Do you count your "exercise calories"?
yiscaht
Posts: 25 Member
So, haven't been doing this for long, but I have been inputting my exercise into MFP daily. This of course, adds calories that I can then consume. I'm assuming it overshoots the calorie range on most things (c'mon, Apple Watch and get here already!)
In any event, my normal day consists of a protein shake & Amazing Greens (around 220 calories/shake) for breakfast and lunch. Probably a banana mid-morning to curb leg cramps and a navel orange mid-afternoon before the gym.
Dinner is generally whatever I want, as long as it fits within my allotted leftover calories (1500), though I've been trying to eat fairly healthy/clean, apart from Sunday night's pizza episode.
I've been following the same eating for about a month. Added exercise in about a week and a half ago and have been going pretty hard for me (at least an hour a day of strength or cardio, depending on the day, sometimes more). I've actually managed to gain 4 lbs since I started moving my butt.
Should I just not count the "exercise calories" and see if that helps?
In any event, my normal day consists of a protein shake & Amazing Greens (around 220 calories/shake) for breakfast and lunch. Probably a banana mid-morning to curb leg cramps and a navel orange mid-afternoon before the gym.
Dinner is generally whatever I want, as long as it fits within my allotted leftover calories (1500), though I've been trying to eat fairly healthy/clean, apart from Sunday night's pizza episode.
I've been following the same eating for about a month. Added exercise in about a week and a half ago and have been going pretty hard for me (at least an hour a day of strength or cardio, depending on the day, sometimes more). I've actually managed to gain 4 lbs since I started moving my butt.
Should I just not count the "exercise calories" and see if that helps?
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Replies
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You should eat back 50% - 75% of your exercise calories to start with and judge by weight loss over a decent period - say 6-8 weeks then adjust
You should watch your proteins and fats .. achieve your minimum at least and make sure your minimums are set properly (eg 0.8-1g protein per lb LBM and 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight)
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everyone is different. i personally do not log my exercise and do not eat back my exercise cals.0
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I have a polar heart rate monitor so I get a good idea of how many calories I've burned during a workout. Once I got the heart rate monitor I realized that the gym/mfp was off by a good bit.0
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WeddedBliss1992 wrote: »everyone is different. i personally do not log my exercise and do not eat back my exercise cals.
but everyone is the same to be honest .. it's just the approach they take that may differ
and this approach is fine if you are following either a cut from TDEE or are inaccurate with your calorie logging ... as long as you are achieving your stated weight loss weekly goal over time (6-8 weeks) and meeting your nutritional requirements you should be fine with any approach
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I don't eat back my exercise calories simply because MFP overestimates it and I don't want to hinder myself. I don't tend to to any extreme exercise anyway, I'd only gain 300-500 cals back.0
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So, haven't been doing this for long, but I have been inputting my exercise into MFP daily. This of course, adds calories that I can then consume. I'm assuming it overshoots the calorie range on most things (c'mon, Apple Watch and get here already!)
My sentiments exactly! April 10th
Yes - I eat back my exercise calories. Not all the time and not all of them all the time because sometimes I'm just too active. lol0 -
I don't eat back my exercise calories, but I think my calorie allowance is pretty generous, 1600 calories per day. I honestly don't think I need more than that. Very occasionally I will eat a few of my exercise calories, but not regularly. I think my logging is pretty accurate, but it's good to have the safety net of the exercise calories.0
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I figured out my numbers based on a weekly average of work outs/calories burned, so I just eat that number every day, if I work out or not.0
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I do input my exercise and eat a portion of my exercise calories.0
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I only put my exercise in if I've overeaten and want to avoid the red numbers.
Mostly I'm pretty good but I've had a few days recently where I've not logged as I go, and gone over my limit. On those days the extra 100-150 calories I earn from exercise makes me feel less guilty.0 -
No I dont0
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If you are using MFP as designed, yes you eat back your calories. You enter in your info, and weight loss goals and MFP spits out a calorie allowance assuming you will do no exercise. By eating back your exercise cals you are properly fueling your body while still hitting the deficit MFP gave you to lose the weight per your goals.
Example: Lets say the person has a maintenance of 2000 cals, and puts in a 1lb per week loss. MFP spits out the person should eat 1750 to lose that 1lb per week.
