Exercise calories? Again? WTF
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Thank you so much for this post. This is the simplest explanation I have seen so far. If you don't mind, I have one more question for you. Since you seem to have it figured out.
When I set goals through MFP it asks me for my planned exercise. Should I tell it that I work out 5 days a week for an hour a day? Currently, I told it that I don't work out, then I log my workouts, and I eat all my net calories. I am happily losing weight, but not as fast as I had hoped (47 lbs in 2 years).
My concern is: When I tell it what my planned weekly workouts/hours are it adjusts my every day calories. Then when I log my workouts it adjust my net calories for the specific day. This makes me feel like I have counted the same workout twice, and ate the same calories back twice, thereby decreasing my deficit.
For example: My daily calories are 1340. If I burn 400 working out, then I eat 1740 and have a deficit of 560 calories for the day (based on my TDEE using the average of several different calculators). But if that 1340 that MPF gives me already takes my 400 calorie burn into account because I told it I planned to work out when I set my goals, then I have eaten 400 EXTRA calories and only created a deficit of 160 calories for the day. And if I ever skipped a workout then I would have a caloric credit which I definitely don't want.
I have searched the forums but no one seems to have a concise answer to this question. Does MPF take the caloric outgo of planned work outs into account when setting daily calorie goals? If not, then why ask for them?
I am concerned that maybe my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enough. But, I don't want to add my planned workouts into my goal planning area without understanding the formula because I am worried I will stall my weight loss completely by eating more calories. Even slow loss is still the right direction.
Any input you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!0 -
Thank you so much for this post. This is the simplest explanation I have seen so far. If you don't mind, I have one more question for you. Since you seem to have it figured out.
When I set goals through MFP it asks me for my planned exercise. Should I tell it that I work out 5 days a week for an hour a day? Currently, I told it that I don't work out, then I log my workouts, and I eat all my net calories. I am happily losing weight, but not as fast as I had hoped (47 lbs in 2 years).
My concern is: When I tell it what my planned weekly workouts/hours are it adjusts my every day calories. Then when I log my workouts it adjust my net calories for the specific day. This makes me feel like I have counted the same workout twice, and ate the same calories back twice, thereby decreasing my deficit.
For example: My daily calories are 1340. If I burn 400 working out, then I eat 1740 and have a deficit of 560 calories for the day (based on my TDEE using the average of several different calculators). But if that 1340 that MPF gives me already takes my 400 calorie burn into account because I told it I planned to work out when I set my goals, then I have eaten 400 EXTRA calories and only created a deficit of 160 calories for the day. And if I ever skipped a workout then I would have a caloric credit which I definitely don't want.
I have searched the forums but no one seems to have a concise answer to this question. Does MPF take the caloric outgo of planned work outs into account when setting daily calorie goals? If not, then why ask for them?
I am concerned that maybe my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enough. But, I don't want to add my planned workouts into my goal planning area without understanding the formula because I am worried I will stall my weight loss completely by eating more calories. Even slow loss is still the right direction.
Any input you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
The planned exercise does not impact anything except the 'in 5 weeks you will weigh XXXlb' predictor.1 -
Thank you.0
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Sadly I have nothing to add.... so ... BUMP...lol0
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bump0
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Thank you so much for this post. This is the simplest explanation I have seen so far. If you don't mind, I have one more question for you. Since you seem to have it figured out.
When I set goals through MFP it asks me for my planned exercise. Should I tell it that I work out 5 days a week for an hour a day? Currently, I told it that I don't work out, then I log my workouts, and I eat all my net calories. I am happily losing weight, but not as fast as I had hoped (47 lbs in 2 years).
My concern is: When I tell it what my planned weekly workouts/hours are it adjusts my every day calories. Then when I log my workouts it adjust my net calories for the specific day. This makes me feel like I have counted the same workout twice, and ate the same calories back twice, thereby decreasing my deficit.
For example: My daily calories are 1340. If I burn 400 working out, then I eat 1740 and have a deficit of 560 calories for the day (based on my TDEE using the average of several different calculators). But if that 1340 that MPF gives me already takes my 400 calorie burn into account because I told it I planned to work out when I set my goals, then I have eaten 400 EXTRA calories and only created a deficit of 160 calories for the day. And if I ever skipped a workout then I would have a caloric credit which I definitely don't want.
