I'm new here & have a question

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hopkins965
hopkins965 Posts: 6 Member
in Getting Started
Hey everyone! I started my weight loss journey on 1/1/15. I want to lose 50-60 pounds. When I earn extra calories from working out, am I supposed to use them up everyday or is it better to just use up my daily calorie allowance pre-work out?

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  • Ooci
    Ooci Posts: 247 Member
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    Hi! In my very humble opinion (and I freely admit I'm no expert here!) the MFP system gives too many calories for most work outs. Of course everyone's calorific requirements are very different and everyone's work out is different too. But to be safe I'd suggest eating half of what MFP gives for exercise - so if your daily allowance is 1400, and MFP tells you you just spent 500 cals on gardening, only eat 1650 for that day. If you go on like this and find you're very hungry and losing more weight than you feel comfortable with then up it to the full amount. Good luck.
  • hopkins965
    hopkins965 Posts: 6 Member
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    I do agree, when I workout, I don't feel like I really could have burned THAT many calories in 15-20 minutes. Good advice, thank you!
  • mz_getskinny
    mz_getskinny Posts: 258 Member
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    Don't trust the MFP estimates. They were telling me I was burning 200-300 calories on a 20 minute bike ride. Now that I have my HRM, I'm lucky to burn 120! I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor, and just listen to your body. If you feel super hungry, eat them back. If you don't, then don't! Or even half. Just find out what works for you. :)
  • Cheryllynnhagen
    Cheryllynnhagen Posts: 51 Member
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    Same here! I KNOW I don't burn 200 cal doing 1 hr yoga. I don't log my exercise anymore because I don't want to eat back the calories that are not true anyway.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I adjust the calories when I log the exercise so I don't have to do calculations in my head, but other than that, same idea.
  • Danimalrunsagain
    Danimalrunsagain Posts: 50 Member
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    I tend to eat back some of my exercise calories but I usually limit it to 50% or less. It's just to easy to underestimate consumption while overestimating burn.
  • sonystonie
    sonystonie Posts: 14 Member
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    Its my understanding that in order to loose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. If you eat all of the calories you burned from your workout it seems kind of pointless. I myself try to stick with the daily goal of 1200 regardless of how many calories I burn.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    sonystonie wrote: »
    Its my understanding that in order to loose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. If you eat all of the calories you burned from your workout it seems kind of pointless. I myself try to stick with the daily goal of 1200 regardless of how many calories I burn.

    You burn a lot of calories just by being alive though and more in your everyday movement. With only eating 1200 you're likely creating a bigger deficit than needed. Sure you'll lose weight but is it sustainable?

  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    It really depends on how you set it up. You can say I'm going to lose a pound a week while I exercise 30 minutes per day and then you'll have a daily calorie allowance which assumes that exercise. OR you can say I'm going to lose a pound a week while doing nothing and then you'll have a daily number that assumes no exercise. Obviously the number from the second option will be lower than the number you'd get using the first option, but then you can (and some say should) eat back any 'extra' calories if/when you do exercise.

    MFP will do the calculations for you, so if MFP says you have calories left then you do! :)

  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Ooci wrote: »
    Hi! In my very humble opinion (and I freely admit I'm no expert here!) the MFP system gives too many calories for most work outs. Of course everyone's calorific requirements are very different and everyone's work out is different too. But to be safe I'd suggest eating half of what MFP gives for exercise - so if your daily allowance is 1400, and MFP tells you you just spent 500 cals on gardening, only eat 1650 for that day. If you go on like this and find you're very hungry and losing more weight than you feel comfortable with then up it to the full amount. Good luck.

    Gardening isn't a work out don't log daily things like this. Log actual workouts only IE running, walking, jogging lifting weights. Don't log "standing 4 hours", "taking out garbage" that stuff doesn't count!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    This is my favorite link to try and explain why the MFP system adds those extra calories onto your day: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • Ooci
    Ooci Posts: 247 Member
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    The calorific requirements aren't fixed at all, it depends how cold you are, if it's your period, if you have a lot of lean muscle - how much sleep you had, how big your house is, how quick your habitual movements are, how many balls you bent down and picked up in that tennis class.. Etc, etc
    At the end of the day I think a little, teensy bit of moderate hunger as your guide, not too painful, not too often, and a pound or even half a pound off every week, is the safest way. 1200 cals sounds like torture to me, but for everyone, their own way.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    The link diannethegeek gave is very good at explaining this.

    I use a fitness tracker (Fitbit) along with MFP. I log my total TDEE. For example cleaning house, washing the dogs, racking the leaves and of course actual exercise. If you move, you burn calories.

    This is because you expend energy doing all of the things above. MFP exaggerates all calories burned. For example 20 minutes on my elliptical in MFP is not what is on the computer on the elliptical machine. I put in actuals from the work out and I use estimate other activities about 30% less when logging on MFP. Fitbit is fairly accurate.

    A lot of MFP members say that they choose not to eat back exercise calories or will eat back a portion of them. I have a set goal and extra calories burned are calories I choose to not eat back... I burned them, I do not want to have to burn them again...

  • narfy88
    narfy88 Posts: 15 Member
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    Read the MFP daily blog, they recently addressed this same question. I wouldn't eat them back unless you are power lifting or feeling extra hungry/tired on the days that you do earn them. Obviously, the less you eat back the more you will lose! just makes sense! good luck
  • txteachermom
    txteachermom Posts: 83 Member
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    I rarely eat mine back, and if I do I limit to half what my fitbit and MFP say I have burned.
  • Lizzy2574
    Lizzy2574 Posts: 1
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    IMHO I don't even entertain the idea I can count calories burned...Depends if you lose to much weight in one week...it really depends on your individual needs. Just track calories in and exercise then look back at the week and decide. It's takes some time to figure it out..and when you do..it's golden...because it will last a lifetime and the yo-yo days will be gone. Congratulations in your start!
  • ActuarialChef
    ActuarialChef Posts: 1,413 Member
    edited January 2015
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    narfy88 wrote: »
    Read the MFP daily blog, they recently addressed this same question. I wouldn't eat them back unless you are power lifting or feeling extra hungry/tired on the days that you do earn them. Obviously, the less you eat back the more you will lose! just makes sense! good luck

    Whatever you do, do not read the MFP daily blog. It is a load of crap.

    If you do nothing else, read the link diane posted. Very useful.

    Also, the sticky (Announcement) posts here are also useful and should be read by every new member: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/general-diet-and-weight-loss-help

    EDIT:

    Also, this link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    sonystonie wrote: »
    Its my understanding that in order to loose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. If you eat all of the calories you burned from your workout it seems kind of pointless. I myself try to stick with the daily goal of 1200 regardless of how many calories I burn.

    MFP already gives you the deficit though, without exercise.
  • hopkins965
    hopkins965 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I will read the links that were posted. I had my first weigh-in this morning & I'm down 3.2 pounds - Woo Hoo! I know not to expect that much loss every week, but it's definitely great motivation for me to keep pushing :)

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