Question about Fitness Palm and calories

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sharilee52
sharilee52 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a 1500 calorie goal for the day. Fitness pal keeps adding in calories for exercise (due to back issues I don't do a lot) Some days I end up with 2000+ calories left at the end of the day. Am I supposed to be eating more? Or maybe I don't understand this?

Replies

  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    Where is MFP getting these calorie burns? Are you entering them manually for activities you do or do you have a device like a Fitbit connected?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Where are you getting over 500 cals from if you don't exercise much?
  • sharilee52
    sharilee52 Posts: 7 Member
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    I have it synced to my garmin. It records my steps and intensity. Until my back surgery the only exercise I get is walking.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    What are your stats?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    sharilee52 wrote: »
    I have a 1500 calorie goal for the day. Fitness pal keeps adding in calories for exercise (due to back issues I don't do a lot) Some days I end up with 2000+ calories left at the end of the day. Am I supposed to be eating more? Or maybe I don't understand this?

    Are you saying you have 2000 calories earned from exercise left after eating your 1500 calories?
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    How much are you walking to get 500 calories? I have a Garmin and that is a fairly long walk for just walking.

    I guess the other part to this is what are your stats (sex, age, weight height).

    But in general, the Garmin does seem to overestimate the calorie burn a bit. Compared to my chest strap, it is about 20% high. So I don't eat them all back, maybe 75%, sometimes less.
  • pagefan
    pagefan Posts: 31 Member
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    Eat 1500 cals a day if that's what you are trying to do. Do not add back your calories.
  • sharilee52
    sharilee52 Posts: 7 Member
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    For example yesterday when I went to bed it said 1500 (goal) -1172 (food eaten) +1867 (exercise ) =2195 remaining.

    That makes no sense to me!
  • sharilee52
    sharilee52 Posts: 7 Member
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    Someone asked me about stats. I'm 55, 5 feet 5 inches and weigh 179. My goal is 165.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Double check your Garmin settings. It sounds like it's way over-compensating. I, too, am on walking only with my back surgery recovery- 5 miles at 3.5 mph only gains me about 350 calories per day. Make sure your height and weight stats are correct in your Garmin settings.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Also! Your current stats are almost exactly where I started a YEAR AGO! I was 179, 5'4", and am now at 142 pounds and dropping! So yeah, you got this! :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    sharilee52 wrote: »
    For example yesterday when I went to bed it said 1500 (goal) -1172 (food eaten) +1867 (exercise ) =2195 remaining.

    That makes no sense to me!

    It's saying you burned 1,867 calories in exercise which is impossible if you don't exercise much...it's actually pretty well impossible unless you're an elite level athlete. As the eating goes, 1500 is your target...so at 1,172 you are undershooting your goal by quite a bit which isn't great.
    pagefan wrote: »
    Eat 1500 cals a day if that's what you are trying to do. Do not add back your calories.

    This could be very bad advice depending...for someone who's just walking, probably not a big deal...with my training, I'd be pretty much dead with this advice.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    sharilee52 wrote: »
    For example yesterday when I went to bed it said 1500 (goal) -1172 (food eaten) +1867 (exercise ) =2195 remaining.

    That makes no sense to me!

    I've walked my butt off from morning til night quite a few times and have never, ever burned 1867 just for exercise, not even for 10-15 miles.

    As already mentioned, check your stats on your fitness palm, something is definitely amiss. And eat 1500 calories, not as little as possible.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Similar stats here (though I'm 35), when I was on holiday earlier this year and hitting 20'000 steps a day I got about 500 calories. And that's hours of walking! I also use a Garmin and find the calories and burns to be spot on but for you something is wacky. I'd try uninstalling and resetting everything up again making sure all the settings in Garmin are correct.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    I don't have a Garmin but I've heard that they need to be calibrated. Could this be the issue?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    sharilee52 wrote: »
    Someone asked me about stats. I'm 55, 5 feet 5 inches and weigh 179. My goal is 165.

    Make sure that your weight doesn't say 379lbs and 7" tall or something like that.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    sharilee52 wrote: »
    For example yesterday when I went to bed it said 1500 (goal) -1172 (food eaten) +1867 (exercise ) =2195 remaining.

    That makes no sense to me!

    Agreed. Something is wrong somewhere. You need to check the stats both in Garmin Connect and in MFP to make sure both are accurate.

    To start, make sure to eat your 1500 calories. How far do you walk in a day? How many steps?

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