I have searched the forums but no one seems to have a concise answer to this question. Does MPF take the caloric outgo of planned work outs into account when setting daily calorie goals? If not, then why ask for them?
I am concerned that maybe my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enough. But, I don't want to add my planned workouts into my goal planning area without understanding the formula because I am worried I will stall my weight loss completely by eating more calories. Even slow loss is still the right direction.
Any input you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
The planned exercise does not impact anything except the 'in 5 weeks you will weigh XXXlb' predictor.
Actually, what it does is tell you how well you have achieved your goal of exercising X days / X hours per week. So let's say you plan on burning 1000 cal per week doing 200 per day for 5 days each week. When you log a cardio exercise, it will indicate how many hours and how many calories burned for that day over what your goal for the day was, and then do the same thing for your weekly total. It does not affect the calorie goal at all, because MFP assumes that you will eat more calories on days that you exercise; the deficit is already built into your goal, and exercise could give you too much of a deficit if you eat too much. But now I'm repeating the OP, so I guess I'm done!0 -
bump - good stuff!0
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Thank you so much for this post. This is the simplest explanation I have seen so far. If you don't mind, I have one more question for you. Since you seem to have it figured out.
When I set goals through MFP it asks me for my planned exercise. Should I tell it that I work out 5 days a week for an hour a day? Currently, I told it that I don't work out, then I log my workouts, and I eat all my net calories. I am happily losing weight, but not as fast as I had hoped (47 lbs in 2 years).
My concern is: When I tell it what my planned weekly workouts/hours are it adjusts my every day calories. Then when I log my workouts it adjust my net calories for the specific day. This makes me feel like I have counted the same workout twice, and ate the same calories back twice, thereby decreasing my deficit.
For example: My daily calories are 1340. If I burn 400 working out, then I eat 1740 and have a deficit of 560 calories for the day (based on my TDEE using the average of several different calculators). But if that 1340 that MPF gives me already takes my 400 calorie burn into account because I told it I planned to work out when I set my goals, then I have eaten 400 EXTRA calories and only created a deficit of 160 calories for the day. And if I ever skipped a workout then I would have a caloric credit which I definitely don't want.
I have searched the forums but no one seems to have a concise answer to this question. Does MPF take the caloric outgo of planned work outs into account when setting daily calorie goals? If not, then why ask for them?
I am concerned that maybe my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enough. But, I don't want to add my planned workouts into my goal planning area without understanding the formula because I am worried I will stall my weight loss completely by eating more calories. Even slow loss is still the right direction.
Any input you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
The planned exercise does not impact anything except the 'in 5 weeks you will weigh XXXlb' predictor.
Actually, what it does is tell you how well you have achieved your goal of exercising X days / X hours per week. So let's say you plan on burning 1000 cal per week doing 200 per day for 5 days each week. When you log a cardio exercise, it will indicate how many hours and how many calories burned for that day over what your goal for the day was, and then do the same thing for your weekly total. It does not affect the calorie goal at all, because MFP assumes that you will eat more calories on days that you exercise; the deficit is already built into your goal, and exercise could give you too much of a deficit if you eat too much. But now I'm repeating the OP, so I guess I'm done!
Yes, but that does not impact anything except the 5 week predictor.0 -
Bump, because I need to read this over and over and over!!0
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Bump0
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Thank you for this VERY informative post! I took everything into consideration & you are correct.. I really should be eating back the calories if I follow MFP's design. I've hit a plateau, so I'll give it a shot!! I use a heartrate monitor, so I will begin to track my workouts on here again & eat back those calories. I will report back in 1 months time! LOL! ^_^ Thanks again!BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): The number of calories you burn at complete rest.
EAT (Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): Caloric requirements of training, or training expenditure.
NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): Caloric requirements of activity that is not planned exercise. Vacuuming, driving, brushing your teeth, for example.
TEF/DIT (Thermic Effect of Feeding or Diet Induced Thermogenesis): Caloric expense of eating/digestion.
TDEE: (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) = Sum of the above. BMR+EAT+NEAT+TEF
If you are using MFP to tell you how much to eat, that estimate is NOT going to include EAT as part of the intake estimate.
Myfitnesspal uses a caloric estimation tool that expects you to eat back calories burned during exercise.
