VERY Important question about MFP

Jasonilc2013
Jasonilc2013 Posts: 4 Member
edited February 5 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I'm pretty good about logging foods with MFP and I just started doing my workouts every day..

Here is whats going on:(Example before question)

Today, I walked half a mile in 10 minutes, rested for 10 minutes, then walked a full mile in 25 minutes. I logged both of them on MyFitnessPal.

MyFitnessPal says I need to eat(goal) is 2190 calories a day. Today, I logged a meal for 660 calories, bringing me down to 1530 calories remaining. I logged the walking workout and It brought it up to 1700(ish) remaining. So I removed the workout log.

Question is: Eating 2190 calories IS my deficit, to my knowledge. If I workout, and it brings my calories UP that im allowed to eat, does that mean I have to or can eat more?

Today, I walked a total of 1.5miles, and did my "tests" for my " Just 6 weeks "app, and tomorrow starts all my sets and reps. Today was only 1 set each of pushups pullups dips squats and situps..

I just want to make sure I get the logging down right for MyFitnessPal so I don't over eat, OR under eat..

Replies

  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Yes, MFP is designed to already give you a deficit, so you are supposed to log your workouts and eat back those calories.

    I don't understand the second part of your post because I don't use MFP to log my strength training, so I can't help there.
  • Jasonilc2013
    Jasonilc2013 Posts: 4 Member
    What If I dont want to eat that much more? like for example: I do workouts that tell me to eat another 600 calories, but I only want to eat lets say 250 or 300? Is that okay?

    Sometimes I cant AFFORD to eat a whole bunch, and sometimes I am just not hungry..
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    If you're not hungry, don't eat all of them. MFP overestimates your exercise calories most of the time anyway.
  • lsorci919
    lsorci919 Posts: 772 Member
    You don't HAVE to eat back your exercise calories. I eat some of them back on a high burn day. But, typically I stick close to my original goal. Like the last person said MFP really does overestimate your calories burned. For me it would tell me 2/3X what I actually burned. If I ate those calories back I wouldn't have gotten any where with my weight loss.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    If you're not hungry, don't eat all of them. MFP overestimates your exercise calories most of the time anyway.!!
    makes a good point, doing something simple can blow my workout cals up and over 2000... :laugh: :laugh: :noway: My HRM is on the fritz so I do the best I can which is cut what they say in by at least 1/2. But that's me, I'm not suggesting anyone else do that unless they feel comfy with that method. I'm much rather underestimate cals to be eaten back than go over. But I have more to lose than some... makes a difference.:wink:
  • Jasonilc2013
    Jasonilc2013 Posts: 4 Member
    Would it be bad, or okay if I just didn't log my workouts on MyFitnesPal then?

    All I'm really going to be doing every day is walking, then pushups sit ups, squats, dips, and pullups(if any) and a few
    resistance bands exercises..
  • MissKriss3
    MissKriss3 Posts: 117 Member
    Would it be bad, or okay if I just didn't log my workouts on MyFitnesPal then?

    All I'm really going to be doing every day is walking, then pushups sit ups, squats, dips, and pullups(if any) and a few
    resistance bands exercises..

    Log your workouts entering 1 calorie burned, this way it doesn't alternate anything but still shows your exercise
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Today, I walked half a mile in 10 minutes, rested for 10 minutes, then walked a full mile in 25 minutes. I logged both of them on MyFitnessPal.

    MyFitnessPal says I need to eat(goal) is 2190 calories a day. Today, I logged a meal for 660 calories, bringing me down to 1530 calories remaining. I logged the walking workout and It brought it up to 1700(ish) remaining. So I removed the workout log.

    Am I understanding this right - you added 1.5 miles worth of walking to your diary and MFP gave you back nearly 200 calories? How exactly did you enter the walking into your exercise log?
  • Jasonilc2013
    Jasonilc2013 Posts: 4 Member
    I chose walk -2mph slow paced - and it auto logged calories.. but I changed it like the above post said and switched to just 1 calorie per workout log. Just to account for my workouts :)
  • lisapr123
    lisapr123 Posts: 863 Member
    Would it be bad, or okay if I just didn't log my workouts on MyFitnesPal then?

    All I'm really going to be doing every day is walking, then pushups sit ups, squats, dips, and pullups(if any) and a few
    resistance bands exercises..

    I don't log my normal exercise--like daily walks, cleaning (yes, some people log that), mowing the lawn, etc..., because I choose not to eat back the calories. The only time I log exercise is when it's intentional and significantly above and beyond the norm for me.

    So I'll log it when I ride 40 miles or RUN a 5k but I don't log a bike ride into town for errands, nor do I log a day or walking around a fair, festival, or city.
  • SouthernCountryGirl
    SouthernCountryGirl Posts: 195 Member
    I tried the correct MFP way and ate my exercise calories back. I gained weight. After months of trial and error, I finally figured out what works for me. I eat 1200 cals a day, walk 5 miles a day (burn between 350/450 cals depending on outside temp), lots of water, a good multi vitamin, protein (shake), and I don't eat back my exercise calories. Am I starving myself?. Not at all. When I'm hungry, I eat. I have that cushion with the exercise calories. But as a general rule of thumb, I don't. For me it works. And that's the thing! You have to find what works for you. No two people will be the same, I'm 50, I have no idea how old you are but our bodies react differently to different things. Choose a plan and do it for a couple of weeks. See where you stand and how you feel. If you don't like it, tweak it and try that for a couple of weeks. A day or two won't tell you anything. You need to do the exact same thing (or close to it) in repetition to get an idea of what works and what doesn't. I'm sure the 'starvation mode' police will follow this post soon saying all the ways I'm killing myself lol. I'm not and their comments are ok. I'm simply stating what works for me. I hope you find what works for you :) PS I'm going to an arts/crafts festival tomorrow, you better believe I'm going to eat too :laugh: (doing ^^^ I've lost 16.2 pounds in 10 weeks)
  • SouthernCountryGirl
    SouthernCountryGirl Posts: 195 Member
    Would it be bad, or okay if I just didn't log my workouts on MyFitnesPal then?

    All I'm really going to be doing every day is walking, then pushups sit ups, squats, dips, and pullups(if any) and a few
    resistance bands exercises..

    Log your workouts entering 1 calorie burned, this way it doesn't alternate anything but still shows your exercise

    Or invest in an HRM. I found one at walmart for $30 and it works great. I would log your exercise though either way
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    It doesn't sound like you're actually burning a large amount of calories, so with your current goal you're probably fine to not eat them back. Like I said before MFP is DESIGNED for you to eat them back, but not everyone does. If you start doing more intense workouts or lower your calorie goal significantly, then it can become an issue not to eat them back. And yes, MFP database is not very accurate for most people at figuring calories burned, so if you do decide to start tracking your burned calories, I would find a more reliable way to do it.
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