Why I decided to remove steps from the MFP equation...

mkempiowa
mkempiowa Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I got tired of confusion about negative calorie adjustments and steps not being correct and adjustments happening throughout the day so I just removed them altogether.
The calories for maintenance that MFP gives me for the "not very active" activity level is really pretty close to what I've calculated on multiple BMR/TDEE calculators.

So basically I just removed steps, set my calorie goal to maintenance (even though I am eating at a 500-750 daily calorie deficit). I add in my exercise and adjust my food accordingly to hit my desired deficit. Now it seems clear to me.

Background:

I work at a desk all day but I workout hard fasted Mon-Fri mornings for about 1hr doing weight training and HIIT and I do at least 1 hour long steady state day on Saturday or Sunday. I wear a Polar H10 chest strap and port my workout data directly to MFP from Polar Flow. This works great because the calories burned data that MFP shows from Polar matches up exactly to what the Polar app shows. I do keep track of my steps with my Apple Watch 3 but I just don't count them in MFP towards any calories (either plus or minus). So basically any extra steps I do won't be counted and if I don't do enough steps it won't be counted (they wash each other out over time).

In addition to not counting steps I don't count 100% of the exercise calories burned - I count 80% just for a margin of error - If I don't feel right I can increase food. Over a longer time period I should be able to dial this in.

Example day:
MFP Maintenance Goal 2400 calories
Exercise 600 calories (x.80) = 480 calories
2880 calories available
I have been eating 2000-2200 calories and that has been giving me a comfortable steady weekly weight loss.

It just seems easier and less confusing this way. Thoughts?

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    Instead of putting maintenance as your goal, why not put 1 lbs a week loss? Seems a bit simpler if your goal is to lose weight.

    I also ignore steps. Most of my steps are either intentional exercise or run of the mill walking around the house or shopping that are included as part of my activity level so I don't link my Garmin to MFP. I just log intentional exercise and eat back the calories. Since my exercise consists mostly of walking and running, which are easy for mfp to calculate, I eat back 100%. That has worked for me.
  • mkempiowa
    mkempiowa Posts: 2 Member
    Good point and you're right...I think I just wanted to compare what I thought my maintenance was to MFP's and just left it there.
  • rldeclercq4
    rldeclercq4 Posts: 269 Member
    I delete the steps/negative calorie adjustment as well and try not to eat my exercise calories back. Been losing consistent while my body is shaping up nicely. No complaints
  • butterfly_2019
    butterfly_2019 Posts: 44 Member
    How do you delete the steps from MFP?
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I even took it a step further and follow a "black box" observed TDEE approach. I found a spreadsheet on reddit that calculates TDEE from daily weight and calorie inputs and it's been far more accurate than any other methodology predicated on estimating or measuring calorie burn from exercise of activity.

    It may not be for everyone since it requires daily weighing and meticulous logging but being a scientist at heart it really shifted my mindset for the better by turning the whole exercise into data collection; I weigh myself and log with the utmost accuracy because the integrity of my data depends on it.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    What's funny when syncing with the Apple account directly - is it figures a Sedentary level of calorie burn, then it adds on calories from step distance above and beyond that, and then for any purposeful exercise another category.

    But it only syncs to MFP the Sedentary figure - it doesn't include the extra daily.
    It does sync over exercise.

    But because Apple fails to include those other 2 categories in what MFP is expecting for Total Daily Burn from an activity tracker - MFP is given bad figures to do math with.

    So no wonder you got confused - and the figures actually would go opposite from what should occur, as it does occur with all others.

    So good call disconnecting.

    I'd only suggest keep a 3 week running average spreadsheet of Apple's total daily burn (you get to add up the 3 categories) for normal average weeks - that way as seasons change your daily activity total changes.
    Don't include average for the spring cleaning week, or the sick week though.

    That way you can properly adjust as activity level changes.

    That's the lesson MFP is trying to teach anyway - you do more you eat more, you do less you eat less. In a diet, a tad less in either case.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    BMR and TDEE are two different numbers and at least 500-1000 calories apart for many people, even more for those who exercise. BMR is the calories you burn to stay alive like if you were in a coma. TDEE is all of your calorie burn during the day including normal movement (NEAT) and exercise.

    What exactly did you calculate and what numbers did you get?

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