More exercise, more food?? Really??

NancyQR28
NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been working out more often than my original MFP goals. So, today I adjusted my goals to show the new workouts and it increased my calorie goals as well! Is this correct? Do I really need to eat more now that I am exercising more? I can barely eat all my calories now, I don't know if I can fit anything more in! lol

Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Depending on the exercise, yes, you should eat at least 50-80% of the calories burned back.

    The way MFP is designed is so you can lose weight with zero exercise. So your calorie goal for the day already has a deficit built in. When you exercise, you increase the deficit, so you need to eat more to make up the difference.

    If you walked for 15 mins and burned like 40 calories, I think you can let that go. If you are busting your butt for 30-1hr at the gym, yes, it's important to fuel your body.

    ETA: Also do not count exercise in your activity level, that is for your occupation, like waitress, desk job, carpenter, ect.
  • 3P0X
    3P0X Posts: 302
    I have been working out more often than my original MFP goals. So, today I adjusted my goals to show the new workouts and it increased my calorie goals as well! Is this correct? Do I really need to eat more now that I am exercising more? I can barely eat all my calories now, I don't know if I can fit anything more in! lol

    Well you need to ask yourself whether you like to be skinny with loose skin or be fit with a rocking body?
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    You shouldn't adjust your activity level based on how much you work out. Your activity level is your normal, everyday routine. Sedentary is a desk job, etc., where you sit down most of the day. Less energy is needed, therefore you eat less calories. Light activity is standing on your feet most of the day, cashier, etc. When you bump up your activity level, you consume more so that you have the energy to perform these tasks. However, exercise for most is not part of their everyday life (think "job"), so we calculate exercise separately.

    EDIT: I didn't realize OP wasn't talking about activity level. Disregard this.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    You shouldn't adjust your activity level based on how much you work out. Your activity level is your normal, everyday routine. Sedentary is a desk job, etc., where you sit down most of the day. Less energy is needed, therefore you eat less calories. Light activity is standing on your feet most of the day, cashier, etc. When you bump up your activity level, you consume more so that you have the energy to perform these tasks. However, exercise for most is not part of their everyday life (think "job"), so we calculate exercise separately.
    ^This. Log your workouts using the Exercise tab. Then eat back at least a portion of those earned calories to maintain the same daily calorie deficit. If you don't have a heart rate monitor that accurately measures your calorie burn, then eat back fewer calories because MFP's default database could overestimate your burn.

    Edit: Workouts are NOT included in your daily calorie limit because you may not workout every day. The above stands if all the OP did was change her "fitness goals."
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    People say MFP calories burned are inflated so be careful about that, but yes if you exercise then you can eat more calories. If you have a hard time reaching your goal, there is nothing wrong with having icecream or pizza to reach your calories goal/ macros. :tongue:
  • ChrysalisCove
    ChrysalisCove Posts: 975 Member
    Yes, your body is using more fuel than it was before (at a deficit) so it requires more fuel to remain at the same deficit. If you don't give your body fuel you will run out of the energy needed to maintain an active lifestyle!
  • NancyQR28
    NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
    This doesn't answer my question....can you explain?
    I have been working out more often than my original MFP goals. So, today I adjusted my goals to show the new workouts and it increased my calorie goals as well! Is this correct? Do I really need to eat more now that I am exercising more? I can barely eat all my calories now, I don't know if I can fit anything more in! lol

    Well you need to ask yourself whether you like to be skinny with loose skin or be fit with a rocking body?
  • NancyQR28
    NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
    I didn't mean activity levels. MFP asks you how many times a week you plan to exercise when you first fill in your goals. I started off with 3 times a week, but have increased it to 5 times a week. When I did this, the calories I have to eat per day also increased.

    I always leave at least 100 calories left over per day to account for the estimated calories burned (in case the numbers are a little off).
    You shouldn't adjust your activity level based on how much you work out. Your activity level is your normal, everyday routine. Sedentary is a desk job, etc., where you sit down most of the day. Less energy is needed, therefore you eat less calories. Light activity is standing on your feet most of the day, cashier, etc. When you bump up your activity level, you consume more so that you have the energy to perform these tasks. However, exercise for most is not part of their everyday life (think "job"), so we calculate exercise separately.

    EDIT: I didn't realize OP wasn't talking about activity level. Disregard this.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Exercise increases your activity level...which increases your calorie requirements...thus you can eat more if you exercise.

    Example...if I don't exercise i can only eat around 2200 - 2300 calories to maintain. If I do exercise I can eat roughly 2600 - 2700 to maintain. Thus, if I wanted to lose 1 Lb per week (500 calorie deficit from maintenance) without any exercise I would only be able to eat 1700 - 1800 calories per day....but with exercise I can eat 2200 - 2300 per day and achieve that same goal.

