Calories & Confusion
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trianglgrl
Posts: 24
I'm usually really good with numbers, I swear. I'm a chemist! lol... but for some reason this is confusing me to no end and I want to make sure I'm doing this correctly.I looked up how many calories my body needs on a daily basis. I put in that I was moderately active b/c I do tend to stand/move around most of the day - being a chemist and working at a lab bench. I also do go to the gym 4-5 days a week and workout for 30-60 minutes doing cardio and 2 days a week I add weights in with the trainer.
The calculator I used said that my body needs 2672 calories per day. I've had my fitbit since June 15th and according to that I have been burning anywhere from 2500 to 3000 calories a day, depending on the day, but mostly 2600. On weekend it tends to be on the lower end, even if I work out that day, b/c I am not standing all day like I do at work. I have MFP and fitbit set to lose 1.5lbs per week, so it says I should have a deficit of 750 calories on the fitbit site. I have MFP set to "sedentary" b/c I am allowing the fitbit to adjust my calories depending on how active I am that day, so MFP says I should eat 1320 calories per day.
On days when I am active (a work day + workout day), I tend to eat 1500-1800 calories, but am only getting a "net calorie" number of like 900-1100, even though on some days I’m eating almost 2000 calories. On the fitbit site it is showing that most days I have a 900-1000 calorie deficit, when it only wants me to have a 750 calorie deficit. Should I be trying to get my net calories to 1320 every day? I’m so confused with “net calories” vs calories consumed each day. From listening to some Jillian Michaels podcasts she says that you don’t have to eat back your exercise calories. She sys to eat say 1200 calories a day. She doesn’t talk about “net calories”. I read on here what MFP says about net calories and why they have that and I understand the idea of eating more and still losing weight… I’m just confused.
2672 calories - 750 calories = 1922 calories per day
So is that what I should really be eating every day? It seems like a lot!
The calculator I used said that my body needs 2672 calories per day. I've had my fitbit since June 15th and according to that I have been burning anywhere from 2500 to 3000 calories a day, depending on the day, but mostly 2600. On weekend it tends to be on the lower end, even if I work out that day, b/c I am not standing all day like I do at work. I have MFP and fitbit set to lose 1.5lbs per week, so it says I should have a deficit of 750 calories on the fitbit site. I have MFP set to "sedentary" b/c I am allowing the fitbit to adjust my calories depending on how active I am that day, so MFP says I should eat 1320 calories per day.
On days when I am active (a work day + workout day), I tend to eat 1500-1800 calories, but am only getting a "net calorie" number of like 900-1100, even though on some days I’m eating almost 2000 calories. On the fitbit site it is showing that most days I have a 900-1000 calorie deficit, when it only wants me to have a 750 calorie deficit. Should I be trying to get my net calories to 1320 every day? I’m so confused with “net calories” vs calories consumed each day. From listening to some Jillian Michaels podcasts she says that you don’t have to eat back your exercise calories. She sys to eat say 1200 calories a day. She doesn’t talk about “net calories”. I read on here what MFP says about net calories and why they have that and I understand the idea of eating more and still losing weight… I’m just confused.
2672 calories - 750 calories = 1922 calories per day
So is that what I should really be eating every day? It seems like a lot!
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Replies
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that didn't exactly answer my question, but thanks!0
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If you're basing your TDEE on your Fitbit/manual calculation, you shouldn't be adding in exercise calories, as they are already accounted for. Basically by adding in exercise, you're double dipping. That's why your net seems so low. If your TDEE is 2600-2700, you should be eating about 2100-2200 per day.0
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No, it's not actually "double dipping"... b/c when I log my exercise in on MFP I put the time of the workout and how long it was, and it over-writes on the fitbit site for that time frame.0
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I don't really have any advice. I just wanted to chime in on the Jillian Michaels thing because I was so confused about that too. I've always heard her say 1200 calories for women and 1400-1600 for men. I haven't ever heard her talk about exercise calories or net calories or anything like that. I ended up signing up for a membership on her website and it helps you calculate your calories. Mine are set between 1499-1600 so it gives some leeway I guess. When I log exercise there though it does give me those exercise calories to eat. So that helped clear up the Jillian Michaels confusion for me. Basically don't listen to her when she says 1200 for women cause it's not accurate and I think she just says that as a minimum or something.0
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For example:
Yesterday I ate 223 calories for breakfast, 724 calories for lunch, 85 calories for an afternoon snack, 400 calories for dinner, and 260 calories as an evening snack. That adds up to 1692 calories consumed.
I burned 377 calories in 35 minutes at the gym, and fitbit adjusted my daily calories by 223 calories b/c I have it set as sedentary and I wasn't sedentary yesterday. That adds up to 600 calories from acitivity (not being sedentarty) yesterday.
So MFP takes the 1692 calories I ate and subtracts the 600 activity calories I earned and tells me my net calories for the day were 1092 and it wanted me to have a net calorie goal of 1320, so therefore I am under what MFP and fitbit want me to eat for the day, even though I ate 1692 calories.0 -
Should I be trying to get my net calories to 1320 every day? I’m so confused with “net calories” vs calories consumed each day.
