I just don't understand calories in vs. calories out!

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sunshine_machine
sunshine_machine Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm having such a hard time understanding the one basic rule of weight loss: burn more calories than you consume.

I will say (rather proudly) that I have lost thirteen pounds since last year; last November, I weighed 128lbs. and I currently weigh 115. Therefore, I obviously got that calorie rule right somewhere along the line. However, when I made the decision to lose weight, I never really tracked what I ate at all like I'm doing now on MFP. I just ate the way I normally did, eventually becoming vegetarian back in May. I could attribute the weight loss to both the diet change as well as my 20-30 minute high-intensity interval training on my treadmill every day of the week (yes, I do mean every single day!), but I still don't understand the rule about how you need to burn more calories than you consume. Does that mean that if I ate 1,200 calories in one day, I have to burn say 1,300 calories in that same day? Or do I have to burn more in an entire week? I need help understanding this!

Also, now that I've finally achieved my goal weight, what is the best way for me to maintain it? I never want to get all the way back up to 128lbs!

Replies

  • leslielove
    leslielove Posts: 251 Member
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    Ok, you need to calculate your BMR. You need to eat less than your BMR. You burn more calories by existing than the calories you are taking in.

    Alternatively, eat your BMR and exercise. The calories you burn from BMR + exercise will still be less than what you ate.

    OR, you can eat less than your BMR and burn more calories through exercise.

    You need to burn more calories through a combination of BMR and exercise than you put in your body every day.

    The theory doesn't always work for everyone but that's the idea.

    To maintain, keep exercising and up your calories. Try to eat what you are burning. Problem solved.
  • WonderNoodle
    WonderNoodle Posts: 549
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    Well it is simple as burn more than you consume, but that doesn't mean you have to workout to burn 1,300 calories, your body during normal daily activity, sleeping even, burns calories.

    If you go to your "Goals" page, top right it will show you your "normal daily activity" calories burned.
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
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    How do we figure out our BMR? Lets just put out a random number say we figured that our BMR is 1900 then in order to loose weight we just need to eat less then that?
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Ok, you need to calculate your BMR. You need to eat less than your BMR. You burn more calories by existing than the calories you are taking in.

    Alternatively, eat your BMR and exercise. The calories you burn from BMR + exercise will still be less than what you ate.

    OR, you can eat less than your BMR and burn more calories through exercise.

    You need to burn more calories through a combination of BMR and exercise than you put in your body every day.

    The theory doesn't always work for everyone but that's the idea.

    To maintain, keep exercising and up your calories. Try to eat what you are burning. Problem solved.

    Just a little note to add on this.

    Just know that all the numbers you get are an average for most people. But once you find the magic number that works for you, then you will see how well it works.

    Another trick yu can do. Find the BMR of the weight you want to be and just eat that. Would take longer but if you want to keep it off for ever, you can start living the life of that person now and be use to it by the time you reach that magic goal weight.
  • gibran30
    gibran30 Posts: 30 Member
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    Amarillo, what did you mean when you said keep exercising and up your calories? I would of thought I need to decrease the amount of calories i eat
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    Please go read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    Your BMR does not equal your maintenance calories. The above link explains it better than I could.
  • WonderNoodle
    WonderNoodle Posts: 549
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    Please go read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    Your BMR does not equal your maintenance calories. The above link explains it better than I could.


    GREAT THREAD! Thank you for recommending!
  • sunshine_machine
    sunshine_machine Posts: 11
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    Please go read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    Your BMR does not equal your maintenance calories. The above link explains it better than I could.

    SO helpful! Thank you so much for that link! Everyone else's comments were helpful as well, thank you everyone! I think I'm slowly starting to understand now. So let's see if I got this right:

    To maintain my current weight, I need to eat around 1,800 calories a day, and that's with exercise?
    Then, if I wanted to lose weight, I need around 1,300 calories a day, again that's with exercise?
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    Please go read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/30898-bmr-vs-tdee-what-mfp-is-telling-you

    Your BMR does not equal your maintenance calories. The above link explains it better than I could.

    SO helpful! Thank you so much for that link! Everyone else's comments were helpful as well, thank you everyone! I think I'm slowly starting to understand now. So let's see if I got this right:

    To maintain my current weight, I need to eat around 1,800 calories a day, and that's with exercise?
    Then, if I wanted to lose weight, I need around 1,300 calories a day, again that's with exercise?

    Impossible to know for sure. What you need to eat (without knowing your height and weight) The way MFP is set up, your "with exercise" will vary from day to day, so that 1800 a day might be with "activity" (above and beyond your BMR).

    Long story short, enter your goals here at MFP, and then eat what it tells you to, plus some or even all of your exercise calories (as you are already quite small, more of your exercise calories would be better for you in the long run).

    HTH.

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