What I've learned so far...

leahhnicole

I'm new to MFP and been at it a little over a week now. I've lost about 8 lbs (mostly water weight).

I just want to confirm:

Losing weigh comes from calorie deficit. If you stay within that you will lose weight regardless if you work out?

Working out helps give you more calories back.

Now, my question is, if I work out for 1 hr a day harder than I normally work out will I lose the weigh easier or should I just do a moderate work out and continue to eat well?

jandsstevenson887

Yes, confirming you are right on the first 2.
The last question is up to you. I vary my workouts a lot. But basically, the more you burn, the faster you will lose. It also has to be sustainable to work though. I guess I could run a 5k every single day but my body would not be a fan.

WendyLaubach

I've had to stop working out for a week or so, for minor surgeries, on 3 separate occasions in the last five months. I continued to lose weight throughout, by keeping my calories low. I never eat back my exercise calories, because I'd prefer to lose faster, and after I gave my stomach a chance to shrink and myself a chance to get used to eating less, I found I didn't need to eat more even on heavy exercise days. Everyone's different.

SueInAz

leahhnicole wrote: »

I'm new to MFP and been at it a little over a week now. I've lost about 8 lbs (mostly water weight).

I just want to confirm:

Losing weigh comes from calorie deficit. If you stay within that you will lose weight regardless if you work out?

Yes.

leahhnicole wrote: »

Working out helps give you more calories back.

Yes. Exercise burns calories. Whether you choose to eat those calories or use them to create a larger deficit is up to you.

leahhnicole wrote: »

Now, my question is, if I work out for 1 hr a day harder than I normally work out will I lose the weigh easier or should I just do a moderate work out and continue to eat well?

This might depend. "Harder" is a subjective term. Let's just say that the more calories you burn during your workout, the greater calorie deficit you can create. All of this said, you need to keep in mind that losing weight faster by creating a larger calorie deficit is not better. I get the urge to lose as fast as possible but you'll regret it eventually.

When we eat too far under our maintenance calories on a regular basis our bodies think we're starving and won't have access to more food any time soon. Rather than take all of the energy it needs from stored fat, your body will start breaking down lean muscle mass for fuel, especially if you aren't using those muscles aggressively, like in a weight lifting program. Cardio doesn't count for this, by the way, even though you are using your muscles and they might feel sore after.

So you reach your goal more quickly than you might have but at the cost of losing lean muscle mass along with the fat. This means you don't look as firm as you thought you would and your metabolism is slower, too. If you then put some of that weight back on which is more likely because of your lower metabolism it's going to be all fat which means your body fat percentage will be even higher than it was originally and it'll be even harder to lose weight the next time around. It's a vicious cycle.

Rather than trying to lose weight really quickly, eat at a reasonable calorie deficit and save more of your lean muscle. Even better, add a heavy lifting program to help maintain even more muscle mass while you lose pounds. It may take a little longer to reach your goal but you'll be much happier with the results and it'll be easier to maintain your goal weight when you reach it.

SezxyStef

leahhnicole wrote: »

I'm new to MFP and been at it a little over a week now. I've lost about 8 lbs (mostly water weight).

I just want to confirm:

Losing weigh comes from calorie deficit. If you stay within that you will lose weight regardless if you work out?

Working out helps give you more calories back.

Now, my question is, if I work out for 1 hr a day harder than I normally work out will I lose the weigh easier or should I just do a moderate work out and continue to eat well?

easy answers...Yes calorie deficit....no exercise required.

Exercise is for health and fitness and if you wish to push yourself for health and fitness by all means...to lose weight eh...only if you want to.

I personal set new goals and go for it...but that is for health and fitness not weight.