How does the calorie thing work!!!!

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rubyhill1983
rubyhill1983 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hey everyone i'm Renee and i'm new at this! I'm trying to figure out what the food calories - exercise calories means!! What i'm trying to ask is do you want the net number to be negative or what? Any help would be appreciated!!!!
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  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Hello Renee and welcome. What you do is set your height, weight goals, activity level and how much you want to lose per week. MFP then works out how much you need to eat...you eat all of these calories and then if you exercise (above and beyond what you've stated as your activity level) log that. MFP then adds that to the total you should eat for the day. If you eat all the calories (and no more), you be eating the right amount to lose weight at the pace that you set in your goals. Set your goal realistically so that you have at least 1200 calories eat a day. Hope that makes sense.
  • soldier4242
    soldier4242 Posts: 1,368 Member
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    If you are just using the site as it is without any personal adjustments then it goes as follows:

    You tell the site your height your weight your gender and what your goal weight is.

    You also tell the site if you are sedentary or active.

    You tell the site how much you plan to workout each week.

    Based on this information the site will calculate what your caloric intake should be each day so that your calorie deficit will be appropriate to reach your goal.

    As a rule you want to land exactly on that number no more and no less but I have only managed to land on zero a couple times so there is an obvious margin of error.

    You log the food that you eat and it subtracts the calories from the numbers you see.

    You log exercise and it will add to the number you see.

    As long as you are honest you will end up with a deficit and you will lose weight.

    This has been my experience so I see no reason why it can't work for you.
  • nicolen160
    nicolen160 Posts: 197 Member
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    If you are just using the site as it is without any personal adjustments then it goes as follows:

    You tell the site your height your weight your gender and what your goal weight is.

    You also tell the site if you are sedentary or active.

    You tell the site how much you plan to workout each week.

    Based on this information the site will calculate what your caloric intake should be each day so that your calorie deficit will be appropriate to reach your goal.

    As a rule you want to land exactly on that number no more and no less but I have only managed to land on zero a couple times so there is an obvious margin of error.

    You log the food that you eat and it subtracts the calories from the numbers you see.

    You log exercise and it will add to the number you see.

    As long as you are honest you will end up with a deficit and you will lose weight.

    This has been my experience so I see no reason why it can't work for you.


    THIS!!
  • rubyhill1983
    rubyhill1983 Posts: 3
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    Thanks everyone!!! So My goal calories is 1210 but today I only ate 1105 minus my 401 exercise calories leaves me with 704 net so is that good or bad?
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    That's much too low. You need to hit your goal calories even after exercising.
  • JLArispe
    JLArispe Posts: 62
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    You want to make sure that you eat your 1210 daily. If you are trying to lose weight, then don't eat back the calories that you burn. If you are just trying to maintain, then eat back your calories that you burn. What you are today in the 1100 is ok, but try and get closer to that 1210 daily goal. Good luck!
  • Looking2blittler
    Looking2blittler Posts: 39 Member
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    Hi. If you are trying to lose weight, and you eat too few calories, it can actually push your body into a starvation mode and you will not lose weight. Make sure you try to eat your allotted calories every day, as close as you can so that you can ensure you are getting good nutrition and you can maintain your energy through out the day. :):bigsmile:
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Thanks everyone!!! So My goal calories is 1210 but today I only ate 1105 minus my 401 exercise calories leaves me with 704 net so is that good or bad?

    If 1210 is your goal, you must net 1210 calories. Since you burned 401 calories you must eat 1210 + 401 to net 1210 calories, that means you have to eat a total of 1611 calories for today to meet your goal.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I have some health issues unrelated to my weight that make it hard for me to hit the calories goal for 1.5 lbs per week loss, but with my exercise I am always under the 1 lb per week goal. I wish there was a 1.25 lb per week goal. I am pretty sure that I would hit that within 15 calories every day. :)

    I have lost closer to 3lbs per week since I started this 3 weeks ago, but I expected that and I know it will even out over time.

    For me, the important thing is to eat at least 1200-1300 calories per day, but not more than 1650 no matter what I burn in exercise. (I did a 3 hour hike over the weekend and there was no way I could have replaced those calories in one day. I did eat just over 1600 calories that day though.)
  • arathena720
    arathena720 Posts: 449 Member
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    Thanks everyone!!! So My goal calories is 1210 but today I only ate 1105 minus my 401 exercise calories leaves me with 704 net so is that good or bad?

