Stuck in the Middle with Calculation Problems

RhythmGypsi

Hi, everyone. Hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Sunday! I have a question that is more on the math-side of weight loss, so I apologize in advance if it's posed in a confusing way...I'm not too good with math Currently, I weigh 146 pounds, am 5'3, and am not exercising. My daily intake of calories is 1,220 and my maintenance level is 1,650.

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The following is what I think that I understand about weight loss through calorie counting:

- 500 less calories per day x 7 days = 3,500 calories / 1 pound lost per week

- 1,200 calories a day is the minimum of what a person should intake per day to function

- Falling below 1,200 calories for a long period of time will trigger starvation mode

- When your body's calorie maintenance level is 2,200 calories a day or above, it's okay to lose 2 pounds per week because you won't reduce your intake by 1,200 per day.
(500 calories + 500 calories = 1,000; 1,000 x 7 = 7,000 calories / 2 pounds lost per week)

- If your maintenance level is less than 2,200 calories a day, you will lose 1 pound per week, until your maintenance level is lowered to a point where you will lose only ½ a pound per week.

After that, your maintenance level will eventually reach a number so close to 1,200 calories that you will not lose weight at all because you will simply be maintaining the weight that you are at.
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This is the point where I get confused about how exercise fits in. Let's say I decided to work out at the end of the day, and I had already taken in my 1,200 calories. I go on a treadmill for an hour, and I end up losing 300 calories. That will bring me down to 900 calories. What's worrisome is that since 900 calories is below the minimum, so MFP encourages us to eat back our exercise calories. Let's then say I go home and eat back my 300 calories. I'm right back at 1,200 calories that day. What exactly did I gain though?

I know that at some point, my maintenance number is going to be so close to 1,200 calories that I am not going to lose much, if any weight at all by just calorie counting alone. A reason that I've been so reluctant to start exercising is that when I do tend to, my hunger goes OUT OF CONTROL Because my metabolism gets faster, I become hungry all day long, and I get driven crazy because I become tired of eating and eating and -never- being satisfied. I feel like the only time that I get close to binge-eating is when I exercise. Does that ever happen to any of you? I drink a protein shake on the ride home, and then I instantly have to stuff something in my mouth, just to make my stomach stop screaming at me indignantly

I think what in the end my real question is, how many calories should you eat a day when you incorporate exercise? If I don't do free weights to start, and just invest in the treadmill or an elliptical, I can steadfastly make sure that I reach a number like 250 calories or 300 burned per session (I'm sure the numbers aren't quite as accurate as they say, but it's something, right? ). However, when I do exercise and dip below the 1,200 calories, am I really going to be losing weight? Or am I just going to be triggering a deficit?

There are some people who seem to be able to exercise only and not worry about calorie counting because their exercising moderates their calories. When I finally get down to my maintenance calorie level once I reach my goal weight of 115 pounds, then exercising will be more simple, because I can just eat back my exercise calories and still maintain.

But, for right now, when I'm just trying to reach 1,200 calories a day to survive, how can I lose more weight? Will dipping below 1,200 calories a day be okay if it's because of exercise? I really want to do things the right way, and I think this is the question that has plagued me throughout all my years of attempting weight loss. I apologize that my question is so long...I guess I never really realized how complicated this all sounds to me


Thank you very much for any answers provided!

~ Jen


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tool Calorie Counter

onehotgirl

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adjusting-the-diet.html


read that, and other articles on that site. I love reading Lyle's blogs.

RhythmGypsi

Thank you so much for your comment! I went to his website, and I really like the way Lyle explains things. He also sounds like a genuinely good person, which gives me more incentive to trust what the information that he's putting out there.

Thank you again!
~ Jen

Pebble321

You are gaining the health benefits of exercising - good for your cardiovascular system, toning up your muscles, increasing your strenght (different exercise have different benefits but these are some examples).
You get to eat more total calories, although your net calories are still at 1200.

Lots of benefits, but the key thing to remember is that even though your are eating more, you still have that 500 calories (or whatever your number is) defecit so you will still lose 1 pound a week.