    MFP gives you a deficit from your theoretical NEAT maintenance number...that is your activity WITHOUT any exercise whatsoever. So exercise is extra activity that is unaccounted for...you have to account for it somewhere, especially if you're doing anything remotely intense or strenuous...so with MFP you account for it on the *kitten* end of the equation when you log it and get those calories to "eat back". Just be careful not to overestimate burn...I wouldn't trust the database burns at all.

    it is important to fuel exercise...and in particular, strenuous exercise as it is very taxing to the body and requires the body to repair itself. That reparation requires energy (calories) and nutrients. Breaking down your body without adequate energy and nutrients is a really bad idea and will result in the loss of muscle and essentially will be counterproductive to what I would assume your goals would be.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    I didn't mean activity levels. MFP asks you how many times a week you plan to exercise when you first fill in your goals. I started off with 3 times a week, but have increased it to 5 times a week. When I did this, the calories I have to eat per day also increased.


    That, in and of itself, doesn't make sense. The exercise per week really is just so that - when you track your exercise - you can see if you are on pace to meet your exercise goal(s) for the week. They don't (before you log your actual exercise) contribute to your MFP Calorie goal. Did you, by chance, end up inputting (or not selecting, so that the MFP default happened) a different weight loss goal?
  • NancyQR28
    NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
    No, all I did was change the number of workouts per week.
    I didn't mean activity levels. MFP asks you how many times a week you plan to exercise when you first fill in your goals. I started off with 3 times a week, but have increased it to 5 times a week. When I did this, the calories I have to eat per day also increased.


    That, in and of itself, doesn't make sense. The exercise per week really is just so that - when you track your exercise - you can see if you are on pace to meet your exercise goal(s) for the week. They don't (before you log your actual exercise) contribute to your MFP Calorie goal. Did you, by chance, end up inputting (or not selecting, so that the MFP default happened) a different weight loss goal?
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    @Nancy

    What you are referring to is more like the "water" goal (my goal is to drink X amount of water everyday), it doesn't have an impact on how many calories you get, it's just there as a personal goal for yourself.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    Not possible. Again, just changing the number of workouts per week will NOT change your calorie limit. Something else changed.

    Did you perhaps log a workout using the exercise tab? This WILL increase your calorie limit for today, but look at tomorrow's food diary, it will reflect your calorie limit WITHOUT exercise.

    Edit: Your diary is closed so we can't identify what happened, we can only speculate.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    No, all I did was change the number of workouts per week.



    I just ran an experiment. I did what you said you did. I tried it with every value (0-7) of workouts per week. Every single one gave me the same exact number of Calories - 2190 per day to lose 0.5 lbs per week.

    So... Either you (inadvertently?) changed another value, or you are heavier than when you last set your goals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    No, all I did was change the number of workouts per week.



    I just ran an experiment. I did what you said you did. I tried it with every value (0-7) of workouts per week. Every single one gave me the same exact number of Calories - 2190 per day to lose 0.5 lbs per week.

    So... Either you (inadvertently?) changed another value, or you are heavier than when you last set your goals.

    I just did the same thing....

    OP, you changed something else in your profile. Your calorie goals do not change with what you tell MFP you are going to do for exercise...those fitness goals are just for your FYI to try to keep on track. With MFP, you log those exercise and then you get the extra calories to "eat back"...so in that sense, you are correct...more exercise, more food.
  • NancyQR28
    NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
    Okay, I think I know what happened. I got a message saying that I had lost over 10lbs so MFP was going to adjust my goals.
    When I changed the number of workouts, it also adjusted for my weight loss.

    Still, I figured since I've lost I should be eating less not more. Too confusing, lol! Guess, I'll keep doing what I've been doing since it has been working!

    iq4j.jpg
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    I have been working out more often than my original MFP goals. So, today I adjusted my goals to show the new workouts and it increased my calorie goals as well! Is this correct? Do I really need to eat more now that I am exercising more? I can barely eat all my calories now, I don't know if I can fit anything more in! lol

    MFP does not include intended exercise in your calorie goal for the day. That is why exercise calories are added when you work out. I don't know what you did, but I just checked this out and no matter what I do with my intended exercise amount, my calories stay the same.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I switch up my calorie goals every week. I try it out for a week and then either stick with it if its working or adjust a gain in a week if its not. If its working for you, then stick with it. The TDEE values and calorie goals vary for every person seeing as the calculators are estimators and not the same for every person.

    WIth that all being said, yes if you workout more than you originally have allotted for in your daily calories plan then yes eat it back. Your body will thank you for it and actally lose weight. I know it seems like it would be opposite but that's what I call feeding the metabolism.
  • NancyQR28
    NancyQR28 Posts: 63 Member
    Thanks, that makes a lot of sense!! :)

    I switch up my calorie goals every week. I try it out for a week and then either stick with it if its working or adjust a gain in a week if its not. If its working for you, then stick with it. The TDEE values and calorie goals vary for every person seeing as the calculators are estimators and not the same for every person.

    WIth that all being said, yes if you workout more than you originally have allotted for in your daily calories plan then yes eat it back. Your body will thank you for it and actally lose weight. I know it seems like it would be opposite but that's what I call feeding the metabolism.

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