My Macros

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Replies

  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.

    Hey -- people are trying to help you in various ways (including sharing things that worked for them when they were losing weight). Not everyone has the same approach, but I'm not comfortable with my advice being used to chastise other people who are genuinely trying to help you.

    You don't have to take all the advice, but people are trying to help you out. :)
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.

    Hey -- people are trying to help you in various ways (including sharing things that worked for them when they were losing weight). Not everyone has the same approach, but I'm not comfortable with my advice being used to chastise other people who are genuinely trying to help you.

    You don't have to take all the advice, but people are trying to help you out. :)

    I
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.

    Hey -- people are trying to help you in various ways (including sharing things that worked for them when they were losing weight). Not everyone has the same approach, but I'm not comfortable with my advice being used to chastise other people who are genuinely trying to help you.

    You don't have to take all the advice, but people are trying to help you out. :)

    I apprecia
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.

    Hey -- people are trying to help you in various ways (including sharing things that worked for them when they were losing weight). Not everyone has the same approach, but I'm not comfortable with my advice being used to chastise other people who are genuinely trying to help you.

    You don't have to take all the advice, but people are trying to help you out. :)
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    @deannalfisher you see how this person stays on topic? This is what a forum is all about. Continuing to talk about the main thread and conversing back and forth and listening to everyones advice and then if queations arise we can all help each other out and learn new things. Not making assumptions and going off topic.

    Hey -- people are trying to help you in various ways (including sharing things that worked for them when they were losing weight). Not everyone has the same approach, but I'm not comfortable with my advice being used to chastise other people who are genuinely trying to help you.

    You don't have to take all the advice, but people are trying to help you out. :)

    I appreciate your help! I do not have a lot of excess weight everywhere. My only issue is the lower abdominal visceral fat. The baby fat if you will. My goal is to decrease my body fat % so that I can get abs and be able to maintain and eventually grow the lean muscle. I dont know if anyone here has this exact goal but its the visceral fat I am trying to target more than anything else
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    I am new to this app so I am still trying to navigate it. So i figure out how many calories I burned during exercise and eat that amount of calories directly afterwards to cancel them out? And I assume the calories I eat before the workout are part of my base calories. The only thing I do not understand is how I will still be left in a deficit if I am going to put the same amount of calories back into my body that I burned off. Where can I find this formula?

    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, then it's accounting for the base calories you need to live -- what your body naturally burns each day plus your everyday activity. If you tell MFP you want to lose weight, it will then subtract calories from this to create a deficit for you.

    Let's say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight with your everyday activity. If you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal from MFP will be 1,500. That is a deficit for you, a deficit of 500 calories.

    Now let's say you go for a run and burn 200 calories. Your deficit is now 700 calories (because you burned 200 more calories than MFP assumed you would). You can eat those 200 back and still be at your original deficit of 1,500.

    MFP is handy because it does these calculations for you when you log your exercise. However, you can do them yourself (if you have a source to tell how many calories you're burning through exercise).

    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    Your base calories are the calories you burn just from living and the calories you are burning through your daily activity (like your job or household tasks). You don't have to "try" to burn them off, you're already burning them off each day.

    I know that if I just wake up in the morning and sit in bed watching TV all day, I'm going to burn calories. I don't have to try to do this, my body needs that just to live. By the time I get to work or just hang out around my apartment, I'll burn about 1,460. I don't have to focus on doing this, I know it is happening each day.

    Makes more sense now. Thank you!
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    I am new to this app so I am still trying to navigate it. So i figure out how many calories I burned during exercise and eat that amount of calories directly afterwards to cancel them out? And I assume the calories I eat before the workout are part of my base calories. The only thing I do not understand is how I will still be left in a deficit if I am going to put the same amount of calories back into my body that I burned off. Where can I find this formula?

    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, then it's accounting for the base calories you need to live -- what your body naturally burns each day plus your everyday activity. If you tell MFP you want to lose weight, it will then subtract calories from this to create a deficit for you.

    Let's say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight with your everyday activity. If you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal from MFP will be 1,500. That is a deficit for you, a deficit of 500 calories.

    Now let's say you go for a run and burn 200 calories. Your deficit is now 700 calories (because you burned 200 more calories than MFP assumed you would). You can eat those 200 back and still be at your original deficit of 1,500.

    MFP is handy because it does these calculations for you when you log your exercise. However, you can do them yourself (if you have a source to tell how many calories you're burning through exercise).

    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    Your base calories are the calories you burn just from living and the calories you are burning through your daily activity (like your job or household tasks). You don't have to "try" to burn them off, you're already burning them off each day.

