Burning Weekly Calories

jessicalcole14
jessicalcole14 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I frequently go over the amount of exercise I am supposed to do per week, and at least hit my goal there, but I almost never burn my weekly calories that I'm supposed to burn. I am almost always at least 100 calories off.
To burn those calories I would probably have to exercise for an extra hour (since I do not see how I can exercise any harder without hurting myself)
Is it really important to burn all the weekly calories? And if so, how can I do it?

Replies

  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    You can set the calorie burn goals arbitrarily. How many calories are you set to burn weekly?
  • jessicalcole14
    jessicalcole14 Posts: 4 Member
    880.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    That goal isn't too unrealistic, really. How many times per week do you exercise?
  • jessicalcole14
    jessicalcole14 Posts: 4 Member
    This week I'm starting to exercise every day. I will still be 357 calories off the goal. I already feel hungry after working out and don't see how I can burn all those calories.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    The amount you told MFP you would burn is not factored into anything. You could skip all those workouts and just eat your calorie target and still get your projected loss. And when you do workout, MFP intends you to eat the cals back, effectively negating them in terms of your deficit.

    So don't stress about calories and workouts. Workout for health and fitness and wellbeing and fun and such, and enjoy bonus calories as a result.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,585 Member
    I am a little bit uncertain as to your question because your exercise goals are your own. Presumably you exercise so that you can be healthy and happy and strong and feel good!

    In any case, MFP does not take exercise into account when setting up your "allowable calories".

    You are supposed to log your exercise in MFP after you perform it, and by preference eat back at least some of the extra calories you "earn". Most people find that eating back 50% to 75% of the extra calories works for them--this could be lower, or higher, depending on the type of exercise.
  • jessicalcole14
    jessicalcole14 Posts: 4 Member
    I was wondering if I needed to exercise to meet the "calorie burn goal" set by Mfp when given my exercise goals and diet goals. I didn't know that I should eat some calories back, because I rarely, if ever, do.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    jessicalcole14 wrote: »
    I was wondering if I needed to exercise to meet the "calorie burn goal" set by Mfp when given my exercise goals and diet goals. I didn't know that I should eat some calories back, because I rarely, if ever, do.

    It IS confusing, because when you set it up, it asks you how much you plan to do, then lists it in the summary. But try rerunning it again with 0 exercise planned, and it'll give you the same, because it isn't using it.

    Which means you can totally eat your exercise calories back. Say you're eating 1500 for a projected loss of 1 lb a week. If you burn off 300 and eat it back, you still net 1500, and still lose 1 lb a week! (That is, if your burn estimate is correct, which it may not be, so some people eat back a portion, or only if they feel extra hungry that day. Yours don't sound exaggerated if you're not meeting 880 in a week though.)
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    Eat more carbs
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
    What everyone else said. For me, I really HAVE to exercise at least minimally everyday in order to earn enough food to be happy. Mfp gives me 1210 to eat and that is just too sad so I try to earn at least 200 more calories a day through exercise. It doesn't have to include major workouts but I squeeZe in 5 minute walks throughout the day and it adds up it about an hour (plus whatever "workout" I do in the morning )
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Your exercise goals are something YOU input and are irrelevant to your loss, as MFP already has the deficit built in. I guess I'm not understanding what you're asking.

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