Do you count exercise in your activity?

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the_fat_monkey
the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
in Health and Weight Loss
Someone said something on one of my posts today that got me curious. When you're figuring out your BMI, TDEE or whatever, and you pick an activity level, do you include exercise in that, or do you only include how active you are without doing exercise?

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  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
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    Bump :)
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    It depends on how you want to track things. If you're going to include exercise in your activity level, you shouldn't track it on here or eat back the exercise calories, because all of that is already included in the goal that's been set for you. I imagine this would work well for athletic people or just people who are more serious about fitness and will always be in the gym 6 days a week.

    Most people do NOT include their exercise in their activity level, it's everything you do other than deliberate attempts at fitness. This way you can track the exercises you do and, if you choose to, eat back those burned calories. This is what I do. :)
  • lacaro1
    lacaro1 Posts: 81 Member
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    Someone said something

    :D Haha how small the mfp world is
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
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    Someone said something

    :D Haha how small the mfp world is

    It is small ^^
    It just got me curious. I never looked at it that way before!
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
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    It depends on how you want to track things. If you're going to include exercise in your activity level, you shouldn't track it on here or eat back the exercise calories, because all of that is already included in the goal that's been set for you. I imagine this would work well for athletic people or just people who are more serious about fitness and will always be in the gym 6 days a week.

    Most people do NOT include their exercise in their activity level, it's everything you do other than deliberate attempts at fitness. This way you can track the exercises you do and, if you choose to, eat back those burned calories. This is what I do. :)

    Ahh that makes sense! Thanks! :D
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    So, if I said I have a sedentary lifestyle and exercise 3 times a week, I shouldn't eat back the calories from the exercise? It couldn't give me any fewer calories if i didn't count the exercise though.
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
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    So, if I said I have a sedentary lifestyle and exercise 3 times a week, I shouldn't eat back the calories from the exercise? It couldn't give me any fewer calories if i didn't count the exercise though.

    No, you are allowed to eat them back.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    If you are going by various TDEE equations, such as Katch-McArdle which considers lean body mass, then exercise is included in the prediction (as well as RMR, thermic effect of food, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis). MFP does not include your exercise, which is why you get a lower number and eat back those calories if you wish to stay on the weight loss plan you enter based on weekly weight loss goals. In other words, eating your exercise calories is the same thing as going by TDEE - assuming you are using the same deficit and same TDEE equation. I prefer Katch-McArdle over the Mifflin-St Jeor, personally since it does take in to account lean body mass.

    My actual maintenance amount of calories is slightly higher than what is calculated with the Katch-McArdle formula - 2850 to 2900 compared to 2792. Before I decide to make a cut in calories, I establish what my actual TDEE is compared to the formula by eating at maintenance for a month so I can more accurate find the deficit I need for my goals.
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
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    If you are going by various TDEE equations, such as Katch-McArdle which considers lean body mass, then exercise is included in the prediction (as well as RMR, thermic effect of food, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis). MFP does not include your exercise, which is why you get a lower number and eat back those calories if you wish to stay on the weight loss plan you enter based on weekly weight loss goals. In other words, eating your exercise calories is the same thing as going by TDEE - assuming you are using the same deficit and same TDEE equation. I prefer Katch-McArdle over the Mifflin-St Jeor, personally since it does take in to account lean body mass.

    My actual maintenance amount of calories is slightly higher than what is calculated with the Katch-McArdle formula - 2850 to 2900 compared to 2792. Before I decide to make a cut in calories, I establish what my actual TDEE is compared to the formula by eating at maintenance for a month so I can more accurate find the deficit I need for my goals.

