How Many Calories to Lose Weight!

Options
Hi All :flowerforyou:

I'm sure this Topic will interest many people so here we go:

How many of you think that burning all your calories worked out will make you lose weight?
How many of you think that you should eat more calories after a heavy work out to lose weight?
How many of you think you should eat double your worked out calories to lose weight?
How many of you think you think any of this is true?

What are truly the facts?

If your BMR is 1500 and your daily exercise is about 40% of that then we have a number of 2100-2300.
You are burning 800 calories during your workouts this means you are left with 1300. You are on target right? Or wrong?

Someone just told me that to lose weight you have to burn all the calories you've eaten. Could this be true? Is the math wrong?

I calculated my BMR and my daily work outs.... On the high impact days where i burn 1100+ I have realized i need to up my calorie intake by 200-300, so I need to consume 1450-1550 on that day. On the light exercise days of 400-800 or no work out I can keep my calorie intake at 1200-1300.

When are you starving you body?

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

When you don't eat enough and work out you are holding on to FAT this is a fact!

I'd love to hear back from everyone and would love to hear your opinion on this Topic since there are many questions out there and confusion that everyone has.

I love you all :flowerforyou: and I love ZUMBA :love: ttee heeee
«1

Replies

  • msciccone1
    msciccone1 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    I am interested to hear what people say girl, thanks! Love the tee heee part :laugh:
  • NicolaGoodyear
    Options
    About 3,500 calories adds up to about 1 pound. This applies whether they are food calories coming in, or calories (burned by exercise) going out.

    If you eat 3,500 calories more than your body needs, you will put on about 1 pound. If you use up 3,500 calories more than you eat, you will lose about 1 pound in weight.

    you burn 1200 calories per day by doing nothing,

    this is all i know to be correct...and i still dont get it....someone needs to do the math !!????
  • pamw22
    pamw22 Posts: 77
    Options
    That is also a fact!! To lose a LB you must burn 3500 calories so by working out and burning 500 everyday of the week it will equal 1 LB. I think I got it down but I'd love to hear other ppl's responses :tongue:
  • gsmithers
    gsmithers Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Your BMR is the amount of calories your bodies burn in a day doing nothing. depending on your lifestyle you will also burn a few more calories through routine activities, I have read for a sedentary lifestyle apply a multiplier of 1.2 to get the amount of calories your body burns in a day.

    To lose a pound you need a deficit of 3500 calories which come from reduced calories and/or exercise.

    For example if you BMR is 1500 and you have a sedentary lifestyle you will burn 1800 calories in a normal day.

    I am not a expert this is just what I have learned in my effort to lose weight.

    This plan has worked for me, I have lost 61 lbs in just under 3 months
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
    Options
    Well, not sure what's right or what's wrong... I only know what my coach is telling me. This is what she says:

    I am 144lbs, 5'4", 35 years young :happy:

    allowed 1200 calories give or take 50 per day (eating 6 meals a day)

    Exercise: Weight training 4 times per week (day 1: biceps, chest, abs; day 2: glutes, quads and abs; day 3 calves, hamstrings and abs; day 4 triceps and back). Two days no weights, just 30 min. cardio, 2 days on weight days do 20-24 min. of cardio.

    I burn probably about 200-600 calories on weight training days and 200 on cardio only days...

    I am on my third week... I'll let you know if it works! So far clothes have been fitting better and feeling a lot less jiggly :bigsmile:
  • brwneyes71
    brwneyes71 Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    My doctor put me on 1500 calories a day and told me to burn 500 calories a day and i will make my goal of 115-125 in 6 months. but that is only if i burn 500 cals a day and stay on 1500 cals a day. and that is straight from my doctor. so that is why i don't eat my exercise cals. I only eat my regural calories everyday. i hope that helps. good luck everyone.
  • sugarskull5
    Options
    To lose a pound a week, a 150-pound person needs to create a 500-calorie deficit from 1,800 calories by either exercising or eating less. Keep in mind this is an approximate scale. Body type and fitness level play a part. It's recommended that the more overweight you are, the bigger the deficit you try and create (meaning: eat less). Just don't go below 1,200 cals /day. As you get into shape, you'll need to eat more to fuel your extra muscle.

