BMR-Daily Caloric Intake

MTB_Rider
MTB_Rider Posts: 5 Member
edited November 11 in Getting Started
Hello, I need some help or advice. Right now my Daily Caloric allotment is 1660 calories according MFP. The way I understand it from reading in the community is that MFP does not take into account the exercise amount when calculating calories. I don't understand why it asks my activity level then when setting up goals. If I'm Spinning 3-4 times a week 1660 is not enough. So my question is how can I figure a more accurate Daily Caloric Intake value? I've looked at my TDEE but I was hoping someone could just give me a number to start with. I'm 46 years old, male, 237lbs.

Thanks,

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    MFP expects you to eat back burned exercise cals - so you would log your spinning cals, and they will be added back into your daily goal. Your NET cals at the end of the day should be at or near goal.
  • MTB_Rider
    MTB_Rider Posts: 5 Member
    edited January 2015
    AmyRhubarb wrote: »
    MFP expects you to eat back burned exercise cals - so you would log your spinning cals, and they will be added back into your daily goal. Your NET cals at the end of the day should be at or near goal.

    Thanks Amy. I have been adding the spin bike to my exercise tab. So as I go back and look at yesterday. 1660 is goal - 1865 food - 693 exercise = 488 remaining. I calculated my caloric burn with my heart rate monitor on shapesense.com.

    ****FROM MFP "HELP"****

    We set your nutritional target in Net Calories which we define as:

    Calories Consumed (Food) - Calories Burned (Exercise) = Net Calories

    This means that if you exercise, you will be able to eat more for that day. For example, if your Net Calorie goal is 2000 calories, one way to meet that goal is to eat 2,500 calories of food, but then burn 500 calories through exercise.

    Think of your Net Calories like a daily budget of calories to spend. You spend them by eating, and you earn more calories to eat by exercising. We do not recommend that women consume fewer than 1200 calories, or men fewer than 1500 calories, on a given day.

    *******************************************

    so, I feel like I am not eating enough? I have been under my calorie count for 14 days in a row with zero weight loss.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    A couple of common mathematical friction points ...
    How long are you spinning? Is your calorie calculator providing total calories for the time you exercise or net exercise calories? It is rare to burn more than 10 calories per minute above BMR for most people.

    What did you set as your activity level in MFP?

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    MTB_Rider wrote: »
    Hello, I need some help or advice. Right now my Daily Caloric allotment is 1660 calories according MFP. The way I understand it from reading in the community is that MFP does not take into account the exercise amount when calculating calories. I don't understand why it asks my activity level then when setting up goals. If I'm Spinning 3-4 times a week 1660 is not enough. So my question is how can I figure a more accurate Daily Caloric Intake value? I've looked at my TDEE but I was hoping someone could just give me a number to start with. I'm 46 years old, male, 237lbs.

    Thanks,

    In MFP activity and exercise are separate (it's not a TDEE calculator hence the difference).
    Your activity setting reflects your job and lifestyle - so a construction worker would get a higher calorie allowance than a desk worker. But both would then log their exercise separately.
  • MTB_Rider
    MTB_Rider Posts: 5 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    A couple of common mathematical friction points ...
    How long are you spinning? Is your calorie calculator providing total calories for the time you exercise or net exercise calories? It is rare to burn more than 10 calories per minute above BMR for most people.

    What did you set as your activity level in MFP?

    I set it as "Lightly Active" as I am at a desk most the day. I use a heart rate monitor to figure out caloric burn. I"m not sure how accurate it is. For example I rode my spin bike for 30 minutes with an average heart rate of 138. This calculated to 399 calories burnt according to shapesense.com calculator.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    MTB_Rider wrote: »
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    A couple of common mathematical friction points ...
    How long are you spinning? Is your calorie calculator providing total calories for the time you exercise or net exercise calories? It is rare to burn more than 10 calories per minute above BMR for most people.

    What did you set as your activity level in MFP?

    I set it as "Lightly Active" as I am at a desk most the day. I use a heart rate monitor to figure out caloric burn. I"m not sure how accurate it is. For example I rode my spin bike for 30 minutes with an average heart rate of 138. This calculated to 399 calories burnt according to shapesense.com calculator.

    That looks off ... probably reporting gross calories versus net exercise calories. 13 calories over BMR is usually an indicator of something off in the math.
  • Robbnva
    Robbnva Posts: 590 Member
    MTB_Rider wrote: »
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    A couple of common mathematical friction points ...
    How long are you spinning? Is your calorie calculator providing total calories for the time you exercise or net exercise calories? It is rare to burn more than 10 calories per minute above BMR for most people.

    What did you set as your activity level in MFP?

    I set it as "Lightly Active" as I am at a desk most the day. I use a heart rate monitor to figure out caloric burn. I"m not sure how accurate it is. For example I rode my spin bike for 30 minutes with an average heart rate of 138. This calculated to 399 calories burnt according to shapesense.com calculator.
    Your heart rate monitor doesn't calculate calories burned? Thought they were supposed to
  • MTB_Rider
    MTB_Rider Posts: 5 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    MTB_Rider wrote: »
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    A couple of common mathematical friction points ...
    How long are you spinning? Is your calorie calculator providing total calories for the time you exercise or net exercise calories? It is rare to burn more than 10 calories per minute above BMR for most people.

    What did you set as your activity level in MFP?

    I set it as "Lightly Active" as I am at a desk most the day. I use a heart rate monitor to figure out caloric burn. I"m not sure how accurate it is. For example I rode my spin bike for 30 minutes with an average heart rate of 138. This calculated to 399 calories burnt according to shapesense.com calculator.

    That looks off ... probably reporting gross calories versus net exercise calories. 13 calories over BMR is usually an indicator of something off in the math.

    yeah...I feel it is off. I will look for a new way to calculate exercise to show "Net Exercise Calroes" When I calculate my BMR on MFP it says 1900. However, lightly active has my net calories at 1660. I just don't have much confidence in the numbers anymore.
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