Not Sure if I am going in the right direction. HELP!!

Mrsgreene7
Mrsgreene7 Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

Replies

  • ktno1
    ktno1 Posts: 297 Member
    Yes you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. You will still lose weight. I eat mine back. They are delicious.

    ETA: Just be careful that the numbers you calculate for burns are as accurate as possible. If in doubt maybe eat back 1/2 - 3/4 of what you've burned as you could be overestimating the burn.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    MFP is designed for its users to eat their exercise calories back. The formula can be found on the Goals page.

    If you decide to switch to TDEE, just realize this method includes exercise calories so there would be no "eating them back".

    Here's some additional reading to help you :)



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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    If you're Using MFP's calorie budget then they expect you to eat back exercise but if you're using MFP exercise calories or numbers off a machine I wouldn't eat more than half back. If you have a HRM your numbers will be more accurate.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

    are those calorie burns for the week, or one day? (because they seem really high for one day)
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.
    What are you doing to burn 1100 cals???
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

    are those calorie burns for the week, or one day? (because they seem really high for one day)

    They are, aren't they? So yeah, eat your exercise calories back.... unless those calorie burns are wildly optimistic
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

    are those calorie burns for the week, or one day? (because they seem really high for one day)

    1 hr of an aerobic HR zone run or bike ride has me at 1000 and over.

    And that's per VO2max tests, not HRM without enough stats available to calculate correctly. Though actually, a better Polar does show that high too when I use it.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

    are those calorie burns for the week, or one day? (because they seem really high for one day)

    1 hr of an aerobic HR zone run or bike ride has me at 1000 and over.

    And that's per VO2max tests, not HRM without enough stats available to calculate correctly. Though actually, a better Polar does show that high too when I use it.

    One hour of biking 1000 cals??? I have a hard time believing that one.
  • Mrsgreene7
    Mrsgreene7 Posts: 7 Member
    I lift for 30 to 45 mins, cardio for and hour.
  • joefearn
    joefearn Posts: 3
    don't go by mfp's guidelines, find your own maintenance calories and subtract ~250 calories from that, hit your own set macros and don't worry about logging burned calories, just hit your macros and you'll be good
  • Mrsgreene7
    Mrsgreene7 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks everyone. I track by my polar and my fitbit.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    I don't think anyone has said this yet, but also keep in mind that you are exercising, you're doing work! You need to give your body energy to complete the work. You can't just run your body into the ground for the sake of a deficit. (not that you are in particular)

    So yes, eat them back. So long as your net calories are -500 from your otherwise sedentary TDEE, you will loose at a steady rate.

    And about the fitbit and HRM, they are not designed to judge your calories burned while lifting. It's a mistake to use it that way.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I need help! I am trying to eat healthy and lose over 30lbs. The problem I am having is MFP has me eating back my calories. I work out about 5 days a week burn btwn 500-1100 calories. Should I be doing this? Someone please help me. Thank you in advance.

    are those calorie burns for the week, or one day? (because they seem really high for one day)

    1 hr of an aerobic HR zone run or bike ride has me at 1000 and over.

    And that's per VO2max tests, not HRM without enough stats available to calculate correctly. Though actually, a better Polar does show that high too when I use it.

    One hour of biking 1000 cals??? I have a hard time believing that one.

    How familiar are you with lab tested calorie burns at various levels of intensity?

    If your only knowledge is what the cheaper Polars with no VO2max stat estimate for calorie burn, then you don't have enough to know what is actually very possible calorie burns.

    Here is study where the healthy weight runners only doing 9:30/mile, or 6.3 mph, burned 726 calories per hr.
    Increase that speed a bit to 8:30, or increase that weight some, or make it non-flat, and you are easily burning 1000 calories per hr.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

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