A couple of questions!

FantineRose

Hello everyone!

Just started on MFP four days ago and I have been doing quite well. I weigh around 250 and I would like to lose about 50 to start off with. I have a 1400 cal a day goal.

Most days I am under my calorie goal (not by a ton but still) and I have just started working out. I like the elliptical and so my goal is to do that 3x a week for at least 25 minutes (I am not in shape at all and I really feel that is all I can handle at the moment plus I am in grad school so finding time is hard).

Does this sound right? I have also increased my water intact to 8 glasses a day.

I also have a few questions. When putting in my exercise in for the day (for example, today, I did 25 minutes on the elliptical and the machine said that was about 2.2 miles or 3.5km), what MFP told me I burned (400 and something calories) and what the machine said (like 45 calories) was way different. I should clarify that the elliptical didn't ask my weight, so I'm thinking that has a lot to do with it. Can anyone clear this up for me?

I just want to make sure that when I drag my butt to the gym I'm really making it worth it.

Also, I noticed that once I add in my exercise, I am allowed to eat more. Should I eat that or should I just stick with the 1400 regardless of exercise?

Any tips for someone just starting out? Thanks so much!

bajoyba

Hello!

MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. The 1400 calories you've been assigned already includes the necessary deficit for you to reach your weight loss goals. You could eat 1400 calories a day, do no exercise, and still lose weight. Adding exercise on top of that number creates an even larger deficit, which can be counterproductive, so you should definitely plan to eat some or all of those calories back.

However, exercise machines are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to calorie burns, especially if you don't input any information before starting your workout. MFP is also known to be high when it comes to estimating calorie burns, so you'll probably be better off rounding down or eating only a portion of your exercise calories back. Many people end up investing in a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate idea of how many calories they burn during the day.

My tips are:
1) Set reasonable goals and be patient
2) Log all of your food/drinks accurately and consistently. Eat in a way that is sustainable for you - no need to eliminate anything from your diet unless you want to.
3) Exercise for fitness. Find activities you like.