Counting calories

Options
xNausicaa
xNausicaa Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When counting the calories you burn do you just consider how many calories you burned from activities you've done throughout the day and exercise? Or do you do that and include the amount of calories you burn from just existing ?
Ex you burn 500 calories from exercise and work related activites and 1000 from existing. Would you say you burned 500 or 1500?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    Exercise from work etc through the day is part of your activity setting.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
    Options
    I’ve been told that I need to consume 1450 calories to exist. If I exercise, I need more. I eat 1800 calories per day on average regardless of how many calories I burn from intentional exercise.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Options
    what you normally do in any given day is your activity level, and should be set accordingly.

    intentional exercise is added back.
  • zupyoo
    zupyoo Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    I know some people add more calories if they workout that day, what works for me tho is to just have a static calorie goal, I never adjust it. I have 1900 calories a day and thats it, if I workout I wont add any more calories but perhaps i'll try and get more protein in those days. This is what works for me, not saying its the best method.
  • susancbethel
    susancbethel Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I log my activity during the day but do not use the calories myfitnesspal gives me for working out. I have had a loss of weight weekly all except one week by doing this.
  • nk9o
    nk9o Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    xNausicaa wrote: »
    When counting the calories you burn do you just consider how many calories you burned from activities you've done throughout the day and exercise? Or do you do that and include the amount of calories you burn from just existing ?
    Ex you burn 500 calories from exercise and work related activites and 1000 from existing. Would you say you burned 500 or 1500?

    I collect them for stats but never consider them in the total cals I should consume.
  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
    Options
    Just through exercise. Your general day-to-day activity is already taken into account by MFP when you set your activity level.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    Options
    MFP's number includes your calories for existing (BMR) plus any from your daily activity based on what activity setting you chose. It also includes your deficit. It does not include intentional exercise as you are supposed to log that as you go. This will increase the amount of calories you're eating allowing your net calories to equal the number MFP gives you.

    So, you only need to log intentional exercise as everything else should be accounted for in your activity setting.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    xNausicaa wrote: »
    When counting the calories you burn do you just consider how many calories you burned from activities you've done throughout the day and exercise? Or do you do that and include the amount of calories you burn from just existing ?
    Ex you burn 500 calories from exercise and work related activites and 1000 from existing. Would you say you burned 500 or 1500?

    Depends on what you mean by "count"...

    My BMR is around 1800...that's just existing. In total I burn on average around 3,000 total calories per day...that includes my BMR, day to day stuff, and exercise. To lose weight, I just eat less than that.

    If you're using MFP, it has done all of the calculations for you based on population statistics. You just eat to your calorie target plus calories added for deliberate exercise not included in your activity level. Just keep it simple and use the tool as it is designed to be used...no need to complicate things.
  • xNausicaa
    xNausicaa Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    Sorry if it wasn't clear. I don't mean to eat them back, I'm just curious of what you would consider "calories burned"
    Thanks for the responses so far though!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    xNausicaa wrote: »
    Sorry if it wasn't clear. I don't mean to eat them back, I'm just curious of what you would consider "calories burned"
    Thanks for the responses so far though!

    That would be my TDEE (BMR x activity multiplier plus my exercise).
    For me that's highly variable as my exercise duration and intensity has enormous variations.

    All your bodily functions need to be fuelled and if you are calorie counting they should all be taken into account.

Categories