could someone please advice?

izzie_Preston

Hi, im just wondering something.

I know the secret to losing weight is healthy eating and exercise, but do you have to burn off EVERYTHING you eat in order to lose weight? so if i eat 1200 cal a day do i have to do 1200 cal burning off in the gym etc? i think i would die if that happened. i have a very busy lifestyle looking after 2 kids.. Im walking to nursery everyday bar when the rain is terential and thats about 1.6 mile 2 times a day for me thats minimum im trying to walk to more places like my training course and the drs (but its hard sometimes with a narky 3 year old)

BR3ANDA

No, not at all. You want a "net" of 1200, so if you burn 300 at the gym, you should be eating 1500 (1500-300=1200net) Use your tracker for food and activity, if you notice, your cal allowance for the day will go up every time you log activity. Does that help?

Get_Me_Fit1

Great question... bump

sharleengc

If your goal is 1200, that should be the minimum you eat! MFP calculates for you and at 1200 calories, you are already eating at a deficit, which is what you need to do in order to lose weight. Since MFP already sets your calories at a deficit, you should eat back your calories.

For example, my daily calories are set for 1lb a week, which for me is 1320 cal per day. I exercise about 150-200 cal per day so I usually end up eating 1470-1520 depending on the day and the exercise. I do my best to eat it back but sometimes, especially if I exercise in the evening, I am just not hungry enough to eat back. But you should never eat less than 1200

If you have any other questions or want any other advice, feel free to ask me!

izzie_Preston

awww thanks guys. im not actually sure what my goal for calories is as im still breast feeding my daughter so im still eating lots im just eating better if that makes sense, but i do want to get more active and lose weight too, however anna and her health comes before mine and my vanity. does anyone know the rules on weight loss while breast feeding? xxx

kdeaux1959

Hi, im just wondering something.

I know the secret to losing weight is healthy eating and exercise, but do you have to burn off EVERYTHING you eat in order to lose weight? so if i eat 1200 cal a day do i have to do 1200 cal burning off in the gym etc? i think i would die if that happened. i have a very busy lifestyle looking after 2 kids.. Im walking to nursery everyday bar when the rain is terential and thats about 1.6 mile 2 times a day for me thats minimum im trying to walk to more places like my training course and the drs (but its hard sometimes with a narky 3 year old)

YES! NO!... Ok, here is the deal... You burn calories just by existing. You burn calories when you are asleep. You burn a certain number of calories sitting in a chair, eating, exercising, etc. The more strenuous the exercise of course, the more calories you burn... You need to find out how many calories you naturally use in a day and reduce your intake by about 500 to 1000 calories (MFP actually does that for you)... Now, you can literally eat and do nothing and if your intake is less than what you are burning (for example, my base calories is about 2670 ... just by sitting around doing nothing)... That means I can lose 2 lbs per week just by eating about 1670 calories (7000 calorie deficit over the week)... If I do more than that... say exercise, then I can eat more and still lose that amount of weight. It is a balancing act. Try not to go under 1200 calories though since you will have a hard time getting your nutrients in that way... Best wishes on your journey.

Hannah645

No. It might be helpful to remind yourself that your body burns calories throughout the day (whether you do any kind of exercise or not).

This site will give you a calorie goal to help you lose X many pounds/week. This site is already estimating a calorie deficit for you. It's telling you to eat less calories than it assumes your body burns in a given day. Ta-da! Weight loss! Exercise increases this deficit. MFP also allows you to log exercises. When you log something like jogging it again estimates how many calories you burned. It then adds those calories to your daily allotment. You will read on these forums a lot of people telling you to "eat your exercise calories back." If you eat 1200 calories a day and burn 300 working out, then most people on these forums would tell you that you're not eating enough to properly sustain your body.

I've read a lot of conflicting arguments. Every body is different. Find out what works for you and stick with it! I eat more on days that I am more active. I try to eat less on days that I lounge around in my pajamas. I eat when I'm so hungry that I'm sluggish or tired, but I'm getting better at reaching for foods that tame hunger better. You really don't have to be starving every day to lose weight.

Really it's all a numbers/estimating sort of game. There are a lot of really great tools on this website and the support is great. Good luck!

Sarauk2sf

You should be adding 500 cals a day if you are breast-feeding. I think it is under food - do a search and it will add it as a negative so it gives you more.

izzie_Preston

oooh brill ill have a look now thanks shes 7 months but only just started expermenting with food

thankyou all for your advice xxxx