Some Basic Questions

MFP's calorie recommendation is before exercise - so feel free to eat additional on the days you work out. Be aware that its easy to overestimate how much we burn thru exercise, so if you think its 500 it could easily be less. Perhaps try eating an extra 200-300?

Exercise is for fitness, calorie deficit is for weight loss. And when you put in your stats, goal: MFP generated a recommended calorie intake that has a deficit built in.

The difference in running (or other exercise of choice) and eating more vs. eating 700? You're not comparing apples to apples. If you don't exercise: you need to eat 1340/day. That's to give you energy, nutrition to handle your regular daily activities. If you cut it to 700 because you don't want to exercise, you can do damage to your body by not providing it with the nutrients that it needs. Over time, your energy levels would suffer and you might be tired often. Your skin, hair, nails would look unhealthy. You'd probably decide 'I can't live like this' and might end up giving up completely, going back to old ways. Gaining weight until the next time you decide to do something about it. Its a rough cycle.

You can still eat whatever you choose. The difference now is being mindful of how that adds up daily. Think of your caloric needs as a budget. Make sure you get adequate protein, fruits & veggies. And fit in other things as is appropriate. Food is not good or bad, its fuel. We tend to assign it positive or negative qualities, but it doesn't have those naturally.

drewst18 wrote: »

My caloric intake calls for 1340/day if I burn 500 calories in a workout do I have to put that calorie count back into my diet to remain healthy and avoid risks?

Common sense would say no you don't or else whats the point in running if I just have to put the calories back anyway, but if I don't have to what is the difference between this and just eating 700 calories and not running (not saying that I want to do that, just curious)

Running gives you cardio vascular endurance, lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and it burns through a lot of calories if you want to eat more and still lose weight.

If all you're wanting to do is lose weight then just have a calorie deficit. There's no need to exercise to lose.

drewst18 wrote: »

Also, for those who have done this is checking your weight 3-4x a day a normal thing or something I should try to control a bit more.

First thing in the morning after you pee. All other weigh ins are pointless and will vary depending on what you've eaten or had to drink lately. A large glass of water can bump your weight up a pound but that doesn't mean you're fatter. Weigh in before you eat, drink, or workout.

Calorie deficit is how you lose weight. Often people find both exercising and eating a calorie deficit difficult in the beginning. I recommend getting your eating under control for a few weeks before you try to add exercise. Exercise increases cravings so you need to measure your will power. You can become more active without scheduled exercise though. I lost 100lbs without stepping foot in a gym or running a single mile but I did become more active. I deliberately got up and moved around if I had been sitting for more than a minute or 2, I parked further away, I took the stairs, I danced with my toddler in the living room, all of these things allowed me to burn more without craving more.

I love the gym now and I am in there 5-6 days a week but I didn't start that until I had mastered my maintenance diet.

As far as checking your weight, I agree with the previous comments that you should do it first thing in the morning after you use the restroom. I limit myself to once a week, I weigh myself only on Wednesday mornings before my workout. You could do twice a week, but I would not do it more than that.