Simple maths, people. Please.
Options
Replies
-
bump0
-
If you list your lifestyle is "active" because you work out, walk your dog 2x day, etc, then MFP will up your allotment for calories (because of this extra movement). However, when you enter "Walking your dog" or "Fitbit calorie adjustment" since your fitbit estimates how much you move each day, and other daily movements as "Exercise" and eat back those additional calories, you are double counting exercise calories (Once as your lifestyle and once as exercise).
Ultimately, the original settings is just an approximation. If you set it at active, and you aren't losing weight, drop your setting since you are over estimating the amount of calories you are burning day to day.
For myself, I list it as sedentary (I work behind a desk), that way it'll list the least amount of calories required per day which will maximize the amount of weight I'll lose. If you wish to set it at a higher level for a higher calorie allotment, feel free to do so. However you risk consuming more calories than you burn which will contribute towards your lack of weight loss.0 -
In short, yes. Everywhere else but MFP, I'd agree with you, they would not be considered "sedentary". BUT (and this is the crux of the entire issue here), you can only count your exercise in ONE place. Either you count it in the activity modifier up front OR, you count all exercise you do and get to eat back those calories. The latter is the way MFP was designed and will work just as well as the former. The important point is this: If you're using your exercise up front to make your lifestyle anything other than sedentary, then you should not be logging exercise after the fact. Count it in one place, period.Your original premise is flawed. Your "lifestlye" refers to your work "lifestyle"; it does not refer to your "workout lifestyle".
Sit behind a desk all day = "Sedentary".
Move around a lot for your JOB ="Moderate".
Does your job require a lot of physical exersion? (Work construction? Lift a lot for a warehouse job? Does your job feel like a workout? etc) Then set it at "Very active".
I do not remember the exact names for the activity level settings, but you get the idea.
You are correct when stating that based on which setting you select, MFP will give you a different allotment of calories. The reason is that you burn more calories each day(before considering exercise) based on the higher the activity level your job requires.
Your lifestyle, is not just "work lifestyle". normally a person works around 37 hours a week, or 7 hours per working day - the rest of the hours in the week are also part of the lifestyle!
:):)
My question to you, if a person sits at a computer 7 hours monday to friday, but walks the dog twice every day and every weekend goes trekking, also walks everywhere instead o taking the tube, how would you classify that person's OVERALL lifestyle? Sedentary? Really?0 -
Calorie count is useless as some will eat rubbish aslong as they are under calorie goal.
nutrients is where its at.0 -
Calorie count is useless as some will eat rubbish aslong as they are under calorie goal.
nutrients is where its at.
Whether or not someone eats rubbish doesn't make energy balance invalid.0 -
Your post is very informative and I agree with you, totally. My plan is going with the sedentary lifestyle choice and adding exercise as I accomplish it, which is not 5 times a week, I guarantee you. That way, it seems that I feel more like I "did something" when I exercised. CONGRATS on your weight loss!0
-
I'm sorry, but you are incorrect.
MFP does NOT include exercise into it's calculations when choosing calorie goals. If you go by TDEE(Total Daily Energy Expenditure) that that includes exercise, and you should not eat those calories back.
By using MFP's calculations and eating back most of my exercise calories, I lost 30 pounds and have been maintaining at between 1800-2000 calories a day for almost a year now.
If I go on a 5 mile run and burn 800 something odd calories, following MFP's guidelines, you best believe I'm eating some, if not most back. Why? Because I'd be starving! Your body needs fuel to run.. and you don't need to starve it to lose weight.0 -
May not be invalid, but it is silly to expect results in health/weight when you are eating rubbish.
You wouldnt fill a petrol car full of diesel and expect it to work (although some cars aswell as people are awkward).0 -
You should count exercise calories only once.
If you count it in your lifestyle options (which is NOT the way that MFP is set up), then you should count it again, because then you are double counting exercise calories.
If you exclude it from your lifestyle options (read the descriptions, they say NOTHING about exercise), then you should track them and eat them back.
Whatever you do, just make sure that you count exercise once.0 -
My question to you, if a person sits at a computer 7 hours monday to friday, but walks the dog twice every day and every weekend goes trekking, also walks everywhere instead o taking the tube, how would you classify that person's OVERALL lifestyle? Sedentary? Really?
For the purpose of MFP it's "Sedentary" THEN you record any of the walking you do and any other exercise and you EAT IT BACK (at least in part).
IF you are using MFP that is what you pick, If you are using something else (like me) then its based on your program. Most people do not do the same exact thing every day, walk the same distance at the same speed, trek the same path etc. I do, which is why I use TDEE and not MFP. My calories are my calories and unless I deviate in some way from my routine I don't eat less / more.0 -
My question to you, if a person sits at a computer 7 hours monday to friday, but walks the dog twice every day and every weekend goes trekking, also walks everywhere instead o taking the tube, how would you classify that person's OVERALL lifestyle? Sedentary? Really?
