Calorie goal interaction with calories given back from exercise: PART 2

ElisabethCharles2023 · November 2023

Hi! I don’t know how to/if I can edit previous discussions, so I’m making a new one. I’ll include my old post as well as add some information I was told would be helpful for context.

OG: I’ve just joined and I’ve seen that the app calculates additional calories based on exercise. My daily goal is 2,080 and currently I’ve basically eaten that throughout the day. However because of my exercise, I now have an additionally 1,000+ left over. Does this mean I should eat more or stick to reaching my goal with a little flexibility. My goal is to lose weight, so what’s the best way to balance this information?

NEW INFO:

I am a 22 year old college student, and I live on a large campus, so while i am sitting a lot for class and work, I also walk a lot. I guess I should first clarify if this is considered “active” or not. I also play water polo. Practices are 3x a week for 2 hrs. On days off I try to go to the gym and lift but depends on when I have the time.

I work a part time job on campus that requires a lot of walking and depending on the day, some heavy lifting and movement.

I have an Apple Watch that automatically logs my exercise, calories burned, steps, etc.

Current stats:
5’10
250 lbs
Goal weight: 150-170
Activity level (currently at “active” but maybe should be “lightly active” since my job/school movement varies).

EDIT: I changed my activity level to "Lightly active" and my goal is now 1700

Thanks for any advice!

kshama2001 · November 2023

My initial thought was that that seems like a lot of base calories, but I put your stats in https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my-goals kept Active, and selected a weekly weight loss goal of 2 pounds per week and actually got slightly more calories.

My second thought was that that seems like a lot of exercise calories, but I imagine water polo for two hours does burn a lot of calories.

However, could it be possible that your steps are being double counted? With Fitbits, if you select Active, you won't start getting calories for steps until you have walked what Fitbit considered an active level quantity of steps. Apple watch, if properly synced, should work the same, but perhaps there is some issue there leading you to get too many calories for steps.

If everything is correct, yes, since MFP uses NEAT rather than TDEE you are supposed to eat those exercise calories. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

bubbeE787 · November 2023

That goal at 1700 seems much better- you could probably even allow yourself 1800 and still be fine and lose. See how this new allowance works for you. Try to just eat well and stay away from the junk foods and alcohol.

spiriteagle99 · November 2023

Do eat back your exercise calories or you won't have the energy to fuel your practices. If you didn't, you would essentially only be eating only 700 calories on your workout days, and that has health risks, plus you are a lot less likely to sustain weight loss if you are starving. It can lead to binging, which isn't productive.

Corina1143 · December 2023

Sounds like you're off to a great start!
Don't make it too hard.
If you make a mistake and eat too many calories, you probably still won't gain weight, just lose a little slower.
If you make a mistake and eat too few calories, you may be extra tired, may experience sleep problems, lack of energy. Watch for those symptoms and maybe add a few calories if you experience them early.

Keep trying! Keep learning! Enjoy the journey!

Calorie goal interaction with calories given back from exercise: PART 2

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