Calories in vs out

SandraD1424
SandraD1424 Posts: 81 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have synced mfp and fit bit. Should I be taking in the calories I burn? Apparently I have 1600 left for today....

Replies

  • jerri_anderson
    jerri_anderson Posts: 25 Member
    I only take into account the calories i have eaten for the day. For instance yesterday i was allowed 1510 i ate 1430 and still had 300 or so after my day according to my fitbit. I never go over my food intake or think because i burnt 200 i can eat that 200. Hope that helps :)
  • SandraD1424
    SandraD1424 Posts: 81 Member
    I was thinking the same
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Numerous studies say that fitbit and most HRM's over estimate your calorie burn.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    jerri_anderson wrote: »
    I only take into account the calories i have eaten for the day. For instance yesterday i was allowed 1510 i ate 1430 and still had 300 or so after my day according to my fitbit. I never go over my food intake or think because i burnt 200 i can eat that 200. Hope that helps :)

    Can I ask why you have your fitbit synced with MFP if you don't eat your exercise calories back?

    OP Myfitnesspal is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. The calories you are given will allow you to lose weight with zero exercise. It is usually recommended to start by eating back 50-75% and adjust up or down from there depending on weight loss.

    Now i don't always eat my calories back, it depends how hungry I am. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But I know they are there if I need them. You can also save some of them for a weekend splurge or whatever you wish.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    bebeisfit wrote: »
    Numerous studies say that fitbit and most HRM's over estimate your calorie burn.

    For some people they are spot on, others not so much. Trial and error... But IMO fitbits et al are a ton more accurate than MFP's exercise calorie estimates..
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    The calories MFP starts you off with don't take extra activity into account. If you earn 200 calories from exercise, you could eat that 200 and, in theory, still hit the weekly goal according to the plan you have set. To account for overestimation, it's generally recommended to eat back at least 50% of the calories you've earned. Too big a deficit can be detrimental.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited April 2016
    double post
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    jerri_anderson wrote: »
    I only take into account the calories i have eaten for the day. For instance yesterday i was allowed 1510 i ate 1430 and still had 300 or so after my day according to my fitbit. I never go over my food intake or think because i burnt 200 i can eat that 200. Hope that helps :)

    That is not how Myfitnesspal works. You are supposed to eat the calories burned in exercise because they are not included in your base calorie goal. If you have a lot to lose, it is less important, but if a person is not obese, they should be eating those calories so that their calorie deficit does not get excessively large resulting in excessive lean mass loss (muscles and organs).
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    I eat my exercise calories back if i am hungry, if i'm not, i don't. I eat them on average twice a week, and have maintained 1 pound-ish lost per week. I am still 30 pounds from goal, when i get to 20 i'll be eating more back and looking to lose .5 pounds/week. If it's a big burn (1000+) i eat about half back.

Categories