MFP Help!

katiekinney28
katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss

Hello everyone,

I wanted to reach out to see if anyone could help me understand this a letter better...
My problem is trying to understand how to reach a caloric deficit. Right now I am at 1310 calories a day. Usually when I workout I try to hit 400-500 calories during cardio ALONE. When I do this, and add my workout onto MFP it will add it to my calories to make it around 1700 or so.

In order to reach a caloric deficit, am I trying to not eat more than 1310 calories in a day? or not more than 1700 a day? For some reason, I am having a hard time understanding how this works! If someone could explain it to me i'd really appreciate it! ** My goal is to loose weight

Replies

  • Unknown
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    edited February 2017
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  • katiekinney28
    katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member
    I'm sorry. I still am confused a little! How is there a deficit already in the 1310 and what do you mean when I eat the calories back? Thanks for your help in advance! :smiley:
  • Unknown
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  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    MFP uses the NEAT (non-exercise activity thermoesomthingorother) method to calculate your calories needed for weight loss. So it does not include your exercise calories in it's calculation.

    Same as above, my maintenance calories, based on my sedentary activity level, weight , height etc. is ~2600. I'm set to lose 2 lbs per week (I have a lot to lose, don't try to lose that quick) so MFP gives me ~1600 cals. If I eat that and don't do any extra activity I will lose 2 lbs per week.

    I do an extra ~500 cals worth of activity, including exercise, every day. If I do that and try to live off of 1600 calories, I'm going to physically hurt myself and be a total *kitten* to those around me. So I aim for 2000 cals.

    You need to be careful about the number of calories you think you burn. So, how are you coming up with the 400-500 calories? If it is based on equipment, MFP or some fitness trackers, it may be over estimated. Maybe just eat back 250 or so and see (after a few weeks) how the weight loss goes. If you lose weight faster than expected, then eat back more. If slower than expected, eat back less.

    In my case, I use a fitness tracker than seem pretty bang on. When I don't eat back all my exercise calories, I lose more than 2 lbs per week on average. As long as your weight loss goal is appropriate for you, you don't want this to happen.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Yes, eat them back. As long as you're sure your calorie burn is accurate.
  • katiekinney28
    katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member
    Makes sense now! Thank you for your help!!
  • katiekinney28
    katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member

    To keep track of my calories, I know I shouldn't...but I have been using the machines at the gym (which I now know may be very inaccurate!) I have a Fitbit so I will now be using that to keep track of my calories during the time I am at the gym. I am set to loose 2 lbs a week and my calories are 1310 a day. I am just trying to understand the amount of calories to intake a day to create that caloric deficit.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    The 1310 includes your deficit. If you selected 1 pound per week, then based on your stated activity level, size, gender and age: MFP expects you to burn 1810 per day for daily living, hobbies, job, etc. If you selected 2 pounds, then MFP expects you to burn 2310 per day.

    So if you stated your activity level correctly, and eat 1310, then you should lose weight. If you exercise, you will burn MORE than what MFP expected. It can be dangerous to create too large of a deficit, because you can lose excessive lean body mass, suffer energy shortage, etc. So if you exercise consider eating more. Its hard to get an accurate exercise burn, and you don't want to overeat, so consider eating back 50% of what you think you burn. As an ongoing basis, evaluate your progress in terms of weight loss over 4-6 weeks, but also how you feel. If energetic, then good. If you feel depleted or lethargic, consider eating 75% of your exercise calories.
    katiekinney28 wrote: »
    Hello everyone,

    I wanted to reach out to see if anyone could help me understand this a letter better...
    My problem is trying to understand how to reach a caloric deficit. Right now I am at 1310 calories a day. Usually when I workout I try to hit 400-500 calories during cardio ALONE. When I do this, and add my workout onto MFP it will add it to my calories to make it around 1700 or so.

    In order to reach a caloric deficit, am I trying to not eat more than 1310 calories in a day? or not more than 1700 a day? For some reason, I am having a hard time understanding how this works! If someone could explain it to me i'd really appreciate it! ** My goal is to loose weight

  • katiekinney28
    katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member
    How do you guys keep track of your calories? What is the best way for you?
  • Unknown
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  • katiekinney28
    katiekinney28 Posts: 12 Member
    Do you use a Fitbit or anything to keep track of activity level?
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I do. Personally its a way to quantify my activity, and keeps me from being super lazy. Its not a requirement for losing weight, but it is a tool that I use.
    katiekinney28 wrote: »
    Do you use a Fitbit or anything to keep track of activity level?

