Exercise cals / hanger slowly driving me insane
phlegmfatale1
Posts: 24 Member
Hey y'all, I need help logging exercise cals properly. I know you should avoid eating them all back but I am starving all the time. My phone tracks my steps. I do about 10,000 steps most days, sometimes with some light jogging or weight lifting mixed in every few days (I don't log the jogging bc I don't want to overshoot, I just count it in my regular step count). Yet MFP tells me I have only burned ~100 calories after doing that each day. Is that too low or reasonable? How do you recommend logging exercise calories? I am so g d hungry all the time and eating 1300 calories a day does not feel sustainable if I'm this HANGRY all the time. 
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Replies
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What is your activity level set to? How is your phone syncing your activity with MFP to bring the calories over? What app are you using?5
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I have an iphone, and use the Myfitnesspal Steps feature to sync from my phone directly to the MFP app0
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Sounds like the sync is not working properly.3
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Is your loss set to 2lbs a week?2
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Mine is set to 1 lb / week which sets my base calories at 1380 before exercise.1
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phlegmfatale1 wrote: »Mine is set to 1 lb / week which sets my base calories at 1380 before exercise.
If you're hungry, try eating them all back for awhile and see what happens. If you lose weight at that 1 lb per week pace then you know that you're eating the correct amount.8 -
MFP gives you extra cals only for steps above & beyond your activity level setting. At sedentary I don't get any credit until 5-7000 steps, do lightly active will be higher.3
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MFP gives you extra cals only for steps above & beyond your activity level setting. At sedentary I don't get any credit until 5-7000 steps, do lightly active will be higher.
My calories start increasing from 1900-2000 steps set at sedentary.
Lightly active setting starts getting positive adjustments from 5k steps
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Set your MFP goals to maintain your weight. No loss. Don't eat any of your workout calories back. It's a little bit backwards but it keeps you accountable as far as workouts are concerned. It means you eat normal and rely entirely on your workouts to put you in a deficit. That way it doesn't matter if your workout calories aren't recording right so long as over time you see a loss you are working out enough.
Additionally try eating some lower GI foods and drinking heaps more water. Sipping water in between mouthfuls of food helps heaps.9 -
Set your MFP goals to maintain your weight. No loss. Don't eat any of your workout calories back. It's a little bit backwards but it keeps you accountable as far as workouts are concerned. It means you eat normal and rely entirely on your workouts to put you in a deficit. That way it doesn't matter if your workout calories aren't recording right so long as over time you see a loss you are working out enough.
Additionally try eating some lower GI foods and drinking heaps more water. Sipping water in between mouthfuls of food helps heaps.
Maybe that would work for a bigger guy. But depending entirely on exercise will usually result in very slow weightloss and can be tough to stay consistent with. OP is talking about walking with occasional light jogging or weightlifting. Many people burn 150-250 calories with a workout, and don't workout every day, so you'd be looking at losing maybe half a lb per week. Controlling calories in and tweaking your macros to stay full is much more useful for a smaller woman than committing to spending hours working out daily.7 -
I agree with the suggestion to look at your macro balance. If I don't eat enough protein and fat with breakfast, I'm hungry all day. You might even play with your meal timing. Some aren't as hungry in the morning so they put off eating until they are hungry while others are hungry all day if they don't eat a hearty breakfast.
Experiment to try to find a more satiating way of eating that works for you personally.5 -
Running is weight in lbs x 0.63 x distance in miles3
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How long have you been dieting? How low are your calories from your maintenance calories excluding exercise?
You may need to take a diet break.1 -
Tankiscool wrote: »How long have you been dieting? How low are your calories from your maintenance calories excluding exercise?
You may need to take a diet break.
Thanks everyone.
My maintenance calories are 1,880 / day according to MFP. If I change my goal to losing 1 lb / week it's at 1,380 (the hangry zone) even if I eat back the 100 calories from exercise. I've been dieting on and off for a few years but this year lost 15 lbs from cutting back booze and some calories. Have been hovering around the same weight for a few months while logging food / exercise 90% of the time.
I am thinking about changing my activity level to Active from Lightly Active, not eating calories back and seeing how that goes for a couple weeks. And adding a ton more water, fruits, and veggies0 -
phlegmfatale1 wrote: »Tankiscool wrote: »How long have you been dieting? How low are your calories from your maintenance calories excluding exercise?
You may need to take a diet break.
Thanks everyone.
My maintenance calories are 1,880 / day according to MFP. If I change my goal to losing 1 lb / week it's at 1,380 (the hangry zone) even if I eat back the 100 calories from exercise. I've been dieting on and off for a few years but this year lost 15 lbs from cutting back booze and some calories. Have been hovering around the same weight for a few months while logging food / exercise 90% of the time.
I am thinking about changing my activity level to Active from Lightly Active, not eating calories back and seeing how that goes for a couple weeks. And adding a ton more water, fruits, and veggies
Aim to lose 0.5lb per week instead?
Or use a TDEE calculator if you don't want to eat back exercise cals.
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TavistockToad wrote: »phlegmfatale1 wrote: »Tankiscool wrote: »How long have you been dieting? How low are your calories from your maintenance calories excluding exercise?
You may need to take a diet break.
Thanks everyone.
My maintenance calories are 1,880 / day according to MFP. If I change my goal to losing 1 lb / week it's at 1,380 (the hangry zone) even if I eat back the 100 calories from exercise. I've been dieting on and off for a few years but this year lost 15 lbs from cutting back booze and some calories. Have been hovering around the same weight for a few months while logging food / exercise 90% of the time.
