Activity Levels

cupcakesandvegetables
cupcakesandvegetables Posts: 14
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I excercise everyday in some way shape or form and I have a goal of burning 200 calories per session which I 90% of the time meet and lots of the time I double or even triple it. That said my daily life as a student gives me very little time to move other than between classes or on breaks kind of like a desk job bt since I am excercising should I switch my activity level to lightly active? The difference is 200 calories a day and I burn that much. I currently don't eat back the calories I excercise because I am a creature or habit and I like to have the same amount everyday which is why as I am swithing to maintenance how to factor in my excercise an and give my body as much food as it needs. Do you excercise a lot? You eat the calories back?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If your exercise is about 200 cals per day and changing your activity level gives you 200 cals that sounds like a nice simple way to account for your exercise. As with any estimate, try and be consistent (logging and hitting your goal) over a period of weeks and adjust your goal calories depending on results and how you are feeling.

    To answer your question: "Do you exercise a lot? You eat the calories back?"
    Yes I do (average 700/day - I'm a cyclist) and yes I eat them back. The MFP way of logging, estimating and eating back exercise calories works best for people like me whose exercise varies enormously from day to day or week to week,

    Effectively you are following the TDEE method which should include both your non-exercise activity and also your routine exercise.
  • cupcakesandvegetables
    cupcakesandvegetables Posts: 14
    Awesome. I am just afraid of gaining the weight back when I go into maintenance which is silly because I will just be doing the same thing but I will get to eat more food. Thank you so much for your advice. :) Wow that's a lot of cycling! I love to run though I've never run competitively my family wants me to run a half marathon. I've run the distance in my free time but I don't know. Anyway that's a bit off topic thanks again.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    I set my calorie goal for the amount of calories I need to maintain the weight I WANT to be at. I run 6 days a week, but recently had surgery and could not do much of anything for 3 weeks. Lifestyles change.
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
    I do and I eat my calories back IF I'm hungry after my workouts which is usually the case
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    I set my calorie goal for the amount of calories I need to maintain the weight I WANT to be at. I run 6 days a week,

    Yes, yes, I eat the calories at the weight I WANT TO BE AT. That is the key. THINK and EAT like, and HAVE HABITS of, a thin person!
  • lasombrs
    lasombrs Posts: 30
    I exercise every day and run around chasing a 3 and 5 year old every day and i still have mine set to lightly active. I started tracking my steps with an app and found i actually only seem to walk 6,000-7,000 steps a day which surprised me and is well under the 10,000 steps they recommend for "active healthy people"

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