Calories from "Exercise"

melodyjmm
melodyjmm Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

So I'm getting myself set up and I have a question:

I calculated my TDEE (with no exercise) and then subtracted 20% to create a calorie deficit. I edited my goals in MFP to that calorie goal. I have also synced my fitbit, now it's taking all my steps and adding calories from that exercise. However I feel like it's a lot: I haven't done much other than my usual walk from the car and around the office and it's already added 250 calories!

So my question is - do I eat these? Only some of them? Or what? Is it better to not sync my fitbit if I'm not a super active person?

Thanks!

Replies

  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    Make sure that your diary set up to allow for Negative Calorie Adjustments. I typically don't pay much attention throughout the day how many calories are added, because it is constantly changing. Once you are sitting at your desk for any length of time, you'll probably see that number go down. MFP is assuming that you're activity will be consistent throughout the day, but for most, that isn't the case.
  • jame0529
    jame0529 Posts: 30 Member
    I don't sync my steps with MFP - I just consider it a bonus. I only count the calories from an actual workout where my heart rate gets up and I break a sweat. Even then, I try to eat back about 1/2 the calories.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    If you're manually calculating TDEE and entering a custom goal, ignore the exercise calories -- you've already accounted for them in that manual calculation.

    With that said, though, only do that if you're doing the TDEE with the *correct* activity level. How many steps a day are you getting?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited July 2018
    For a little walking around, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you get into more intensive exercise, you need to account for it.

    It's also going to make adjustments throughout the day. One of the downsides to the way that these adjustments are made is that they are extrapolating a number based on that activity and similar activity being performed throughout the day.
  • Leannep2201
    Leannep2201 Posts: 441 Member
    jame0529 wrote: »
    I don't sync my steps with MFP - I just consider it a bonus. I only count the calories from an actual workout where my heart rate gets up and I break a sweat. Even then, I try to eat back about 1/2 the calories.

    This is pretty much me too, although I do sync my steps- I just don’t eat “exercise” calories I get just from hitting my 10k steps per day or whatever. I consider this as part of what I normally do anyway.
    When I do intentional exercise, I usually eat back around half of those calories.
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
    i went for a bike ride today.
    burnt 2000c
    i try to eat around 1600c per day. (maintenance) so unless i eat back a huge chunk of those excersise calories. today i am losing 1/2 lbs
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Leannep2201 wrote: »
    jame0529 wrote: »
    I don't sync my steps with MFP - I just consider it a bonus. I only count the calories from an actual workout where my heart rate gets up and I break a sweat. Even then, I try to eat back about 1/2 the calories.

    This is pretty much me too, although I do sync my steps- I just don’t eat “exercise” calories I get just from hitting my 10k steps per day or whatever. I consider this as part of what I normally do anyway.
    When I do intentional exercise, I usually eat back around half of those calories.

    If you consider it a part of what you normally do, does your activity level setting reflect that. If you're set to sedentary, 10K steps isn't sedentary...it's roughly 5 miles give or take.
  • jdubois5351
    jdubois5351 Posts: 460 Member
    The only exercise I do regularly is walking (mostly with the dog), which comes to about 5-7 km a day. And yeah, I eat most of those calories back, because otherwise I would constantly be hungry. MFP allows me 1430 calories a day (to lose 500 g per week), and there's no way - at this point - that I could subside on that. That's a little over 450 calories a meal, not including any snacks, which means there really is no room for any treat like cherries or the like. Yeah, not happening. I'd be a hangry monster and a menace to society. So far I've lost 3 kg, so my method seems to be working. We'll see how it goes in the long run.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Leannep2201 wrote: »
    jame0529 wrote: »
    I don't sync my steps with MFP - I just consider it a bonus. I only count the calories from an actual workout where my heart rate gets up and I break a sweat. Even then, I try to eat back about 1/2 the calories.

    This is pretty much me too, although I do sync my steps- I just don’t eat “exercise” calories I get just from hitting my 10k steps per day or whatever. I consider this as part of what I normally do anyway.
    When I do intentional exercise, I usually eat back around half of those calories.

    If you consider it a part of what you normally do, does your activity level setting reflect that. If you're set to sedentary, 10K steps isn't sedentary...it's roughly 5 miles give or take.

    Pretty much this.

    I dislike it when people poo-poo daily activity. "I'm not going to eat more just because I walked more. That's not exercise!"

    I'm set to sedentary because of my job description. If I didn't take deliberate walks I would be sedentary to lightly active. As it is, I aim for 12k+ steps weekdays, 15k weekends, with three days of bodyweight training. If I stuck with my sedentary calories I would be seriously underfueled and eating a sad 1650 calories a day for maintenance. I actually have been ranging 2300-2400 for maintenance. That's a huge difference. And I ate my exercise/fitbit calories while losing as well.

    I could change my activity level on MFP, but meh. I don't really care. I know what I average, so I'm okay with the adjustment.
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,432 Member
    jame0529 wrote: »
    I don't sync my steps with MFP - I just consider it a bonus. I only count the calories from an actual workout where my heart rate gets up and I break a sweat. Even then, I try to eat back about 1/2 the calories.

    This exactly !!! Works for me. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    jdubois5351 wrote: »
    The only exercise I do regularly is walking (mostly with the dog), which comes to about 5-7 km a day. And yeah, I eat most of those calories back, because otherwise I would constantly be hungry. MFP allows me 1430 calories a day (to lose 500 g per week), and there's no way - at this point - that I could subside on that. That's a little over 450 calories a meal, not including any snacks, which means there really is no room for any treat like cherries or the like. Yeah, not happening. I'd be a hangry monster and a menace to society. So far I've lost 3 kg, so my method seems to be working. We'll see how it goes in the long run.

    This is exactly the way this tool is designed to be used...

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