For the purpose of MFP it's "Sedentary" THEN you record any of the walking you do and any other exercise and you EAT IT BACK (at least in part).
IF you are using MFP that is what you pick, If you are using something else (like me) then its based on your program. Most people do not do the same exact thing every day, walk the same distance at the same speed, trek the same path etc. I do, which is why I use TDEE and not MFP. My calories are my calories and unless I deviate in some way from my routine I don't eat less / more.
Thank you! That's what I thought I should be doing. I have a BMF and when MFP does the calorie adjustment for "exercise" (which in reality is not exercise because if an injury) I've been eating up to that allowance. I have stalled! Going back to eating the goal I had set for BMF and ignoring MFP recommendations - just using it now as a food log because it seems to be faster than BMF's.
I did however have to set my activity level higher than my actual activity in order for MFP to agree with my average burn the BMF says I burn.0 -
That is exactly correct. I chose sedentary and eat back my exercise calories because my days vary tremendously based on what I do at work. It will work either way.
Exactly. Same here. It's easier to choose sedentary numbers and eat them back than to choose the active numbers and to not eat them back.0 -
May not be invalid, but it is silly to expect results in health/weight when you are eating rubbish.
You wouldnt fill a petrol car full of diesel and expect it to work (although some cars aswell as people are awkward).
It's silly to think that food is rubbish.0 -
because of the near impossibility of tracking BMR or exercise calories down to a single number.. just stick with how much you consume and not overcomplicate things and make it an ever bigger math problem.0
-
I chose sedentary due to my job regardless of how much I exercise. I assume that's what most people do. Therefore, eating back exercise calories makes more sense. I'm also assuming that when people tell you to eat back your exercise calories, you chose the baseline with this in mind.
I think you're the one who is confused, not others.0 -
Your original premise is flawed. Your "lifestlye" refers to your work "lifestyle"; it does not refer to your "workout lifestyle".
Sit behind a desk all day = "Sedentary".
Move around a lot for your JOB ="Moderate".
Does your job require a lot of physical exersion? (Work construction? Lift a lot for a warehouse job? Does your job feel like a workout? etc) Then set it at "Very active".
I do not remember the exact names for the activity level settings, but you get the idea.
You are correct when stating that based on which setting you select, MFP will give you a different allotment of calories. The reason is that you burn more calories each day(before considering exercise) based on the higher the activity level your job requires.
Your lifestyle, is not just "work lifestyle". normally a person works around 37 hours a week, or 7 hours per working day - the rest of the hours in the week are also part of the lifestyle!:):)
My question to you, if a person sits at a computer 7 hours monday to friday, but walks the dog twice every day and every weekend goes trekking, also walks everywhere instead o taking the tube, how would you classify that person's OVERALL lifestyle? Sedentary? Really?
If you are adding back in those calories from walking the dog then it's sedentary otherwise you're double counting. It's basic math. I think that the point of lifestyle is to account for lifestyle exercise that you can't possibly log in such as when you're on your feet all day working vs sitting in front of a computer working. you can't log in the standing on your feet all day portion, thus it becomes part of "lifestyle".0 -
Good discussion. Another issue may be that some people over-estimate their activity level. They say they're "active" when they're actually sedentary, etc.0
-
I put myself as sedentary because I really am very sedentary. Exercise isn't a regular thing for me though I'm working on getting to that point. I'll eat back my exercise cals if I'm hungry enough for it. Nice to know that exercise can give me a little wiggle room so I don't have to eat the same low-cal foods EVERY DAY!
0 -
Thank you for taking the time to clarify that subject. I really appreciate it!0
-
My question to you, if a person sits at a computer 7 hours monday to friday, but walks the dog twice every day and every weekend goes trekking, also walks everywhere instead o taking the tube, how would you classify that person's OVERALL lifestyle? Sedentary? Really?
For the purpose of MFP it's "Sedentary" THEN you record any of the walking you do and any other exercise and you EAT IT BACK (at least in part).
IF you are using MFP that is what you pick, If you are using something else (like me) then its based on your program. Most people do not do the same exact thing every day, walk the same distance at the same speed, trek the same path etc. I do, which is why I use TDEE and not MFP. My calories are my calories and unless I deviate in some way from my routine I don't eat less / more.
This sounds like me. I work an office job and often times am very sedintary. Therefore, I set my thing to sedintary. Now, all my workouts, I can log. I like logging them and gaining the extra calories that way because my days are so different. It would be too difficult for me to set it to "lightly active" or whatever. I'm achieving great success eating most of my exersise calories back. SOmetimes it's hard to eat over 2000 *good* calories a day, so if I can't make it I don't force it. But it's working for me.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 394 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 945 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions