Calories in v calories out confussion

sarah_jones3
sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

It has taken me a while to admit I am confused and this is going to be a silly question I am sure, but my confusion comes from doing the Weight Watchers program the first time I lost weight.

If I am supposed to eat 1,390 calories per day and I exercise and burn 330 calories do I have to eat those burned calories? or can I just eat the 1,390?? I want to loose weight healthily, but I never ate my burned/exercise calories/points while on Weight Watchers. Yet my MFP app tells me off If I have too many calories left at the end of the day.

:huh: Hence my confusion.

Also any fitbit people out there, I just did my first day on fitbit, should a log my exercise (body revolution) on here as normal if I wear my fitbit during the dvd?

Thanks

Replies

  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    Any one?? :ohwell:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    The short answer is that it depends.

    When you calculated your daily calorie goal, did you factor in exercise to the activity setting? If so, then no you do not need/should not eat them back. This is the way most TDEE calculators work.

    If you did not factor in exercise to the calculation, then yes you should eat them back. This is the way most BMR calculators work, and how most people use MFP.


    Read these for a better understanding...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained
    and
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    Eating or not eating burned calories is an individual thing...

    In order for me to lose weight, I need to eat all my burned calories (when I was following the WW plan, I had to eat all my daily points, all the weekly allowance points AND my activity points to lose weight). But that's just me.

    You need to find what works for you. I would try to keep your net calories above your BMR so you are getting enough to fuel your day and workouts and then "play" with the rest to find the balance that works for you. Patience will be the key.

    As for the Fitbit, I only log exercise on MFP when I wear my heart rate monitor, otherwise I let Fitbit do the work.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • violinkeri
    violinkeri Posts: 212
    it depends on where you got the number.

    If the MFP calculator gave you the number, eat them.

    If you did the TDEE-X% route, and included the exercise in your estimations, then no.

    Just looking at your number, its rather on the low end so I'm guessing its the MFP number. I would recommend at least calculating your BMR and eating above that, if you havent done so already.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    Hi

    It has taken me a while to admit I am confused and this is going to be a silly question I am sure, but my confusion comes from doing the Weight Watchers program the first time I lost weight.

    If I am supposed to eat 1,390 calories per day and I exercise and burn 330 calories do I have to eat those burned calories? or can I just eat the 1,390?? I want to loose weight healthily, but I never ate my burned/exercise calories/points while on Weight Watchers. Yet my MFP app tells me off If I have too many calories left at the end of the day.

    :huh: Hence my confusion.

    Also any fitbit people out there, I just did my first day on fitbit, should a log my exercise (body revolution) on here as normal if I wear my fitbit during the dvd?

    Thanks
    Well, Weight Watchers encourages you to eat back all of your Activity points, you just never did - doesn't mean that was the right thing to do. The important thing it so always make sure that you are netting above your BMR.
    So for example, let's say your BMR is 1300, you eat 1390, but then burn 330. That means you only netted 1060 for the day. If you want to lose weight correctly, then you should eat back at least some of them, to net back up to 1300. Not only that, but they say that eating below 1200 for an extended period of time is not good for you either.

    Sure, you don't have to eat them, and you will stlil lose weight - but - you run the risk of screwing up your metabolism if you eat too low calories for too long. As you lose more weight, your daily calorie goal will decrease as well. Soon, you could easily be netting under 1000 calories if you are exercising! You will also most likely hit plateaus and feel tired, etc.

    Hope this makes sense!

    Edit - sorry, I was assuming you got your calorie goal from MFP, which doesn't include the exercise. But still, you should net above your BMR either way.
  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
    Enter in body revolution into MFP. Basically you log any workout that is not walking/running/actual stairs. Fitbit isn't accurate for JMBR.

    I eat my exercise back or else I won't net enough. The way I see it- you eat 1300, but burn 300- your body only got 1000 calories. I eat 2600 calories and net about 1660. Losing steadily.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I didn't eat back my exercise calories for about 4 weeks when I started exercising and my weight loss stalled. I then ate back most of my exercise calories and started losing weight steadily again. Although I was a bit reluctant initially, my body just wasn't getting enough fuel if I didn't eat them back. It's a personal opinion, and depends on how your body works, but I would eat them back. You need to play around with how many you need to eat back for a steady loss but give each stage a few weeks for true readings.

    Best of luck!
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    The short answer is that it depends.

    When you calculated your daily calorie goal, did you factor in exercise to the activity setting? If so, then no you do not need/should not eat them back. This is the way most TDEE calculators work.

