Should I use the exercise calories?

danricketts10
danricketts10 Posts: 10 Member
edited December 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been doing a lot of walking. Trying to get over 15000 a day. When you are given calories through exercise should I be using some of those or ignoring them. I have been at least 2000 calories below my daily allowance and those earned by walking...... will my body go into starvation mode as I don’t really lose anything even though eating well and exercising. PLEASE HELP!!

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Starvation mode isn't a real thing, in the sense that you've heard about it.

    Yes you should eat your calories when you burn more of them, just like you should put gasoline in your car when you're drive it so you don't get stranded. Not because starvation mode, because too many real health things to list.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2019
    hmmm... lots in that post. Taking things at face value...

    1 - no, you won't go into starvation mode. Starvation mode, as you think of it, isn't a thing. Yes, it does happen, but not how/when/why you think.

    2 - 2000 cals below daily allowance is a lot - be careful as there can be a lot of cons/negatives that come from that.

    3 - losing weight is more about how much you eat than it is about eating "well" - are you logging what you eat?

    4 - if you aren't losing weight, then you aren't 2000 cals below daily allowance (or your daily allowance number is WAY off). In that case, no... I wouldn't suggest you eat your exercise cals.


    I think there's a bigger picture here that isn't clear. Let's start with the basics...
    - What's your age/weight/height?
    - Are you logging what you eat/drink?
    - If so, do you measure your portion sizes somehow?
    - What is your current calorie goal?
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
    If you used MFP to calculate your calories to eat, and are truly accurately logging your food, YES you are SUPPOSED to eat a reasonable estimate of your exercise calories. MFP gives you calories to eat to lose the requested rate of loss WITHOUT purposeful exercise.

    By exercising you increase the deficit which is bad as eating too little can cause health issues.

    info on exercise calories:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

    Starvation mode in the way you mean it is not real. starvation mode exists but it doesn't work like you are insinuating. it will not stop your weight loss - if it did people wouldn't die of starvation.

    why eating too little is a bad idea
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
  • danricketts10
    danricketts10 Posts: 10 Member
    edited May 2019
    Hi. To answer your questions.
    1) 43, 19st 9, 6ft 2
    2) I log everything through MyFitnessPal and exercise comes from Fitbit
    3) calorie goal set by MFP is 2150

    Most days at the end of the day MFP says I have 1450 - 2000 calories left
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    you need to be eating more then. eat at least half your exercise calories.

    how long have you been doing this and what is your total loss in that time?

    are you using a food scale for all/most foods?
  • danricketts10
    danricketts10 Posts: 10 Member
    It has been about 4 weeks and I am lucky if I have lost 3/4 pounds. I use a food scale to plan my lunch and then barcodes on most dinners and scale when needed.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Something isn't adding up...

    What activity level do you have yourself at with MFP?
    And what did you set your weight loss/maintain/gain goal to be?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    danricketts10 wrote: »
    It has been about 4 weeks and I am lucky if I have lost 3/4 pounds. I use a food scale to plan my lunch and then barcodes on most dinners and scale when needed.

    There are two parts to accurate logging: knowing what you eat and knowing how much of it you eat. The barcode scanner only helps with the first half (and is just as fallible as the rest of the database - be sure you're double checking those entries). The second half - how you measure your portions - is just as important though. If you aren't losing weight at the pace you expect, it's worth digging in to be sure that your logging is as accurate as possible for a few weeks. Accurate entries and accurate portion sizes, both.
  • kwalt434
    kwalt434 Posts: 8 Member
    I found that my calorie burn ("exercise calories") when linked through Fitbit was waaay too high. De-link your Fitbit, estimate your cardio (in minutes of continuous running, etc.) in MFP and just use MFP calorie guidelines.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    kwalt434 wrote: »
    I found that my calorie burn ("exercise calories") when linked through Fitbit was waaay too high. De-link your Fitbit, estimate your cardio (in minutes of continuous running, etc.) in MFP and just use MFP calorie guidelines.

    This is where I'm leaning, too.

    To have a goal of ~2100 per day, to eat and walk, and still end up with 1500-2000 left each day... you're either eating nothing, or your fitbit/MFP connection isn't working the way you need it to.
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