How Do I Lose Weight~cont in text,,

dreamingofsandiego23

How do I lose weight when I am supposed to be adding calories when I exercise?? I don't understand how I am going to lose weight by adding calories... like I am on a 12oo calorie intake..but when I exercise it tells me to eat more calories?? How am I supposed to lose the weight?? Ug... Gail @ dreamingofsandiego23@gmail.com

SheilaSisco

Losing weight relies on a calorie deficit... in order to lose one pound of fat you need to eat (or work off) 3500 LESS calories than your maintenance calories. MFP already has you at that deficit... so you would eat 500 less calories a day than maintenance to lose 1 pound a week. If you exercise, you increase that deficit. Which you would THINK is a good thing... BUT... if that deficit gets TOO big, it's actually detrimental to your health and can and WILL mess up your metabolism in the long run. There have also been studies that show that an average female should not eat LESS than 1200 calories in a day (a male, 1500) or your body will believe it is starving and will refuse to release the fat... and will begin burning muscle instead... bad. THAT is why MFP wants you to eat back those calories. Even eating them, you will be at enough of a deficit to lose weight. At a HEALTHY rate. To those on a 1200 calorie diet, I usually suggest that you reset your goals to 1250 or 1300 so that you can eat TO or just above the 1200 NET so that MFP doesn't tell you you're over. I've been doing it since Feb and I'm very close to 25 pounds down... You really can't argue with success.

dreamingofsandiego23

Wow! GREAT Post reply!! I need to copy this someplace! Thanks!!