Help

jakebhatia30 · July 2023

Hi,
Can someone tell me should we eat more and exercise less on the app because the more exercise I log it says you have to eat more calories while other sources have told me to lose weight you need to burn more calories then you consume. But MFP is telling me the more exercise I do the more food I must eat, Someone please help!!

ikalujny · July 2023

Good question.

I would imagine that if you are going with just enough protein to support your muscles, only do cardio and otherwise are managing health risks, you can go with large calorie deficit. This might not be sustainable though.

What are your stats sex/height/weight/age?

HerbsandMore · July 2023

That is simply an option. It is mostly for weight maintenance. You can track your exercise without adding to your calories when you set up how you want to do things. If you eat back the calories you burn with exercise, your weight loss will be very slow indeed. The idea is to burn more calories than you eat. Our bodies need a certain level of calories to simply live, those we need to meet to be healthy but they also must come from healthy foods for your best health, not junk food. Then as we go about our day, depending on what we do we burn more calories those calories are what help us lose weight. If we eat them back then we won't see a loss. Some people who do extreme exercises might eat some back but they are the exception not the rule.

Lietchi · July 2023

You need to burn more calories than you eat, yes. But your body burns calories just for daily life, not just exercise.
When you exercise, your calorie burn goes up, which means you can eat more for the same rate of loss, or eat the same amount but lose more quickly. Depending on how much weight you have left to lose and how much your starting weight loss rate is, loser more quickly can be a bad idea (health risks).

What you need to understand is that, if you are using MFP correctly, it gives you a calorie goal based on your calorie burn before exercise (your activity level choice should not include exercise). When you exercise, you burn more, and you can therefore eat more to arrive at the weight loss rate you selected on MFP.

Just make sure the exercise calories aren't inflated (exercise equipment for example can give exaggerated numbers).

GinLee61 · July 2023

You might find this post helpful
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

Dianedoessmiles1 · July 2023

I've lost over 100 lbs. Calories in/Calories out. If you have a defict I did it using an app that is NO LONGER There however, a lot of the info I learned is. Here's what I just copied and pasted (NOTE: I DID NOT change the foods I eat, I DID change the portions and made some of my recipes much healthier to me no food is off the table, I've been maintaining this for over 3 months with no cravings, because I eat the foods I like, just smaller amounts)

Step #6: Account for Rate of Weight Loss
One pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories. Therefore, to drop 1 pound per week, you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories over the course of seven days, which equals 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds per week (3,500 calories x 2 pounds = 7,000 calories), you must cut 1,000 calories daily.

So by subtracting your weight-loss rate (for example, 1 pound or 2 pounds weekly) from your Total Daily Calories (Step #6), you will create an appropriate caloric deficit in your body, and achieving your desired weight loss. There is no reason to cut additional calories, since this has already been included in the formula.

The site was Sparkpeople (Closed August 2021 we located the 5% Challenge, open to any member wishing to maintain their weight or lose weight. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/144897-2023-summer-5-community-team-plz-join-us If you decide - OR ANYONE ELSE CAN ALSO to JOIN us click on the JOIN BUTTON after that you MUST sign up for a team on the Discussion Feed
💺Need a Seat on a Team? Post ONLY Here! https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10891482/need-a-seat-on-a-team-post-only-here#latest)

Here's the link to the article that helped me with the calorie amount I needed to eat from Sparkpeople
https://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1940#:~:text=One pound of body fat,must cut 1,000 calories daily.

BEST TO YOU!!!

mjglantz · July 2023

I find the chart that shows the calorie burn interesting, but I pay the most attention to the actual calories eaten and the macro charts. That way I make sure I'm getting a balanced diet with the recommended nutrients. Never found that "eating back" those calories helped me to lose weight. Now in maintenance and have been for our 10 years so that approach works for me.

reener1987 · July 2023

I'm 14 months in 90lbs down. I never eat back what I burn on exercise days. I think it can get quite risky cause I'd end up using the calories on high fat content treats, so I remain in deficit and stick to the treats once a fortnight. Its taken me 14 months altogether and now have 8lb to go to target, but averaging around 1lb loss a week now

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