I'm SOOOO confused

mkeithley

Ok, here's what I've read and understand:
In order to lose 1 pound a week you need to either decrease 500 calories a day either thru diet or exercise(500x7=3500, 3500=a pound).
Now here is where I get confused.
According to mfp, w/out exercise included, my daily calorie intake should be 1250(I chose the lose 1 pound a week option). Whenever I exercise it "ups" my daily intake. For example today my exercise earned me an extra 806 calories, making my mfp total alotted calories 2056. So if I eat the 2056 doesn't that wipe out the exercise calories burned?Should I just eat 1556 calories (which is 2056-500) to give me the 500 calorie deficit? How does one lose weight if there is not a 500 calorie deficit?

I'm sorry I am just completely obsessed with this I have read all the posts saying eat all of the calories, but i really just don't get it, I am really bad with numbers to begin with

mkeithley

Ok, here's what I've read and understand:
In order to lose 1 pound a week you need to either decrease 500 calories a day either thru diet or exercise(500x7=3500, 3500=a pound).
Now here is where I get confused.
According to mfp, w/out exercise included, my daily calorie intake should be 1250(I chose the lose 1 pound a week option). Whenever I exercise it "ups" my daily intake. For example today my exercise earned me an extra 806 calories, making my mfp total alotted calories 2056. So if I eat the 2056 doesn't that wipe out the exercise calories burned?Should I just eat 1556 calories (which is 2056-500) to give me the 500 calorie deficit? How does one lose weight if there is not a 500 calorie deficit?

I'm sorry I am just completely obsessed with this I have read all the posts saying eat all of the calories, but i really just don't get it, I am really bad with numbers to begin with

dhayes

You are not the only one. Follow this link for a really great explanation.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

Good luck you will do great.

mkeithley

Oh that link helped a ton!!! THANKS!!!!

cmriverside

There are many great threads here to help, try these!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/9614-newbies-please-read-me

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr?page=1#posts-47129

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing?page=1#posts-19051

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8199-off-to-a-slow-start-actually-still-at-starting-gate


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6737-true-confessions-from-a-slow-learner

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9007-bmr-ma-because-of-the-answers-to-the-questions

.............yikes, that is a lot! Good luck. :flowerforyou:

rheston

For one thing MFP and other sites use a general calculator to figure out a SUGGESTED GENERAL caloric intake for you and if you add in exercise it gives you back the calories you supposedly burned off during that period. In my case the base line is 1350 with exercise 2200 calories a day.

Early on in my program I ate to the higher number and ended up gaining and not losing weight and discovered that others were having the same problems. I started eating to the base line calories and not to the exercise level and I've been losing weight and not feeling deprived for food and there have been days, like on weekends, where I've gotten close to my max calories, counting exercise, without a detrimental effect.

The point I'm making here is that each of us is different and that we all have to experiment with the values that work best for us and not rely solely on the supposed precision of the calculators found on the web or even MFP.

You can either start our eating to the higher calorie level and working your way backward or start out eating at the base line and working your way up in either case pay attention to the needs and demands of your body (not your mind) to let you know what you need and when and don't always trust that what the web is telling you is a hard and fast rule.

Finally, we each chime in with suggestions but they are based on our individual experiences and may not be the exact solution for the person asking for help. In this case too each of us must experiment with these ideas until we get into a plan that works for us.

shorerider

Thought I'd chime in and introduce myself, too. I'm 45, about 140 pounds overweight, and I have Diabetes Type 2 and high blood pressure. I've dieted many times in the past and always exercised during those times, too. I'd lose weight for a bit then stop losing, get frustrated and go back to my old ways. Inevitably, I'd gain back to point where I weighed more than what I was before I started losing weight. I'd even counted calories before; BUT I had never taken into account the calories burned through exercise. The calorie tracking website I always used before didn't tell you to take those burned calories into account.

Now I know--thanks to this site--that I had been putting my body into starvation mode. Example--last time I tried to lose weight, I was eating 1200 calories a day and bicycle riding 16 miles a day; that meant I actually only giving my body about 300 calories a day!!!!!! My body was never going to give up any of its pounds at that rate. After a month of not losing anything, I gave up and figured I was too old to have the metabolism to loose weight anymore.

This time though I had to give it a try again. My blood sugar has been out of control and I was considering asking to go on insulin.

The first week or so I used this site, I didn't think it was right in encouraging me to eat more when I exercised, so I didn't eat the full amount of calories the program said I could but keep to 1200-1400. The first week or so I didn't lost a single ounce! In fact, I gained a pound. I was about ready to give up when I read the posts strongly encouraging people to eat what the program suggested; so I started eating up to 2000 calories or more a day--depending on what it suggested given my exercise that day--and have lost 8 pounds in 2.5 weeks!