I think your confusion may be coming in from trying to use two different calculation systems, actually three counting Jillian.
If MFP says you should eat 1320 calories per day, that means your NET. So if you do not work out and you are sedentary, you eat 1320 calories. On a day where you jog for 30 minutes, you'll add THOSE calories to the 1320 and you get to eat more.
Say that 30 minute jog burned 200 calories. So you eat your normal 1320, subtract the 200 from jogging, and you've only netted 1120 calories. The gross amount is still 1320-- that hasn't changed! The net refers to the amount that you COUNT, like your income after taxes.
So if your net is 1120, eat 200 calories more-- subtract your workout calories from what you've already eaten that day, and aim to hit your NET amount.
Hope that helps.0 -
IF you aren't sedentary, why do you have your Fitbit set to sedentary? That's what is causing the confusion. By setting it to sedentary, it will be giving you too low of an initial calorie goal. You used moderately active in the first post when you calculated the numbers yourself, so I don't see why you set the Fitbit to something different?0
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For example:
Yesterday I ate 223 calories for breakfast, 724 calories for lunch, 85 calories for an afternoon snack, 400 calories for dinner, and 260 calories as an evening snack. That adds up to 1692 calories consumed.
I burned 377 calories in 35 minutes at the gym, and fitbit adjusted my daily calories by 223 calories b/c I have it set as sedentary and I wasn't sedentary yesterday. That adds up to 600 calories from acitivity (not being sedentarty) yesterday.
So MFP takes the 1692 calories I ate and subtracts the 600 activity calories I earned and tells me my net calories for the day were 1092 and it wanted me to have a net calorie goal of 1320, so therefore I am under what MFP and fitbit want me to eat for the day, even though I ate 1692 calories.
That's it, you've got it. They want you to eat more!
So what's your question? You want to know if you really SHOULD eat more?0 -
Hi There,
It does get a little confusing. I totally understand. My wife has a fit bit and loves hers. Try to think of it in terms of (2) different sets of calories needs and a third number that is your goal.
Set 1 Your average daily calorie needs. This will include your day to day activities. Walking standing at the lab, washing dishes and all of those other little things you do through the day. That is you 2672 number.
It gets a little tricky because you wear a fit bit. The fit bit records all of your steps and provides you with a number of calories that you have burn. The calculator you used is more of a generalized number. You may want to consider using your fit bit instead as it will provide a more accurate number customized to you, your body weight and activities for each day.
Example. Since the fit bit captures all of your steps it may say you need 3000 calories (just a round number used for an example).
Set 2. Your actual workout or "bonus" calories. Lets say you use a machine at the gym that says you burned 500 calories. You get an additional 500 "free" calories in addition to the base calories. Forget about the fit bit for a minute and just use the number the machine gave you.
Base calories from fit bit = 3000
Burn from the machine = 500
Total for single day with these numbers 3500
Now factor weight loss. 3500 calories = 1 pound. To lose a pound a week you need a 500 calorie a day deficit.
35000 a day calories including bonus
-500 a day to lose weight
3000 a day goal
Does that make sense? Hope it helps. Write back if it doesn't.0 -
I had to set MFP to sedentary b/c the fitbit was adjusting my calories and adding them to MFP... which would be a double dip b/c if I set MFP at moderately active it already adds those calories into my daily goal.0
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I don't really have any advice. I just wanted to chime in on the Jillian Michaels thing because I was so confused about that too. I've always heard her say 1200 calories for women and 1400-1600 for men. I haven't ever heard her talk about exercise calories or net calories or anything like that. I ended up signing up for a membership on her website and it helps you calculate your calories. Mine are set between 1499-1600 so it gives some leeway I guess. When I log exercise there though it does give me those exercise calories to eat. So that helped clear up the Jillian Michaels confusion for me. Basically don't listen to her when she says 1200 for women cause it's not accurate and I think she just says that as a minimum or something.
1200 is usually the minimum set because if you eat fewer than 1200 calories then your body goes into survival mode. It doesn't necessarily mean thats the calories you should be set at. I have my own calories set at 1400 and I am losing around 2 lbs a week with some exercising. The lower your calories the more you lose weight, but if you go under 1200 you won't lose anything since your body will go into survival mode. Hope this helps!0 -
Hi There,
It does get a little confusing. I totally understand. My wife has a fit bit and loves hers. Try to think of it in terms of (2) different sets of calories needs and a third number that is your goal.
Set 1 Your average daily calorie needs. This will include your day to day activities. Walking standing at the lab, washing dishes and all of those other little things you do through the day. That is you 2672 number.
It gets a little tricky because you wear a fit bit. The fit bit records all of your steps and provides you with a number of calories that you have burn. The calculator you used is more of a generalized number. You may want to consider using your fit bit instead as it will provide a more accurate number customized to you, your body weight and activities for each day.