Lets say that person goes out for a run and burns 300 cals. Now maintenance is 2300 calories, not 2000, so now that person can eat 2050 to stay in that exact same deficit.
2000cals - 250 MFP cals = 1750 = a 250 cal deficit. 1lb per week loss for individual
2000cals + 300 exercise cals = a maintenance of 2300, so now 2300 - 250 MFP cals = 250 cal deficit for 1lb per week loss for individual.
Keep in mind that MFP can overexaggerate, so many start out by eating back 50% and adjusting from there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p10 -
I'm going to be a total newbie ... how do I ensure my minimums are set properly? Does the default in MFP reflect those totals?You should watch your proteins and fats .. achieve your minimum at least and make sure your minimums are set properly (eg 0.8-1g protein per lb LBM and 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight)
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If you are using MFP as designed, yes you eat back your calories. You enter in your info, and weight loss goals and MFP spits out a calorie allowance assuming you will do no exercise. By eating back your exercise cals you are properly fueling your body while still hitting the deficit MFP gave you to lose the weight per your goals.
Example: Lets say the person has a maintenance of 2000 cals, and puts in a 1lb per week loss. MFP spits out the person should eat 1750 to lose that 1lb per week.
Lets say that person goes out for a run and burns 300 cals. Now maintenance is 2300 calories, not 2000, so now that person can eat 2050 to stay in that exact same deficit.
2000cals - 250 MFP cals = 1750 = a 250 cal deficit. 1lb per week loss for individual
2000cals + 300 exercise cals = a maintenance of 2300, so now 2300 - 250 MFP cals = 250 cal deficit for 1lb per week loss for individual.
Keep in mind that MFP can overexaggerate, so many start out by eating back 50% and adjusting from there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
Yep, this!
I've lost 79 pounds so far, and have eaten back a good majority of my exercise calories.
Anytime in the past when I haven't eaten them back, I'd just end up hungry and just give up, then gain it all back.
MFP is set up with the NEAT method. But yes, if you don't have a hrm, stick to around half of what MFP tells you, it is grossly overestimated.0 -
Plumbkinpie wrote: »I don't eat back my exercise calories simply because MFP overestimates it and I don't want to hinder myself. I don't tend to to any extreme exercise anyway, I'd only gain 300-500 cals back.
Google skinny fat. MFP gives you these calories for a reason.
Certainly 50% of your exercise calories would be a closer estimate than zero.
As you get closer to goal your body has less reserves to draw from. Maintaining lean muscle while losing mostly fat is healthy weight loss. But healthy weight loss is a moderate deficit. Increasing your original deficit by 300-500 calories everyday isn't moderate and isn't enough to fuel existing muscle.0 -
I'm going to be a total newbie ... how do I ensure my minimums are set properly? Does the default in MFP reflect those totals?You should watch your proteins and fats .. achieve your minimum at least and make sure your minimums are set properly (eg 0.8-1g protein per lb LBM and 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight)
No - MFP uses a more generalized approach. People with medical issues will have different needs. Vegetarians, vegans, lots of different types of diets out there.
You need to personalize these macro goals if that's what you decide.0 -
I have my goal set to 1lb/week. At 5"8 and 205 lbs I was given about 1700 calories. I work out for about an hour 3-4 days a week but it's nothing extreme. I'll bike a little and lift some weights and do the planking challenge. I estimate, without an HRM and being slightly suspicious of the machines that count your calories, that I burn about 200-300, probably closer to 200. So light exercise. That bumps my deficit to about 800, give or take, and is closer to 1.5 lbs/week. Is this acceptable or should I eat back mine as well? I have 40 lbs to lose and then was going to reexamine to see about upping my strength training and such for better toning, but I do want to start lightly building muscle now as I lose the weight. I've felt comfortable with my diet and exercise routine so far and have only logged exercise I was unsure about (horseback riding). I'm only a few weeks in so still learning.
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Depends on the exercise. When I'm doing distance running, I can burn 800 to 1600 on a run so that would be a problem if I didn't eat extra.0
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If I eat back all my exercise calories, I stop losing, and I'm already set on sedentary (and not lying around in bed, certainly...I run all around the place with my work-and-kids-and-house-cleaning day just like any normal person).