  • Unknown
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  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    From what I understand (and I don't have a Fitbit), the Fitbit's do overestimate calorie burns, and are real bad for non-cardio so if you lift weights at all, be careful of the number. I have a Garmin that seems pretty accurate for what I'm doing.

    Read this thread if you want a bit of clarification on how the Fitbit tracks calories and some of the issues. Although it is a confusing thread.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10519823/work-help-pretty-please

    Next

    What are your stats?
    Sex
    Age
    height
    weight
    general activity level

    I'm asking because trying to lose 2 lbs per week is generally not advisable unless you are obese.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    katiekinney28 wrote: »
    Do you use a Fitbit or anything to keep track of activity level?

    If your paid job is to sit and work at a desk, you're sedentary. If your paid job is to stand and walk around, you're active.

    That means, if you are paid to sit and work 8 hours and then spend 2 hours burning 400 calories exercising, you are still sedentary and should log your exercise separately in your exercise diary.

    Your calorie goal of 1310 is based on your size, activity level, and weekly weight loss goal. Most short ladies can function well in a sedentary activity level on 1310 calories per day.

    However, you still exercise and the machines at the gym tell you that you burned "x" calories. Something to be aware of is that some machines ask for your weight and calculate a calorie burn based on your weight and the amount of work you do. That's fairly accurate. Most machines don't ask for your weight, yet assume that they can guess what your calorie burn is. They do so by assuming that you weigh 150 lb. If you do weigh 150 lb, they are fairly accurate. If you weigh 200 lb, you are doing 33% more work than the machine calculates. If you do weigh 100 lb, you are doing 33% less work than the machine calculates.

    However you get your exercise numbers and modify them for reliability, you have a number representing the calories you have earned the right to eat.

    So, suppose you do weigh 150 and the machine says you burned 400 calories.
    Have yourself a 400 calorie meal. You can be confident that your weekly weight loss goal is still in reach.

    If you operate this way for 2 weeks and observe that I've led you astray, modify your reliability adjustment for your exercise calories.

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    From what I understand (and I don't have a Fitbit), the Fitbit's do overestimate calorie burns, and are real bad for non-cardio so if you lift weights at all, be careful of the number. I have a Garmin that seems pretty accurate for what I'm doing.

    Read this thread if you want a bit of clarification on how the Fitbit tracks calories and some of the issues. Although it is a confusing thread.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10519823/work-help-pretty-please

    Next

    What are your stats?
    Sex
    Age
    height
    weight
    general activity level

    I'm asking because trying to lose 2 lbs per week is generally not advisable unless you are obese.

    I think it depends on the type of FitBit though. Mine is a Zip, so clip on, no HR functionality. I find that it is a bit under when I look at my rate of loss, exercise, and food intake.

    OP, don't complicate it too much for yourself. There are a bunch of little ways things get inaccurate. Aim for your 1310, and about half of your exercise calories for now. Give it 4-6 weeks to see how that's working, and then adjust up or down. The key here is patience and monitoring the trends, because weight fluctuates daily. So give it time.

    In the meantime, do some reading. I recommend starting here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    katiekinney28 wrote: »
    How do you guys keep track of your calories? What is the best way for you?

    Use a food scale for all solid foods (including packaged foods, slices of bread or bacon, cookies, crackers etc), measuring cups/spoons for liquids, and search for USDA entries from the food database whenever possible.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    katiekinney28 wrote: »
    I'm sorry. I still am confused a little! How is there a deficit already in the 1310 and what do you mean when I eat the calories back? Thanks for your help in advance! :smiley:

    1310 is without any exercise factored in. So if you eat 1310 and do zero exercise you lose weight.

    If you exercise for 300 calories, then you eat 1310 + 300* or 1610 calories and lose at the very same pace as 1310 and zero exercise.

    *Now, calorie burns are estimates. Until you figure out if 300 is a good estimate.....just eat back 50-75%. Pick a %, use that % awhile. If weight loss is slower than expected.....eat less. If weight loss is faster than expected....eat more.

    Lots of estimates at play - your activity level is a range (not just 1 #) - the calories you eat are an estimate (we all try to be accurate...but that's not always what happens).
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