Calorie equation question. I am new!

hbirman22
Posts: 5 Member
I have slacked off this winter and am ready to get back to running and eating better. Question about the app. It says I can have 1200 calories per day, but it gives me more calories to “eat” if I exercise. How would I lose weight if I ate those extra calories. Can someone explain this formula to me? Thanks!!!
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Replies
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1200 calories is what is required to just survive...meaning breathing etc. Anything beyond that helps with say walking, running, cleaning your house etc, those calories you eat above 1200 in this scenario are given to you to fuel your routine (or exercise that day)
I hope that makes sense...lol0 -
The way mfp works is it gives you a calorie goal but that goal already has a deficit built in depending on how many lbs you told mfp you wanted to lose. The calorie goal doesn't include exercise. So if mfp says to eat to 1200 calories but you exercise 500 calories off, your body is really running on 700 calories. (These are perfect world numbers.) And under eating is no bueno.
Others will be along with a more adult, detailed explanation but that's the gist.
7 -
MyFitnessPal estimates your BMR (what you would be burning at total rest in a fasted state) from your stats you enter (gender, weight, height, age...).
You then select an activity setting (that's lifestyle and job only) such as Sedentary, Lightly Active, Active. That is used to multiply your BMR to try and work out your weight maintenance calories on a day without exercise.
To get your deficit you then select a rate of weight loss, getting the minimum of 1200 often either means you are small or you have selected the fastest available rate of loss (which is often inappropriately too fast and too hard to adhere to).
Eating back your exercise calories simply keeps your deficit at the rate selected rather than increasing that deficit - an excessive deficit is not just harder it can be unhealthy too. It's a good life lesson to learn that the more you move the more you get to eat, conversely the less you do the less you have to eat.5 -
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
this thread has many great getting started links with great info, worth a read thru:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest2
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