Example. Since the fit bit captures all of your steps it may say you need 3000 calories (just a round number used for an example).
Set 2. Your actual workout or "bonus" calories. Lets say you use a machine at the gym that says you burned 500 calories. You get an additional 500 "free" calories in addition to the base calories. Forget about the fit bit for a minute and just use the number the machine gave you.
Base calories from fit bit = 3000
Burn from the machine = 500
Total for single day with these numbers 3500
Now factor weight loss. 3500 calories = 1 pound. To lose a pound a week you need a 500 calorie a day deficit.
35000 a day calories including bonus
-500 a day to lose weight
3000 a day goal
Does that make sense? Hope it helps. Write back if it doesn't.
Thanks! That does help... so basically I SHOULD be eating to get a "net calorie" of 1320 on MFP... b/c on fitbit, I'm burning about 2600-3000 calories a day... so subtract 750 from that and I get 1850-2250 a day, depending on how many calories I burn each day.0 -
I'm a numbers person too and I don't really get how MFP and Fitbit interact. Here's what I do. I've lost 38ish lbs. this way.
Find your average burn on Fitbit. I like the 30-day average graph that's now hidden under 'profile as viewed by you'. Say your's is 2500 (because of weekends being less active). Unless you swim or cycle for cardio, your Fitbit probably counts it. Add in your twice weekly weights session burns if you like. It probably won't change your average a whole lot. To lose 1-2lbs/week, eat 500-1000 below that average. If it's 2500, aim to eat in the 1500-2000 range. Eat more on hungrier days, less on less hungry days. Listen to your body. Watch that graph of the two 30-day averages and keep your intake average at least 500 below your output average. Be very patient and don't let the scale derail you. At the end of a month, see if your total loss for the month was roughly what your average deficit predicts. If so, keep on going! If not, adjust your estimates as needed.
Good luck!0 -
Yes. Use the fit bit in place of the calculator. Subtract calories for weight loss (3500 = a pound) Anything extra from the gym (when and if ) is a bonus or free calories. Nothing is exact as your daily activity changes and you get the fit bit info at the end of the day. Its all based on averages but the fit bit is based on your personalized averages and is a bit more granular than the generalized online calculator. Do the math. Watch the net calories.0
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There is no right number, there is only above or below TDEE.
Check in from time to time and if the weight is going down, you're doing it right. It's that simple.
If your fitbit says you are burning 2600 on average, for steady weightloss I would aim for 20% below that.
In your case that would be right around 2000 cals per day, NOT eating exercise cals back (because your fitbit is factoring those in I presume).0 -
I'm a numbers person too and I don't really get how MFP and Fitbit interact. Here's what I do. I've lost 38ish lbs. this way.
Find your average burn on Fitbit. I like the 30-day average graph that's now hidden under 'profile as viewed by you'. Say your's is 2500 (because of weekends being less active). Unless you swim or cycle for cardio, your Fitbit probably counts it. Add in your twice weekly weights session burns if you like. It probably won't change your average a whole lot. To lose 1-2lbs/week, eat 500-1000 below that average. If it's 2500, aim to eat in the 1500-2000 range. Eat more on hungrier days, less on less hungry days. Listen to your body. Watch that graph of the two 30-day averages and keep your intake average at least 500 below your output average. Be very patient and don't let the scale derail you. At the end of a month, see if your total loss for the month was roughly what your average deficit predicts. If so, keep on going! If not, adjust your estimates as needed.
Good luck!
thanks!0 -
Just to make it simple, it sounds like you have 2 sources that more or less agree that your average daily caloric burn is about 2600. 750 calories per day below that gets you to your 1.5lb per week goal, so you're looking at a target of 1850. The trick is to decide if you're going to eat back your exercise calories or not. I would say try to *not* eat them back for a test period of maybe 7-10 days and track how you feel, and track your progress toward your goals. If you feel really tired all the time, not a good sign, maybe eat some more, assuming you're eating something immediately after your workout.
More on that point: Timing of your meals counts, particularly when it comes to post-workout nutrition. Always always always eat within 60 minutes of finishing a serious workout, and it's even better if you eat within 20 minutes of when you finish. Your body needs calories immediately after working out, so be sure you're doing that before you add back exercise calories if you're feeling tired all the time. Try to eat a ratio of 2:1 (carbs:protein) if you did a lot of weight/resistance training, and more like 4:1 if it was a highly aerobic workout.0 -
OK, the Fitbit estimate would already include exercise, as would the calculation that was using moderately active. So in that case, eating back exercise calories would be double dipping.
Also, meal timing doesn't matter. 24 hour totals matter, timing doesn't. Old myth.0 -
OK, the Fitbit estimate would already include exercise, as would the calculation that was using moderately active. So in that case, eating back exercise calories would be double dipping.
Also, meal timing doesn't matter. 24 hour totals matter, timing doesn't. Old myth.
The fitbit is not estimating my calories b/c I set it to not estimate them. It only records the calories I burn each day and gives me more calories to consume on days I burn more calories.0
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