calorie goals

janefrazeeweaver
janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
its seems no matter how much i say i plan to exercise on mfp it wont up my calorie intake. i am hungry all the time because i know i m not eating enough. not sure what to do

Replies

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Generally the way MFP works, the calorie # it gives you is for just your basic day-to-day activity.

    If you are burning "extra" calories by exercising, you should add those calories back to the number MFP gives you (or at least, as many people suggest, some percentage of them)
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ - Do this, I find this is far better. Just don't eat back the calories you burn during workouts if you log it on MFP.
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    i am adding my exercises in each day but i still dont have enough to satisfy me. its not that i eat like a beast or anything and im not a big person either. maybe i need to change what im eating. maybe thats the trouble. what are some good low cal foods for lunch and dinner that you choose?
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    i am adding my exercises in each day but i still dont have enough to satisfy me. its not that i eat like a beast or anything and im not a big person either. maybe i need to change what im eating. maybe thats the trouble. what are some good low cal foods for lunch and dinner that you choose?

    Try eating more protein. I aim for 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass (your weight minus fat).

    Also, what is your height and weight? Chances are that you can eat more than 1200 and still lose weight.

    Also, stay away from "generic" or "homemade" entries or entries with an asterisk. Double check that the entry you're using is correct.

    And finally, weigh all solids with a kitchen scale and measure all liquids. Only use cups for liquids.
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    i am 104 lbs and 5' tall. all mfp will allow me is 1200 calories. i try to burn 400 to 600 calories each time i exercise.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    its seems no matter how much i say i plan to exercise on mfp it wont up my calorie intake. i am hungry all the time because i know i m not eating enough. not sure what to do

    That's because MFP is a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...your exercise goals are just goals for you and have no bearing on your calorie allotment. This is why you're supposed to log your exercise and then you get those calories to "eat back"...that's how a NEAT method calculator works.

    If you want to include exercise up front in the equation you should use a TDEE calculator and customize your calorie goals here based on that.

    I would also ask you what is your desired rate of loss? Most people pick 2 Lbs per week, which doesn't sound like a lot but...that's a 1000 calorie per day deficit from your maintenance and is pretty friggin' aggressive...that's 7,000 calories per week less than you would need to maintain weight...that's very aggressive...perhaps that's why you're hungry. I would also suggest more dietary fat and protein as a general rule for satiety...
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    i am only trying to loose 1/2 lb a wk. i do exercise for an hour each day if i can.
    my problem is that i have a medical condition and have to eat fiber in the morning. raisin bran is a miracle worker for me but it is so high in calories. by the time i add milk it uses a ton of calories..
    i quit eating the raisin bran and dont feel so great. guess im in a rock in a hard place.
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    i do log my exercises daily.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    You do have to keep mind that this is still just a starting place. You don't have to follow their calorie guideline. You can try upping your calories a bit and see how that works, if you can find a calorie number that you lose weight on but can manage. You must give that a few weeks, ie more than 2-3 weeks, to see how it goes. You may gain weight at first but you need to track over time to see if it is genuine weight gain or water fluctuations.

    Other than that, I would look at food satiety as others have mentioned. Protein and fat with every meal help me. Try playing with meal sizes to see if that helps.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    OK, I took a look at your diary and out of the 4 days you tracked this week, I am guessing you just started, there is only one day that you actually ate your exercise calories. In fact on the day you didn't exercise you were at a total of 800 calories for the day which is way to low unless you are under a doctors supervision. From what I see you are not eating as much as you could be.

    Go to this thread and read everything there. It is a great place to start. It has lots of great information.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Within that thread there is a lot of great links to other great posts. If you read those and follow the suggestions you will be in a good place.
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    yep, i just started 2 weeks ago. had to take a small break cause we went to camp and no internet access. i guess im afraid to eat during the day cause i wont be able to eat a decent supper. still working on this.
  • janefrazeeweaver
    janefrazeeweaver Posts: 13 Member
    thanks for the help and the link

Categories