TDEE and logging exercise

sarahjay1
sarahjay1 Posts: 175 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I just switched over to TDEE - 20%. I did the roadmap numbers with light exercise (1-3 days per week). I do 30DS everyday but it's only 20 minutes long so. Anyway, I've set my MFP to my TDEE - 20% number but I really like to log my exercise and know what my calories burned are. So, should I use the sedentary number and then eat back exercise calories so that I net my sedentary number?

Replies

  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    If you know your TDEE-20% number, say it's 2100, then log your exercise burns too, and just eat to 2100 every day, regardless of what the total is with your burns added.

    Or track your exercise elsewhere - a different site, a pad of paper, a spreadsheet...

    I don't bother tracking it anymore, myself.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Log as 1 calorie.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    you could also just put it in your exercise notes that you did it and what your burn was, that way you still have the record of your burns but it doesnt change your numbers for the day
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
    You could also just log your exercise at the end of the day, when you have finished eating and then it will not confuse your diary numbers.
  • pinkgumdrop123
    pinkgumdrop123 Posts: 262 Member
    you could also just put it in your exercise notes that you did it and what your burn was, that way you still have the record of your burns but it doesnt change your numbers for the day

    Yes this is what I do. Lets be track my workouts without altering my calories.
  • JustAGirlyGeek
    JustAGirlyGeek Posts: 149 Member
    Log as 1 calorie.

    I see lots of people do this ^^^
  • djtessatessa
    djtessatessa Posts: 54 Member
    I always use sedentary and log all my exercise.

    The only reason not to do this is if you have a physical job, as far as I am concerned
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
    Log as 1 calorie.

    ^^^^^ THIS...
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
    I track my exercise, but I log 1 calorie burned.
  • Abner88
    Abner88 Posts: 7
    Well do exercise which you can comfortably do,don't make too much effort with your body you will get tired of it soon,Try to do which is easy for you.
    Eat the diet which is good for you according to your exercise plan.That will help you in achieving your goal.
  • breezylee75
    breezylee75 Posts: 101 Member
    I am answering I guess to see if I'm doing it right myself. My TDEE-20% is 1734, so if I am logging my exercise, and eating it back, it is my net number I look at to make sure I am at or below 1734-is that right or don't eat back my exercise calories even if I log it? I just started using this a week or so ago, if anyone would like to add me, the support would be appreciated-and I will do my best supporting back. :)
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    I am answering I guess to see if I'm doing it right myself. My TDEE-20% is 1734, so if I am logging my exercise, and eating it back, it is my net number I look at to make sure I am at or below 1734-is that right or don't eat back my exercise calories even if I log it? I just started using this a week or so ago, if anyone would like to add me, the support would be appreciated-and I will do my best supporting back. :)
    if your figured your tdee and included your exercise, you would not eat your exercise calories. TDEE is supposed to be your total burn for the day, so its should include exercise, but some people dont figure it that way *shrug*
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I always use sedentary and log all my exercise.

    The only reason not to do this is if you have a physical job, as far as I am concerned

    you calculated your tdee as sedentary?
  • breezylee75
    breezylee75 Posts: 101 Member
    I am answering I guess to see if I'm doing it right myself. My TDEE-20% is 1734, so if I am logging my exercise, and eating it back, it is my net number I look at to make sure I am at or below 1734-is that right or don't eat back my exercise calories even if I log it? I just started using this a week or so ago, if anyone would like to add me, the support would be appreciated-and I will do my best supporting back. :)
    if your figured your tdee and included your exercise, you would not eat your exercise calories. TDEE is supposed to be your total burn for the day, so its should include exercise, but some people dont figure it that way *shrug*

    Hm. I used Sedentry as my activity-my TDEE was 2166, I thought we were supposed to minus 20% to lose, and then reach that number on the net. If I did choose the Moderate activity level, which would mean I work out 3-5 times a week(which I try to do), then it puts me upwards of 2700 calories a day....but that's to maintain, in order to lose I would still have to minus the 20% right? Ugh-sorry, I think I am just confusing things more.
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
    you could also just put it in your exercise notes that you did it and what your burn was, that way you still have the record of your burns but it doesnt change your numbers for the day

