Non-Exercise days

Actually you are wrong with how MFP is set up. MFP gives you a caloric intake with a deficit, based on no exercise, you don't get credit for the exercise until you perform in and enter it into the exercise tab, which is why when you enter exercise MFP tells you to eat more. this is done so your deficit will be the same on workout and non-workout days.

The 1978 MFP gives you assumes no exercise. If you change your estimated exercise to 0 you will see no change to the cals MFP tells you to eat. the only thing that changes the base calories MFP gives you is your activity level, weight, and weekly weight loss goal.

MFP only asks about exercise as a motivator if you go to the exercise tab. It has nothing to do with the calculations it does.

"Thanks guys, have slightly misunderstood the website then!

So, if I consumed 1978 calories a day without exercise, I should still see some weight loss?

Not that I won't do exercise though!"




Exactly, adding exercise just allows you to eat more as you should eat back at least half of your exercise calories so you don't create too big of a deficit.

MFP only asks about exercise as a motivator if you go to the exercise tab. It has nothing to do with the calculations it does.

WHOA! This is news to me! Doesn't it determine your calories based on the exercise profile you choose? Otherwise, how would it be able to calculate your deficit? If you need a 1000 calorie deficit but on some days you burn 3000 calories and others you burn 2000, then what you eat would be completely different on different days.

Now i'm confused...someone hit me in the brain with some facts

MFP only asks about exercise as a motivator if you go to the exercise tab. It has nothing to do with the calculations it does.

WHOA! This is news to me! Doesn't it determine your calories based on the exercise profile you choose? Otherwise, how would it be able to calculate your deficit? If you need a 1000 calorie deficit but on some days you burn 3000 calories and others you burn 2000, then what you eat would be completely different on different days.

Now i'm confused...someone hit me in the brain with some facts

It is actually quite simple You choose a weekly weight loss goal and MFP says eat that to lose your goal amount of weight, if you exercise you need to eat those cals back to keep your deficit to lose your goal amount of weigh intact.

so lets say your maintenance is 2400 cals with no exercise, you chose a goal of 1 lb/week so MFP says eat 1900/day to lose 1lb/week. Now you go out and burn 700 cals, meaning on that day to maintain your weigh you need 3100 cals (2400+700) so to keep your weight loss goal at 1 lb/week you eat back the 700 cals for a total of 2600 (3100-500) or 2600 (1900+700)

Yeah, simple for a smart person maybe. You haven't had to deal with my stupid brain.

So the calculations fitness pal does and poops out my daily calorie goal, that's assuming i'm relatively sedentary yes? Like...light activity ish?

So i'm 240lbs at 5'8 and my daily goal it gives me is 1750 cals (by that number i'm assuming mfp thinks my maintenance is 2750 then). So that's the calories i would even eat on a non exercise day? So if i go out and get some exercise i add that on TOP of my 1750?

Just opened another tab and shot my stats into a TDEE calculator. Says my "little activity" would be 2672 so i'm guessing you're right...how about that? I'm good at overcomplicating things.

And btw: nice profile pic! I wanna be just like that!

MFP only asks about exercise as a motivator if you go to the exercise tab. It has nothing to do with the calculations it does.

WHOA! This is news to me! Doesn't it determine your calories based on the exercise profile you choose? Otherwise, how would it be able to calculate your deficit? If you need a 1000 calorie deficit but on some days you burn 3000 calories and others you burn 2000, then what you eat would be completely different on different days.

Now i'm confused...someone hit me in the brain with some facts

MFP is a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...when you do your activity level, it is only supposed to be your day to day hum drum which is why it only talks about what kind of job your have...i.e. desk job, retail, etc...there is no mention of exercise in the activity level setting. MFP then calculates your NEAT based on your stats and deducts some amount from that depending on how many Lbs per week you told MFP you wanted to lose...then you get your calorie goal with deficit, exclusive of exercise.