    Makes sense. Well since I don't spend a whole lot of time doing much that's "active" besides exercise since I'm studying school, music, spending a lot of time job-looking and other things like that where I sit a lot, I should change my activity to sedentary. Although, I was referring to rather or not you should include it on calculators that you find online to determine TDEE and the like.
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Hm, I changed my setting to sedentary with no exercise (planning to eat back the calories from the exercise) and it whacked a whole 10 calories per day off me! So it was giving me 10 extra calories because I said I exercise 3 times a week. I do more than 70 calories a week just walking to the photocopier!
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Hm, I changed my setting to sedentary with no exercise (planning to eat back the calories from the exercise) and it whacked a whole 10 calories per day off me! So it was giving me 10 extra calories because I said I exercise 3 times a week. I do more than 70 calories a week just walking to the photocopier!
    Did it perhaps reach 1200 calories by whacking off 10 calories?
  • AmiC0717
    AmiC0717 Posts: 440 Member
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    Hm, I changed my setting to sedentary with no exercise (planning to eat back the calories from the exercise) and it whacked a whole 10 calories per day off me! So it was giving me 10 extra calories because I said I exercise 3 times a week. I do more than 70 calories a week just walking to the photocopier!
    [/quTheote]

    There are a lot of people on here who feel strongly about eating back your calories and those (including me) who don't feel you should eat them back. I think it really depends on your nutrition levels and your goals. I meet with a dietician who does not want me eating them back BUT this is while I am in the losing mode. Once I am in maintenace phase that probably will change. You really need to decide what works for your body. IF you eat back your calories and you don't lose weight, then it answers your question. For me, it didn't work. If I eat back my calories I don't lose as well. However, I make sure I eat healthy and get enough fuel in my body that my exercise doesn't wipe me out either.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    I made the decision based on the fact that I was new to exercising. Since I wasn't sure I was going to keep it up, then I didn't factor the exercise in and the extra exercise calories were a bonus. If I had factored the exercise into my activity level, then any time I fell off the wagon, I would be overeating!
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Hm, I changed my setting to sedentary with no exercise (planning to eat back the calories from the exercise) and it whacked a whole 10 calories per day off me! So it was giving me 10 extra calories because I said I exercise 3 times a week. I do more than 70 calories a week just walking to the photocopier!
    Did it perhaps reach 1200 calories by whacking off 10 calories?

    No, oddly, I did think that might happen. I was at 1200 and I changed my settings a couple of days ago to lose 1 lb a week instead of 1 1/2, so it upped me to 1250, which is frankly not worth it. Then when I changed the setting again to take off my exercise, it dropped me to 1240. But it gives me something ridiculous for my martial arts - 706 calories per hour when sometimes I don't even break a sweat. So either I get an extra 70 calories a week to cover the 3 classes, or I take off the 70 calories and earn back 2100??? I never eat back that amount, it can't possibly be correct.
  • KenSmith108
    KenSmith108 Posts: 1,966 Member
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    It depends on how you want to track things. If you're going to include exercise in your activity level, you shouldn't track it on here or eat back the exercise calories, because all of that is already included in the goal that's been set for you. I imagine this would work well for athletic people or just people who are more serious about fitness and will always be in the gym 6 days a week.

    Most people do NOT include their exercise in their activity level, it's everything you do other than deliberate attempts at fitness. This way you can track the exercises you do and, if you choose to, eat back those burned calories. This is what I do. :)

    I have my activity level set to include my 6 hours of light cardio. I have to follow a meal plan that I don't what changing.
    I do eat back the exercise calories over the 6 hours but I wait till after I log everything else, it's usually my weight training.
    They are very predictable but I couldn't get the activity level high enough to cover them too.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Someone said something on one of my posts today that got me curious. When you're figuring out your BMI, TDEE or whatever, and you pick an activity level, do you include exercise in that, or do you only include how active you are without doing exercise?

    I include working out. lile the 'lightly active' says "worksout 1-3 days a week"- so I don't count my Bodyweight Workout as calories burned.

    I figure normal things like vacuuming, laundry, dishes do not count in 'lighty active' becuase even if I was "sedentary= desk job" I would stiill come home from my sedentary desk job and have to vacuum, do laundry, wash dishes..etc.

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