PLEASE READ: New insight on eating back your exercise calori

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ugogirl1234
ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
in Health and Weight Loss
So the topic has been discussed over and over. I know. So why am I revisiting the topic, you say? Because I have had some insight and would like to share it with all members. First of all, let me say congratulations to all who have taken the steps to improve themselves. We are all on this journey together and I look forward to seeing how everyone manages.

Okay, so now for the topic at hand. I have read many posts not just here but everywhere else discussing whether or not you should eat back your exercise calories. Needless to say, some do and some do not. I personally do NOT. When I first joined MFP I had to enter all my stats, one being my caloric goal amount. Before I give you that number, you should know some pretty important numbers first. In order to maintain my weight WITHOUT exercising, I need to eat 1340 calories a day. In order to maintain my weight WITH exercise, I need a little over 1800 calories per day. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/bmr-formula.php

In order to LOSE weight I need to take 1800 and subtract at LEAST 600 calories to give me a goal caloric amount of 1200 cals per day. Here is where the confusion comes in for many people and until a while ago, myself included. When you enter your caloric goal into MFP, it is the NET amount you should be entering. As mentioned, I need to eat 1200 cals per day to lose weight, but my NET calorie goal is 600. So basically, you are taking the number you need to lose weight and reducing it by 1/2.

Still skeptical. Take a look at my numbers for today.
Goal: 1200, which I already explained factors in my daily activity level
Food: 430 calories. Okay only 770 calories to go.
Exercise: 60 minutes step aerobics: 508 calories and UP my caloric goal went. I am now at 1278. So it is very clear to me. MFP does NOT know that 1200 calories ALREADY included my activity level.

Another way to get numbers that won't confuse you is to avoid adding in your exercise. Either way, I think this information may help shed some light on "how"MFP is calculating its numbers.

Good Luck to all!
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Replies

  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    i'm no newbie but to be honest i find your explanation confusing. maybe i will read it a few more times
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    I think you have confused your BMR with 'the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight' - they are not the same thing. It would be very unlikely that your total energy expenditure at rest was only 1340kcal.

    Personally, I think people should do whatever they feel is right for them and whatever is bringing them sustainable success. If you are exercising a lot you should probably at least eat some of the calories back, if you are exercising a little it's not likely to be such a big deal. Of course we have to remember that everything that is calculated and entered here is an estimation so adjusting based on results makes the most sense.
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    What I was trying to say is eating back my exercise calories increases my daily caloric amount, which is already deficited. I am a newbie to MFP, but not to the concept of how to lose weight. I just think the calculator for the MFP application is misleading. By the way I have lost 8lbs so far by not eating back my exercise calories.
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    No confusion. I used the BMR formula of which I posted the link for. My BMR is 1340 if I simply do not do anything but sit. I exercise at a moderate level 5-6 days a week so to maintain my weight I would need 1800 or so. But I don't want to maintain. I want to lose. Hence the 1200 calories deficit.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    No, your BMR is the amount of energy that your body uses before any bodily processes. Assuming you are digesting food etc it is significantly less than the amount of energy you are burning at rest or throughout your general activites of daily living e.g. going to the bathroom, preparing food etc which burn more cals than laying down but you wouldn't count as exercise. To compare energy in to energy out you need to calculate total energy expenditure, not BMR. That's all I'm saying.
  • Celo24
    Celo24 Posts: 566 Member
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    What I was trying to say is eating back my exercise calories increases my daily caloric amount, which is already deficited. I am a newbie to MFP, but not to the concept of how to lose weight. I just think the calculator for the MFP application is misleading. By the way I have lost 8lbs so far by not eating back my exercise calories.