    ^ That's exactly what I do. Log 1 calorie and put my burn (according to my HRM) in my food or exercise notes for the day.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    I am answering I guess to see if I'm doing it right myself. My TDEE-20% is 1734, so if I am logging my exercise, and eating it back, it is my net number I look at to make sure I am at or below 1734-is that right or don't eat back my exercise calories even if I log it? I just started using this a week or so ago, if anyone would like to add me, the support would be appreciated-and I will do my best supporting back. :)
    if your figured your tdee and included your exercise, you would not eat your exercise calories. TDEE is supposed to be your total burn for the day, so its should include exercise, but some people dont figure it that way *shrug*

    Hm. I used Sedentry as my activity-my TDEE was 2166, I thought we were supposed to minus 20% to lose, and then reach that number on the net. If I did choose the Moderate activity level, which would mean I work out 3-5 times a week(which I try to do), then it puts me upwards of 2700 calories a day....but that's to maintain, in order to lose I would still have to minus the 20% right? Ugh-sorry, I think I am just confusing things more.
    its fine :)
    since you went with sedentaty-20% then its fine that you also eat your exercise calories.
    if you choose the moderate activity level you would still want to take the 20% off to get your deficit, you just wouldnt eat back exercise calories, i find this way easier because i just eat the same amount every day.
    the problem would be if you choose moderate and was eating back exercise calories - that would have you maintaining :)
  • sarahjay1
    sarahjay1 Posts: 175 Member
    Thanks for the input everyone. I guess part of me wants to log and eat back calories because I figure it would be more accurate because it is based on what exercises I am actually doing as opposed to if you use lightly active and having it guess how many calories that I would be burning. Make sense?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I always use sedentary and log all my exercise.

    The only reason not to do this is if you have a physical job, as far as I am concerned

    You are confusing methods (MFP method vs TDEE method). When you use the TDEE method you include exercise as part of your daily activity. Personally, and I have a desk job...and even when I was using the MFP method I set my activity level to light active and ate back exercise calories...I have a hard time believing everyone is actual "sedentary"...I mean c'mon...I sit at a desk, but I also have a toddler and a 6 month old...I'm running around all over the place in the AM and PM...making them dinner, etc. I guess if all you do is sit at a desk and then get home and sit on the couch you'd be sedentary, but I don't know too many people who actually do that.

    Anyway, to the OP...with the TDEE method, you do not eat back exercise calories...if you're going to do sedentary and eat back, you may as well just use the MFP method...no harm in that, they're both perfectly good methods so long as the MFP method doesn't take you below your BMR. If you want to track those calories, just put them in your notes. I personally don't bother...I'm pretty much in a routine and I know that I burn roughly 1,800 calories per week with my routine...doesn't really change.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I think if you take your TDEE at sedentary and then itemize exercise you are losing the main benefits of the TDEE-based approach, which is simplicity and averaging out your exercise burn.
  • Lifting_Knitter
    Lifting_Knitter Posts: 1,025 Member
    Log as 1 calorie.

    This is what i do.
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    I always log as 1 calorie because if I see the available calories, my brain says "eat those too!", even if I know I'm not supposed to because I'm eating at TDEE.
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  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    you could also just put it in your exercise notes that you did it and what your burn was, that way you still have the record of your burns but it doesnt change your numbers for the day

    I have my TDEE set to include my exercises. I wear my HRM for my workouts just for the heck of it but don't log them. Sometimes i will put them in my exercise notes instead, but very rarely.
  • Iron_Duchess
    Iron_Duchess Posts: 429 Member
    I also do the TDEE - 20%, but I log all my exercise. I exercise after work and I only have my last meal of the day after my workout. I eat my afternoon snack 30 to 60 min. before getting to the gym so I know I have some "fuel". I like to log my exercise just to make sure that I don't net below my BMR at the end of the day (since I usually have a set number of calories per meal). I eat the same number everyday exercise or not. Hope it helps and that I din't make it more confusing than what it is... :smile:

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