Confused!!!

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skylarobrien
skylarobrien Posts: 3
in Getting Started
I don't get the whole calorie burning thing. Do you have to burn more then you eat everyday? Like if i'm eating 1200 hundred do I have to burn 1200; or do you burn 3500 or more calories a week to loose weight?. Currently I am eating 1200-1300 calories a day and burning 500-700 calories a day. should I be burning more? and if so, should I eat more or should I just stick to eating the same amount as I am now.

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  • ktdeangelis
    ktdeangelis Posts: 19 Member
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    1200 seems a little low... but MFP takes the information about how much weight you want to lose, and they calculate the amount of calories a day that will put you at a deficit to lose that amount of weight a week. This means that the calories your burning working out, you should be eating. A lot of people say that the calories burned through exercise on this site are a little high, so a lot of people only eat back a percentage of that number.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    I don't get the whole calorie burning thing. Do you have to burn more then you eat everyday? Like if i'm eating 1200 hundred do I have to burn 1200; or do you burn 3500 or more calories a week to loose weight?. Currently I am eating 1200-1300 calories a day and burning 500-700 calories a day. should I be burning more? and if so, should I eat more or should I just stick to eating the same amount as I am now.

    You should be eating more.

    If your goal is 1200 then your NET calories for the day should be no less than 1200. If you eat 1200 and burn 1200 it's the equivalent of not eating anything on a day when you have done no exercise. Bodies need a certain amount of calories to do all the things bodies do, e.g. pump blood, breathe, make hair, keep your heart going (to name a few)
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
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    You need to eat at least your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) to sustain your body, making sure your body continues to function properly. You also have your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) - this is the amount of calories you burn in your daily activities. THis can change based on your job/ daily routine.

    The goal to lose weight is to eat 10-20% below TDEE. 3500 cal equals a pound. Depending on how much you want/need to lose - 1lb a week is recommended which is 500 calorie deficit per day.
  • skylarobrien
    skylarobrien Posts: 3
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    Yeah cause MFP is telling me to eat 1900 calories and i think that's a little high. I'm new to the whole working out thing so that's why i'm so confused. Any help would be awesome. I've never done working out and calorie counting together which sound weird.
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
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    Please give
    Age
    Height
    Weight
    Daily activities (desk job, nurse, etc)
  • lfabbric
    lfabbric Posts: 17 Member
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    Bodies need a certain amount of calories to do all the things bodies do, e.g. pump blood, breathe, make hair, keep your heart going (to name a few)

    I am not sure if that is 100% true, in 1965 a scientist using water and vitamins tested that theory on a 450+ lb guy. He ate nothing for 1 year and 17 days.

    http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/07/24/3549931.htm

    I am not saying it is healthy by any means. Just stating a random tidbit of knowledge.

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