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Garmin Calorie Adjustment

DamieAnne
DamieAnne Posts: 103 Member
in Social Groups
Hi guys, this may seem like a stupid question but I would really like it if someone could help me on it as I've just confused myself by thinking about it for too long..

For the calorie adjustment it adds to MFP, are those calories that are supposed to be eaten back?

What I sort of got from reading some bits and pieces were that they are extra calories added onto your BMR (i.e. the difference between BMR and TDEE, so that the calorie adjustment would bring you up to your TDEE).

Is this the case or are these the same as extra exercise calories? I'm currently trying to eat 1400-1500 a day and don't want to be eating back those extra calories if its really just putting me at a lower deficit (BMR usually is quoted 1550-1600 and TDEE 1950-2100)

Or in other words, if i intend to eat 1500 a day, but it's added an extra 400 cals onto my day through the adjustment, and then i decide to eat them and have 1900 a day - is that still the equivalent of 1500, or have i just eaten my TDEE?

My head is currently going round and round in circles with this, so any help would be appreciated :laugh:

Replies

  • ann121212
    ann121212 Posts: 290 Member
    If you have selected weight loss as your goal in mfp (as opposed to weight maintenance) they build in the deficit required to lose weight.

    So if you eat back your exercise calories you should still be eating a deficit - however, mfp over estimates the calorie burn of many exercises so a lot of people only eat back a proportion (say 50-75%) of their exercise calories.

    Also have you set you lifestyle to sedentary? IF you are going to enter all your own excise it is the only way to stop double dipping.
  • DamieAnne
    DamieAnne Posts: 103 Member
    If you have selected weight loss as your goal in mfp (as opposed to weight maintenance) they build in the deficit required to lose weight.

    So if you eat back your exercise calories you should still be eating a deficit - however, mfp over estimates the calorie burn of many exercises so a lot of people only eat back a proportion (say 50-75%) of their exercise calories.

    Also have you set you lifestyle to sedentary? IF you are going to enter all your own excise it is the only way to stop double dipping.

    I am set at weight loss and as sedentary, but it will only set me at 1200 for my height/weight regardless if i put myself at light exercise or sedentary anyways, so i've put it that (and juts worked out my general TDEE-20%).

    None of the exercise i put in is from MFP, its from my vivofit. I am fine with eating back actual exercise calories from things where i'm wearing my HRM etc, it's just the actual Garmin calorie adjustment it adds when my vivofit syncs with this site i'm asking about....
  • PapaChanoli
    PapaChanoli Posts: 178 Member
    Depending on what your weight loss goal is in MFP, I think yu can safely just eat a portion of the calories back, but eating them all would likely be safe too. I would recommend using the sedentary setting unless your activity really does fit the description of light activity. If you're on sedentary, then anything Garmin adds for adjustment is likely to be reasonably accurate added calories burned.

    I think what's more important is the accuracy of your calorie counting. Given the above conditions, if your calories are good estimates, then eating back some or all of your garmin calories is not likely to hurt your weight loss. A setting of two pounds loss per week would allow for more error. At a setting of 1/2 pound per week I would say that eating back no more than half the garmin calorie adjustment is probably good.

    My approach has been pretty conservative on my estimating, and I'm dropping weight reliably at 20lbs lost over 50 days, but each person is unique.

    If what you're doing is showing in weight loss, use that as your guide. If it's too fast, eat back more. If it's too slow, eat back less. You'll get a feel for what works. The human body is beautifully resilient and amazingly well designed.

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