Calorie Intake...

[Emsy26]

I've just began using the iPhone app... My fitness pal.
I'm 5ft9 and weigh 196lbs. They used this along with my moderate exercising(school runs, housework, going to shops) to work out that my calorie intake shoud be just over 1500 cals per day, I'm logging everything I'm eating, and the number is coming down, but when I log a little exercise, it goes bak up :/. So I have to eat more.
I'd just like to know what happens if I don't meet my daily calorie intake, it's now 1:30pm, and I've only eaten just under 500 cals, I won't eat again until teatime, and then I only have a weight watchers meal...

Should I workout less the days I eat less? And more on the days I eat more?
I don't get it lol

Thankyou xx

 

[Tanikins]

I would ignore the app to be fair

I eat 1500 max a day and take any calories i burn as a bonus. Im trying to lose fat i want my bidy to burn my fat stores if you get what i mean

If you eat to replace what you burn surely you wont lose weight

 

[Guppy051708]

MFP starts at a deficite already. So you eat what it allows and then you also eat back burned calories (from exercise). You are still getting a deficit because the number of calories it allows (before exercise) is already less than what a person trying to maintain their weight will be.
If you dont eat back burned calories than your body isnt going to have enough energy. then the food you do it, it will store as fat for later, instead of utilizing it right away. Essentially the body thinks you are going to starve yourself. For example, lets say MFP tells you to eat a 1,200 calories per day (before any activity). This in and of itself is already set for you to lose weight. Theoretically, if you never exercised at all and yet ate 1200 per day, you sould still lose weight. Anyways, lets say your set at 1,200 and then you workout and lose 500 calories (not forgetting that the 1200 alone is set at a deficiet already). If you didn't eat back those burned calories, your body is only running on 700 calories per day! A body is going to go into starvation mode on that little! So it is very important to eat back burned calories! Your metabolism will slow down since you are using up so much energy and not revitilizing it (calories = energy!). The metabolism will slow, store many foods as fat because it thinks it needs to in order to survive, and then you will likely either gain weight or only maintain weight. It's unlikely that you would actually lose.

There is a bunch of articles on the MFP site if you take a look around. A lot of people have explained it much better than i did but i can say, from direct experience, if you log EVERYTHING you eat AND drink plus you log all of your activities, and you follow it to a T, you WILL lose weight. I gurantee it. It really does work. I suggest only trying to lose 1-2lb per week (which is what MFP will likely set you at). It takes time, but it really does work!

 

[Guppy051708]

Ps if you are BFing an infant, add 500 calories in. i am BFing and even adding the 500, i have lost weight nearly every week! you have to make sure you keep your calories up for that. and for the example i posted about the 1200 - 500 (exercise) = 700 calories per day, if you are BFing an infant, subtract another 500 and your body is only running on 200 calories per day!! that isn't even enough to sustain the calories it takes for your organs to function while you sleep!

 

[conner12]

Well, My Fitness Pal is awesome application for guys worried about their health. I may suggest you to follow a moderate as well as healthy diet. There is no need to eat less or more, since it is not advised by doctors also. Cut down your junk foods or fast foods and start eating fruits and vegetables.
Do cardiovascular exercise to lose some weight but don't stop eating in a moderate way.

 

[Guppy051708]

thats just it though, with MFP most ppl actually end up eating MORE not less. The entire idea is to eat often and healthy. Its not so much a diet as it is a lifestyle change. Here check out my food diary and then tell me what you think

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Falling2Grace?date=2012-05-14

 

[littleblonde]

This is really stressing me out. I am using MFP and i am logging everything and i end each day on around 1300 calories. But i exercise everyday and according to MFP i do burn between 300-400. Now i don't use a hrm so this amount may not be exactly right. But i am worried because of this i won't lose weight. But i don't know how to add anymore food in without going over on my carbs ect . I am full after each meal . I am not much of a cook so i struggle a bit

 

[moonbeam_sea]

I'm on my fitness pal, too. I have my calorie deficit set so that I'm losing really slowly. I'm not worrying about anything really besides total calories at the moment. I figure I've got enough weight to lose, I'll worry about the carb limits and such when I get closer to my goal. I typically don't eat back my exercise calories and use them as a bonus, though on some days I will eat back some of them. I know that isn't the way they have their thing set up, but it has been working for me. I'm down 13.5 pounds in 11 weeks, so it seems to be going the way I want it to. I've found that if I eat more calories than my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) I lose weight pretty well regardless of if I eat back excersize calories or not. When I eat less than my BMR I have problems losing weight. Good luck finding something that will work! I know how frustrating this weight loss gig can be with all sorts of conflicting information on the best way to lose.

 

[joshultz]

I would ignore the app to be fair

I eat 1500 max a day and take any calories i burn as a bonus. Im trying to lose fat i want my bidy to burn my fat stores if you get what i mean

If you eat to replace what you burn surely you wont lose weight

Couldn't agree with you more!

 

[Mummy2B21]

Sorry your wrong, you will still loose weight if you eat the extra calories you burn off which is the healiest way to loose weight as recommened daily calories for a woman is 2000 and your eating 1500 which is less so anything under 2000 calories you will loose weight. If you exercise and burn off say 200cals that takes it too 1300 add those burned cals back on 1500 your still under the recommened 2000 cals so your loosing weight!

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

My fitness pal is fantastic but can be so confusing..

If you have a calorie allowance of 1500, this number is approx 500cals less than what you would usually eat (this differs from person to person)

If you eat all 1500, then you exercise and burn say 300 calories, you have only technically ate 1200 calories, which is 800cals less than a person would 'usually' eat.

A lot of people can survive off 1200 calories but feel low in energy, can have long periods when they don't lose weight.

I personally have my activity level set at sedentary even though I am a pretty active person because I prefer to log all the activity I do. I have my exercise goal at 5 workouts of 60 minutes, but I do more exercise than that and I set my loss for 1/2 a pound per week (but I lose more)

My goal is 1470, my bmr is approx 1452 cals. On days that I do a lot of exercise (which is most days) I add my exercise to mfp and my calorie allowance is usually about 2200!!

I generally eat 1700/1800 cals, 90% all healthy and fresh, or protein based (shakes and bars)

So according to mfp I have took 250cals away from what I 'burn' originally then another 400 as I do not eat all my exercise calories.

So I suppose I tend to eat my 1500 then eat 1/2 my exercise calories, but I make sure those calories aren't empty, I add avocado to my salad, I have an extra chicken breast, or a protein bar/shake.

I have been dieting on and off for a long time and when I first started I was on weight watchers, eating just over 1000 calories a day and then a few more for exercise and I was always tired, I had weeks and weeks when I stayed the same weight, I had very little muscle tone and all my exercise was cardio based.

Then I went to 1200 + 1/2 my calories but was still lacking energy and now I am where I am but in the future it will no doubt go up as a lot of my exercise is weights based (body pump classes and a weight schedule in the gym) and weights make me hungry haha!

If you are new to dieting I would say eat 1500 then eat at least 1/2 your exercise calories, and another thing that helps me is to eat often, I have breakfast, a protein shake a few hours later, my lunch a couple after that, another protein shake/bar usually after work, then my tea at 7.30 ish and a yoghurt after that.

I hope that all makes sense, it has taken me a long time to get round being able to eat more but now I am all for it!

xXx

 

[Glitter_Berrie]

HELLO GUYS PLEASE READ THIS:https://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12