For those confused or questioning "Eating your exercise calo

i have heard many people say "dont end your day with extra calories!" but if i log my daily total with 300 remaining it says...if everyday were like today in five weeks you would weigh ___" if you end your day at just right it says if everyday were like today in five weeks you would weigh MORE!! so how is it possible that it makes it more difficult to lose? logically in my eyes...if you eat less you gain less. ???????? so confusing...I AM ALMOST READY TO GIVE UP!

If you set up your goals correctly, and then eat exactly what it tells you, assuming you set a goal of losing weight, it would always tell you you would weigh less.

You are forgetting (and a lot of people do this), That the calories this site wants you to eat, is PRE-SET at a weight loss, so if you eat the amount the site tells you too, you are already at a calorie deficit. If you don't eat your exercise calories then you are expanding the deficit, which could bring you into starvation, which, after a few weeks, can start to have serious consequences as well as pretty much halt weight loss.

Thanks this was So helpfull(i'm a newby - (4 weeks). My scale has hardly moved the past two weeks! I work HARD to burn off those cals each day. Iv'e been burning 6-900 cals 6 days a week with exercize but have keept my intake at 12-1350. So this explains alot. I was wondering why I was'nt feeling stronger! so if I add back those excercize calories everything shuld be fine, right?

Well, I mean, we can't say anything for CERTAIN. But if your burning 600 to 900 and only eating 1200 to 1350, I would say that you are definitely eating too few. that means your total calories consumed is somewhere between 300 and 750 calories, that's crazy low. If it says 1200 is your minimum, then that means 1200 calories consumed AFTER you subtract your exercise calories.

Keep re-reading these posts and I understand and agree with it. However, after an initial 2 lb weight loss, I put on 6 lbsl (4 of them overnight) and have been stuck ever since. (Mid July)

I am extremely active working out 6 days a week/ For example this weekend I burned 1000 cals on Saturday and 1500 HRM (1270 as per MFP). So I had a huge chunk of cals to eat. Obviously I didn't get them all in, but was close to 2000 cals. My BMR is around 1300 and most days I do get in all cals, about 1800. I burn anywhere from 300-600 cals per regular day with exercise so I am spot on.

So then, why aren't I losing. Yes, I am menopausal, muscular and only had about 13 lbs to lose (now 18). I do mix up my exercises, doing cardio and strength training (follow P90X program) with some running and cycling thrown in (doubles) maybe 2-3 times a week.

Any insight? Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

Carol

13 pounds to lose you shouldn't be anywhere near a 1000 calorie deficit. here, read this post, it should help.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi

FYI, gaining 4 lbs overnight, it's almost certainly water weight (and/or waste). There's not a heck of a lot you can do about that except know that to gain 4 lbs overnight you would have to eat somewhere in the neighborhood of 11000 (yes thousand!) calories or more. Most people would (mistakenly) think you would have to eat around 14000 calories, but the food is broken down and combined with water, and oxygen and other minerals so you don't actually have to eat 3500 calories to gain a pound, but you do have to eat close to it. So don't worry about having gained overnight, it wasn't fat you gained, or even muscle, it was just water.
Oh, and side note. Make sure you break up your eating into small groups, if you don't even if you stay in your calorie limits, you could be adding fat. The body can only process so much food at a time, anything more then that at one time and it get's stored. So small meals throughout the day is better for constant fuel.