Calorie Counting and Workout Question

Jonny_1982
Jonny_1982 Posts: 4 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I am just trying to figure something out and make sure that what the app "myfitnesspal" is telling me I should do.. I have read some blog on myfitnesspal and it seems as though the workout calories need to be to be taken lightly...

Here is the information
Weight = 260lbs on my scale (250lbs at doctors) information I put in the app is based on my scale at 260lbs
Weight lost/week = Goal of 2lbs/week
Calorie Intake Goal = 1980cal
Exercise = Avg 5 days/week (some weeks I might do 4 days and some I might do 6)
Calories Burned On Machine = Based on my weight 605cal

Now my question is this... Some apps and online calculators include your avg workout calories burned in with your daily food intake. Myfitnesspal does not do this (which from the blog this is a good thing) so with that being said once I input my 605cal burned it pushes daily intake from 1980cal to 2585cal... Now what the blog says is that once you work out don't go eating those extra calories you just burned off... As they say machines usually over estimate calories burned, while food intake usually under estimated.. It seems to me that 2585 calories is too much to eat even with the workout if my goal is to lose any weight..

I just was looking for some clarity from people who know more about this then I do... Hopefully someone who is into weight lost, a trainer maybe or just someone who under stands it.. I am pretty sure I do understand it but I don't want to be eating to little or too much when I am burning XXX calories in a workout..

The way I see it is this... The rough estimate for weight lost for me is 1980 calories if I work out and burn 605cal then this means I am only taking in 1375cal (shouldn't go lower then 1500cal)... Should I be eating more then the 1980 or should I be ok.. I am just a little confused when it comes to the work out calories and how they fit into my daily food intake...

I am trying to count my calories and workout... I want to go from 260 to 180ish...

Any knowledge would be great..

Thanks

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    The blog post is wrong. You are expected to eat back those calories you burned through exercise. However, as the numbers can easily be inflated, many will only eat back 50-75% of exercise calories.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    If you let MFP calculate your calories (and be sure your activity level is correct) and you are manually entering in your exercise (not from a fitbit or such), agreed. Eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories. MFP's calculations are a GENERIC thing that have no basis on how much energy/effort you are putting into your workout.

    As an example - I could do a cardio video and MFP will tell me I burned 300 calories, but in reality I was half <bleep>ing it, and really only burned maybe 150.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Start by eating 50% back and then in a few weeks reevaluate. Lost more than an average of 2 lbs per week, eat more. Lost less than an average of 2 lbs per week, eat less.

    I also recommend using a food scale to weigh solid foods and measuring cups only for liquids. It helps with accuracy of your intake.
  • jandsstevenson887
    jandsstevenson887 Posts: 296 Member
    Yep, the blog is wrong. I would at least eat 50% of them. You can look at my diary. I eat back at least half to all of my exercise calories and I'm still losing 1lb/week which is what I have it set at.
  • Jonny_1982
    Jonny_1982 Posts: 4 Member
    I don't let MFP calculate my calories for my workout.. My machine gives me my calories burned based on my heart rate, weight, time on machine and speed... So I don't need to worry about that....

    So I will eat 50% back.. So basically then I would eat about 300cal then.. Which would put me around the 2200cal/day.. Is this still a high number to lose 2lbs/week?? I guess trial and error will be the way to do it... I'm trying to keep my food intake somewhere between 1800 and 2000... I was actually debating about dropping it down to 1600-1700 in a few weeks as well.. So I guess if I wanna drop below 2000 calories then I have to drop to 1700 cal plus my 50% of workout for 300cal to get 2000... Sound right??

    Ok thank you everyone for your input.. I just started using MFP about a week ago so still just learning... My weight is always up and down, other times I have lost weight it hasn't been the correct ways (eating basically nothing) and I'd prefer to do it the right away this time.. This way once I lose my weight I will always have changed my habits with portion sizes and calories which I never did before... I am usually in the 200lbs area so I am way over what I'm used to. In fact I have never been this heavy in my life which is what is driving me to do the lifestyle changes..

    I want to be in the 170-180 mark which should be good for me.. Even 185-190 is good...
  • Jonny_1982
    Jonny_1982 Posts: 4 Member
    I would I be right to say this

    3500cal-2280cal=1220cal X 7 days = 8540 so that equal over 2lbs/week lost (plus or minus variables)
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Jonny_1982 wrote: »
    I would I be right to say this

    3500cal-2280cal=1220cal X 7 days = 8540 so that equal over 2lbs/week lost (plus or minus variables)

    Dude, you're making this way too complicated. Eat the number of calories you've been alloted daily. If you exercise, you may eat some, all, or none of those exercise calories back. This will determine if you lose weight faster or close to equal to whatever goal you set that assigned your original number of calories.
  • Jonny_1982
    Jonny_1982 Posts: 4 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Jonny_1982 wrote: »
    I would I be right to say this

    3500cal-2280cal=1220cal X 7 days = 8540 so that equal over 2lbs/week lost (plus or minus variables)

    Dude, you're making this way too complicated. Eat the number of calories you've been alloted daily. If you exercise, you may eat some, all, or none of those exercise calories back. This will determine if you lose weight faster or close to equal to whatever goal you set that assigned your original number of calories.

    Well from what I read if you workout you need to eat more to get those calories back... Well from this forum 50% of them eaten back.. Which is what I have done.. So I will continue to do this...

    If I eat 1980 cals and burn 600.. That would be sorta of like easting 1380cal which is too low from what I am told..

    Anyhow I know what I am gonna do and it seems to be working.... As time goes on I will be changing more things... Like calorie intake, food I eat and working out.. It's a process that I will be always changing as time goes on...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,502 Community Helper
    Jonny_1982 wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Jonny_1982 wrote: »
    I would I be right to say this

    3500cal-2280cal=1220cal X 7 days = 8540 so that equal over 2lbs/week lost (plus or minus variables)

    Dude, you're making this way too complicated. Eat the number of calories you've been alloted daily. If you exercise, you may eat some, all, or none of those exercise calories back. This will determine if you lose weight faster or close to equal to whatever goal you set that assigned your original number of calories.

    Well from what I read if you workout you need to eat more to get those calories back... Well from this forum 50% of them eaten back.. Which is what I have done.. So I will continue to do this...

    If I eat 1980 cals and burn 600.. That would be sorta of like easting 1380cal which is too low from what I am told..

    Anyhow I know what I am gonna do and it seems to be working.... As time goes on I will be changing more things... Like calorie intake, food I eat and working out.. It's a process that I will be always changing as time goes on...

    Dude, you understand much more than you think you do. That's exactly correct. If you work out hard, and have a low calorie goal (i.e., higher loss rate), you can easily net too few calories to stay strong and healthy as you lose weight.

    You will hear otherwise from the "losing faster is always better!" folks. Don't listen to them.
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