Exercise calories

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AlwaysWanderer
AlwaysWanderer Posts: 641 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that the subject has been in a debate for a long time, but I'm confused about one thing:
If I set my activity level at sedenary, my goal is 1200
If I set my activity level at very active, its still 1200, just the calorie deficit is higher.
Being very active is exercise, right? So why do I not need to eat those calories back? The difference between sedenary and very active is about 400 cal for me a day. If I set it at sedenary and burn 400 cal by exercising, then I need to eat 400 more that day. Where is the difference? Any advise?

Replies

  • PoAer
    PoAer Posts: 17
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    I would like to know the answer to this as well. To me it seems a bit counter productive, since cardio helps burn fat and such.
  • Wightvixen
    Wightvixen Posts: 117
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    I think the problem here is the artificial floor of 1200 calories, below which MFP just won't go. I'm in the same situation as you - whatever I set my activity level to I get the same 1200 calories that I was given as a goal when I was almost a stone heavier.

    Maintenance calories for my current size/weight is roughly 1600. If I was to follow the rule of thumb and take off 500 calories in order to lose 1lb a week, that would drop me to 1100 a day, which MFP just won't do, even for shorties like me. For this reason, although I eat the recommended 1200 a day, I do NOT eat back exercise calories.
  • PapaPolarBear
    PapaPolarBear Posts: 459
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    the activity lever doesn't include exercise, it talking about your normal everyday life. like your job, do you spend most of the day on your feet or sitting at a computer? do you walk all over the place to get things done or are you on your rear all day. that's the activity level. as for changing it and your calories staying at 1200, MFP will not recomend you ever eat less than 1200 calories a days as an extended period of time with less than 1200 calories will put your body into starvation mode.
  • AlwaysWanderer
    AlwaysWanderer Posts: 641 Member
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    I think the problem here is the artificial floor of 1200 calories, below which MFP just won't go. I'm in the same situation as you - whatever I set my activity level to I get the same 1200 calories that I was given as a goal when I was almost a stone heavier.

    Maintenance calories for my current size/weight is roughly 1600. If I was to follow the rule of thumb and take off 500 calories in order to lose 1lb a week, that would drop me to 1100 a day, which MFP just won't do, even for shorties like me. For this reason, although I eat the recommended 1200 a day, I do NOT eat back exercise calories.
    I'm really short as well, and I dont eat my calories back either. So we're in the same boat! I'm just worrying cz my net calories are usually a negative, so I'm wondering if I'm taking it too far...
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    I know that the subject has been in a debate for a long time, but I'm confused about one thing:
    If I set my activity level at sedenary, my goal is 1200
    If I set my activity level at very active, its still 1200, just the calorie deficit is higher.
    Being very active is exercise, right? So why do I not need to eat those calories back? The difference between sedenary and very active is about 400 cal for me a day. If I set it at sedenary and burn 400 cal by exercising, then I need to eat 400 more that day. Where is the difference? Any advise?

    I'm going to make a few assumptions here as I do not know for certain the variables that creators of MFP have used when setting up their calorie calculator. This may get a little technical and boring....

    To lose weight/fat you have to create an energy / calorie deficit. This means in basic terms that you have to consume less calories per day (a measure of energy output) than your body needs to maintain itself (maintenance calories - also known as TDEE.)

    TDEE = BMR + TEF + TEA + NEAT/SPA (+ body stores but I won't get into that)

    BMR is basal metabolic rate - the number of calories your body needs to perform vital functions.
    TEF is thermic affect of food - the number of calories your body need to process food intake
    TEA is thermic affect of activity - the number of calories your body needs to undertake physical exercise (eg weight training, cardio etc)
    NEAT /SPA is non exercise activity thermogensis / spontaneous physical activity - in other words your normal daily activities.

    When calculating your maintenance calories (TDEE) I presume that the MFP calculator adds BMR, TEF and NEAT/SPA together. It then takes off a certain amount to create the calorie deficit which is applicable to your goals (500 calories for 1lbs fat loss, 750 calories for 1.5lb fat loss, and 1,000 calories for 2lbs fat loss.)

    However, it also has an artifical floor of 1,2000 caloires which it will not let you go under as this is the recommended minimum calorie intake for women per day to ensure nutritional needs are met. Therefore even if, in theory, you need to dip below 1,200 caloires to ensure a 1,000 calorie deficit MFP will not let you do so.

    What the MFP calculator does not account for is TEA, in other words physical exercise, when calculating maintenance calories. Given a person's (safe) calorie deficit has already been factored in, the implication is that you must eat those calories back to remain in the "safe" calorie deficit zone (1-1000 calories below maintenance.)

    It's admittedly a confusing system but I guess I can see the logic. It is useful for people who want to lose weight through diet alone bearing in mind their day to day activities but no additional physical exercise.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    I was very dubious about eating back my exercise calories but for the most part I do and I've lost every single week (8lbs in 5 weeks!!)

    So this method works for me - and I am sticking with it!
  • AlwaysWanderer
    AlwaysWanderer Posts: 641 Member
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    To lose weight/fat you have to create an energy / calorie deficit. This means in basic terms that you have to consume less calories per day (a measure of energy output) than your body needs to maintain itself (maintenance calories - also known as TDEE.)

    TDEE = BMR + TEF + TEA + NEAT/SPA (+ body stores but I won't get into that)

    BMR is basal metabolic rate - the number of calories your body needs to perform vital functions.
    TEF is thermic affect of food - the number of calories your body need to process food intake
    TEA is thermic affect of activity - the number of calories your body needs to undertake physical exercise (eg weight training, cardio etc)
    NEAT /SPA is non exercise activity thermogensis / spontaneous physical activity - in other words your normal daily activities.
    That is a very good explanation. I wasnt aware that daily activities and exercise dont work the same way when it comes to burning calories. Thanks for explaining :flowerforyou:
  • sftb
    sftb Posts: 40
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    I like how this is explained. I think it would be helpful to keep in mind that this is a simplified tool intended to help people manage their nutrition and calorie balance in a generalized way. The tool, in my view, is fantastic for that and has already aided me in making nutritional decisions I otherwise would have blindly missed. It is not precise, however, because every body is different. Take our metabolism, for example...one person's metabolism is different from the next (hence the phrase "blessed with a fast metabolism"). What is also different is how our body's metabolism is impacted by caloric imbalance. Our bodies are designed to survive; that is our physiological priority, which is above how we look. If our bodies sense that we are not getting enough calories, our body could start storing some of that food as fat (and that point occurs at a different imbalance for different people). Now, I'm certainly not an expert in this area, I'm just going through what I know from experts/literature I've been exposed to and through observing my own body's reaction to how I'm using this tool.

    I'm trying to meet my daily caloric goal to within +/- 100-300 calories, because I've learned that, for my body, that seems to work. I'm also trying to keep grounded that MFP is a TOOL, not the goal. When I first used it, I became obsessed with mathematically meeting the daily MPF target to the single calorie...and I lost perspective on why I joined MFP in the first place :). I wish you all the best in using this tool to aid in your lifestyle improvement!
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    I'm trying to meet my daily caloric goal to within +/- 100-300 calories, because I've learned that, for my body, that seems to work.

    That's a very good approach and mindset (I'm not just saying that because I do something very similar myself.)

    Fat loss is a fluid / dynamic process with inbuilt variability. People with a flexible approach to it tend to do much better in the long term.

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