Not sure about activity level and calories

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LemonLizard
LemonLizard Posts: 86 Member
in Getting Started
I put myself as lightly active, and it gave me 1200 calories to work with about - a little over that.

I walk to and from college classes, about 3.0 mph every day, about 15-25 minutes a day total. Recently I've been exercising every day for about 30 minutes. 3 days of 25-20 walking/jogging and 2 days of 30 minutes of the elliptical, really pushing myself.

I'm only on my third week, and I haven't been feeling weak or anything, but I've heard if you don't eat enough it's just as bad as eating too much. Should I stick with 1200 net, or should I bump it up? Any advice? Tips?

I'm 5'2, maybe 5'2.5, and about 144 lbs, almost 21. Thanks!

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  • DatPanna
    DatPanna Posts: 59
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    What I like to do is eat enough to feel good, while keeping in mind my calorie budget, but I also have days where I eat over my budget intentionally every so often. You could always look up your TDEE and go from there. :) A lot of people seem to do well around 1,200, but things like this are totally individual. Find what works for you. :) Also, make sure you pay attention to your netted cals with all of that activity!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Your activity level remains the same but the MFP system is designed that you eat back your exercise calories (or a proportion of them to take into account any errors). So work out how many calories you are burning in your exercise then eat those back.
  • sahill314
    sahill314 Posts: 71 Member
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    just keep workin hard! you dont have to eat back all the spare calories but you do need to fuel your workouts. take the time to plan your meals around your workouts so your body can absorb the most nutrients from the food you eat.
  • brey81
    brey81 Posts: 4 Member
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    So let me ask a question w/in your question, if you don't mind. I am somewhat new to this even though I have used the site for awhile. I guess instead of new that makes me confused. Lol Should I be eating 1200 calories (if that is my caloric goal) or 1200 plus the amount of calories I burn working out? don't understand the net calories. Have been at a plateau for awhile but I have been eating only 1200 regardless of how much or how little I work out which could be my problem.
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    You'll see varying opinions regarding eating back the calories burned by exercise. I'm in the "eat some of them" boat. I know that my calories recorded aren't always exact so I leave myself some wiggle room by leaving some calories in the "bank".

    I use the mobile app to look at reports by the week as well as daily. If my weekly totals are too low, I'll add a higher calorie intake day.

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