Calorie goal with excersise...help!

1love82
1love82 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I am 3 weeks in to seriously tracking with MFP and about 9 months in to seeing a trainer twice a week. My process has been slow, to say the least. I need some clarification, hopefully someone has the answer!

If my daily calorie goal is 1600 (foods eaten) and I burn, say 300 calories, via FitBit activity tracking, my diary looks like I can eat an extra 300 calories (totalling 1900). Is going over my 1600, despite any "earned" from activity, causing me to lose more slowly or not at all?

Basically my question is: should I stick to the 1600 regardless of excersise?

Thanks!!!

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    You can eat your exercise calories and still lose at the same rate, assuming you are logging accurately and that your calorie burn estimate is very close to correct. Many people chose not to eat them ALL back for that reason.
  • 1love82
    1love82 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks @arditarose!

  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    So, to chime in here (just to clarify this for myself):

    If my MFP goal is 1400 and I log 250 calories from a run (coming from the UP24 app, not the MFP estimate), then my net calories are 1150. So theoretically I should eat some more until my net calories equal/gets close to 1390 again, correct?

    Now, if I go by TDEE, I should be able to disregard the above and just eat what the calculations came up with based on my BMR and activity level (1-3 hours of light exercise per week) and then minus 20% for weight/fat loss.

    So, my TDEE-20% is 1390 calories, which is what I should be eating on a daily basis. Thanks for clarifying, I am trying to figure this out because apparently my net intake over the past year was too low and caused some health issues, but I also don't want to gain weight again (obviously).

    Thanks!
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Arliah wrote: »
    So, to chime in here (just to clarify this for myself):

    If my MFP goal is 1400 and I log 250 calories from a run (coming from the UP24 app, not the MFP estimate), then my net calories are 1150. So theoretically I should eat some more until my net calories equal/gets close to 1390 again, correct?

    Disregarding any food that you may have eaten before exercising (because you talk about net calories without saying anything about food calories eaten) if you start the day at a limit - goal - of 1400 calories and you burn 250 calories from a run that will give you 1650 calories for the remainder of the day not 1150. You can eat those extra 250 calories or bank them.

    Or maybe I misunderstand what you are saying...
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    Now I am confused *lol*
    Sorry, maybe I just didn't ask the question very well.
    I am trying not to go by what MFP tells me but by the TDEE, which, if I understand this correctly, already takes my weekly exercise into account and thus comes up with a recommended daily calorie intake from food, which I should follow.
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 650 Member
    edited March 2015
    If you didn't "eat back" your exercise calories, I would imagine the weight would come off quicker. I try not to eat exercise calories back, that way if I do miscalculate my caloric intake I'll have a little error buffer.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    That's just it though. I thought that with the TDEE you don't have to eat back your exercise calories (full or half) because that is already fostered into the number that is being calculated when you enter your stats and your activity level.

  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    TDEE takes into account of exercise already. So if you don't exercise then you need to lower your calories.

    MFP calculates your calorie limits based upon Zero exercise so that's why it tells you that you can eat more calories.
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
    You either need to follow TDEE, or MFP + exercise cals, but you can't do both. They work differently.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    @ruggedshutter Thanks, that's what I thought. Thank you for clarifying. I don't exercise excessively, but I go to the gym 3 times a week for a little over an hour (running and some weights), so I chose that option.

    @Angierae75 Yep, I am aware of that, thanks for the reminder though :)
  • 1love82
    1love82 Posts: 3 Member
    So helpful! Thanks everyone! I'm going to see what happens by not eating my excersise calories! Have a great night...
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