Exercise calories? Again? WTF

124

Replies

  • Bullstone08
    Bullstone08 Posts: 16 Member
    Ok just another person in the dark here lol. So I've always wondered if I was eating too little calories, so I decided to do some spelunking on here. So using the TDEE method I saw from the the one post. I've estimated that I've eaten about 1900 calories a day so far in my lifestyle change. So 1900 X 7 days X 115 weeks = 1,529,500 calories. Then my weight loss: 140 pounds X 3500 calories = 490,000 calories. I add those two together and divide by 802 days and my TDEE is 2518 calories. So if I take a 30% cut because of my more than likely high body fat %, that brings my goal down to 1763 calories. Does that mean I should be eating 1763 calories a day based on my basic understanding of the topic. And say for instance, I burn 400 calories at the gym one day, do I eat back those 400 calories so that I end up at 1763 again? Any advice or further explanation would be greatly appreciated. I've lost 140 pounds so far and I have another 60-70 pounds left to lose. I'm really trying hard to understand my body more and make sure I'm giving it all the proper nutrition I need to stay healthy and lose the rest of me lol.

    I'd instead ask you this:

    What is your current weight, and in the past 8 weeks how much weight have you lost in total?

    How do you feel as far as your satiety and exercise performance at your current calorie intake?

    Honestly, I'm not really sure that I have. I've fluctuated between 262/3 and 277 for the last I don't even know how long. So I really can't answer that effectively. And my current weight is about 262 pounds.

    Do you know what your average caloric intake has been over the past few weeks and do you use a food scale?

    Well I'd have to say between 14-1600 calories net(using the MFP numbers calories in - calories burned. And yes, I use a food scale as much as humanly possible.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Ok just another person in the dark here lol. So I've always wondered if I was eating too little calories, so I decided to do some spelunking on here. So using the TDEE method I saw from the the one post. I've estimated that I've eaten about 1900 calories a day so far in my lifestyle change. So 1900 X 7 days X 115 weeks = 1,529,500 calories. Then my weight loss: 140 pounds X 3500 calories = 490,000 calories. I add those two together and divide by 802 days and my TDEE is 2518 calories. So if I take a 30% cut because of my more than likely high body fat %, that brings my goal down to 1763 calories. Does that mean I should be eating 1763 calories a day based on my basic understanding of the topic. And say for instance, I burn 400 calories at the gym one day, do I eat back those 400 calories so that I end up at 1763 again? Any advice or further explanation would be greatly appreciated. I've lost 140 pounds so far and I have another 60-70 pounds left to lose. I'm really trying hard to understand my body more and make sure I'm giving it all the proper nutrition I need to stay healthy and lose the rest of me lol.

    I'd instead ask you this:

    What is your current weight, and in the past 8 weeks how much weight have you lost in total?

    How do you feel as far as your satiety and exercise performance at your current calorie intake?

    Honestly, I'm not really sure that I have. I've fluctuated between 262/3 and 277 for the last I don't even know how long. So I really can't answer that effectively. And my current weight is about 262 pounds.

    Do you know what your average caloric intake has been over the past few weeks and do you use a food scale?

    Well I'd have to say between 14-1600 calories net(using the MFP numbers calories in - calories burned. And yes, I use a food scale as much as humanly possible.

    What about gross intake?

    Can you set your diary to public?
  • Bullstone08
    Bullstone08 Posts: 16 Member
    Ok just another person in the dark here lol. So I've always wondered if I was eating too little calories, so I decided to do some spelunking on here. So using the TDEE method I saw from the the one post. I've estimated that I've eaten about 1900 calories a day so far in my lifestyle change. So 1900 X 7 days X 115 weeks = 1,529,500 calories. Then my weight loss: 140 pounds X 3500 calories = 490,000 calories. I add those two together and divide by 802 days and my TDEE is 2518 calories. So if I take a 30% cut because of my more than likely high body fat %, that brings my goal down to 1763 calories. Does that mean I should be eating 1763 calories a day based on my basic understanding of the topic. And say for instance, I burn 400 calories at the gym one day, do I eat back those 400 calories so that I end up at 1763 again? Any advice or further explanation would be greatly appreciated. I've lost 140 pounds so far and I have another 60-70 pounds left to lose. I'm really trying hard to understand my body more and make sure I'm giving it all the proper nutrition I need to stay healthy and lose the rest of me lol.

    I'd instead ask you this:

    What is your current weight, and in the past 8 weeks how much weight have you lost in total?

    How do you feel as far as your satiety and exercise performance at your current calorie intake?

    Honestly, I'm not really sure that I have. I've fluctuated between 262/3 and 277 for the last I don't even know how long. So I really can't answer that effectively. And my current weight is about 262 pounds.

    Do you know what your average caloric intake has been over the past few weeks and do you use a food scale?

    Well I'd have to say between 14-1600 calories net(using the MFP numbers calories in - calories burned. And yes, I use a food scale as much as humanly possible.

    What about gross intake?

    Can you set your diary to public?