    YOUR DAILY CALORIE INTAKE TO LOSE 1 LB. PER WEEK:
    add a zero to your body weight 150+0=1,500
    add 20% for extra daily activity +300
    Daily calories a day =1,800
    Subtract 500 calories a day -500
    By eating 500 calories less
    (or by burning 500 calories) =1,300

    I hope this helps I copied it from a GUIDEBOOK (Turbo results)
  • pamw22
    pamw22 Posts: 77
    Options
    Thanks everyone!!! Great reponses!!!

    Sugarskull5 our calculations are very similar!!! I'm going with what I figured out!!!

    Thanks Again Everyone :drinker:
  • msciccone1
    msciccone1 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    See I am so confused!!! :grumble: If you eat your exercise calories then there is no deficit so where does the weight loss happen? I have been consuming 1850/1900 calories based on what my BMR tells me which is 1900. I burn at least 700 calories daily. So am I supposed to eat 2600 calories!?! :noway: I ask cause I am about to do this because I haven't lost weight in 2 weeks and everyone is telling me to eat up my calories. What to do...:huh:
  • longhorns2
    longhorns2 Posts: 23
    Options
    add me to the confused list. LOL

    I can't get my scale to move, no matter if I add calories or take them away. It's annoying as all get out folks.
  • msciccone1
    msciccone1 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    To lose a pound a week, a 150-pound person needs to create a 500-calorie deficit from 1,800 calories by either exercising or eating less. Keep in mind this is an approximate scale. Body type and fitness level play a part. It's recommended that the more overweight you are, the bigger the deficit you try and create (meaning: eat less). Just don't go below 1,200 cals /day. As you get into shape, you'll need to eat more to fuel your extra muscle.

    YOUR DAILY CALORIE INTAKE TO LOSE 1 LB. PER WEEK:
    add a zero to your body weight 150+0=1,500
    add 20% for extra daily activity +300
    Daily calories a day =1,800
    Subtract 500 calories a day -500
    By eating 500 calories less
    (or by burning 500 calories) =1,300

    I hope this helps I copied it from a GUIDEBOOK (Turbo results)

    Finally an equation that makes sense to me. Thank you girl!!! I now know that if I burn 700 I need to eat at least 2000 calories and if I burn more even more. Thanks!!!!
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    Options
    :flowerforyou: Exercise calories are a bonus!

    ♥ You BMR is the amount of cals you would burn in a day if you sat around doing nothing...mine totals around 1900.

    ♥ I allow myself 1200 calories a day (not talking about exercise yet ladies/gents)

    ♥ This leaves me with a deficit of 700 calories (BMR (1900) - food cals (1200) = 700 calories.

    :flowerforyou: This is a very good deficit and will result in weight loss....:flowerforyou:

    700 calorie deficit for 7 days in a row = 4900 = between 1 and 1.5 lb loss per week.

    Okay, now lets look at us exercise bunnies :bigsmile:

    ♥ My BMR is 1900 = lying in bed, or sat around doing nothing I would burn this amount.

    ♥ I eat 1200 calories a day. BMR (1900) - food cals (1200) = 700 (calorie deficit)

    ♥ I exercise for 40 minutes and burn 400 calories. I have only eaten 1200 calories a day and have now burnt off 400. This leave me with: Food Cals (1200) - Exercise cals (400) = 800 calories!

    Thats leaves my body with only 800 calories to use for its physiological and nutritional benefit. I am at risk of slowing down my metabolism and starting the horrible journey into starvation mode!

    ♥ Therefore I increase my calorie by 400 and WAHEY!...I'm back to a healthy intake of 1200 calories a day!

    Make sure that the exercise calories you burn plus the food you eat are calculated to equal at LEAST 1200!

    1200 is the absolute minimum a body can successfully perform and function at. Exercise should be seen as an attempt to increase and improve fitness...not to increase your calorie intake! MFP does all of these calculations for you!

