Jog more or eat less

darshemail

I am 5'2" trying to lose 10 pounds. My calorie goal is 1200. So if I work out I do only cardio. Have never tried lifting. I stick to Elliptical in gym or jog outside. Usually burn 400 cal. Debating should I eat just enough to reach 1200 cal or eat 1600 and cardio to burn 400. Or eat 1400 and cardio to burn 200? What are the effects of each? Is there a difference, does it matter?

lx1x

Depends on how much you want to eat..

I typically do that .. burn extra calories so I can eat/snack more.. its just number game..

poisonesse

Let the site decide your calorie goal, and then do your workouts. I don't lift either, I do a lot of aerobics... but I also try not to eat my exercise calories unless I have more than 700... then I find hunger and my body insist I eat a few more.

kshama2001

With only 10 pounds to lose, is your weekly weight loss goal set to a half pound per week? If not, that will give you more calories.



I'm no where near satisfied with base calories, and do exercise more to be able to eat more.

vegtolose10

I have roughly ur stats 5'1 (116 lbs) and trying to lose the last 8-10 pounds . I find that running /jogging makes me very hungry and also makes me crave a lot of carbs and 1200 net is already quite less and I often end up going over it when I do a lot of aerobic exercise. For now I find it easier to focus on cal intake nad just get in my 10,000 steps by walking. I would say try both options and see what works best for you.

apullum

Just to be clear, MFP intends you to eat back exercise calories. If you are confident that your exercise calories are calculated accurately, then you should eat all of them. Whichever of these plans you choose, you should lose weight at exactly the same pace. You will just get to eat more if you exercise. If people post telling you not to eat exercise calories, you should ignore them. That is a sure path to undereating, unless they are calculating their calories using something other than MFP. You do not want to black out on the trail or the elliptical.

I am just under 5'0" and maintaining at 110-115 lb. It takes quite a lot of exercise for me to burn 400 calories. My normal 5 mile run puts me in that ballpark. Unless you're really putting in some time/effort on the elliptical and your run, that exercise calorie burn may not be feasible for you.

Another thing to consider is that after my run, I'm hungry. After a longer run, I'm hungrier, at least until my runs get long enough that I need mid-run fuel. When you are doing a lot of exercise, your body is going to demand fuel, and you need to give it that fuel. Even though you'll get to eat more, you may also be hungrier than if you hadn't exercised so strenuously.

You also need to think about your goals other than weight loss. Does this type/level of activity promote your larger fitness goals? If not, you need an exercise plan that you can stick with long term.

Finally, with 10 pounds to lose, your weight loss will be very slow. It's imperative to weigh ALL solid food and make sure your exercise calories are accurate. Increasing your exercise will result in normal water weight fluctuation that will hide a slow pace of fat loss on the scale. Don't be surprised if it takes a month or more to see changes on the scale.