If I'm having a really hungry day, I'll honor that and eat back some of my exercise calories, and since it's only once in a while I am still losing, but when I was eating them all back for a while (this was several months ago), I bumped up and stayed up. I believe MFP overestimates, although of course you can do your own calculations and enter them as a new exercise if you'd like.
When I do eat my calories back, I only eat back up to about half of them.
Everyone is different. I have seen people who eat back all their exercise calories and continue to lose (if losing is their goal). So you will probably need to experiment and find your sweet spot.0 -
Answer this
Claories burned : 780
Calories intake : 15000 -
I'm going to be a total newbie ... how do I ensure my minimums are set properly? Does the default in MFP reflect those totals?You should watch your proteins and fats .. achieve your minimum at least and make sure your minimums are set properly (eg 0.8-1g protein per lb LBM and 0.35g fat per lb bodyweight)
Yes. Are you hitting your protein and fat goals most days?
I agree--the way you describe your diet, it sounds like it might be way too low in protein and fat. That is probably more of an issue than eating back exercise calories.0 -
AlexisMichele93 wrote: »I have my goal set to 1lb/week. At 5"8 and 205 lbs I was given about 1700 calories. I work out for about an hour 3-4 days a week but it's nothing extreme. I'll bike a little and lift some weights and do the planking challenge. I estimate, without an HRM and being slightly suspicious of the machines that count your calories, that I burn about 200-300, probably closer to 200. So light exercise. That bumps my deficit to about 800, give or take, and is closer to 1.5 lbs/week. Is this acceptable or should I eat back mine as well? I have 40 lbs to lose and then was going to reexamine to see about upping my strength training and such for better toning, but I do want to start lightly building muscle now as I lose the weight. I've felt comfortable with my diet and exercise routine so far and have only logged exercise I was unsure about (horseback riding). I'm only a few weeks in so still learning.
You're probably fine not eating all back right now, but if your goal is asthetic and muscle retention (yes not muscle building), your exercise calories will become more important. At an 800 calorie deficit, it will be difficult to retain muscle mass and pretty much ensure that you will see zero to minimal gains (including noob gains) due to the size of the deficit, IHMO. Also, muscle building is extremely difficult, takes a pretty on point diet, and dedication in the gym to put only a few pounds per month on......for guys, it's exponentially more difficult for women. Lightly building muscle is pretty much what happens for everyone because it's so hard to do.0 -
I use the TDEE - 20% method for cutting, so no, I don't eat back exercise calories. Exercise has already been baked into the total number of allotted calories for the day.0
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Yeah I just want toning I guess is the proper jargon? I won't have a flat stomach or noticeable muscles, as I'll probably stop at around size 6 pants. I just want to be slimmer but not... flabby? But not built or athletic either. Lol I guess I'll let it be for now and if I'm not looking how I'd like I'll make my changes from there. Thank you!
Is TDEE - 500 (per lb/week) the standard for MFP? My exact goal is 1,680 cals which happens to be 2,100 - 20%, but it could be I actually have a slightly higher TDEE than I thought.0 -
AlexisMichele93 wrote: »Yeah I just want toning I guess is the proper jargon? I won't have a flat stomach or noticeable muscles, as I'll probably stop at around size 6 pants. I just want to be slimmer but not... flabby? But not built or athletic either. Lol I guess I'll let it be for now and if I'm not looking how I'd like I'll make my changes from there. Thank you!
Is TDEE - 500 (per lb/week) the standard for MFP? My exact goal is 1,680 cals which happens to be 2,100 - 20%, but it could be I actually have a slightly higher TDEE than I thought.
I wouldn't say that there is a standard per week with MFP. There's so many of us here with so many different goals.
Don't worry about becoming "built or athletic" either. That doesn't happen on accident.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »
Yes. Are you hitting your protein and fat goals most days?
I agree--the way you describe your diet, it sounds like it might be way too low in protein and fat. That is probably more of an issue than eating back exercise calories.
