THE answers to THE questions

:glasses:

Bump Bump

"The scale is the devil"
truer words have never been spoken

I'm still trying to figure it all out but your post was well written and easy to understand; thank you!!!

Now if I can just apply what you've explained... I've been under my recommended calories every day for a week now... and I'm not exercising.

B


U


M


P


!!!:bigsmile:

Whumpety bump bump....:bigsmile:

BUMP :flowerforyou:

Quoting:
[[If I understand correctly, the BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the number of calories that our body would burn if it were laying in bed all day. When we tell the MFP tool that we want to lose 1 pound a week, it will subtract 500 calories a day from our BMR. So, if your BMR is 2000 and you want to lose 1 pound a week it will subract the 500 calories from your BMR. 1500 would be the amount of calories that you would need to eat in order to lose that pound.]]

Actually, this is partially correct.
BMR is the number of calories one's body would need to rest all day long, as you say. That is NOT, however, the calories that MFP uses as the starting point from which to subtract calories in order to lose weight. THAT number is calculated from info we give about how active we "normally" are.

For instance, one category was "sedentary, desk job". Another was "light activity (I don't recall the exact titles to these categories, but this is close), such as nurse", the next was "moderate activity, such as landscaper" and the last was "heavy laborer, such as bricklayer." Based on our responses to this question, they add in more calories for our age and height that they estimate we are burning WITHOUT purposefully exercising.

Using myself as an example, my BMR is approx. 1300 cal/day. When they add in the "usual activity" calories, I am up to about 1850 cal/day, since I said I am in the "light" activity category. So for me to lose one pound per week WITHOUT exercising, I would need to eat 1350 calories per day.

If I DO exercise, then those calories can be added on to the 1850, and THEN I could subtract the 500 cal./day I need to maintain a pound per week weight loss from that new number.

As far as whether it is necessary to eat the exercise calories... I have a couple of comments.

First, I think vivia is right... it is VERY easy to overestimate how many calories we have burned with exercise. I know for sure I have come up with different estimations based on different systems. I'd suggest erring on the side of being low than on the side of being high, which sets you up for discouragement.

Second, research shows that if you cut calories without exercising, not only will you not build muscle, you will LOSE some bone and muscle instead of losing all fat... NOT good! So exercise is critically important.

Third, exercising does increase your metabolism for an hour or so after a HARD workout. This is well documented and another benefit of exercise, BUT it doesn't happen just by walking around the block for 20 minutes, and it is easy to overestimate this effect. It's only a handfull of extra calories burned.

Fourth, if you are haven't eaten all your calories for the day when you have "earned" extra calories for that day and you are NOT hungry, don't eat. If this is happening a lot, OR if you are feeling tired and weak, OR if you are dropping weight faster than you intend, then I'd worry about it. Otherwise, it si GOOD to listen to your body's real hunger signals.

Fifth, it is true that you can put yourself into metabolic hibernation by eating too little, but if you are eating at LEAST your BMR calories every day, and you are exercising most days of the week, you are not likely to reach this state.

OK, I"ll quit rambling here....

:yawn:

i looove this post great info

Awesome thread! Thanks!