    I know that if I just wake up in the morning and sit in bed watching TV all day, I'm going to burn calories. I don't have to try to do this, my body needs that just to live. By the time I get to work or just hang out around my apartment, I'll burn about 1,460. I don't have to focus on doing this, I know it is happening each day.

    Makes more sense now. Thank you!

    Okay so I changed my goal to something more realistic such as losing 1 lb of fat per week. This increased my base calories to 2,370. Now what is this base calorie amount telling me? What does it include and what does it not include if this makes any sense? For instance, are these 2,370 calories simply my maintenance calories or are they calories with a deficit included?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    I am new to this app so I am still trying to navigate it. So i figure out how many calories I burned during exercise and eat that amount of calories directly afterwards to cancel them out? And I assume the calories I eat before the workout are part of my base calories. The only thing I do not understand is how I will still be left in a deficit if I am going to put the same amount of calories back into my body that I burned off. Where can I find this formula?

    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, then it's accounting for the base calories you need to live -- what your body naturally burns each day plus your everyday activity. If you tell MFP you want to lose weight, it will then subtract calories from this to create a deficit for you.

    Let's say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight with your everyday activity. If you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal from MFP will be 1,500. That is a deficit for you, a deficit of 500 calories.

    Now let's say you go for a run and burn 200 calories. Your deficit is now 700 calories (because you burned 200 more calories than MFP assumed you would). You can eat those 200 back and still be at your original deficit of 1,500.

    MFP is handy because it does these calculations for you when you log your exercise. However, you can do them yourself (if you have a source to tell how many calories you're burning through exercise).

    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    Your base calories are the calories you burn just from living and the calories you are burning through your daily activity (like your job or household tasks). You don't have to "try" to burn them off, you're already burning them off each day.

    I know that if I just wake up in the morning and sit in bed watching TV all day, I'm going to burn calories. I don't have to try to do this, my body needs that just to live. By the time I get to work or just hang out around my apartment, I'll burn about 1,460. I don't have to focus on doing this, I know it is happening each day.

    Makes more sense now. Thank you!

    Okay so I changed my goal to something more realistic such as losing 1 lb of fat per week. This increased my base calories to 2,370. Now what is this base calorie amount telling me? What does it include and what does it not include if this makes any sense? For instance, are these 2,370 calories simply my maintenance calories or are they calories with a deficit included?

    If you told MFP that your goal is to lose 1 pound a week, then 2,370 is a deficit.

    It includes your BMR (basal metabolic rate, the calories you'd burn from living even if you stayed in bed all day) and the calories estimated for your regular, non-exercise activities (this will be based on the activity level you chose -- if you chose sedentary, it assumes you will burn fewer each day -- active, assumes you will burn more). It won't include any of the exercise you're doing in addition to your daily life. Once it knows how many calories you need to maintain, it calculates the deficit you need to lose 1 pound a week -- that is how it came up with 2,370.

    Assuming you entered your stats correctly and chose the right activity level, then 2,370 is a deficit for you. You can then log any extra exercise you are doing in MFP and will eat back at least a portion of those calories.

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    I am new to this app so I am still trying to navigate it. So i figure out how many calories I burned during exercise and eat that amount of calories directly afterwards to cancel them out? And I assume the calories I eat before the workout are part of my base calories. The only thing I do not understand is how I will still be left in a deficit if I am going to put the same amount of calories back into my body that I burned off. Where can I find this formula?

    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, then it's accounting for the base calories you need to live -- what your body naturally burns each day plus your everyday activity. If you tell MFP you want to lose weight, it will then subtract calories from this to create a deficit for you.

    Let's say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight with your everyday activity. If you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal from MFP will be 1,500. That is a deficit for you, a deficit of 500 calories.

    Now let's say you go for a run and burn 200 calories. Your deficit is now 700 calories (because you burned 200 more calories than MFP assumed you would). You can eat those 200 back and still be at your original deficit of 1,500.

    MFP is handy because it does these calculations for you when you log your exercise. However, you can do them yourself (if you have a source to tell how many calories you're burning through exercise).

    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    Your base calories are the calories you burn just from living and the calories you are burning through your daily activity (like your job or household tasks). You don't have to "try" to burn them off, you're already burning them off each day.

    I know that if I just wake up in the morning and sit in bed watching TV all day, I'm going to burn calories. I don't have to try to do this, my body needs that just to live. By the time I get to work or just hang out around my apartment, I'll burn about 1,460. I don't have to focus on doing this, I know it is happening each day.

    Makes more sense now. Thank you!

