Calorie Question

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ajsawrie
ajsawrie Posts: 38 Member
edited March 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
This may be a very dumb question, so bear with me!

I'm new to fitness and weight loss, but I weigh 307 lbs and need to lose about half of that. So far I've been eating around 1100 - 1300 cals a day and feeling great. Should I be exercising enough to burn all the cals I eat every day?

For instance, if I eat 2 70 - cal eggs for breakfast, should I do enough exercise to burn 140 cals? Then do the same for lunch and dinner? I've learned I actually don't mind working out since my gym has machines with televisions mounted on them. Lol

Replies

  • caileag26
    caileag26 Posts: 29 Member
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    No. You need food to fuel your heart and lungs and such. If you burn off everything you eat then it is the same as not eating at all. If you exercise, you need to make sure you are eating enough calories to cover part of the exercise so you don't starve. I try to stay around 1100cal but if I bothered to go to the gym and burned 300cal on the treadmill, then I would make sure to eat at least 1250cal that day.
  • ajsawrie
    ajsawrie Posts: 38 Member
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    That helps, thank you!
  • brrrycicle
    brrrycicle Posts: 64 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Your body burns calories just by being alive.

    The calorie limit that MFP gives you should allow for you to eat all the calories and STILL lose weight without exercise. 1200 calories is the base minimum for women unless you are of short stature (5'0" or under) or have a health condition that necessitates it. I would recommend eating at least 1200 calories and then eating back half of the calories you burn working out.

    Good luck! ✌
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    You want to eat at a sustainable level.

    If you starve yourself you won't be able to stick to that calorie limit long enough to reach your goal.
    brrrycicle wrote: »
    Your body burns calories just by being alive.

    The calorie limit that MFP gives you should allow for you to eat all the calories and STILL lose weight without exercise. 1200 calories is the base minimum for women unless you are of short stature (5'0" or under) or have a health condition that necessitates it. I would recommend eating at least 1200 calories and then eating back half of the calories you burn working out.

    Good luck! ✌

    Do this.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    If you're currently over 300 lbs, there's no way you should be eating as few calories as you are right now, that's crazy. Eat enough for steady weight loss. You'd probably find yourself losing weight steadily, while eating upwards of 1800 calories a day.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    AJ_G wrote: »
    If you're currently over 300 lbs, there's no way you should be eating as few calories as you are right now, that's crazy. Eat enough for steady weight loss. You'd probably find yourself losing weight steadily, while eating upwards of 1800 calories a day.

    Good pickup. Yep.

    MFP should give you a reasonable calorie limit, plus eat back at least half what you earn from exercise.

    Not sure where the 1200 came from, but I'd ignore it.
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
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    You should be eating close to 1700-1800 calories at your weight. I know personally for me being at 211 I'm eating 1400-1500 calories and losing.
  • chulipa
    chulipa Posts: 650 Member
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    When i was at 287 mfp gave me 1260 for 2 lbs loss a week but not long it dropped it to 1200
  • LC107
    LC107 Posts: 41 Member
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    In my late teen years I thought the same as you OP and developed anorexia nervosa. It took me a while to really grasp my body burned calories even when I was sleeping (not many but nonetheless). So, no this is not a stupid question, this is a very good question. You do not need to burn off the calories you eat, unless you eat over and only then I wouldn't kill yourself over it. For instance if your goal is to stay at 1300 calories and you go to 1500 then burning an extra 100-200 calories in a workout isn't bad just depends on you and your energy for that day.
  • ajsawrie
    ajsawrie Posts: 38 Member
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    xtina315 wrote: »
    You should be eating close to 1700-1800 calories at your weight. I know personally for me being at 211 I'm eating 1400-1500 calories and losing.

    Thanks everyone for your advice!

    I've been overweight my whole life and I honestly don't know how to lose weight. It seems so simple yet it's so complex!

    I take Adderall for severe ADHD (which makes me not want to eat) and my weight has gone up in the past from not eating all day, then binging all night (on fast food, chips, etc) when it wears off. I was eating close to 3,000 cals a day, sometimes more.

    So I literally have to force myself to eat throughout the day. I can't imagine where I could find another 700 healthy cals per day without going back to my binging ways.

    On another note, I have a very healthy body image. I just have had trouble with eating because I take medicine that curbs my appetite to an extreme point. I do not have, nor have I ever had, an ED.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
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    For context I'm 301lbs, lightly active, eat 1910 calories a day, and lose approx 2lb a week.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
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    OP, I've seen how the ADHD meds can affect appetite. It makes it hard for these folks to even remain at a normal body weight sometimes, but a few ideas for you:

    1. Wake up and eat a decent breakfast in the morning before your meds kick in. You should be eating more than 2 eggs at 140 calories. Try adding a bowl of oatmeal or maybe some whole wheat toast? You body needs fuel. Even yogurt with some berries. But get a good meal in to start. Plus, if you wake up early to start your day, you can get the meds going earlier, which means they can wear off earlier and you won't be last minute binging at night!
    2. Plan out your meals ahead of time. If you wait for the meds to wane, you'll be scrounging desperately for anything. If you plan it out ahead of time, have fruit ready, healthy snacks, and have a plan ready to go, you won't fall off the wagon each day into a 3,000 calorie tail spin.
    3. Exercise can be a great way to regulate ADHD symptoms, too. Plus, it will allow you to eat more during the day (or when you come down at night) and you won't blow your goal for the day.

    It's another challenge for you, but it is very manageable and you can still do this! You just need to plan out your attack and execute one day, one meal, at a time!

    You got this!
  • 424a57
    424a57 Posts: 140 Member
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    I found a great calculator the other day. The Body Weight Planner. Using my accumulated data, it seems pretty accurate.

    https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    OP, I'd be very careful with the amount you're eating. I'm almost half your weight (156) and I eat 1300 cals a day. What you don't want is to feel like you're starving and then binge. That's counterproductive!
  • alanatkin9
    alanatkin9 Posts: 6 Member
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    if you continue eating so few calories you will crash and become ill.

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