Consequently, MFP will essentially give you a LOWER intake estimate than an external TDEE calculator would give you.
In other words:
You tell MFP: I'd like to lose 1lb/week.
MFP says: Hey, you should eat X calories every day to lose 1lb/week.
You then decide to exercise and you burn 400 calories.
MFP says: Hey you pecker, you said you wanted to lose 1lb/week. Now you need to eat X+400 because you told me you wanted to lose 1lb/week.
So based on this:
If you are using MFP to tell you how many calories to eat, you should be eating back some of your exercise calories.
If you are using an external calculator and then customizing your intake to match that, you should not be eating back your exercise calories.0 -
In other words:
You tell MFP: I'd like to lose 1lb/week.
MFP says: Hey, you should eat X calories every day to lose 1lb/week.
You then decide to exercise and you burn 400 calories.
MFP says: Hey you pecker, you said you wanted to lose 1lb/week. Now you need to eat X+400 because you told me you wanted to lose 1lb/week.
I'm going to have to read this again when the kids aren't around to understand this whole post better, but this quote totally made sense to me. Thank you!0 -
Awesome! So glad to have some confirmation that Im doing the right thing! Thanks!!1
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Great post. I have always used the TDEE minus method. Just fits me better.
I got a FitBit 35 days ago and it has been remarkably accurate. Past 35 days (average): intake 2,793 cal / day, FitBit calories burned 2,793 cal / day. Weight is the same. Although my BF% has gone down.1 -
Good Post!0
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I'd like to stay below a 600 calorie deficit for my BMR's sake. In saying this, I had previously been overestimating my weight lifting calories immensely - thinking I'd burn 400 calories in an hour when it most likely was 100-150. My former problem had been consuming more calories than I had burned, thus shortening my deficit to cause a slower progress. Now that I've recognized my error and only use my HRM for cardio only (or if used for weightlifting, only account for a 1/4th of what I burned), I wanted to see if I fully understand this and if it's really all as basic as it seems.
I wear a HRM when lifting weights (the majority of my workouts) and have been relying on the numbers it gives me. By reading the above comment, I am assuming that the numbers are incorrect for my lifting workouts. Is this true and why is it so? I usually burn around 200-250 for an hours workout (up around 300 when I do a big leg workout). Why would the HRM be accurate for a cardio workout but not a weight workout?0 -
I'd like to stay below a 600 calorie deficit for my BMR's sake. In saying this, I had previously been overestimating my weight lifting calories immensely - thinking I'd burn 400 calories in an hour when it most likely was 100-150. My former problem had been consuming more calories than I had burned, thus shortening my deficit to cause a slower progress. Now that I've recognized my error and only use my HRM for cardio only (or if used for weightlifting, only account for a 1/4th of what I burned), I wanted to see if I fully understand this and if it's really all as basic as it seems.
I wear a HRM when lifting weights (the majority of my workouts) and have been relying on the numbers it gives me. By reading the above comment, I am assuming that the numbers are incorrect for my lifting workouts. Is this true and why is it so? I usually burn around 200-250 for an hours workout (up around 300 when I do a big leg workout). Why would the HRM be accurate for a cardio workout but not a weight workout?
Because lifting raises your heart rate without the commensurate energy expenditure that you get with cardio.0 -
O.K. So if my HRM says that I do say a 200 calorie burn, how many cals do you think would be a more accurate estimate of calories burnt? Should I go with 1/4 as previously mentioned?
I have hit a bit of a plateau and maybe my inaccuracy of weight training cals (I weight train 5 days per week) might be why.0 -
O.K. So if my HRM says that I do say a 200 calorie burn, how many cals do you think would be a more accurate estimate of calories burnt? Should I go with 1/4 as previously mentioned?
I have hit a bit of a plateau and maybe my inaccuracy of weight training cals (I weight train 5 days per week) might be why.
While HRMs are generally not accurate for lifting, 200 calories an hour is a conservative estimate.
Do you weigh your food and log absolutely everything!0 -
Yes - to the point where my hubby gets annoyed at me for the length of time it takes me to cook dinner and pack my lunch etc.
I must admit that I haven't been eating back my exercise cals though. I have been trawling through the forums trying to figure out whether to eat them back or not and have gotten completely confused. So it was great when I came across your threads.0