    I agree that your original post is somewhat confusing. It doesn't make much sense to me that your body would only need 1340 calories to maintain itself. But, if it works for you, then more power to you. I will keep eating back the majority of my exercise calories though as I have lost 18 pounds (5 of those were pre-MFP) in 2 1/2 months doing so.
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    Here is a link which explains BMR. Like I said, it is what I need if I did nothing all day. Feel free to plug in my stats. I am 5 feet 3 inches, 37 years old and weigh 131lbs. I know what a BMR is, trust me.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    As a registered dietitian, I too am confident that I know what a BMR is ;) Sorry I seem to have confused you!
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
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    I think you're confusing MFP's activity level portion of your daily goal with exercise calories. You tell MFP how active you normally daily. This is NOT how much you exercise. You add exercise calories separately each day, and your calorie goal goes up accordinly. Now, whether or not you choose to eat those is up to you, but there is a difference. Please read the link below.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    Good Luck!
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
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    I plugged in your stats. It definitely says 1347 for your BMR.
    It also gave me the number of 1852 to maintain your current weight. (I multiplied by 1.375)

    I have to say, though, that I am also confused by what you're trying to explain in your post.
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    I read the article and its exactly what I could not explain. This 1200 calories I plug in ALREADY includes my exercise. So yes I now realized that MFP does not know this about the number I plug in, which is why I wrote the post. Sorry everyone seems to think I am confused, but I am not.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Mfp does figure in a calorie deficit for your lifestyle. That is just day to day living without specific exercising. That is the calories you burn showering, walking to yhe car, making yhe bed, etc. When you add a specific exercise like 500 calories on the elliptical that is an additional 500 you get for doing extra, that is why your goal goes from 1200 to 1700. Because you burn more you get more. Its life burning a fire, if you don't add more fuel as things burn up you will run out of fuel eventually.
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    Now, THAT I did not know. I did not realize, that MFP factored in a calorie deficit. Thank you for being the only one to clear this up.
  • Finallyhappy03
    Finallyhappy03 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm glad you've figured out a formula that works for you but I have to agree with others who have responded to what you wrote - it is a confusing. I'll stick to what is working for me.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I read the article and its exactly what I could not explain. This 1200 calories I plug in ALREADY includes my exercise. So yes I now realized that MFP does not know this about the number I plug in, which is why I wrote the post. Sorry everyone seems to think I am confused, but I am not.

    Sorry butyou are confusing terminology. "Lifestyle" and "exercise" are not the same. Lifestyle is day to day routines and activity. Do you have a desk job or are you on your (like a nurse) all day. Those two lifestyles burn different amounts of calories but are not in the category of exercise. Things like treadmill, circuit trsining, etc are not automatically figured in, that is why you add them in seperately.
  • sharonmills54
    sharonmills54 Posts: 15
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    what you are saying is.......do not eat the calories earned by excercise or you will not loose weight.

    I agree with you as I have eaten mine for past 3 weeks (this is my 4th week) and I haven't lost an oz. I am now going to 'NOT' eat my exercise earned callories and see how it I can do any better.
  • Janelanguedoc
    Janelanguedoc Posts: 1 Member
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    I am older and have been watching my calories for 4 months now, some times I eat the extra calories that I have burned up by exercising and some times I don`t. I try and maintain 1200 calories per day. Admittedly most days I do very little extra exercise. I have been pretty good at not exceeding my calorie intake and I have lost nothing. I am gettting pretty fed up. Does anyone else feel that may be the information in the database is incorrect and the calories that the users enter are not accurate enough.. calories by weight of food maybe would be better.
  • trudypickles
    trudypickles Posts: 51
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    The only problem if you eat too little is you may be losing weight but it could be lean tissue/muscle rather than fat, That is the main reason this site reccoments eating back exercise calories.
    Do you really do nothing all day other than exercise?? the bmr would mean resting (literally bed rest) !
    I work on a busy hospital ward and have a house and family to run so I consider myself to have a lightly active lifestyle so to maintain my weight I need more daily calories than my BMR....MFP calculates this for you...exercising on top of this 5 times a week increases this again.....MFP calculates the deficit for you it is not trying to 'catch' people out.

    Good luck with your journey but this site's principles are not an evil conspiracy to sabotage peoples weight loss, they promote healthy gradual sustainable weight loss and healthy lifstyle changes x
  • ugogirl1234
    ugogirl1234 Posts: 43
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    Yes. I understand now. I remembered putting in "Active" for my Activity Level. By doing this, a caloric deficit was already created for me, right?

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