    <hears distinctive sound of a can of worms being opened>

    Me, I eat my 1200, maybe a little more if I exercise,a lot more if that exercise is some sort of death march hike for 10 miles up and down mountains.
  • arathena720
    arathena720 Posts: 449 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth...

    <ducking the inevitable sh!tstorm>
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth...

    <ducking the inevitable sh!tstorm>

    Actually, it is very valid. Often times, a person eating too few calories often will not lose weight. However, once the person starts eating enough calories, then they will lose at a healthy rate.

    Of course, I think you are just joking. :D
  • Floshin
    Floshin Posts: 3
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    I'm still having a bit trouble following. Say my BMR is like 1900. If I eat 200 less than that then the deficit is 1700. Then I workout 300 so the deficit is 1400. Are you saying I have to eat my BMR? Or more if I exercise? The way I'm interpreting the thread is that I'm supposed to eat more calories instead of less, especially after working out?? Also, since we're on this topic. How does the calorie thing work. Does it reset every 24 hours? Say I eat 2000 calories Monday, does it reset so I can eat 2000 calories Tuesday? Or does it carry over? So confused @_@ Aware me please.
  • sewbella
    sewbella Posts: 1
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    i have a question - when i put in my cardio it gives me a calorie expenditure but when i put in my weight training , it doesnt - dont i burn calories when i lift weights also?
  • MuseofSong
    MuseofSong Posts: 322 Member
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    The easy way I keep it straight is this:

    using the NON-custom method, letting MFP work it out, you select your basic activity level (try not to under-estimate this, think about your job and how much you're on your feet, chasing kids, cleaning house, or walking around campus at school etc), and then your weight loss goal ( 1/2 lb, 1 lb, 1.5 lbs, 2 lbs) and that will create a deficit of 250, 500, 750, or 1000 calories per day.

    This calculation can be very low especially if you want to lose 2 lbs a week. Eat UP to that number AND eat your exercise calories.

    If you are using the TDEE - 20% method, you should be eating at or above your BMR, you don't have to eat your exercise calories because they're calculated as part of your TDEE. Any exercise you do, beyond your normal activity level, is just a bonus, go you! I just wish I could do exercise and track it here without it posting on my wall.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    I'm still having a bit trouble following. Say my BMR is like 1900. If I eat 200 less than that then the deficit is 1700. Then I workout 300 so the deficit is 1400. Are you saying I have to eat my BMR? Or more if I exercise? The way I'm interpreting the thread is that I'm supposed to eat more calories instead of less, especially after working out?? Also, since we're on this topic. How does the calorie thing work. Does it reset every 24 hours? Say I eat 2000 calories Monday, does it reset so I can eat 2000 calories Tuesday? Or does it carry over? So confused @_@ Aware me please.

    You should eat all of your BMR as that's the amount of calories that you use just keeping alive. Even a sedentary person will burn up to 200 calories more just getting up and sitting in a chair all day. MFP estimates your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) from the lifestyle that you put in and then subtracts the deficit you need to lose weight at the rate you want to. All you have to do is eat that number of calories and you'll lose weight. If you exercise, you can eat back the calories because the deficit is already taken from your calorie goal. However, if you've put that you have a highly active lifestyle, then MFP will calculate a high TDEE based on that activity you would have to exercise above and beyond that 'normal for you' activity to log the exercise and eat back those calories.

    On MFP every day is taken independently so there's no carry over. That said, you could I guess 'save' calories for another day if you know you're going to need them but MFP doesn't do the maths for you. I don't recommend that approach either as I find that it screws my appetite up (but that may be just me).
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    This should help you on your way...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    You want to make sure that you eat your 1210 daily. If you are trying to lose weight, then don't eat back the calories that you burn. If you are just trying to maintain, then eat back your calories that you burn. What you are today in the 1100 is ok, but try and get closer to that 1210 daily goal. Good luck!
    sorry but wrong, OP should eat at least 1/2 to 2/3 of exercise cals back on top of daily allowance.

    ETA: Read links I provided in previous reply.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth...

    <ducking the inevitable sh!tstorm>

    Actually, it is very valid. Often times, a person eating too few calories often will not lose weight. However, once the person starts eating enough calories, then they will lose at a healthy rate.

    Of course, I think you are just joking. :D
    Actual truth about the starvation mode myth...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
  • Elvira2014
    Elvira2014 Posts: 14 Member
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    Yes your calorie in take restarts daily. Mine is 1200 calories a day. But dont forget losts of water ! :-)

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