Counting Calories & Exercise

Evening everyone,

Hope you are all well 🌻

My calorie allowance for each day is 1800 I record everything I eat and drink on My Fitness Pal App which I sync with my Fitbit. When my Fitbit records my steps it adds them as exercise to MFP App and I manually record my swimming minutes as well.

This usually gives me an extra 800 calories.

My question is am I meant to be using these as well? 1800 + 800 calories

I have read a few articles recently on not consuming enough calories therefore not losing weight because your body goes into starvation mode.

I am really enjoying my new lifestyle change and will be weighing in for my third time on Sunday. I just want to make sure I'm doing it all right as I want to lose weight slowly and keep it off.

Many thanks 🙂

[Folliegirl]

In my experience I only eat back half my exercise calories ... I think they are quite generous in their estimation!!!

[lucigret]

I don't eat calories burned by exercise.

[Tiggerr]

When you run the bmi calculator it asks you what your level of activity is, after which it provides you with your calorie range that would allow for a healthy weight loss, given that level of normal activity. The question would probably be whether the exercise that your Fitbit is registering, is over and above the level of activity that you've already said is normal.

[Hidden in reply to Tiggerr]

That makes sense, I've just had another look at the BMI calculator and I've gone from low activity to moderate activity through my swimming, but you're probably right about the Fitbit tracking what I would normally do anyway, as I've only recently started wearing it.

Thank you

[Gemini64]

I'm still really confused 🤷‍♀️ now as to whether I should or should not eat the extra calories gained by any exercise that my Fitbit gives me. Help!! My brain hurts!!😕