calories and exercise question

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mommysews67
mommysews67 Posts: 60 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My basic daily calorie goal is 1200. When I exercise that goal goes up. If I consume the 1200 then complete my food for the day it says that I am not eating enough. So here is the question. When I do exercise should I stay with my usual calorie count or must I eat more?

Replies

  • tomee638
    tomee638 Posts: 64
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    It depends if you want to lose weight or not (which you probably do, why else would you be here? lol). I don't log my exercise at all because it increases my calories and then I don't know exactly how many I have left in my day. If you want to eat back the calories you burned, you can but you won't lose weight.

    Can I ask why you're at 1200 calories? That seems like a very low amount. Where did you get that number?
  • mickiebabs
    mickiebabs Posts: 183 Member
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    That's a constant debate on here. Personally, I only use my exercise calories as a cushion if I'm having an "I'm starving" day.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    1200 NET calories ... not 1200 total calories.
  • goldmay
    goldmay Posts: 258 Member
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    If you're using the MFP goal settings, the calorie deficits for weight loss is already built into your requirements -- so you should eat back your exercise calories, especially since your goal is only 1200. It's pretty low for most people and can keep you from getting enough nutrients. Just make sure you're not overestimating calories burned.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069275-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • yc4king
    yc4king Posts: 117 Member
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    What Brian said.. ^^^
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Inconsistent logging makes any honest assessment difficult. There are more days missing than logged. What is in there are few days netting 1150-1200 calories (I noticed about four dating back to 1 April) with a more common day netting around or under 1000 calories including a couple netting under 500.

    MFP is built on NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calories which means it doesn't factor exercise calories into the math used for your daily caloric goal. The logic behind it is that you track those separately and eat them back to maintain your net deficit. A major issue people encounter with this system is the need for accurate tracking of both intake and burn. Many underestimate what they eat and overestimate what they burn ... then eat back based on those flawed numbers and don't see the progress they want.

    IIFYM and Scooby use TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calories. The simple version of that system is that it includes your planned exercise in the math then averages it out across the week so you eat the same number of calories per day. Both methods of calculating calories provide the user with a daily caloric goal to meet.

    Any time I see a 1200 calorie plan, I question the thinking and math that went into it because trying to lose too much per week is common around here. How tall are you? What do you currently weigh? What is your weekly loss goal? How much do you exercise? The reason behind those questions is so the community can provide a sanity check. 1200 might be the right intake for you ... maybe it's too restrictive and you can eat more.
  • mommysews67
    mommysews67 Posts: 60 Member
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    It depends if you want to lose weight or not (which you probably do, why else would you be here? lol). I don't log my exercise at all because it increases my calories and then I don't know exactly how many I have left in my day. If you want to eat back the calories you burned, you can but you won't lose weight.

    Can I ask why you're at 1200 calories? That seems like a very low amount. Where did you get that number?

    1200 calories is what MFP suggested after I filled out the initial questions - and I have to say that over all I am satisfied with it
  • mommysews67
    mommysews67 Posts: 60 Member
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    Any time I see a 1200 calorie plan, I question the thinking and math that went into it because trying to lose too much per week is common around here. How tall are you? What do you currently weigh? What is your weekly loss goal? How much do you exercise? The reason behind those questions is so the community can provide a sanity check. 1200 might be the right intake for you ... maybe it's too restrictive and you can eat more.
    am

    I am 4'11" and as of today I am 188. I do not remember my weekly loss goal

    I try to eat as mindfully as possible ( many fruits and veggies and only whole grains) and I am usually satisfied so the 1200 seem to fit. As to exercise I use a stationary bike 5 days a week.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Any time I see a 1200 calorie plan, I question the thinking and math that went into it because trying to lose too much per week is common around here. How tall are you? What do you currently weigh? What is your weekly loss goal? How much do you exercise? The reason behind those questions is so the community can provide a sanity check. 1200 might be the right intake for you ... maybe it's too restrictive and you can eat more.
    am

    I am 4'11" and as of today I am 188. I do not remember my weekly loss goal

    I try to eat as mindfully as possible ( many fruits and veggies and only whole grains) and I am usually satisfied so the 1200 seem to fit. As to exercise I use a stationary bike 5 days a week.

    Remember that MFP gives you a net caloric goal for the day when you set it up ... not a calorie total. It expects you to eat back those exercise calories to maintain that net goal.

    Your being on the shorter end of the height spectrum results in a lower BMR as a start point ... about 1530ish which results in about 1830 calories per day to maintain your current weight. MFP doesn't go below 1200 calories as a daily recommendation if you use its wizard ... so 1830 - 500 calories per day for a one pound per week loss goal comes out to 1330ish as a daily goal. If you put 1.5 or 2 lbs per week as your goal ... you will get 1200 as the recommendation because of the hard floor built into MFP which is based on nutritional requirements as much as calories in, calories out thinking.

    Here's another site that uses TDEE rather than NEAT. You tell it how much you exercise for the week and it gives a calorie total to reach every day rather than an ever changing daily goal.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

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