    And that, is why I love it sooo much :flowerforyou:
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
    Options
    I started wearing a Bodybugg about 9 months ago and it's been tremendous feedback. When I hit my first plateau (prior to getting the 'bugg'), I was eating around 1800 calories/day because I was doing considerable exercise. When I started wearing the Bodybugg, I learned that my daily average calorie burn (my BMR + lifestyle activity + exercise calories) was in the 2800-3100/day range. Clearly, I wasn't eating enough AT ALL. I bumped my calorie intake to around 2200-2300 (depending on the calorie burn for the day) and plateau busted.

    I've lighted my exercise load since then, and my average daily burn is in the 2400-2700/day range (though is right around 2000/day on a rest day). I have my food diary set at 2000 calories/day. Oftentimes I'll zig zag calories, staying at a 700 calorie/day deficit, and after 3 or 4 days, eat really close to maintenance, then go back into deficit.

    It's true...you need to burn 3500 calories to burn one pound. However, if you're calorie deficit is too large, you're doing more harm than good and causing your body to send out SOS signals telling your body to, "Slow down the metabolism! She's trying to starve us!"
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    Options
    Hi All :flowerforyou:

    I'm sure this Topic will interest many people so here we go:

    How many of you think that burning all your calories worked out will make you lose weight?
    How many of you think that you should eat more calories after a heavy work out to lose weight?
    How many of you think you should eat double your worked out calories to lose weight?
    How many of you think you think any of this is true?

    What are truly the facts?

    If your BMR is 1500 and your daily exercise is about 40% of that then we have a number of 2100-2300.
    You are burning 800 calories during your workouts this means you are left with 1300. You are on target right? Or wrong?

    Someone just told me that to lose weight you have to burn all the calories you've eaten. Could this be true? Is the math wrong?

    I calculated my BMR and my daily work outs.... On the high impact days where i burn 1100+ I have realized i need to up my calorie intake by 200-300, so I need to consume 1450-1550 on that day. On the light exercise days of 400-800 or no work out I can keep my calorie intake at 1200-1300.

    When are you starving you body?

    LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

    When you don't eat enough and work out you are holding on to FAT this is a fact!

    I'd love to hear back from everyone and would love to hear your opinion on this Topic since there are many questions out there and confusion that everyone has.

    I love you all :flowerforyou: and I love ZUMBA :love: ttee heeee

    If that is an out and out fact, please explain how come I do not eat my exercise calories, never have, but have consistenly lost weight - not muscle, but fat.

    It all depends on the person. With myself, I do not eat the exercise calories but I lose weight between 1lb to 2lb per week - last week it was 4lb. I feel the healthiest I have ever done and am not starving :smile:

    If there is a deficit of 3,500 calories, 1lb will come off, if there is an extra 3,500 calories taken in, 1lb will go on. It's as simple as that. Calories in versus calories out.
  • gobbledook
    Options
    61lb in just under 3 months...!! wow..well done..Ive lost 13lb in three weeks :) i lost 12 in the first week and then seemed to stop...im not quitting tho im keeping up the healthy eating and the excercise so hopefully it will keep coming off...........
  • StarryEyedGirl
    Options
    information overload! I need someone to figure out the math for me!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Options
    I'm sure this Topic will interest many people so here we go:

    How many of you think that burning all your calories worked out will make you lose weight? Burning or eating? Eating? I think it depends. Works for me.
    How many of you think that you should eat more calories after a heavy work out to lose weight? If you have calories left, then sure.
    How many of you think you should eat double your worked out calories to lose weight? Nope.
    How many of you think you think any of this is true? Hmmm. I'm skeptical.

    What are truly the facts?

    If your BMR is 1500 and your daily exercise is about 40% of that then we have a number of 2100-2300.
    You are burning 800 calories during your workouts this means you are left with 1300. You are on target right? Or wrong? No. You should be eating much more.

    Someone just told me that to lose weight you have to burn all the calories you've eaten. Could this be true? Is the math wrong? YES, it's wrong. You would die if you did that.

    I calculated my BMR and my daily work outs.... On the high impact days where i burn 1100+ I have realized i need to up my calorie intake by 200-300, so I need to consume 1450-1550 on that day. On the light exercise days of 400-800 or no work out I can keep my calorie intake at 1200-1300.

