Custom Macros & Calorie Question

mandamerlot
mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member
in Getting Started
Hey all!

I'm sure this has been asked before but please bear with me. I just read this article http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-to-calculate-macros-for-cutting/ and have decided to change my macros manually.

So I did it and now for the day at the bottom of my diary page it says my daily goal is 2209 when I set my calorie goal to 1626 and my macros are all off as well? The calorie goal matches what I set it to at the top of the diary, but what's the deal with the bottom?

I hope this makes sense, I'm totally new to paying attention to macros.

Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Did you enter exercise? If so, you earned calories.

    Or

    When you changed either your macro or your calorie goal the rest may have went back to default - I've did that before.
  • mandamerlot
    mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member
    Did you enter exercise? If so, you earned calories.

    Yes, I have exercised logged for the day. I don't want to eat over the macros I set because I am trying to shed fat, so do I just stick to my goals?
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Did you enter exercise? If so, you earned calories.

    Yes, I have exercised logged for the day. I don't want to eat over the macros I set because I am trying to shed fat, so do I just stick to my goals?

    You could opt for the TDEE method where you set a calorie goal with weekly exercise factored in and then your calories and macro goals are the same every single day regardless of whether or not you exercised that day. It's much more simple in my opinion.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Did you enter exercise? If so, you earned calories.

    Yes, I have exercised logged for the day. I don't want to eat over the macros I set because I am trying to shed fat, so do I just stick to my goals?

    It's up to you - I'd eat, at least some of them back. The good thing about exercise cals is you don't need to stick to the percentages - try to hit your original protein and fat minimums and then have whatever with the extra cals. Your not cheating or messing with your goals unless you worked everything out using TDEE method?

    If using TDEE don't enter your exercise as, presumably, you've already allowed for it in your calculation.

    ETA: if you still like to keep track of exercise you can set up your own exercises with a 1 calorie burn.
  • mandamerlot
    mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member

    You could opt for the TDEE method where you set a calorie goal with weekly exercise factored in and then your calories and macro goals are the same every single day regardless of whether or not you exercised that day. It's much more simple in my opinion.

    Eek, what's the TDEE method?

    Sorry, I'm such a newb. Prior to reading that article, I have been doing 26 WW Points and roughly 1200 calories that MFP had set for me. It hasn't been working and on the days that I have been strength training, I am absolutely starving so I decided to rethink my approach.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member

    You could opt for the TDEE method where you set a calorie goal with weekly exercise factored in and then your calories and macro goals are the same every single day regardless of whether or not you exercised that day. It's much more simple in my opinion.

    Eek, what's the TDEE method?

    Sorry, I'm such a newb. Prior to reading that article, I have been doing 26 WW Points and roughly 1200 calories that MFP had set for me. It hasn't been working and on the days that I have been strength training, I am absolutely starving so I decided to rethink my approach.

    you figure out your TDEE which is based on your totally daily energy expenditure (TDEE) so it includes work outs, how much you move around at work etc….

    when you have this number you deduct 500 calories per day from it, and then you put this number into your custom setting for daily allowance and then set your macros. As you already have daily exercise built into this number, you do not enter exercise calories and do not eat them back ..

    so for me ..my TDEE is about 2700; I am currently on a cut, so I have deducted 500 from that number, which means that my daily goal is 2200. The beauty of this method is that even if I over eat by 100 cals I know that I am still 400 cals under and it is a lot simpler as I do not have to worry about exercise calories, eating them back, and how accurate my burns area.

    you can calculate it athttp://www.fat2fitradio.com select BMR calculator….

    note this is just a calculation so you might have to play around with the numbers and see how the scales react….
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    If you are using that site to estimate calories, then you are using the TDEE method. You do not log your exercise (or if you want to track it, log it as one calorie)
  • mandamerlot
    mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member

    You could opt for the TDEE method where you set a calorie goal with weekly exercise factored in and then your calories and macro goals are the same every single day regardless of whether or not you exercised that day. It's much more simple in my opinion.

    Eek, what's the TDEE method?

    Sorry, I'm such a newb. Prior to reading that article, I have been doing 26 WW Points and roughly 1200 calories that MFP had set for me. It hasn't been working and on the days that I have been strength training, I am absolutely starving so I decided to rethink my approach.

    you figure out your TDEE which is based on your totally daily energy expenditure (TDEE) so it includes work outs, how much you move around at work etc….

    when you have this number you deduct 500 calories per day from it, and then you put this number into your custom setting for daily allowance and then set your macros. As you already have daily exercise built into this number, you do not enter exercise calories and do not eat them back ..

    so for me ..my TDEE is about 2700; I am currently on a cut, so I have deducted 500 from that number, which means that my daily goal is 2200. The beauty of this method is that even if I over eat by 100 cals I know that I am still 400 cals under and it is a lot simpler as I do not have to worry about exercise calories, eating them back, and how accurate my burns area.

    you can calculate it athttp://www.fat2fitradio.com select BMR calculator….

    note this is just a calculation so you might have to play around with the numbers and see how the scales react….

    So helpful- thank you!!
  • stephaniefiteni
    stephaniefiteni Posts: 48 Member
    dont log exercise, it will change it auto.

    google ' change macros on my fitness pal.com and it will show you how to change your macros on here for it to be exact. my fitness pal settings are limited
  • mandamerlot
    mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member
    dont log exercise, it will change it auto.

    google ' change macros on my fitness pal.com and it will show you how to change your macros on here for it to be exact. my fitness pal settings are limited

    I have a FitBit synced to MFP- what should I do about that?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    dont log exercise, it will change it auto.

    google ' change macros on my fitness pal.com and it will show you how to change your macros on here for it to be exact. my fitness pal settings are limited

    I have a FitBit synced to MFP- what should I do about that?

    you could always unsynch it..???
  • mandamerlot
    mandamerlot Posts: 180 Member
    Lol, duh. Obviously a dumb blonde question.

    Thanks for your input!

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