New to MFP and constructive weight loss..

lornz88
lornz88 Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey,

Me and my partner are new to MFP and are starting a positive and successful road to weightloss..

I have a couple of questions about logging excercise and then the extra calories it is telling me to eat. I have a 1690kcal daily allowance which is fine, but then I'm working out 5 days out of 7, with a mix of swimming, cardio and classes, some days the MFP app says I am burning 800-1100 calories a day, and then says that I should eat those 1100 back.
This sounds crazy to me, and I don't really understand how I can possibly eat my allowance and then eat more than half again.. So a couple of questions..
1) Does everyone eat their extra excercise calories?
2) how accurate are the calories that are logged for excercise? Apparently 30 mins swimming burns 600 kcals.

Thank you for any responses.

Lorna

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Eat them back. It's weird, but it's the default MFP setup, and it works. Your exercise calories are not accounted for in your daily calories so you eat them back. Your deficit will remain at a safe level that way.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    I don't trust the mfp calculations. I eat back half and it works for me :)
  • caramel4280
    caramel4280 Posts: 8 Member
    To eat back your exercise calories or not has been debated endlessly on MFP. You can do a search and easily find all the opinions. Either way, do not trust MFP's calculations of calories burned. They are way too high. If you do decide to eat your exercise calories, invest in a Heart Rate Monitor to get a better calculation of what you actually burn. Make sure you read all the instructions that come with the HRM. Many people do not set them up properly and again, this leads to inaccurate readings. Also, as you lose weight, make sure you recalibrate everything. The less you weigh, the less you burn.
  • pspetralia
    pspetralia Posts: 963 Member
    To eat back your exercise calories or not has been debated endlessly on MFP. You can do a search and easily find all the opinions. Either way, do not trust MFP's calculations of calories burned. They are way too high. If you do decide to eat your exercise calories, invest in a Heart Rate Monitor to get a better calculation of what you actually burn. Make sure you read all the instructions that come with the HRM. Many people do not set them up properly and again, this leads to inaccurate readings. Also, as you lose weight, make sure you recalibrate everything. The less you weigh, the less you burn.

    QFT!
  • lornz88
    lornz88 Posts: 11
    Thank you for your replies,

    Monica what a fantastic achievement for you, you look great!

    Caramel, thank you I think a hrm may just be the way forward!

    Thanks again :-)
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    I eat back most of my exercise calories - rarely more than 100 or so left at the end of the week - and the weight is coming off slowly but steadily, and my body is firming and shaping. 1 stone lighter and 10 weeks in and the size difference is noticeable.

    The trick is to find exercise you enjoy so its not a chore, and build it into your daily routine for the same reason. For me, DVD workouts that break into short sections are ideal for quick bursts each end of the working day wiht longer sessions for when you have more time. The gym is not conveninet for me.

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