Don't understand the food goals...please explain

josetancuan

I'm a new myfitnesspal/bodymedia fit user, and I have both applications linked togerther. I use the bodymedia to record my calories burned and myfitnesspal for the food logging. My question pertains to how myfitnesspal makes its food goals because even when it summarizes its suggestions I conceptually still don't understand.

I have my goal set to gain 1 pound a week. Sedentary activity. It says I should be eating 2,430 net calories/day. With normal caloric activity expending 1,950/daily and 6 days of excerise at 90 minutes (2,570 calories/wk), it says that I should be gaining 1.0 lbs/wk with 480 calories in abundance daily. I don't understand this.

My logic is as follows:
430 daily excerise calories + 1950 normal caloric activity in a day = 2,380 activity calories

2,430 calories net calories (suggested) - 2,380 calories = only 50 calories over

I don't understand how it says i'm gaining 480 calories/day.

If I am expected to expend 2,380 calories from excerise/job/life activity, and I need 480 calories/day to gain 1 lb a week. Shouldn't be eating 2,860 calories/day.

2,860 food calories - 430 daily excerise calories - 1950 normal caloric activity = 480 calories/day

kendrafallon

I think (and I'm no expert) if you're looking to gain weight you're going to have eat back the calories you're burning in exercise.

Eating back exercise calories for those trying to lose weight is a hot topic, but you're trying to gain weight in a controlled manner. I'm sure others will chip in with their thoughts.

josetancuan

That's what I was thinking. This also just covers the base excerise goal. When I excerise over the suggested limit, myfitnesspal accomedates for the data bodymedia sends over. But honestly, ifhe added calories that I get for over excerising is incorrect. But I don't know the base caloric value myfitnesspal uses to determine how much to compensate for overexcerising.