New to myfitnesspal

threeeilola
threeeilola Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Everyone, I'm new to this group! I am currently about 50# heavier than I'd like to be. I've struggled with weight for as long as I can remember. I currently CrossFit 3-4 days per week and generally do some cardio of biking, running on 2 other days a week. My calorie count seems extremely low to support my activities. On another website they recommended adjusting my carbs/fats -10% on my rest days. My calories through here are about 1,000 less than the other site. Any thoughts? I want to keep my muscle, but lose the fat, but I can't starve myself doing it!

Replies

  • michellereeve2
    michellereeve2 Posts: 11
    I also found it odd that the daily calories are calculated on your professional lifestyle (IE sitting at a desk) and doesn't consider if you regularly workout. Insight?
  • sheaffer1134
    sheaffer1134 Posts: 1 Member
    Keep in mind, Every workout should be entered under exercises. This will give you more calories. Then after a week or two look at the weekly averages to determine if your averaging under your caloric intake for the week. I'm a professional yo-yo dieter. I've been using this system for about 3-4 weeks and I am seeing results if I stay within 200 calories of my alotted calories, but when I wasn't taking in enough calories, I stopped dropping. I wish you the best towards your goals!
  • KarenE58
    KarenE58 Posts: 15 Member
    But remember as you work out and log it the more calories you can consume. You do not have to starve LOL.
  • DaniettaF
    DaniettaF Posts: 212 Member
    There's a couple things that it could be:

    The calories are calculated on how quickly you want to lose the weight as well as how much you want to lose. If you wanted to lose, for example, 14lbs in a month the amount of calories you can eat is different compared to if you wanted to lose that over 6months.

    Also, once you've logged in your exercise the amount of calories you're suggested to consume increases. For example, I'm allowed 1200 calories a day at my rate of weight loss, but if I were to burn 400 calories cycling, it increases to 1600, allowing for larger meals.

    With regards to what your professional lifestyle is, I assume that it takes into account that if you're a builder, doing manual labour, you can eat more than a receptionist sat at a desk all day. I don't know how it calculates that, but I think that's why it asks.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    It doesn't include workouts because it wants you to enter those as you do it and eat back the calories accordingly. Workout, enter those calories burned, and then eat them back (or some/most of them). After adding exercise calories, your "goal intake" should be close to what other sites suggest.

    Or you could run with the other side and adjust your settings here (and then not log exercise). People do it both ways.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    there is a place to enter exercise that calculates it into the MFP, so it makes sense that it asks for your work activity because you are supposed to be entering any exercise separately
  • Canderson58054
    Canderson58054 Posts: 132 Member
    If you follow what MFP tells you to eat for calorie goal... whenever you excercise you are supposed to eat the calories you burned. That calorie goal is what you are supposed to "net" Meaning if your calorie goal is 1600: and you walked enough to burn 400 calories. If you eat 2000 calories that day you are still eating at your goal. 2000 ate- 400 burned =1600 calories. So essentially the more you burn, the more you can eat :) Alot of people have stated that they think MFP over calculates the amt of calories burned by close to half... you will see that on the threads alot. This is where many members use a HRM or similar device to get a more accurate number of thier calories burned. Personally I use a fibit.

    You will also see people that use the TDEE method. Your TDEE is what you would need to eat to maintain weight. So since trying to lose weight many people use TDEE- 20%. When you are using the TDEE method you do not eat back your excercise calories and your excercise is already figured into that number. When using the TDEE method, you have to put that number manually into your goals :)

    I recommend taking some time to read this post...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Welcome & Best of luck to you! :)

Categories