    Ok, it's public and as far as gross intake maybe 1700 or so.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Thanks, PMing you.
  • Bullstone08
    Bullstone08 Posts: 16 Member
    Thank you
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    Shabam !
  • Thank you!
  • TexasGal1
    TexasGal1 Posts: 65 Member
    Awesome!!
  • Chickaboo2014
    Chickaboo2014 Posts: 136 Member
    Great post. BUMP
  • Yagisama
    Yagisama Posts: 595 Member
    Great post!
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    My problem with the TDEE-x% method is that for people that do not exercise regularly (or are working towards an exercise routine but are still not there yet) it's more complicated to calculate their TDEE because it varies a lot. For example, in my case, I've been slowly adding more and more exercise in my daily life, but it's still difficult for me to commit to it and many days I just skip my exercise plans. So what I've done is to calculate my TDEE assuming I don't do any exercise at all, then subtract 20% and use that as my daily goal. Whenever I actually do some exercise, then there are some extra calories I can eat since they are not part of my calculated TDEE. Does it make sense or do I miss something?

    Yes it makes sense and nope you did not miss anything.

    Bells just sounded in my tiny brain because this all just made sense to me with this one little explanation. Finally! Thanks :drinker:
  • alyssia02
    alyssia02 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you so much for the explanation!!! This is right on time. And for the "giggidty" reference, it certainly deserves a Bump. lol
  • AzaleaNicole38
    AzaleaNicole38 Posts: 102 Member
    WOW, this was so well done! Biggest thank you. I've been trying to understand this for YEARS. I don't know what you said that made it click in my head. Someone should sticky this.
  • LastMinuteMama
    LastMinuteMama Posts: 590 Member
    My problem with the TDEE-x% method is that for people that do not exercise regularly (or are working towards an exercise routine but are still not there yet) it's more complicated to calculate their TDEE because it varies a lot. For example, in my case, I've been slowly adding more and more exercise in my daily life, but it's still difficult for me to commit to it and many days I just skip my exercise plans. So what I've done is to calculate my TDEE assuming I don't do any exercise at all, then subtract 20% and use that as my daily goal. Whenever I actually do some exercise, then there are some extra calories I can eat since they are not part of my calculated TDEE. Does it make sense or do I miss something?

    Yes it makes sense and nope you did not miss anything.

    I just joined this group and am reading through all of this great info! This is exactly how I set mine a few weeks ago. I'm glad to see confirmation that it makes sense! That's a step in the right direction for me!!!
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
    Thanks for the simple breakdown SideSteel.
  • marricurt
    marricurt Posts: 47 Member
    Great post! Tagging so I can re-read again later...
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    Any idea with fitbit ?
  • chasingdreams18
    chasingdreams18 Posts: 110 Member
    Bumping because I totally need to read this over and over
  • erinsings
    erinsings Posts: 4 Member
    bump, need to come back once a week to read this

    Thank you!!!
  • Surfingbodi
    Surfingbodi Posts: 161 Member
    Just to make sure:
    I'm using a heart rate monitor now. I want to lose about 40 lb of fat but gain about 20 lb of muscle. Is MFP tells me that I have 500 calories remaining to consume to stay on my weight loss plan but 400 of those calories are due to exercise, it is ok to 'eat' those and stay on track (with protein being sufficient)?

    Ty
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    That's correct if literally wanting to do it MFP style where each day you take a deficit from that day's TDEE.
    You burn more one day, take a deficit, eat more.
    But in that case - why don't you just use MFP as designed with a reasonable loss goal?
    It's already calculating your non-exercise TDEE and taking a deficit. Then when you exercise and burn more, you log it, your TDEE goes up, your eating level goes up.
    Done. Just meet the goal that is given on your Food Diary - simple.

    Now, the normal TDEE deficit method, taking your weekly routine and coming up a with a daily average, prevents you from having to mess around with NET or how much did this workout burn.
    Pick the correct level, increase by 1 if your daily work/non-exercise life is NOT a desk job, take a deficit - eat that much daily.
  • Surfingbodi
    Surfingbodi Posts: 161 Member
    Ty haybales! I think I a using the mfp accurately. Hit a weight loss plateau and just trying to make sure I don't so over do it I start breaking down muscle incorrectly and/or slow my metabolism too much. I feel my nutrition/calorie load is good. Exercising a great deal for me to get in shape for working on mountain so have three goals at once: cardio/conditioning at altitude, weight loss, muscle gain. I have always found it very hard to lose weight while gaining muscle/strength.
  • Jenni_MFP
    Jenni_MFP Posts: 36 Member
    bump
  • Mrsstacie123
    Mrsstacie123 Posts: 5 Member
    Bump
  • trishpsl
    trishpsl Posts: 30 Member
    Bump
  • Jacleepin
    Jacleepin Posts: 48 Member
    Bump :smile:
  • jazzine1
    jazzine1 Posts: 280 Member
    Bump :)
  • PammieSuzyQ
    PammieSuzyQ Posts: 100 Member
    If you don't have a heart rate monitor, eat back half your exercise cals. I found (after I got my hrm) that MFP's calorie burn estimates are grossly inflated for every activity I have done except running, running stairs and jump roping.
    THIS^

    Why are the calorie burn estimates for everything so danged INFLATED here?!!! I have to use other places to estimate my REAL calorie burn.
  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
    Thank you so much for this explanation, this is awesome!
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 514 Member
    What a simple explanation. Saving to share with my FL!