Help: I'm afraid to eat my exercise calories!

susanswan

Hi, I am 54 year old woman with 30 pounds to lose. I am new here this week and love this site! 3 years ago I tracked my calories and my exercise at the time was walking 30 minutes a day and doing a video exercise routine with 3, 5, and 8 pound dumbbells for weight lifiting. I lost 53 pounds at an average of 1.1 pound a week. I was on another calorie counting site and found that if I ate 1200 - 1500 calories I was okay. I was and am following the Dr. Oz principles of no sugar, no white flour, no white rice, no enriched pastas, very limited red meat/saturated fats, and I am very conscious about my salt intake. I don't eat out, or eat processed foods besides the basics of salt free canned tomatoes, bread, milk, etc. I make all meals from scratch and salad dressings, too so I know what I am eating. I am supposed to start here with a bank of 1220 calories and have eaten maybe 1300 give or take for my first few days here. I get anxious about eating my exercise calories! Currently my exercise is walking at least 30 minutes twice a day, & doing my video weight lifting exercises (which I don't get "credit" for because I am not about to count out each rep and assign a calorie for it!. So I am trying to fit my meals to the protein/carb/fat plan that they have listed. I might eat some of the exercise calories, but I just checked my report of nutrion for net calories and I am at 900+ but now always under 1220! What is the consensus here? I'd like some input from all of you guys! You are the experts in this process. All I can think of is that on the biggest loser all the women ate 1200 calories and exercised for 5 hours a day and lost weight. Am I misled in thinking they don't eat their exercise calories either? I'd appreciate any input. I've lost a couple of pounds so far last week, so all is good so far! Thanks!