With this method, exercise is an extra activity...that activity isn't accounted for until you actually do it and log it which is why MFP gives you additional calories and macros after you log exercise. This is to help motivate people who are otherwise unmotivated to get their fitness on...they get to eat more so yeah...I'll workout for more food kinda deal. While you do set fitness goals at set up, those numbers do not have any impact on your calorie goal...that fitness goal is just for you and a reminder of what you told yourself you were going to do...essentially you tell MFP that you're going to do X, Y, & Z and burn X calories...but MFP doesn't believe you and doesn't give you credit until you actually do it and log it.

You have to be careful using this method though as it is very easy to overestimate calorie burn...probably reason numero uno why many people say it "doesn't work for them"...they are most likely overestimating their burn and probably underestimating intake as well.

MFP only asks about exercise as a motivator if you go to the exercise tab. It has nothing to do with the calculations it does.

WHOA! This is news to me! Doesn't it determine your calories based on the exercise profile you choose? Otherwise, how would it be able to calculate your deficit? If you need a 1000 calorie deficit but on some days you burn 3000 calories and others you burn 2000, then what you eat would be completely different on different days.

Now i'm confused...someone hit me in the brain with some facts

MFP is a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...when you do your activity level, it is only supposed to be your day to day hum drum which is why it only talks about what kind of job your have...i.e. desk job, retail, etc...there is no mention of exercise in the activity level setting. MFP then calculates your NEAT based on your stats and deducts some amount from that depending on how many Lbs per week you told MFP you wanted to lose...then you get your calorie goal with deficit, exclusive of exercise.

With this method, exercise is an extra activity...that activity isn't accounted for until you actually do it and log it which is why MFP gives you additional calories and macros after you log exercise. This is to help motivate people who are otherwise unmotivated to get their fitness on...they get to eat more so yeah...I'll workout for more food kinda deal. While you do set fitness goals at set up, those numbers do not have any impact on your calorie goal...that fitness goal is just for you and a reminder of what you told yourself you were going to do...essentially you tell MFP that you're going to do X, Y, & Z and burn X calories...but MFP doesn't believe you and doesn't give you credit until you actually do it and log it.

You have to be careful using this method though as it is very easy to overestimate calorie burn...probably reason numero uno why many people say it "doesn't work for them"...they are most likely overestimating their burn and probably underestimating intake as well.

I appreciate you taking the time to explain it! This stuff can get pretty confusing. I think what confused me the most was the activity level determining my calories. If i set it to sedentary, it says 1700 calories to lose 2 lbs a week. If i set it to "heavily active" it tells me i can eat 2600. But then how do i determine my activity level? And what about the days i have off where i don't do a damn thing besides check the mail and occasionally walk to the bathroom?

Agh! I'll just let my fitbit guide me. I wear it most of the time. On days i work it says i can eat 2000 calories and days i have off it says something more like 1200. On sedentary days, i'll just meet it somewhere in the middle so i'm not starving

On MFP your activity level is determined by your day job. I'm a lawyer, I sit at my desk for 8+hrs a day. I have my activity level set at sedentary. HOwever, I also walk for an hour every morning before work, and workout at the gym for an hour 6days a week - those calories are extra. You add them in as you do them and your daily calorie goal will be updated accordingly

I'm new to MFP and I was just wondering how it works. I'm 158, 5.3 and I want to lose 2 pounds per week. My activity level is set to sedentary. It says I should eat 1200 calories per day. My questions are:

1) if I eat 1200 calories without exercising will I be able to reach my goal?
2) however I do excercise 5 times a week for 40 mins, so what happens if I don't eat my burned calories back, will it affect my goal? I eat them on some days but mostly I don't feel the need too.

I'm new too. Giving my answers to see if I understand the system correctly.

1) Yes, you will still lose weight. It figures that you won't exercise and doesn't give you credit for establishing a goal.
2) Yes, not eating your burned calories back will affect your goal. Your weight loss will be accelerated.

As I understand it, 1200 cal/day is right at the minimal level for not having your body do "weird survival" things. Like give you cravings to eat more.