I am confused, please help!!

ninja250
ninja250 Posts: 26
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, here is the situation.

MFP tells me that i should eat 1550 calories a day to lose 1.5 lbs per week. and is that with exercise or without exercise?
i am in college and i walk around a lot with a backpack, so should i record it?
or i go to the gym and do a cycling/spinning class for an hour. my instructor said we burn about 600-700 calories in that activity.
so if i record that, MFP subtracts 600 calories from that day's net and give me more remaining calories to eat. should i eat that much more?
is it 1550 calories per day assuming that i burn 0 calories?

can someone please explain to me how this works? i am new to this.

by the way, i am pretty active. i go to gym about 4-5 days a week. and i work at burger king as a cashier which includes physical work. i play tennis, i have to walk around college, etc.... and i don't lose much weight. i am trying to lose belly fat and tone up other parts of my body.

EDIT: i changed my active level to light activity and my exercise to 5 days a week. 60 minutes per day. Now my goal calorie intake is changed to 2390.

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    1550 assuming "normal daily activity" walking around, going to call are included in this. You should add your exercise to the exercise section and eat at least most of those calories so your net calories are at least above 1400 (since you are male) and preferable at you 1550 level. So if you burn 500 cals through exercise you should eat between 1900 and 2050 (1400+500 and 1550+500).
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    1550 is what you should eat without exercise. Once you input your exercise, the amount of calories you can consume per day increase.
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
    Bottom line is, keep track of what you eat and do. The last number on the right =net is how many calories you have left to eat.

    Goal + Exercise - Food = Net

    Goal is what you want with out doing anything.

    Net is what you have left Goal + Exercise - food

    Remember, you burn calories even when your sitting on your butt. LOL
  • MStorey79
    MStorey79 Posts: 2
    When setting up your profile you should have marked the light activity level for your standard day. This includes your work and school activitie (walking, standing). The calories you burn working out (spinning, strength training) you get to add onto your 1550 calorie intake. Let the program work for you. MFP will automaticly add in your calorie deficit from your workouts. You don't have to eat the extra calories you burned, but do atleast eat your 1550 cal. If you don't eat enough cal through out the day you can put your body into starvation mode and then your body will hold onto all the cal you eat and store it as fat. Good luck!
  • msekka
    msekka Posts: 2
    i record my excersize , I just keep at my 1500 calories anyways.. no matter wahat the exercise is , cleaning the house or just walking around the store. a note to remember is every 3500 calories burned is a pound lostno mtter if its exercise or less calories...food for thought
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
    If you do something every day, like hauling around a backpack and walking from place to place, then that should be taken into account when you set your activity level, which is then used as part of the equation to derive your caloric goal for each day.

    If you do something specifically to exercise, then add it to your exercise. There have been many debates about eating the extra calories you get from exercise, and in the end it's up to you, but I can explain why you get to eat more calories on days you exercise; The idea is maintaining your calorie deficit. If you're trying to lose 1 lb./week, then you will have a 500 calorie deficit every day. If you exericise and burn 500 calories, then if you still eat your "normal" 1550 calores, your calorie deficit will actually be 1000 instead of 500. It's all about consistency, and it's all about eating enough every day to keep your metabolism burning as much as possible. Also, a smaller deficit is easier to maintain day in and day out, and many of us like to keep this as easy and humanly possible!
  • ninja250
    ninja250 Posts: 26
    thanks guys this cleared out my doubts.
  • Shawna_831
    Shawna_831 Posts: 316
    You will eat 1550 + what you burn off working out. So if you burn 600 in spin class then you will eat 2150 in calories. Also, if you are pretty active through out the day (not counting gym) then you need to make sure you don't have your activity level set on the lowest (sit down, computer job).
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    To emphasise again, "exercise" for extra calorie purposes do NOT include normal daily activities. Only extraordinary and intentional exercise functions should be entered for more calories. Ie: vacuuming is normal, walking around work or school is normal, cleaning your house is normal, UNLESS it is heavy and involves moving furniture, climbing ladders, deep scrubbing, etc, (the kind you do once a year). Lifting weights, running 2 miles, biking for an hour could all be considered exercise in addition to your normal energy expenditure.

    Your lifestyle calories are determined by your activity level in settings - sedentary, lightly active, active, very active, etc.
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