What happens when..weight loss question

whisperfitandhealthy
whisperfitandhealthy Posts: 66
in Health and Weight Loss
What happens if you go over your maintenance calories by say 1000, but afterwards you burn them all off by working out? do you gain weight still, or maintain? I'm sorry for the silly question..

Replies

  • evastria
    evastria Posts: 30 Member
    Not a silly question ^^ ill answer to the best of my knowledge (and my knowledge just comes from other things ive read)

    You have a basic metabolic rate, which when paired with your general activity level (not inc exercise) gives you your basic calorie need for the day to maintain (you can find this calculator online). Its obviously not spot on because everyone is different.

    You then create a deficit in order to lose (rule of thumb is 3500 deficit a week equals a loss of 1 lb so thats a deficit of 500 cals a day).

    You can go over this so long as you burn it off again, so the short answer is yes, as long as you exercise off the extra 1000 cals you will be at the same you where before.

    But! Bear is mind the exercise/calories burned on myfitnesspal is not accurate according to many of its users, so when mfp says youve burned 1000 cals you probs havent. The best thing to get is a heart rate monitor for that.

    Maybe try having small treats throughout the week and make sure you do enough exercise to compensate for them ^^
  • 503pdx
    503pdx Posts: 31
    The best way to look at it is on a weekly average. Let's say your maintenance is 2,000 calories a day or 14,000 a week.

    Add up what you ate for the week and subtract any burned for your balance. If you have less than 14.000 then you will loose weight that week, more than 14,000 you will gain or if you are at 14,000 you will maintain.

    You can look at it daily, but if you have a day you splurge a little more don't obsess over it. It's all about the averages. 3,500 calories is a pound loss so with the above model if you consumed 10,500 for the week you will loose a pound.

    It is about your net calories as well. If you maintain at 2,000 calories but you eat 3,000 in a day but also burn off 1,000 during exercise it is a net of 2,000 calories or maintenance.
  • kittikat1119
    kittikat1119 Posts: 96 Member
    All good answers above. Just keep in mind that the scale may show an immediate gain, but it will come back off. So long as cals in equal cals out you should do fine.

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