Can I lose weight eating what I want as long as i burn more

chloerebeccaxx125

I’m uploading pics of my food diary from yesterday. My calorie goal is 1200 for the day but I started going to the gym and exercising so can eat more. Just wondering as long as I eat less than what I burn can I still lose weight no matter what food I’m eating?

Terytha

Yep. The calorie equation is that if you use more than you consume, you will lose weight. Exercise uses calories.

That said, 1200 calories NET is a bare minimum for a pretty small woman. You need to net at least that much to not starve and even then it's too little for the majority of people. In that first screenshot your net is 1007. That's way too low. You will make yourself sick.

Pipsqueak1965

And also bear in mind that a lot of exercise calculations for calorioes err on the over generous.

Panini911

if you are using MFP for calculation of calories then yes, the software is DESIGNED to give you calories to lose at hte requested rate of loos WITHOUT PURPOSEFUL EXERCISE. so if you work ou ton top of that you need to eat back a reasonable estimate of those calories.

Otherwise you are increasing your calorie deficit which may sound positive but can lead to health issues due to under eating.

And no for weight loss it doesn't matter WHAT you eat. But for overall fueling of your workout and overall health you do want enough protein and an overall good nutrition.

how are your health issues? you've had some constipation issues and more after your last two trips? Nutrition CAN matter for stuff like this.

More info:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

chloerebeccaxx125

@Pipsqueak1965 all the equipment at the gym tell you how many calories you burn while your on it. So I’m positive it’s accurate

chloerebeccaxx125

@panini911 the doctor just gave me Movicol sachets to relieve chronic constipation and was told I have to increase my water intake and if my bowel movement don’t start to regulate I have to go back for tests.

chloerebeccaxx125

@terytha sorry but I can’t see anywhere on the screenshots where it says only 1007 calories

SugaSugaNooo

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@terytha sorry but I can’t see anywhere on the screenshots where it says only 1007 calories

1447 calories in, 400 calories out = 1007 calories.

Maxematics

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@Pipsqueak1965 all the equipment at the gym tell you how many calories you burn while your on it. So I’m positive it’s accurate

Gym equipment is notoriously inaccurate.

Pipsqueak1965

What max said - those machines tend to overestimate.

cmriverside

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@panini911 the doctor just gave me Movicol sachets to relieve chronic constipation and was told I have to increase my water intake and if my bowel movement don’t start to regulate I have to go back for tests.

Have you told the doctor about your low calorie intake? Not eating leads to nothing coming out the other end.

On that day in the screenshot, you should have eaten 1600 total calories.

The 1200 is probably too low to start with, so always eat your calories earned by exercise.

Tell us more about you. How tall are you? Female? How much weight do you need to lose to be in a healthy BMI?

cmriverside

Eat until the "remaining" is zero.

Eating less will result in damage to your body over time. Hair loss, brittle nails, depression, irritability, fatigue.

And that's only the part you will notice.

chloerebeccaxx125

@cmriverside 5,4 female I’m currently 9st 5 due to gaining weight on holiday. And it’s mfp that came up with the 1200 calorie amount that I should
Eat so I’ve just been sticking to it

adak2

5 ft 4 and 9st5 (131lbs) is a healthy weight. It gives you a bmi of around 22 which is completely healthy! The healthy range is 18 through to 25, and you're right in the middle of that. Neither nearly underweight, nor nearly overweight.
I know mfp came up with the 1200 thing but I'm not sure you should be sticking to that if you're at a healthy bmi.

Teabythesea_

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@cmriverside 5,4 female I’m currently 9st 5 due to gaining weight on holiday. And it’s mfp that came up with the 1200 calorie amount that I should
Eat so I’ve just been sticking to it

MFP only gives you recommendations based on what you tell it. If you tell it that you want to lose 2 lbs per week its going to give you the minimum, but that doesn't mean its necessary or healthy. Very few people need 1200 calories to lose and being that you're already within a normal range you should set your rate at .5 lb a week.

cmriverside

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@cmriverside 5,4 female I’m currently 9st 5 due to gaining weight on holiday. And it’s mfp that came up with the 1200 calorie amount that I should
Eat so I’ve just been sticking to it

Thank you.

• Go to MY HOME > Goals, View Guided Setup here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
  
• Set your weight loss goal to "Lose 1/2 pound [1/4kg] per week." Use an honest "Activity Level" as suggested.
  
• Eat that amount of food. Not less - for reasons we already stated. You can't lose faster without consequences.
  
• When you do purposeful exercise, enter it and EAT MORE on those days.
  

cmriverside

...and then to answer your first question - Yes. You can eat whatever foods you want. You may find that more protein and fiber will help you stay full for longer, so vegetables, whole grains, whole fruits, nuts, beans, meat, seafood, eggs, dairy.

Redordeadhead

chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »

@Pipsqueak1965 all the equipment at the gym tell you how many calories you burn while your on it. So I’m positive it’s accurate

These are often highly overestimated.