A Few Questions for the Veterans! (And an Introduction)

Ploogy

Hi Everyone!

So glad to have finally found a site that is both useful in tracking and in community support. The vibe around here is amazing! This is my first post, so I apologize if I’m asking some basic questions (I have looked at a bunch of threads, but seem to have missed concrete answers to these questions).

Some stats to preface my questions in case it helps: 37 Year Old Male, 5’10”, slightly larger build and wide shoulders, 250lbs trying to get down to 190 lbs. Relatively flabby (more so than I think normal for a person equivalently overweight).

1. Eating Back Exercise Calories: I’ve seen it argued both ways on the web – some folks say to ignore exercise calories and others to eat them back. Is there a clear consensus here in one direction or the other? I am currently doing about 5-600 calories on the Elliptical a day.

2. How Reasonable is MFP’s Caloric Recommendation?: Looking at the macro suggestions, it seems that MFP lowballs Protein requirements (at least based in comparison many other resources I’ve investigated). In your experience, is the caloric recommendation accurate enough to follow, or should I shoot a little under?

3. What Techniques/Tricks to Use for Calorie-Counting Complicated Dishes?: I absolutely love curries and other foods where the ingredients are so mixed together that it is not possible to “reverse-engineer” them. How do you all tackle hard-to-analyze dishes?

4. What Have you Found on Your Weight-Loss Journey that You Wish You Knew When You Started? Apart from a HRM monitor to more accurately gauge caloric expenditure during exercise, I’m trying to develop the best skills and techniques that I can to optimize my weight-loss. Any tips, tricks, food suggestions, or anything else would be so incredibly welcome.


Thanks SO much everyone!

FlabKiller