I know that seems a big loss but keep in mind I am really overweight and a lot of it is probably water loss I know that rate won't keep up but I am shooting for 2 pounds a week--given the amount I have to lose, i think that is realistic. My doctor believes so, too.

Now, I've simply cut out the junk, limited my portions, biking almost every day, tracking my calories, and eating more when MFP tells me to! It's the first time I've ever tried to lose weight and haven't gone to bed hungry every day.

Not only that--but my blood sugar levels have come back to normal levels and--here's the incredible thing--for the first time in years (I've been a diabetic for 5 years) I can eat fruit!!!! I honestly think it is the exercise but also combined with giving my body enough to eat now that I am back to eating healthy again. I'm actually following the food pyramid somewhat and make sure I get the various portions of each group I'm supposed to--first time I've ever done that!

Sorry for the long post--and thanks for all the good information.

Shorerider

banks1850

I know I said I wouldn't post, but shorerider, I had to. That is one of the most inspiring stories I have ever heard with regards to this site. A lot of people talk about losing lots of weight, and that is FANTASTIC, but in my opinion, this particular story truely shows what MFP can do for your body. Most of us don't see the changes that happen inside when we start eating right and exercising because it happens on a less dramatic scale. But this story really shows how much our inner body chemistry changes as we change our diet and routine. Great work shorerider!

MontanaGirl

Thought I'd chime in and introduce myself, too. I'm 45, about 140 pounds overweight, and I have Diabetes Type 2 and high blood pressure. I've dieted many times in the past and always exercised during those times, too. I'd lose weight for a bit then stop losing, get frustrated and go back to my old ways. Inevitably, I'd gain back to point where I weighed more than what I was before I started losing weight. I'd even counted calories before; BUT I had never taken into account the calories burned through exercise. The calorie tracking website I always used before didn't tell you to take those burned calories into account.

Now I know--thanks to this site--that I had been putting my body into starvation mode. Example--last time I tried to lose weight, I was eating 1200 calories a day and bicycle riding 16 miles a day; that meant I actually only giving my body about 300 calories a day!!!!!! My body was never going to give up any of its pounds at that rate. After a month of not losing anything, I gave up and figured I was too old to have the metabolism to loose weight anymore.

This time though I had to give it a try again. My blood sugar has been out of control and I was considering asking to go on insulin.

The first week or so I used this site, I didn't think it was right in encouraging me to eat more when I exercised, so I didn't eat the full amount of calories the program said I could but keep to 1200-1400. The first week or so I didn't lost a single ounce! In fact, I gained a pound. I was about ready to give up when I read the posts strongly encouraging people to eat what the program suggested; so I started eating up to 2000 calories or more a day--depending on what it suggested given my exercise that day--and have lost 8 pounds in 2.5 weeks!

I know that seems a big loss but keep in mind I am really overweight and a lot of it is probably water loss I know that rate won't keep up but I am shooting for 2 pounds a week--given the amount I have to lose, i think that is realistic. My doctor believes so, too.

Now, I've simply cut out the junk, limited my portions, biking almost every day, tracking my calories, and eating more when MFP tells me to! It's the first time I've ever tried to lose weight and haven't gone to bed hungry every day.

Not only that--but my blood sugar levels have come back to normal levels and--here's the incredible thing--for the first time in years (I've been a diabetic for 5 years) I can eat fruit!!!! I honestly think it is the exercise but also combined with giving my body enough to eat now that I am back to eating healthy again. I'm actually following the food pyramid somewhat and make sure I get the various portions of each group I'm supposed to--first time I've ever done that!

Sorry for the long post--and thanks for all the good information.

Shorerider

That is so awesome!!! Yes, MFP accounts for a 500 calorie deficit from what you would need to maintain your current weight - so eat those exercise calories. Now, rheston and other have found that they have had to change up some things to make it work for them - truely we all are different. But I want to encourage people to give it a good go the way MFP has it set and see what happens before tweaking it.

TwistedLiquid

Dude im saying the same thing why bother excersicing if im gonna eat it back those cals anyway! i burn at least 1080 a day i have a hard time eating all those calories over 3000 sometimes i am 1000 calories short with an average of 650 short Im just way too full to eat it all. i eat about 600 brkfast lunch and dinner (1800) and my snacks add up to about 200 to 300 total geez!

if I ate anymore i would puke.

rheston

I too agree this is an awesome, inspirational personal story and achievement and it reiterates the point that each person is different and how adjustments to their lifestyle affects them individually. I'm happy for you that you're on the path to really getting things together for yourself as so many others here have done.

Congratulations, and thanks for your story.

shorerider

:blushing:

thanks for the kind words; I just hope I can keep it up. I think I can this time, as I'm really enjoying the good fresh food we're eating. And, since I'm eating to keep up with my exercise, I'm not feeling like I'm starving.