Do pedometer calories actually count?

Your pedometer tells MFP what it thinks your total daily burn is, and MFP calculates what it thinks your total daily burn is based on your activity level is. The difference is your extra calories. So in short, yes, those are actually extra calories.

Your rate of weight loss (14lbs in 20 days) is excessive and 1700 Cal is obviously too little for you.

Your deficit is excessive and you are heading towards a crash and burn.

You are exhausted because your body is trying to slow itself down and protect itself from the starvation event you have imposed on it.

Calories are calories: they get burned because you breathe, because you stand, because you walk and because you exercise.

In all probability, being on your feet 40-50 hours, you are WAY more than lightly active. But regardless.

A quick rule of thumb is that sedentary is up to 5000 steps. Lightly active around 7500. Active around 10000. Very active above 12500. usually somewhere between 15000 and 17000 steps people move beyond the very active calories.

A fitbit or similar band may help you quantify some of this.

Being obese you can safely maintain a larger deficit than someone who is at a normal weight.

STILL, this safe deficit does not exceed 25% of your TDEE.

Your weight loss speed hints at a TDEE in the 3500 range.

This in turn suggest that an MFP setting of 1.5 lbs a week as suitable for you.
With eat back of deliberate exercise and correct activity setting based on the number of steps you take as detailed above.

If you feel the need to encourage yourself you can set yourself up to 2lbs for a month or two.

I actually don't particularly recommend this as 1.5lbs a week is more than enough for you to see tremendous benefits in no time.

Enjoy this time when you can lose weight like crazy while still eating 2750+ calories a day.

Don't worry... you will eventually end up cutting down to 1700, or even less, to continue losing weight when you are in the normal weight range!

Cynsonya wrote: »

Thanks for the advice! I've been exhausted for years. It came from lugging around 331 pounds, lol. Especially the way I work.

MFP suggested I eat 2020 calories to lose 2 pounds a week. I personally adjusted it to 1800 but feel guilty if I hit the full 1800 on a daily basis. There have been a few days I've went over. I'm not going to completely deprive myself. I think the only reason I lost that much weight in the first two weeks was because I was going from around 4000 calories a day down to 1700ish. This last week it dropped down to 3 pounds. Which I felt was acceptable. I'm sure within the coming week it may regulate at around 2-2.5 pounds a week.

I'll reevaluate the steps taken and activity level and start to "eat back" half of those calories though.

I would suggest sticking to the goal MFP gives you.