help with calorie calculation please

flex007

I recently calculated my BMR and got 1809 calories per day. I then Used the harris benedict equation and multiplied it by 1.55 to get a total of 2803 cals per day. My question is I figured that the harris benedict equation already figures in the fact of workouts. I currently use myfitnesspal.com APP to keep track of my calories, And i am eating at a 600 calorie deficit for a total of 2200 calories. However I enter my workouts also into the application with my calories burned and it adds it to the total calories that need to be taken in? So if i burn 300 cals on the treadmill the software upgrades my calories for 2500 for the day? is this correct? or should i be eating 2200 calories regardless?

MacMadame

If you are taking your exercise into account when you picked your activity level, then you can't add it in again on MFP because then you are double counting it.

yayam28

Well, my daily goal for intake does go up when I add my exercise but if you eat the exercise calories you end up with no deficit and therefore will not lose any weight. It is accepted that to lose one pound you must have a calorie deficit of 3500cals so for example when you exercise and have a 300 cal deficit it would take approx 11 days to lost one pound. I personally don't eat my extra calories and I'm losing great (about 4 pounds a week for the last 4 weeks). I hope this info helps.

indiankel

I had the same question and asked my personal trainer. He said to ignore the added calories for working out. You have to create a deficit to lose...if you eat those calories then how are you creating that difference. I was told to just stick to my calorie intake which is 1259 cal a day. Does this make sense?

indiankel

yayam28,
How are you losing 4lbs a week? I can't seem to get the scale to move right now!

stormieweather

If you are using MFP's tools to calculate your calories, then your deficit is already built in. In order to keep a 500 calorie (or 1000 calorie) deficit, MFP adds back in your workouts to maintain that deficit at precise levels and keep you healthy. I would bet an ice cream sundae that you didn't tell your trainer or doctor or other professional that the deficit was already built in.

Really, if you want to use MFP to lose weight, then do it the way it's set up. If you don't understand why...search the stickies about whether to eat your exercise calories or not. There are loads of them there.

BigdaddyJ

yayam28,
How are you losing 4lbs a week? I can't seem to get the scale to move right now!

just for kicks....try eating your workout calories for a week and see the results....the deficit on mfp is precalculated in your calorie goals, I've been eating ALL my calories, including the extra exercises ones, and loosing AT LEAST 3 lbs a week for the last 3 weeks, my best week I lost 7!

I know you all trust your pers trainers but you have to take some and leave some...see a nutritionnist!

JF

flex007

MY BMR using the site is 1749...what other calculations do you guys use on this site? I just used the harris benedict formula i found on a google site .I multiplied it by 1.55 (work out 3-5 times a week) I came up with 2710. So Im figuring 2200 calories a day would be correct for a 500 calorie deficit regardless of any extra intesity at the gym? I appreciate the help, Im just trying to get this right. My main goals are gettin more defined with some lean muscle gain, So this can be a fine line for getting this just right.

BigdaddyJ

The formula you're using is probaly good, I dont know it...what people are saying is this :
-If you use any other calculation to mesure you exercise, dont add it to MFP because it will give you extra calories that you dont need.

MFP calculates the exercise calories for every individual time you exercise, so if you want to use that methid, forget about the formula.

If you realy want to use the bendict formula it's all good, I'd just worry about logging my food to keep track and dont bother with loggin your exercise...

JF

lisawest

I know this can get confusing. Especially when you're just starting out. This questions has been addressed in several topics. Here is a link to one that provides some answers, and also provides links to more answers: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

If you told MFP that you want to lose 1lb a week, it automatically adjust your calorie count to provide a deficit large enough (500 cal/day) so you will, theoretically, be able to achieve your goal. When you exercise, you are increasing your deficit by however many calories you burned. Now you have a choice. Eat all those "extra" calories, eat some of them, or eat none of them. In my personal journey, I have done all three. When I started, I would be STARVING after I had finished dinner (and eaten all my calories). So I would go exercise so I could eat more. Worked great for awhile. When I hit my first mini-plateau, I cut out all my extra exercise calories. It worked. I started losing again. That also worked great for awhile. When I hit that next mini-plateau, I started eating my exercise cals if I was hungry. If I wasn't, I left them. That's been working for me for several weeks. Whichever way you do it, try it for 2 or 3 weeks. If it's not producing the results, try something else for 2 or 3 weeks. Once you find what works, stick with it until it doesn't anymore. Then try something else.

It's not an exact science, and MFP's software (out of necessity) is built on averages, and inexact formulas. What worked for me, may not work for you. What works for you may not work for me. I suggest you search the boards for other posts about exercise calories. There are TONS and many people, much more knowledgable than I, have given great answers.

Good luck on finding what works for you!:flowerforyou:

flex007

alot of good advice, this site is great! I think I will start eating maybe 50% of my cals that i burn. I'm more of a bodybuilder i would say, However I am trying to cut up a little bit and I am afraid of hindering muscle growth or possibly losing lean tissue because of heavy calorie restriction.

BigdaddyJ

here's a good article on bodybuilding, it breacks down the nutrition part of it pretty well!!

http://www.getbig.com/articles/faq-dav2.htm

MacMadame

If you are using MFP's tools to calculate your calories,

But they aren't. That't the point. They used some other formula and included their exercise when they picked their activity level. So their exercise is already included and shouldn't be included again or they won't lose.

stormieweather

So why are they here? What's the point?

Mina133842

consider this: When you started your profile, did you include exercise in your daily routine and activities? If you DID, then DON'T log your exercise as you do it, as it's already calculated in your calories. I suggest, that you go back to your profile, and erase all the exercise stuff, it will recalculate your calories, and then when you exercise, log it each time, that will give you a more accurate picture. That's what they're talking about "doubling" on your calories for exercise - if you had it set in your profile, and then added your exercise, you're essentially getting extra calories you may not have "earned." Make sense?

MacMadame

So why are they here? What's the point?

The point is to track your calories. MFP is the easiest program out there to do that IMO. It's got a great database of foods so you hardly have to enter in a new one and it's easy to track your foods and see how you are doing. Plus, it's got the iPhone app.

The other great thing about it is that you can set your goals to what you want them to be. I was on The Daily Plate and I got tired of it telling me I had gotten in 100% of my protein for the day when I had only gotten in about half of it. But I couldn't change that goal. On MFP, you can.

The site is a tool and there are many ways to use it.