MFP calories and weight loss

Ivanapoutine
Ivanapoutine Posts: 28 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Howdy,
I have been on here for exactly a month. I admittedly fell off the wagon around my bday week which included vday and climbed back on a week ago. I started at 175 and am currently at 173 (went down to 170 but gained it back due to extended bday shenanigans). Question, if I am in the green at the end of the day everyday and strictly tracking (using scale) should I be losing weight? I have mine set at 1200 cals (this low for days I don’t exercise) but I do generally eat most of my exercise cals. 1200 is difficult to stick to so I try to get 4-6 km of walking in a day so I can eat averaging around 1500 and still have a few cals left over. I was told to strictly only eat half of the exercise cals but why is that? I wear a Fitbit religiously with hr. I get that it isn’t 100% accurate but honestly I really was hoping that being in “green” everyday is enough. Can someone just tell me what I want to hear? :p
My diary is open feel free to explore but be aware that my food choices aren’t exemplary. I am first focusing on weening down my cals and then I will move on to swapping out for healthier alternatives. I want to avoid feeling totally deprived of savouries and sweets.
Lastly and off topic, why do I get no sound from the MFP blog videos on my wall?
TIA

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    The recommendation to eat half is to guard against the source of your exercise calories being wrong about your burn. e.g. if you ate your 1200 and are for sure good on food tracking, plus 100% of what MFP or Fitbit tells you you burned, and did not lose weight, you would know the exercise numbers were off.

    I also work out partly for the extra calories, and I eat all of mine as my Apple Watch and I get along fine and the burns have proved accurate over the two years or so I've had one, the way I use it.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
    Ivanapoutine wrote: »
    Howdy,
    I have been on here for exactly a month. I admittedly fell off the wagon around my bday week which included vday and climbed back on a week ago. I started at 175 and am currently at 173 (went down to 170 but gained it back due to extended bday shenanigans). Question, if I am in the green at the end of the day everyday and strictly tracking (using scale) should I be losing weight? I have mine set at 1200 cals (this low for days I don’t exercise) but I do generally eat most of my exercise cals. 1200 is difficult to stick to so I try to get 4-6 km of walking in a day so I can eat averaging around 1500 and still have a few cals left over. I was told to strictly only eat half of the exercise cals but why is that? I wear a Fitbit religiously with hr. I get that it isn’t 100% accurate but honestly I really was hoping that being in “green” everyday is enough. Can someone just tell me what I want to hear? :p
    My diary is open feel free to explore but be aware that my food choices aren’t exemplary. I am first focusing on weening down my cals and then I will move on to swapping out for healthier alternatives. I want to avoid feeling totally deprived of savouries and sweets.
    Lastly and off topic, why do I get no sound from the MFP blog videos on my wall?
    TIA

    MFP suggested that you eat anywhere between 50%-100% of your excercise calories. If you eat 100% excercise calories and you don't see the scale measurement decreasing and you think your excercise calories are overestimated for your activity, then you can try going to 75% or so and see if that gets your weight decreasing then that may be the best goal (to eat at 75% of your excercise calories). If you don't see it go down try eating 50% of your burned calories through excercise.

    You have to be sure you are logging your food accurately also, as that also can stall weight loss.
  • Ivanapoutine
    Ivanapoutine Posts: 28 Member
    With my two week blip of not tracking and/or going over calories it is too soon to say if this is working or not. I just don’t want to continue on two weeks of tracking and still see no results (it’s a real bummer and hard to keep going). Other than when I eat out (all I can do is find a similar option in the database) I am pretty darn strict with tracking as I don’t want all this effort to be in vain. I even swapped measuring cups for the scale.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories