Probably a silly questions about under/over calories

shavasana35
shavasana35 Posts: 6 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
So, I'm not sure I'm doing this right. I want to lose about 10 pounds. I'm allotted 1,200 calories a day and I work a desk job so I chose the "sedentary" category. Some days I'll eat about 1,000 because I'm simply not that hungry. Some days I'll eat 1,600. At least 3 times a week, I do 1.5-2 hours of exercise and burn about 600-800 calories (spinning, running, weights, yoga).

So, on those days when I hit exactly 1,200 and do a spin class, I get a deficit of 400-600 calories. Am I not eating enough? Should I eat more on those days to hit the 1,200 to make up for the loss? Will I go into starvation mode? Or, is it right to eat 1,200 and burn as much as you can of it? I guess I'm wondering if a 1,200 intake should always be my goal no matter the exercise.

This has probably been answered here, but I just want to make sure I'm not ruining my metabolism.

Thanks!

Replies

  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
    Not silly at all and it's the burning question always :)

    This is the BEST thread and explains it much better then I ever could (why reinvent the wheel right?)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/117726-eating-exercise-cals-slowing-your-weight-loss-read-this
  • Bthack
    Bthack Posts: 48
    Yes, you'll want to try and hit a NET of 1200 on the days you do a lot of exercise or you won't be fueling your body enough.
  • shavasana35
    shavasana35 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks so much for posting that link. I'll probably will have to read it a few times to really get it.

    So basically, I have to experiment a bit to make sure that (1) I'm being accurate with what I log, (2) that my daily total is right for me, (3) I'm eating enough but not too much of my exercise calories. And that I never want a deficit of more than 1,000 including exercise.

    I think I got it...

    Thanks again!
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