way it is but youll want to eat your exercise calories at least some of them. If you change it from sedentary to active then you wont eat back exercise calories because they will already be factored in.

lmarshel

It depends on what you listed as your goal weight loss per week. If you listed something high, like 3 pounds loss per week, that's probably what you'll have to eat to get there. I don't have your other stats, so I can't comment more than that. MFP takes your age, height, weight, sex and goals into account when it calculates your daily calorie allotment.

Regarding the activity level, if you are working a desk job but working out regularly and DO NOT plan to log and eat back your exercise calories, then you list yourself as active. If you plan to log every cardio session and eat those calories accordingly, you need to list yourself as sedentary. MFP is not taking into account your planned exercise into the calorie goal equation. It only looks at your stats (as listed above) and your activity level.

Hope that helps.

SteveO1966

Thanks everyone. I am going to leave it a sedentary and log all my workouts. I also want to improve fitness and it keeps me honest to log my exercise.