    When are you starving you body? When you don't get enough nutrients, whether it be from eating crappy food, not eating enough food, or simply working out too hard and not replenishing.
  • Rainmaker_9
    Options
    Clearly math is not my subject! Can you help make sure I'm figuring this out right?

    So current weight 197.5 + 20%= 2463 - 500 for exercise = 1963 daily calories???
    So I need to make sure I eat 1963 to lose 1 pound a week right?

    I have been doing 1200 calories and exercising 500=700 guess this is way to low cause I have not been eating back the calories I burned....Help please! Want to try to lose 6 pounds by July 24th...

    designamite
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    Options
    As I understand it:

    If your BMR is 1500 and your daily exercise is about 40% of that then we have a number of 2100-2300.
    You are burning 800 calories during your workouts this means you are left with 1300. You are on target right? Or wrong?

    Probably. Depends on lifestyle (sedentary, activity, etc). I think most people typically do it another way though and calculate how much they need to eat to lose if they DON'T exercise and then eat the exercise calories back. That's what I do, just so I don't eat 1800 or more calories on a rest day. That and you want to be sure to not aim for more than a 2 lb a week loss or you could see some real issues with energy. Your BMR is just what your body would burn if you were in bed all day. If your BMR is 1500, you could still have an extremely physically demanding job that burns tons of calories daily. Typically you don't want to aim for more than a 1000 calorie deficit from your daily needs, which is BMR PLUS lifestyle.
    Someone just told me that to lose weight you have to burn all the calories you've eaten. Could this be true? Is the math wrong?

    Technically, I think this is right and I think what the person meant is right, I'm just not sure anyone is understanding what this person meant exactly. To lose weight calories in needs to be less than calories out.

    For example, my BMR is around 1670. Plus sedentary lifestyle burning (desk job) according to MFP my daily caloric allowance to MAINTAIN my weight is 2030. So, for a 1 lb a week loss, you would subtract 500 calories and eat 1530.

    So you are technically burning all of the calories you eat. That DOES NOT mean that if you work out and burn 800 calories you can only eat 800 or less. Cuz, yeh, that would definitely result in end game pretty quick. When thinking of the amount of calories you burn, you have to keep in mind everything you do other than work out - including live.

    I calculated my BMR and my daily work outs.... On the high impact days where i burn 1100+ I have realized i need to up my calorie intake by 200-300, so I need to consume 1450-1550 on that day. On the light exercise days of 400-800 or no work out I can keep my calorie intake at 1200-1300.

    When are you starving you body?

    There are a lot of arguments, but assuming we're going by the standard 1200 rule, the circumstances you posted would be the equivalent of starving your body.

    Under the MFP rule of below 1200 is starvation mode, you have to consume 1200 calories NET each day. So you'd take your total calories and subtract the exercise. So on your high impact days you sound like you're eating 350-450 calories. And on light exercise days 900 at most and 400 at worst. Far below the 1200.

    I hope I got all the quotes right!
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
    Options
    It really bugs me when people talk about starvation mode without having done any of the research on it. The simple facts of one of the only studies where they actually starved people tonsee what would happen are simple.

    1st Starvation mode is reached when a person consumes 50% or less of thier BMR. The actual number varies widely from person to person, but it was determined that a 2000 calories a day diet was average. Add in a 10% safety factor so that you don't go below 40% reduction and you get the magical 1200 calories.

    2nd starvation mode slows your metabolism by 10%. since you are consuming 50% fewer calories you still have a huge calorie deficet and will loose weight. Starvation mode does not stop weight loss. For it to do that your metabolism would have to slow 50%, and you'd be in a coma or mostly dead.

    And 3rd starvation mode SERIOUSLY messes up your body's chemical balances, vitamin and mineral levels, and starts wreckin havok with you internal organs. Do not under any circumstance starve yourself to loose weight.

    Sorry for not posting the link to the study, but work's internet is less than friendly. You can google "starvation study" and find several reviews of it.

    The usual culprit for a plateau is water retention. Your body has a ton of reasons for hanging onto an ounce or two of water. As you loose fat it holds onto some water, as you loose weight it's letting go of that water. It may take a few weeks or even a month for it to let go, but it will eventually. Just keep within your goal and ignore the scale until it decides to cooperate.