If you use the Lose It! app to track your calories and want to turn off counting exercise calories, there are a few simple steps you can take. The Lose It! app provides the option to toggle exercise calorie tracking on or off, giving you control over whether these calories are included in your daily budget or not.
Why Would You Want to Turn Off Exercise Calorie Tracking?
Here are some reasons you may want to disable exercise calorie counting in the Lose It! app:
- You find exercise calorie estimates inaccurate or unreliable
- You eat back all your exercise calories, hindering weight loss
- You engage in high-intensity workouts and burn a lot of active calories
- You want to focus purely on calories consumed rather than burned
For some users, counting active calories can be counterproductive or discouraging if the numbers seem exaggerated. Going by intake alone can simplify the process and help create a calorie deficit.
How to Turn Off Exercise Calorie Tracking
The Lose It! app makes it simple to toggle exercise calorie tracking on or off. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Lose It! app on your mobile device
- Tap the “More” menu icon in the bottom right corner
- Select “Settings” from the menu
- Tap “Calorie Goal Settings”
- Toggle the switch next to “Track Exercise Calories” to the off position
Once you disable this setting, any exercise you log will no longer add calories to your daily budget. Your calorie goal will purely reflect food intake without any extra calories from physical activity.
Things to Consider Before Disabling Exercise Calorie Tracking
Here are some useful points to keep in mind before you turn off exercise calorie counting:
- This may reduce your daily calorie budget since active calories will no longer be added to your day’s total
- You’ll need to consume fewer calories to stay in your target deficit for weight loss
- You won’t see exercise contributing to your daily expenditure and progress
- You can re-enable exercise calorie tracking at any time if you change your mind
Setting a Realistic Calorie Goal Without Exercise Calories
If you opt to turn off exercise calories, you may need to adjust your calorie goal accordingly to account for this reduced expenditure. Here are some tips for setting a realistic and healthy goal:
- Reduce your current calorie target by 200-300 calories as a starting point
- Gradually decrease your goal if needed to see weight loss at a pace of 1-2 pounds per week
- Consider your current stats, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and activity levels when adjusting your goal
- Be mindful not to restrict calories too severely as this can backfire and cause binges or overeating
- Listen to your body, energy levels, and hunger cues to find the right calorie range
Adjusting your calorie target thoughtfully will help you avoid sharp drops that can sabotage your efforts while still supporting steady weight loss.
How to Track Calories Burned from Exercise Without Enabling the Feature
If you want to track exercise activity but not factor active calories into your budget, you have a couple options:
Method 1: Log Exercise and View Calories Separately
You can still log your workouts in the Lose It! app and view the estimated calories burned. These will display in your exercise tracker but won’t get added to your daily allowance. This lets you quantify your activity without including it in your intake budget.
Method 2: Manually Calculate and Track Your Active Calories
For more precision, you can manually calculate the calories you burn during exercise using online calculators or fitness trackers. Then log these as a separate entry to monitor your active expenditure without factoring it into your eating budget. This takes more effort but can provide accurate tracking.
Pros and Cons of Disabling Exercise Calorie Tracking
Below is an overview of some potential advantages and disadvantages of turning off exercise calorie counting in Lose It!:
Pros
- Eliminates unreliable calorie burn estimates from throwing off your budget
- Prevents eating back exercise calories and stalled progress
- Simplifies calorie tracking by focusing solely on food intake
- Encourages creating a deficit through diet alone
Cons
- Reduces your daily calorie target since active calories no longer contribute
- May require consuming fewer calories than expected to meet goals
- Makes it harder to quantify calories burned from exercise each day
- Hides your exercise contribution towards a calorie deficit
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off exercise calories disable tracking workouts?
No, you can still log exercise sessions in the Lose It! app and view activity trends. The setting simply stops adding these estimated calories to your daily food budget.
Can I change the setting back and forth whenever I want?
Yes, you can toggle exercise calorie tracking on or off at any time in the settings. There’s no permanency to this change.
How will this impact my calorie goal recommendations?
Disabling exercise calories requires consuming fewer calories to maintain the same deficit. Lose It! will likely recommend gradually lowering your calorie target to account for less energy expenditure.
Is disabling exercise calories tracking recommended?
It depends on your goals and preferences! For some, simplifying calorie data is ideal. But for others, seeing exercise contribute to their deficit provides motivation. Do what works best for your needs.
Conclusion
Turning off exercise calorie tracking in the Lose It! app involves toggling the “Track Exercise Calories” setting to off under Calorie Goal. This can streamline calorie data, eliminate unreliable estimates, and help build deficits through diet alone. But it also requires adjusting your calorie target accordingly and being mindful of energy needs. Evaluate the pros and cons and decide if disabling exercise calories fits your health goals.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simplifies calorie tracking | Reduces daily calorie target |
| Avoids unreliable estimates | Makes quantifying exercise calories difficult |
| Encourages dietary deficit | Hides exercise contribution to deficit |
| Prevents eating back calories | May require lower calorie intake |
