Want to know how much exercise counts?

Paolinat · February 2011

FOR THOSE OF YOU TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT....

WATCH OUT!!!!

CAREFUL!!!

IF YOU ARE ENTERING YOUR CARDIO ACTIVITY IN MYFITNESSPAL.COM, then pick your activity level above based on everyday activities AND NOT BY ACTIVITY AT GYM!

IF YOU ARE NOT ENTERING YOUR CARDIO ACTIVITY IN MYFITNESSPAL.COM, then pick your activity level based on what you do all day + workouts.

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE DOES THE FOLLOWING FOR YOU:

CALCULATE YOUR BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

my bmr = 1486.66.

Determine your daily caloric need to MAINTAIN your current weight:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise/ desk job) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = 1486.6 x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

THIS IS WHAT CAUSES MANY PEOPLE TO SLOW DOWN IN WEIGHT LOSS, PLATEAU, or even GAIN WEIGHT....

Example: If I sit at a desk all day (sedentary) but I work out 3-5 days per week, then I would pick moderately active.
This tells me, (1486.6 x 1.55), I can eat 2276.33 to maintain my weight.
If I want to lose weight, so I need to cut calories. I decide to limit my calorie intake to 1200. This gives me a deficit of 1076.33 per day. I have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb, soI will lose 2.15 lbs per week.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM: In my example I counted my workout activity in my calorie calculation AND I record my cardio activity on myfitnesspal.com. I AM COUNTING MY CALORIES BURNED TWICE!

If I workout at the gym for an average of 4 days/wk at 500 calories each workout, I am giving myself a credit of 2000 calories per week via my fitnesspal.com. I am also giving myself credit with my calculation.

This means although I should be losing 2.15 lbs per week, I am only able to lose 1.6 lbs per week.

>>>> With my example, the more calories I burn and record on myfitnesspal, the less lbs I will lose and I might even plateau with my weight!!

MORAL OF THIS TOPIC: You can break free from plateaus and even gain momentum in losing weight if you....

Update Your Diet Profile!!!

If you are keeping track of your workouts on myfitnesspal.com, then base your activity level on most days. If you work as a waitress 3 out of 7 days, then I would mark less than active.

GOOD LUCK and I hope this helps. Finally breaking free from my plateau!

Caper88 · February 2011

Waite I do not understand this. I put down the first option when I set my goals. I did not take into account that I would work out on some days. I also do not record things I would normally do such as clean the house or steps I take around work. I only record things that going beyond my normal activity. So did I do something wrong?

jennlee80 · February 2011

BUMP...my eyes are crossing while reading this. But I def. want to calculate what you are saying

andreae13 · February 2011

Bump

watermelonstarfish · February 2011

nice post

I pretty much follow this strategy

1.find my BMR with a sedentary lifestyle
2.eat to my BMR
3.whatever exercise I do during the week is what i will lose

Wash, rinse, repeat

lizfran · February 2011

So, I went ahead and did the mathematics and as I was calculating it really helped me to understand the big controversary over eating your exercise calories. I sit most of the day except for when I workout. My workouts can be scattered. I input the sedentary lifestyle just to be on the safe side. I am always sure to input every workout.

I realized that if I workout and burn 600 calories that leaves me at a defecit of 1100 calories because I input sedentary lifestyle and already amd at the minimum amount of calories which is the 1300's without exercise. On the days I do not exercise I stick close to my 1300 calories and I should be good.

I think the biggest thing here is being honest with yourself and how active you really are. If all else fails, where a pedometer. If you are taking less than the recommended 10,000 steps a day you know you are not as active as you believe.

Great post!! I hate math but this helped me visual it better. I have been driving my husband crazy tha past week with if I should eat my extra calories or if I shouldn't. LOL, problem solved! :bigsmile:

fontaine3b · February 2011

soooo, if I did the math right, which I have done 4 times now, my bmr is 1620.05, which means if I eat 1200 calories per day, regardless of what exercise I do, I would not have to worry about working off that extra 420 calories? (1620.05 bmr - 1,200 intake = 420.05) then again if I didn't eat them I don't have to work them off.

I am completely confused, so let's just say, you need to limit calorie intake and increase calorie burn to see any real results!

gc2052 · February 2011

Very interesting!!

Paolinat · February 2011

Fontaine 3b: If your BMR is 1620.05 and you only eat 1200. Yes, you automatically reduce your daily caloric intake by 420.
Remember, you need to reduce your weekly caloric intake by 3500 calories. That means you will lose .84 lbs per week.
Yes, if you want to lose weight faster, then you have to increase your activity (burn more calories)

chuckanderson · February 2011

I think the moral of this story is don't count your exercise twice.

Either put in Active if you KNOW you will workout constantly and have a very active job and DON'T record this in MFP "exercise"....

Or put in Sedentary and DO record in MFP "exercise".

Make sense?

In the first case... you don't eat your exercise calories back... but you will have a higher base number to start with per day.

