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MyFitnessPal Community

Calorie Intake...

whitchy_pooh

I am curious about the amount of calories I should be consuming....

For the longest time I just let MFP calculate them but someone mention this website (scooby doos fitness calculator) and the difference is significant. MFP gave me 1200 per day but the other gave me 1695...I do not know which is correct.

HELP PLEASE!

Replies

TIDDYBEAR

I personall set mine at what MFP says my BMR is. *I* am not hung up on eating my exercise calores like so many on here preach.
Probably works different for all of us!

whitchy_pooh

Thanks. I want to lose but I didn't know which intake to use or go by. Im not all about eating my excerise calories either...

tonymartin815

1200 seems a little low. MFP is just an equation based off the starting and goal weights, and the amount per week you want to lose, and a deadline date. MFP tells me to eat 1490 a day. but im a grown man. so instead i take in 1700 and i still have managed to lose 7lbs this week. If your intake is too low, your metabolism is going to shut down.
Amp up the caloric intake a little and just do so by eating healthy calories...like eggs etc

BhanGoes

Interesting - I just asked someone for help understanding this discrepancy because mine was like 1000 calories different.

First, let me ask: How long have you been trying to lose weight, and how much have you lost?

Now, for me, I'm just sticking with MFP's calories calculation (intake and expended through exercise) because I need to keep it simple and it's working for me. Why add to the complexity? When I really hit my stride, or start to plateau, I will do the research and/or work with a nutritionist to fine-tune my goals.

Lots and lots and lots of people achieve their goals using the MFP calculations. My understanding is that the BMR and TDEE rates (Scooby's calculations) are for people who've been at this for a while and are ready for more advanced science.

To put it another way, if you're relatively new to this, right now just worry about getting your engine running (using MFP). Once it's running smoothly you can look at optimizing and enhancing it (using TDEE).

chelseasmom03

MFP set mine at 1420, which I'm usually under. However, I eat a lot of veggies, fruits and grains to make me feel full. I've lost about 10lbs since I started, which was early March.

Francl27

MFP means my FITNESS pal. It's IMO designed for people who work out. Ie, you're supposed to exercise and eat your calories back, then you'll be close to the 1600 or whatever that the other sites give you (where you're not supposed to eat exercise calories).

BhanGoes

i take in 1700 and i still have managed to lose 7lbs this week. If your intake is too low, your metabolism is going to shut down.
Amp up the caloric intake a little and just do so by eating healthy calories...like eggs etc

Just wanted to point out that losing 7 pounds in a week isn't typical, healthy, or potentially even accurate. I am *not* bashing or questioning you - just clarifying for anyone new to MFP so they don't set an unsustainable 7-lb-per-week weight loss goals. Cool?

100% agree that we need to eat to maintain healthy metabolism. Good point.

EmmaKarney

MFP means my FITNESS pal. It's IMO designed for people who work out. Ie, you're supposed to exercise and eat your calories back, then you'll be close to the 1600 or whatever that the other sites give you (where you're not supposed to eat exercise calories).

Exactly.

It's a net goal.

Goal being the operative word - you are meant to hit it, not come under.

BhanGoes

MFP set mine at 1420, which I'm usually under. However, I eat a lot of veggies, fruits and grains to make me feel full. I've lost about 10lbs since I started, which was early March.

Without knowing the specifics of your diary (which is fine) I'd say you're seeing very good results at a sustainable pace. The goal is to eat TO your goal, not always remain under your goal. This is especially true if you're exercising, in which case you definitely need to eat back the calories you burned.

oX_Vanessa_Xo

Not meaning to hijack a thread but... what does eating back calories mean? I've seen quite a few people say this and I'm clueless... is it something I should be doing?

mercurysfire

it says net calories* That little star is very important

) Basically, you want your food intake-exercise calories to be around that number so you can have your calorie deficit. if you sit in a chair all day and never move, you will be able to eat 1200 calories and lose weight. if you eat 1600 calories and burn 400 running, you've got your 1200 and your calorie deficit to lose weight. if you don't feel comfortable at 1200, eat more by all means. (that is pretty restricitive.) but make sure to move. i struggled with it for a while until i realized how "net calories" differ from "calorie intake". i usually eat 1500-1600 (somedays i even get 2000) and make sure that i workout at least 3-4 times a week and walk whenever i can. it's been working pretty well for about 8 months. :happy:

ilovesparkle

Not meaning to hijack a thread but... what does eating back calories mean? I've seen quite a few people say this and I'm clueless... is it something I should be doing?

It means eating the calories you burn. For example, if you burn 300 calories using an elliptical trainer, then you eat an additional 300 calories that day in addition to your daily goal.

estellem75

If you burn 300 calories during exercise, you can eat them that day. So if your allowance is 1200, add the 300 you've burned..now you have a 1500 calorie allowance for the day.

oX_Vanessa_Xo

Not meaning to hijack a thread but... what does eating back calories mean? I've seen quite a few people say this and I'm clueless... is it something I should be doing?

It means eating the calories you burn. For example, if you burn 300 calories using an elliptical trainer, then you eat an additional 300 calories that day in addition to your daily goal.

Thank you for clearing that up for me but.... I thought you were supposed to burn more calories than you consume?

BhanGoes

I thought you were supposed to burn more calories than you consume?

Here, I'm a visual person so maybe this will help you understand where you should land at the end of the day:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1400 calories in your budget (daily calorie intake goal at the beginning of each day)
+ 300 calories (calories earned through exercise)

1700 remaining calories you can eat today! YAY! (You will see MFP recalculate the calories you can eat as soon as you log your exercise.)

Now,

1700 calories in your budget
- 300 calories (yummy snack you earned because you exercised!)

1400 net calories consumed today. Zero remaining calories. This is ideal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each day, you should strive to consume the total number of calores including eating back your exercise calories.

Think of it like a cash budget where at the end of the day you need to go to bed with a certain number of dollars under your pillow to survive the night. You will effectively go to bed having 1400 calories in your system, which are required to keep your body functioning properly (brain, lungs, heart all require those base line calories to work throughout the day). You will "spend" all those calories in the 24-hour period which brings you round to logging onto MFP again in the morning with another 1400 calories.

YOU SHOULD NOT finish the day with a net calorie consumption of zero. No bueno. Am I right?

wareagle8706

Thanks. I want to lose but I didn't know which intake to use or go by. Im not all about eating my excerise calories either...

the way that scooby integrates you acitivity on his TDEE calculator means you don't eat your exercise calories back b/c they're already included in the calculation. BUT if you're doing the BMR calculator then you would eat exercise cals.

whitchy_pooh

Thanks everyone for the feedback...I gues I wasn't really understanding the net calories* I was more under the impression that the 1200 MFP gave me was not counting the exercise calories. I have been signed up to MFP for a while but have never been diligent with progress and I think that was because I did not understand how carlories work...

Francl27

Thanks everyone for the feedback...I gues I wasn't really understanding the net calories* I was more under the impression that the 1200 MFP gave me was not counting the exercise calories. I have been signed up to MFP for a while but have never been diligent with progress and I think that was because I did not understand how carlories work...

The 1200 don't. You're supposed to eat more if you exercise.