Yea, I hit the protein goal daily (the whey I'm using has 25 grams protein in each shake, then whatever meat I have for dinner). I do go over on fat grams suggested by MFP more often than I'd like as I like oily dressings and cheese with dinner
Exercise wise, it's not an insane amount, but the past week was:
Sunday: Piloxing Barre class; 1 hr
Monday: UpperCut class; 30 mins - Basketball w/ friends; 1 hr
Wednesday: Zumba class; 1 hr - PiYo class; 1 hr
Thursday: Butts & Guts class; 45 mins
Friday: Zumba class; 1 hr
Saturday: Piloxing Barre class; 1 hr
Sunday: 5 mile walk @ 4mph
Nothing crazy intense, but enough to make me sore - decent mix of strength and cardio. Pretty strict on logging my food. I do weigh/measure most things and the things I don't, I feel I over-estimate instead of under-estimate when I add them. I try not to eat all my exercise calories, just been kind of using them as a buffer.
Gained 4 lbs this week haha.
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You should be accounting for exercise somewhere...particularly if your'e training hard you want to make sure you're fueling that activity and more importantly, recovery from that activity.
Just as an example, I ride 80ish miles pretty much every week...sometimes more. On top of that, I do some lifting...if I didn't account for that activity somewhere, my performance would be for *kitten* and I'd likely have some injury issues and most definitely recovery issues.
As per the MFP method, exercise is accounted for on the *kitten* end of the equation when you do it and log it and get those calories to "eat back". Other calculators include your exercise in your activity level and thus an estimate of those calorie requirements are already included in your calorie goals.
There are inherent problems with either method...first and foremost, people are for *kitten* when it comes to accurately logging their intake...people are generally inconsistent and also just not accurate when it comes down to the serving size of X vs what they actually log. This is why weighing and measuring are so important when you're calorie counting.
Beyond that, people using the MFP method tend to overestimate their calorie burns from exercise because they're overestimating their level of effort and putting all of their faith and trust into some database, calculator, machine, or other device to give them a proper calorie burn. Bottom line, estimating calorie burn is tough and most people just flat out aren't conservative enough in their estimates.
In that same regard, many people who utilize the TDEE method have difficulty determining activity level...many people overestimate because, for example, the descriptor will say 6 hours vigorous per week...so they pick that because they work out 6 hours per week...but not all of that time is at a "vigorous" effort...and really, outside of being an athlete or training specifically for some kind of competitive event, the average Joe/Jane isn't doing anything vigorous...at least not sustained.
The bottom line is that all of these calculators are just reasonably good starting points...they aren't gospel...and there are all kinds of other inherent pitfalls to calorie counting...so really, you just need to make adjustments as per your real world results.0 -
Yeah I was just wondering which calculation MFP uses to determine what your deficit should be. Not that I'm uncomfortable with mine, it's actually great. I was just curious.
Yes I will not be going for muscles but knowing I will be okay on my deficit for just toning my arms and legs is good to hear. I wanted to be sure I wasn't under fueling myself even if it is for a small goal (weight loss).
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I count my "exercise calories" when I "exercise" but that's because that's how I have set my "activity level". I also "count" my "exercise calories" at far less than most "calculators". For example, my "runs" only count for around "70" "calories" per "mile".0
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AlexisMichele93 wrote: »Yeah I was just wondering which calculation MFP uses to determine what your deficit should be. Not that I'm uncomfortable with mine, it's actually great. I was just curious.
Yes I will not be going for muscles but knowing I will be okay on my deficit for just toning my arms and legs is good to hear. I wanted to be sure I wasn't under fueling myself even if it is for a small goal (weight loss).
MFP uses the NEAT method (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) whereby your calorie goals are derived from your stats and non exercise daily activity. As such, exercise is an unaccounted for activity....now if someone is just burning a handful of calories going for a walk or something, this isn't all that big of a deal...if someone is training hard and burning 100s and 100s of calories, not accounting for exercise can create enormous problems because not only is there a huge deficit already built in, but all of the exercise is making it even bigger...this isn't always optimal given that your body has some basic energy (calorie) requirements just for existing and maintaining bodily functions.
When people under-eat and over-exercise, they're not giving themselves the energy required simply to function properly, let alone recover and repair the body. There are loads of posts with people losing their hair, losing periods, losing fingernails, etc because of exactly this...under-feeding and over-training.
But like I said before...it can be tricky...you have to be pretty meticulous.0
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