    If you did not factor in exercise to the calculation, then yes you should eat them back. This is the way most BMR calculators work, and how most people use MFP.


    Read these for a better understanding...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained
    and
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Thank you, JacksonPT, this is exactly the information I've been looking for. Read through your post in the first link and makes perfect sense. Now I think I'm on the right track.
  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    Thank you so much guy for the help I did use MFP for my calorie count, JacksonPT those links where great, CM9178 its odd you saying we should've eaten our WW points, my leader always told me not too. O_o

    I think I will go away and work out my BMR and ensure I eat to that, if I have some to save I may do, but only if I am over my BMR ^_^

    rekite2000 thanks for clearing my Fitbit question up, I was worried tracking my JMBR and FitBit was giving me too many calories.

    Again guys thanks so much, <3


    Edit: BMR not BMI rofl
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    Thank you so much guy for the help I did use MFP for my calorie count, JacksonPT those links where great, CM9178 its odd you saying we should've eaten our WW points, my leader always told me not too. O_o

    I think I will go away and work out my BMR and ensure I eat to that, if I have some to save I may do, but only if I am over my BMR ^_^

    rekite2000 thanks for clearing my Fitbit question up, I was worried tracking my JMBR and FitBit was giving me too many calories.

    Again guys thanks so much, <3


    Edit: BMR not BMI rofl
    I'm not sure what that point of calculating your activity points would be, unless you were going to eat them back?
  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    So my BMR is coming out at..

    BMR - 1,512 calories

    MFP Calorie Goal is - 1,390

    So as long as I exercise and make up 122 minimum and eat both my calorie goal and my additional 122 calories from exercise, I should loose weight healthily, anything else I do in exercise is extra, and I can either eat or save.

    Sound right?

    Sorry to annoy you, its been a long day and I have never been one to just diet I really want to make sure I get this right and not do anything silly. :)
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    So my BMR is coming out at..

    BMR - 1,512 calories

    MFP Calorie Goal is - 1,390

    So as long as I exercise and make up 122 minimum and eat both my calorie goal and my additional 122 calories from exercise, I should loose weight healthily, anything else I do in exercise is extra, and I can either eat or save.

    Sound right?

    Sorry to annoy you, its been a long day and I have never been one to just diet I really want to make sure I get this right and not do anything silly. :)
    Do you have MFP set to sedentary? And how many pounds per week do you have it set to lose?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You should probably be eating BMR + exercise cals, if what you calculated was truly a BMR and not something more like a resting metabolic rate.
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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    So my BMR is coming out at..

    BMR - 1,512 calories

    MFP Calorie Goal is - 1,390

    So as long as I exercise and make up 122 minimum and eat both my calorie goal and my additional 122 calories from exercise, I should loose weight healthily, anything else I do in exercise is extra, and I can either eat or save.

    Sound right?

    Sorry to annoy you, its been a long day and I have never been one to just diet I really want to make sure I get this right and not do anything silly. :)

    BMR is just an internet guess. Go to different calculators and you get different results.

    Think of it as a theoretical number, not an actual number. After tracking your calories for a while, you should have a feel for how you feel at different levels of eating. Knowing your BMR is pretty much impossible. It's a little silly, in a way, but it is important to understand the range. Your BMR can go up and down to, depending on circumstances.

    All I'm saying si don't take your BMR calculation as gospel, it could be + or - 200 either way.

    This is a good point... they are all just calculations based on approximations. You need to pick a number and go with it for a month or so then evaluate the results (progress, how you feel, sustainability, etc). Then you can tweak as needed.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    Hi

    It has taken me a while to admit I am confused and this is going to be a silly question I am sure, but my confusion comes from doing the Weight Watchers program the first time I lost weight.

    If I am supposed to eat 1,390 calories per day and I exercise and burn 330 calories do I have to eat those burned calories? or can I just eat the 1,390?? I want to loose weight healthily, but I never ate my burned/exercise calories/points while on Weight Watchers. Yet my MFP app tells me off If I have too many calories left at the end of the day.

    :huh: Hence my confusion.

    Also any fitbit people out there, I just did my first day on fitbit, should a log my exercise (body revolution) on here as normal if I wear my fitbit during the dvd?

    Thanks

    I believe WW's would give you activity points...then I believe they changed it to free points during the weeks (anytime points). This is their way of having you "eat back calories".

    So, most people eat back all or at least half. Since everything is an estimate it will all work out in the end. As long as your set up correctly....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS METHOD... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm

    If you have any question the thread creator will answer you his ID is PU....