In the second case you do! But your base will be much lower.

I use the second method.

Paolinat · February 2011

A much easier explanation...

1) Go here to figure out you BMR: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator
2) Write down your BMR number (my BMR =1428)
3) Write down your goal for caloric intake for the day (my goal is 1200)
4 ) Subtract your Caloric Intake Goal from BMR (Me: 1428 - 1200)

If I sit around all day and do nothing more, I will create a deficit of 228 calories, which means I will lose .456 lbs per week, or about 1.824 lbs per month!

I have to workout and have the option of recording my workouts with MFP or not. WATCH WHAT HAPPENS:

OPTION A: Record my calories with MFP

I eat 1200 calories. I go to gym and burn off 500 calories. I record in MFP that I burned 500 calories.
MFP tells me great, I can eat an additional 500 calories. So I eat 500 more calories

For the day: total calories I consume is 1700. However I burned off 500, so my net calories for the day are 1200 calories.

Result: I will create a deficit of 228 calories, which means I will lose .456 lbs per week, or about 1.824 lbs per month! MY WORKOUT DID NOTHING TO CHANGE MY WEIGHT LOSS!

OPTION B: Do NOT record my calories with MFB

I eat 1200 calories. I go to gym and burn off 500 calories. I DON'T record in MFP that I burned 500 calories.
MFP doesn't know and tell me I can't eat any more, I've reached my limit of 1200 calories.

For the day: Total calories I consume is 1200. However I burned off 500.

Result: I will create a deficit of 728 calories (not 228), which means I will lose 1.456 lbs per week, or about 5.824 lbs per month! MY WORKOUT HELPED ME LOSE WEIGHT!

Also, if you do more than just sit at a desk, you will lose a bit more weight.

I hope this is easier to understand.

chuckanderson · February 2011

Yeah but your BMR is how much it would take you to literally lay in your bed and not move... this is where your theory breaks down. If you at least have a job you get up for you burn an easy 400 extra calories if not more just getting ready, sitting up straight, and functioning at a higher level than laying on your belly.

I'll stick to my above.... either put your activity at light and count them, or active and don't (assuming you work out religiously- if you don't then just stick to light and track them)

laura4410 · February 2011

I thought the purpose of eating back your exercise calories is to get the nutrients your body needs. So, I guess I dont really understand this. If you are only eating 1200 calories, your net is only 700 on the days you exercise. That isn't enough. I understand what you were saying about not logging ACTIVE in your profile if you are including your exercise, because that would be double counting. The rest of what you were saying didn't make sense to me and counteracts what Ive been reading here. ??

laura4410 · February 2011

Ok so really I am just trying to understand this because I really want to make sure I am doing the right thing. My BMR is 1566, and my calorie goal is 1200 calories. According to this, I would be losing about .8 per week (which happened to be my loss for this week lol). I am doing the shred and eat my calories back, so my total for the day is usually closer to 1450-1500. BUT, I did check lightly active in my profile. I am a nurse so 2 days a week, 12 hr days, I am on my feet running my tail off. The other 5 days I am a mom of a 4 yo and 2yo so we rarely sit plus I play vball 2 x a week which I dont usually log unless it was an incredible workout. My goal is to lose 1 lb per week, so Im guessing this is where MFP added calories to my metabolic rate because of the activity level I checked, otherwise even if I didnt log my exerise calories, I wouldnt even be supposed to lose a lb a week. Im just so confused now, and I want to make sure Im not eating too much, but at the same time I want to be eating ENOUGH so that my body has enough calories to do what its supposed to do. Is lightly active the appropriate thing to check or should I check sedentary?

Paolinat · February 2011

I thought the purpose of eating back your exercise calories is to get the nutrients your body needs. So, I guess I dont really understand this. If you are only eating 1200 calories, your net is only 700 on the days you exercise. That isn't enough. I understand what you were saying about not logging ACTIVE in your profile if you are including your exercise, because that would be double counting. The rest of what you were saying didn't make sense to me and counteracts what Ive been reading here. ??

Not exactly. I am consuming 1200 calories. That is the minimum my body requires before going into starvation mode. That is why nutritionists use Harris Benedict Equation (seen below) and not MFP consume and burn equation.

Harris Benedict Equation:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise/ desk job) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = 1486.6 x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Directly linking calories consumed with calories burned is not accurate and can lead to less weight loss and plateau effect.

Including my workouts (as it technically should be) I am 1486.6 x 1.375 = 2044.075 for my BMR . 2044.075 - 1200 is a deficit of 844.075. I will lose 1.7 lbs per week.

I will not enter starvation mode as I am taking in at least 200 calories and not creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories.

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO EITHER CHOOSE YOUR ACTIVITY ACCURATELY OR

KEEP ACTIVITY YOU CHOOSE AT A MINIMUM AND RECORD CALORIES BURNED.

Want to know how much exercise counts?

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