Need clarification to the MFP method

texascoopers
texascoopers Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I just started MFP 4 days ago and already I feel better! Since I am prone to be somewhat methodical, the MFP way of literally counting and computing every.single.calorie and thus every bite I put into my mouth seems to be a good way for me to be aware of what I'm eating, when, and whether it's a good choice or not. But I do have a few questions about the workings of MFP.

1. My understanding is that if I am allotted 1200 calories a day but I do a 2 mile (@4mph rate) aerobic exercise every day, that that exercise will boost my daily allowable calories from 1200 to approximately 1442. Is this correct? And thus I can eat 1442 calories that day. I love how you get a "if every day were like today" message after posting that day's intake! Helps me strive toward that goal.

2. Is it important that in addition to not going over your caloric intake that you don't go over the other components listed with calories (carbs, fat, protein, sugar, etc.) as well? A couple of days I've done fine with calories and sugar and such but went over on fat and proteins. I eat healthy fats (avocado, coconut oil, nuts, etc.) because I have Hashimoto's and in addition to being gluten free for that, I understand that those fats are "healthy" fats and my body will do better metabolizing them; in the right proportion. But will that hinder the weight loss?

3. How do you calculate weight bearing and strength training exercises? I have several exercises that are good for toning and muscle strengthening but I don't do them for a certain amount of time; only repetitions of sets. So how do I calculate that? For example if I do abdominal crunches, lifting 3 or 5 pound weights, stretching with an exercise band, etc. as sets of 8 to 10?

4. Can you use MFP in conjunction with another program such as WW?

What is a good and affordable device to wear so that when you do exercise, the device will accurately calculate the number of calories that YOUR body actually burns? I've read that it's difficult to set a hard and fast rule that everybody will burn X number of calories the same.

Thank you!

Replies

  • MyMalfunction7
    MyMalfunction7 Posts: 61 Member
    Hi! Congratulations on starting!

    The exercise calories are what you're burning when you exercise, so eating them back is A-Ok, but many people choose not to eat back all of them - for example, most of the people I know eat back half of their exercise calories to help maintain speedy weight loss and allow for any possible miscalculations.

    Opinions definitely vary on this, and I would also say that the actuality varies - what is good for other people may not work for you. Everyone seems to be in agreement about protein, in that it is very important, and going over on my protein is never something I worry about. If anything, I'm impressed when it happens. I wouldn't worry about your macros too much until you've got a good handle on how you're going to handle your calories and exercise, but I may be in the minority on this.

    I don't add strength training into my daily calorie allotment, although people probably do, so I'm no help on that one.

    You absolutely can use it in conjunction with other programs. It is just a tool to help motivate you towards your goal and help you be more accurate with tracking calories, and if you have another program that does that as well, awesome! :)

    Devices are also not really my area of expertise, I'll admit, but FitBits are very popular around here! For exercising outside, I use Strava on my phone, which is an app that tracks distance, speed, and calories burned for runs and bikes.

    Good luck!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    1. Yes, you should enter your exercise into MFP and it will add those calories back in for you. However, be aware that calories burned (like calories eaten) will only ever be a really good estimate. Some eat back all of their exercise calories, some eat back 1/2, some use an alternate method to MFP so they don't have to worry about it.

    2. Strictly for weight loss, it doesn't really matter how your macros end up (within reason of course). However, you may find that having your macros out of whack could mess with your energy level or other things. Make sure you get enough protein and enough fat and you should be fine. If you find your energy flagging, try bumping up carbs a bit and dialing down.fat. But don't be scared of fats as long as they are mostly the good kind.

    3. I put my weight lifting under strength training. I'm still new enough and lifting light enough that I don't burn a significant amount of calories, so I don't worry about it. I just enter true cardio under the Cardio section (the one that shows calories burned). The strength training section has a place for reps sets and even weight used.

    4. MFP and WW are both methods to lose weight. While they share many of the same principals, the methodology really is one or the other. You'd drive yourself crazy trying to do both and it wouldn't necessarily give you better results.

    5. What are you wanting your device to do? Different goals will get different recommendation s.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    You're correct on most, but I just watch the calories and don't stress, over carbs, sugar, etc. You're never going to hit that everyday. A calorie is a calorie regardless where it comes from.

    I wear a Jawbone UP and love it. It tracks your steps, but you can also add workouts on it, I don't think Fitbit will do workouts so most are adding those in directly on MFP? Anyway, the UP syncs with MFP so I get an accurate count of the calories I burn in a day. The Jawbone UP costs about $149.00 and you can pick them up at Best Buy. It has no reader on it like Fitbit does, it needs to be plugged into your cell phone to get the reading of how far you walked, etc. Fitbits you can get anywhere from $60 to $100.00 dollars.

    Welcome!
  • marmain
    marmain Posts: 25 Member
    I don't feel I've been here enough to answer most of your questions, but I do agree with the others have said. I will second the thumbs up on the jawbone up too. But also clarify. There are two jawbone bracelets, the up and the up24. Both do the same, but the up ($80) has to be physically plugged into your phone to sync, while the up24 ($130) is bluetooth enabled and syncs automatically. I got mine last week (the standard up) and love it, so if an activity tracker is what are looking for, I do recommend it. An activity tracker only tracks step based activities though! If want something to track exertion during a workout that is not based, you'd want a heart rate monitor. Everyone speaks highly of the Polar monitors.

    As with anything, though, you need to get what works for your specific needs. Definitely do some research before investing! And welcome to MFP!

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