    Good Luck
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    Hi

    It has taken me a while to admit I am confused and this is going to be a silly question I am sure, but my confusion comes from doing the Weight Watchers program the first time I lost weight.

    If I am supposed to eat 1,390 calories per day and I exercise and burn 330 calories do I have to eat those burned calories? or can I just eat the 1,390?? I want to loose weight healthily, but I never ate my burned/exercise calories/points while on Weight Watchers. Yet my MFP app tells me off If I have too many calories left at the end of the day.

    :huh: Hence my confusion.

    Also any fitbit people out there, I just did my first day on fitbit, should a log my exercise (body revolution) on here as normal if I wear my fitbit during the dvd?

    Thanks

    I believe WW's would give you activity points...then I believe they changed it to free points during the weeks (anytime points). This is their way of having you "eat back calories".

    So, most people eat back all or at least half. Since everything is an estimate it will all work out in the end. As long as your set up correctly....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS METHOD... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm

    If you have any question the thread creator will answer you his ID is PU....

    Good Luck
    No, they are two separate things. They give you the "flex" points or whatever they are called now, and then you can EARN activity points based on exercise. I don't know why they'd have activity points calculators if they didn't want you to eat those points back.
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
    Try looking at this post I have seen many refer to it including me. Hope it helps:flowerforyou:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    CM9178 Yes its set to sedentary, im at a desk all day, also have it set to loose 1lb a week as a healthy limit recommended by my doctor.
  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    Try looking at this post I have seen many refer to it including me. Hope it helps:flowerforyou:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Thanks ill look at this now.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    CM9178 Yes its set to sedentary, im at a desk all day, also have it set to loose 1lb a week as a healthy limit recommended by my doctor.
    Ok, I'm not sure how you calculated that BMR number, but it doesn't seem correct. I don't think MFP would have you eating that much below your BMR unless you had it set to lose 2 lbs per week.

    If MFP says to eat 1390, then that needs to be your net. If you burn 300 calories exercising, eat them back.
  • aj_31
    aj_31 Posts: 994 Member
    So my BMR is coming out at..

    BMR - 1,512 calories

    MFP Calorie Goal is - 1,390

    So as long as I exercise and make up 122 minimum and eat both my calorie goal and my additional 122 calories from exercise, I should loose weight healthily, anything else I do in exercise is extra, and I can either eat or save.

    Sound right?

    Sorry to annoy you, its been a long day and I have never been one to just diet I really want to make sure I get this right and not do anything silly. :)

    BMR is just an internet guess. Go to different calculators and you get different results.

    Think of it as a theoretical number, not an actual number. After tracking your calories for a while, you should have a feel for how you feel at different levels of eating. Knowing your BMR is pretty much impossible. It's a little silly, in a way, but it is important to understand the range. Your BMR can go up and down to, depending on circumstances.

    All I'm saying si don't take your BMR calculation as gospel, it could be + or - 200 either way.

    I agree. I think trial and error is the best way to know where you should be at. I had to drop my calories closer to my BMR and not eat back any calories in order to lose weight weekly. Before I was following the eat more to lose weight and it wasn't working for me even though I was doing some intense workouts at the time. Now that I'm eating around my BMR I'm losing again.
  • rickholden9
    rickholden9 Posts: 9
    Agree with the others that say eat them back. MFP says 1500 calories for me a day, so if I run and burn 500 cal I should up my intake to 2000 or close to it for sustainable weight loss. MFP will calculate it for you. Good luck
  • sarah_jones3
    sarah_jones3 Posts: 59
    CM9178 Yes its set to sedentary, im at a desk all day, also have it set to loose 1lb a week as a healthy limit recommended by my doctor.
    Ok, I'm not sure how you calculated that BMR number, but it doesn't seem correct. I don't think MFP would have you eating that much below your BMR unless you had it set to lose 2 lbs per week.

    If MFP says to eat 1390, then that needs to be your net. If you burn 300 calories exercising, eat them back.

    I used this one http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

    Just tried another (http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/daily-calories-calculator) and its saying 1,577
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    CM9178 Yes its set to sedentary, im at a desk all day, also have it set to loose 1lb a week as a healthy limit recommended by my doctor.
    Ok, I'm not sure how you calculated that BMR number, but it doesn't seem correct. I don't think MFP would have you eating that much below your BMR unless you had it set to lose 2 lbs per week.

    If MFP says to eat 1390, then that needs to be your net. If you burn 300 calories exercising, eat them back.

    I used this one http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

    Just tried another (http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/daily-calories-calculator) and its saying 1,577
    That calculator isn't considering your BMI, so it isn't as accurate as it could be.

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