Calories for the day

gnerre13
gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Maybe someone can help me out here, is the goal to hit the total daily calorie number that the app calculated for me or just not to go over that number daily?? I guess the question is based around the idea that sometimes weight loss is stalled cause a person isnt eating enough. I'm usually always under the 2,060 calories they calculated for me per day and i know weight loss is basically calories burned vs calories ingested. I just dont wana hinder my weight loss by possibly not eating enough. Thanks for any insight

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Your deficit is already built in to the calorie goal MFP gives you; that is the number you should be eating to remain in a deficit before exercise.

    Weight loss won't stall because you aren't eating enough; if you are in a deficit, you will lose, plain and simple. But you shouldn't be significant under your calorie goal for the day, because you may not be fueling your body properly.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You don't not lose, because you're not eating enough. It's more miscalculations and or inaccuracies in both burns and consumption that make people run into stalls. You want to eat the most and still lose. So long as you stay under that 2060, you'll lose weight.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You don't not lose, because you're not eating enough. It's more miscalculations and or inaccuracies in both burns and consumption that make people run into stalls. You want to eat the most and still lose. So long as you stay under that 2060, you'll lose weight.

    This is where a food scale is helpful. And, if you are relying on MFP burns for exercise, being aware that they are grossly overestimated, and you should be eating a partial number of your exercise calories back.
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks a lot for the replies. I will make sure i always stay under my 2,060 for the day. When working out i always wear a heart rate monitor with all of my information installed so i know im getting an accurate burn count. Thanks again!!
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    gnerre13 wrote: »
    Thanks a lot for the replies. I will make sure i always stay under my 2,060 for the day. When working out i always wear a heart rate monitor with all of my information installed so i know im getting an accurate burn count. Thanks again!!
    The 2060 contains your deficit in it. Eat at that level ... not always below it. That isn't a large caloric total for a man ... especially if you're active.

    As for a HRM ... they can be great tools depending on what you do. Their calorie estimations only come close to accurate for steady state cardio. They are inaccurate for intervals, yoga, lifting, etc.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    Brian, thanks for the article. I have a polar f7 and like the article says i can put my max heart rate in. It doesnt allow me to input a vo2max. So is my hrm incredibly inaccurate when i lift or do intervals? Or is it at least close to my total calorie expenditure?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    ALL HRMs are inaccurate for lifting and intervals. They simply are not designed for anything besides steady state cardio. The lower end HRMs are less accurate even for steady state than the higher end models that account for heart rate reserve, VO2 max, etc.

    There are reasons why calculating caloric burns from lifting is nearly impossible outside of a lab. https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    I really appreciate all the info. Im just concerned about logging an accurate amount of calories burned during my workouts to get the most out of mfp. Im logging in my food extremely accurately. So if im lifting weights and then doing interval running after im wasting time wearing my hrm correct? I also go to a gym and do hr long classes of total body workouts. I shouldn't wear hrm there either then i guess. I dont wana log calories burned into the app and give myself a false sense of how good im doing. Im really focused on trying to lose this weight and want to make sure im not wasting time and effort. That last thing i want is to expect a certain weight based on my workouts and be let down by the results. Thanks again brian
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    Im also thinking about now purchasing the polar f60 hrm to at least make sure im getting the most accuracy from my hrm.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    HRMs are great at tracking trends in your HR ... changes in peak HR during runs on the same route, how fast your HR normalizes after periods of effort, etc. The calorie aspect is simply that HR number plugged into a formula which may, or may not, fit you. The relationship isn't directly between HR and calories .. it is between percentage of effort and oxygen uptake which in certain, and limited, activities there is a corresponding HR range that can be used as a proxy.

    If you are eating at a deficit, you will lose weight. If you lose faster than expected, eat more. If you lose slower, eat less. Incremental changes are needed to account for the fact that if you're using online calculators this is all based on generalities and assumptions.
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    That all makes sense. Very enlightening.... Maybe at the very least i'll continue to wear the hrm to track my recovery heart rate and my peak heart rate etc. and as far as calories i was thinkin about just minusing say, 20% of my total calories burned to get a better ball park of what i might've burned during that work out session . I know it's all subjective and will most likely be inaccurate but it may be a little more accurate than what i was inputting. Thoughts?? Also, im confused by you saying "if you lose weight faster than expected, eat more. If you lose slower, eat less". If im staying within my mfp caloric daily number, but not too far below it and im losing more than expected why would i eat more? Isnt that what im trying to achieve?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Do you want to lose fat or lean mass?
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    Fat, fat, fat lol. If i lost a little mass i wouldnt be upset but im only interested in fat loss. I figure the working out should at least keep my mass where i am. Id rather sculpt my existing mass.
  • gnerre13
    gnerre13 Posts: 15 Member
    Also what do u think me minusing 20% of calories burned. So if hrm says i burned 1,000 cals after intervals etc...i only log like 750-800. Should be a little more accurate for my daily calorie burn, no? I really appreciate all of your info and help. It's really helping moving forward
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