I am thinking about changing my activity level to Active from Lightly Active, not eating calories back and seeing how that goes for a couple weeks. And adding a ton more water, fruits, and veggies
Aim to lose 0.5lb per week instead?
Or use a TDEE calculator if you don't want to eat back exercise cals.
This was going to be my suggestion as well. 1 lb a week may too steep of a deficit for you at this point if you're struggling with hunger. You may lose weight slower than you'd like, but better than finding yourself giving in to constant hunger.
I would also agree with playing with your macro balance, though, to see if that helps to satiate you. For me, 50 carbs/30 fat/ 20 protein works nicely. YMMV.2 -
Agree with adding more fruits and vegetables. A proper amount of fiber from these whole food sources will leave you feeling fuller.1
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If I were you I'd change the settings to sedentary.
Unless you are walking for legitimate exercise, you shouldn't count that.
1300 to 1800 is a big jump. What are your stats?0 -
I've switched to TDEE since getting back into maintenance, but when I was losing, I ate every single calorie exercise gave me and lost right on schedule. I used MFP's estimates, not a tracker.
If you're really hungry, you have a few options:
1. Log and eat all your exercise calories.
2. Change your goal to 0.5/week loss.
3. Both!
Personally, I like #3. I enjoy food.
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If I were you I'd change the settings to sedentary.
Unless you are walking for legitimate exercise, you shouldn't count that.
1300 to 1800 is a big jump. What are your stats?
Changing to sedentary makes little sense to me- I'm hungry with my current calorie intake and that would restrict my calories further. And i work out and walk 10,000+ steps a day. I am 133 lbs.2 -
Mezzie1024 wrote: »I've switched to TDEE since getting back into maintenance, but when I was losing, I ate every single calorie exercise gave me and lost right on schedule. I used MFP's estimates, not a tracker.
If you're really hungry, you have a few options:
1. Log and eat all your exercise calories.
2. Change your goal to 0.5/week loss.
3. Both!
Personally, I like #3. I enjoy food.
I think I'm going to try one of these if I am still feeling this hungry after upping fiber and water! Thank you2 -
Have you played around with your macros to find out if another way of eating would be more satisfying for you? Speaking for myself I'm happiest with a lot of protein, a fair amount of fat, and mostly high volume carbs such as vegetables, but different people are different. If I let my protein dip too low when I'm working out a lot I start to feel so desperate I could eat my own arm! But a couple of really high protein meals fixes it.
Also, how quickly are you losing? Does your rate of loss match what MFP predicts? If you are losing rapidly you could eat more of your exercise calories.1 -
I found the MFP step tracker calorie credits incredibly inaccurate. If I take 8,000 steps MFP synced to my iPhone only gives me like 100-150 calories like yours. But if I sync it to my Fitbit it gives me like 400-500 calories. I'm set to not active. I haven't been trying to lose weight this summer so I'm not sure which is correct to use but just know it may not be accurate and that why your hungry.
And eat more protein! Good luck!0 -
jludwick78 wrote: »I found the MFP step tracker calorie credits incredibly inaccurate. If I take 8,000 steps MFP synced to my iPhone only gives me like 100-150 calories like yours. But if I sync it to my Fitbit it gives me like 400-500 calories. I'm set to not active. I haven't been trying to lose weight this summer so I'm not sure which is correct to use but just know it may not be accurate and that why your hungry.
And eat more protein! Good luck!
I think your fitbit is inaccurate too. I find it unlikely that you would burn 500 calories from 8,000 steps.
100 calories from 10,000 steps would be about right due to the fact that you have your activity level set to lightly active which means that many of those steps are already catered for within your activity level.
I agree with those saying to play around with your macros and meal timing to work out what most satiates you. Remember that protein, fat and fibre are the 3 that majority find the most filling.2 -
phlegmfatale1 wrote: »Mezzie1024 wrote: »I've switched to TDEE since getting back into maintenance, but when I was losing, I ate every single calorie exercise gave me and lost right on schedule. I used MFP's estimates, not a tracker.
If you're really hungry, you have a few options:
1. Log and eat all your exercise calories.
2. Change your goal to 0.5/week loss.
3. Both!
Personally, I like #3. I enjoy food.
I think I'm going to try one of these if I am still feeling this hungry after upping fiber and water! Thank you
I am at "lightly Active" for 10000 steps a day.
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The "activity level" settings of mfp were introduced in the age before link-able fitness trackers were introduced. As such, it's a bit of a kluge to try to get the activity level right and then link a device to the website and then try to figure out if you're getting credited for exercise properly.
I don't even have a fitness tracker. I'm a luddite that way. It just appears that anyone would be way more satisfied to change their activity level to "sedentary" on both the site and the device, and then enjoy seeing every little thing they do credited with more calories throughout the day.2 -
Do you think you might be a volume eater? In a nutshell, the idea is to fill up on foods with low caloric density. If you are eating a food with high caloric density (I had a piece of salmon for dinner tonight), have a smaller portion and then balance it with a satisfying (large) portion of a low caloric density food (a mix of roasted onion, summer squash, eggplant, tomato, garlic, bell peppers, and asparagus with a very light sprinkle of goat cheese).
The ideas of the Volumetric Diet by Dr. Barbara Rolls have been invaluable to me.
It is not the right approach for everyone, but for some people, it can be key for successful weight loss.0
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