Goal, food, exercise & remaining

brittanyleigh316
brittanyleigh316 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 22 in Getting Started
Okay so this may sound like a dumb question but ive never figured it out and google gives me completely different answers with every link... Where it says Goal food exercise and remaining.. To lose weight..What numbers should I be looking for? Do I need to burn more than I eat that day? Or should I have a certain number remaining daily? Or how's that part of it work.

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Your daily goal is BEFORE exercise (your body uses calories 24/7). Besides, some people won't be able to exercise.

    Let's say your goal is 1,400 and you log exercise for 300. MFP expects you to eat 1400+300...or 1700 calories. This 1700 brings you back to 1400 "net."

    Now - MFP calorie burns are guestimates.....and often generous. Start by eating back 50% (1400+150)....and then adjust up or down depending upon actual progress.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    You burn plenty of calories just going about your day. The goal MFP gives you already takes 250-1000 calories out of that depending on how much you chose to lose per week.

    Ideally you should have 0 calories left after exercise. However, most people only eat back 50-75% of the calories they burn through exercise to account for overestimation of burns/underestimation of intake.
  • lynseymccormac
    lynseymccormac Posts: 2 Member
    you need a calorie deficit so you need to burn more than you eat. you can check how many calories you need to be eating daily either with your GP or there are a lot of sites online where you can put in your statistics and it will tell you. check a few though because some are not accurate. if you check a few you will know if a couple all say roughly the same.
    stick to that amount and any exercise you do in addition is a bonus that will really help speed up your weight loss. try not to eat what you earn.
    hope that helps
    good luck xxx
  • brittanyleigh316
    brittanyleigh316 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you both for the responses! :) So my remaining is usually 1000 on days I workout.. So am I not eating enough on those days? @malibu927 @TeaBea
  • brittanyleigh316
    brittanyleigh316 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you! So eat around or less than my goal, then whatever exercise I do just adds and the more I have left over at the end of the day the better? @lynseymccormac
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Definitely not. You'll still lose weight, but you'll experience more muscle loss, and if extended, other health problems from undereating. You should at least hit 1200 net calories to fuel your body.
  • brittanyleigh316
    brittanyleigh316 Posts: 9 Member
    Okay thank you! That finally makes sense! @malibu927
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    brittanyleigh316 wrote: »
    Thank you both for the responses! :) So my remaining is usually 1000 on days I workout.. So am I not eating enough on those days? @malibu927 @TeaBea

    Nope - not enough. Your vital organs need calories to function. That's why MFP's minimum is 1200 Net. They want to make sure your heart, lungs, kidneys get enough fuel.

    But be careful logging exercise. If you put down sedentary activity level.....that's some movement (not zero). There have been people who try to log every step they take as exercise. That's double counting.

    When I log exercise I "over write" the calorie burn estimate given. If MFP says 500 calories....I over ride it to be 250 calories. That way I can track my limit.

    Eating too little makes it hard for your body to support (vital organs, daily function) AND existing lean muscle. Fat stores cannot provide everything. A moderate deficit should help you lose fat not muscle.
  • brittanyleigh316
    brittanyleigh316 Posts: 9 Member
    So what would be a good amount to have remaining? on days I don't work out its usually 100-400 depending on what I'm eating. I usually only log cardio like on the elliptical/treadmill and I don't log walking on the track other work outs such as jumping jacks and other random things like that, in hopes it evens itself back out. @TeaBea
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    brittanyleigh316 wrote: »
    So what would be a good amount to have remaining? on days I don't work out its usually 100-400 depending on what I'm eating. I usually only log cardio like on the elliptical/treadmill and I don't log walking on the track other work outs such as jumping jacks and other random things like that, in hopes it evens itself back out. @TeaBea

    If your daily goal is 1200 net....then your remainder should be zero. If you have a less aggressive weekly goal ....you have more wiggle room, 100 or so is fine. If you are closer to goal, you have less wiggle room. If you are old (my case) you have less wiggle room. It depends upon your situation.

    I can't give you an exact number. BUT, make sure you are netting AT LEAST 1200. Keep in mind this won't happen overnight. Make sure your goal is something sustainable.
  • PoramateV
    PoramateV Posts: 1 Member
    If my net is minus(-), I need to eat more to make the net zero. Am I right?mrbz3btkj1qc.jpg
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    cyberpor wrote: »
    If my net is minus(-), I need to eat more to make the net zero. Am I right?mrbz3btkj1qc.jpg

    This thread is over a year old!......but the answer to your question was provided in the first response.
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Your daily goal is BEFORE exercise (your body uses calories 24/7). Besides, some people won't be able to exercise.

    Let's say your goal is 1,400 and you log exercise for 300. MFP expects you to eat 1400+300...or 1700 calories. This 1700 brings you back to 1400 "net."

    Now - MFP calorie burns are guestimates.....and often generous. Start by eating back 50% (1400+150)....and then adjust up or down depending upon actual progress.

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