    Okay so I changed my goal to something more realistic such as losing 1 lb of fat per week. This increased my base calories to 2,370. Now what is this base calorie amount telling me? What does it include and what does it not include if this makes any sense? For instance, are these 2,370 calories simply my maintenance calories or are they calories with a deficit included?

    2870 would be your non-exercise day maintenance calories.
    Selecting 1lb/week loss takes 500 off that daily goal - hence 2370.

    It includes your normal daily activity but not purposeful exercise.
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    The "slowness" is what protects your muscle mass (the stuff you don't want to lose while losing weight), ensures you meet your nutritional needs, and helps you maintain energy. If you chose a goal of one pound a week, why do you now want to lose more than that?
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    My whole mindset with the plus exercise calories is that I do not want to gain excess weight whether that be fat or muscle from these extra calories i will be consuming in order to workout. I understand what you are saying but what if I consume extra calories for exercise and then I do not burn off those calories? Now I am put in a position where I need to burn off the excess exercise calories plus the base calories I am eating throughout the day. My activity right now is sedentary based on what I do for work so throughout the day I am not burning many of those base calories.

    When calculated properly, eating exercise calories will not result in excess weight. You'll still be at a deficit.

    With MFP's formula, you'd never consume extra calories through exercise that you were not burning off because you log your exercise (and eat the calories) after the exercise happens.

    You wake up with a base calorie goal, log your exercise, and *then* have the extra calories available.

    I am new to this app so I am still trying to navigate it. So i figure out how many calories I burned during exercise and eat that amount of calories directly afterwards to cancel them out? And I assume the calories I eat before the workout are part of my base calories. The only thing I do not understand is how I will still be left in a deficit if I am going to put the same amount of calories back into my body that I burned off. Where can I find this formula?

    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, then it's accounting for the base calories you need to live -- what your body naturally burns each day plus your everyday activity. If you tell MFP you want to lose weight, it will then subtract calories from this to create a deficit for you.

    Let's say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight with your everyday activity. If you want to lose one pound a week, your calorie goal from MFP will be 1,500. That is a deficit for you, a deficit of 500 calories.

    Now let's say you go for a run and burn 200 calories. Your deficit is now 700 calories (because you burned 200 more calories than MFP assumed you would). You can eat those 200 back and still be at your original deficit of 1,500.

    MFP is handy because it does these calculations for you when you log your exercise. However, you can do them yourself (if you have a source to tell how many calories you're burning through exercise).

    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    Your base calories are the calories you burn just from living and the calories you are burning through your daily activity (like your job or household tasks). You don't have to "try" to burn them off, you're already burning them off each day.

    I know that if I just wake up in the morning and sit in bed watching TV all day, I'm going to burn calories. I don't have to try to do this, my body needs that just to live. By the time I get to work or just hang out around my apartment, I'll burn about 1,460. I don't have to focus on doing this, I know it is happening each day.

    Makes more sense now. Thank you!

    Okay so I changed my goal to something more realistic such as losing 1 lb of fat per week. This increased my base calories to 2,370. Now what is this base calorie amount telling me? What does it include and what does it not include if this makes any sense? For instance, are these 2,370 calories simply my maintenance calories or are they calories with a deficit included?

    2870 would be your non-exercise day maintenance calories.
    Selecting 1lb/week loss takes 500 off that daily goal - hence 2370.

    It includes your normal daily activity but not purposeful exercise.

    Thank you for this! So if I wanted to lose weight quicker I wouldnt have to eat back my exercise calories right? I can just exercise while eating the 2,370 calories per day which will leave me at a solid 500 calorie deficit plus whatever i burn during exercise? So say i burn 600 calories a day that would mean my total deficit would be 1,100 calories burned each day and that will be added to my fat loss at the end of the week?
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    That is totally up to you. The bigger deficit you have every day, the faster you lose weight. I would just caution you that you might get push-back on that, as it's generally not the way MFP encourages people to lose weight. When people ask for advice on the forums, other people will speak up if they believe what the OP is doing is unhealthy, even if it's somewhat off topic. And you do want to make sure you're eating enough to keep your body running well. Not eating exercise calories can be unhealthy if you're pushing your body too hard, is all. Good luck!
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    The "slowness" is what protects your muscle mass (the stuff you don't want to lose while losing weight), ensures you meet your nutritional needs, and helps you maintain energy. If you chose a goal of one pound a week, why do you now want to lose more than that?

    I can simply increase my daily intake of lean protein to solve this issue. Would this be a possible solution? And I just want to lose this fat and achieve my goal in 3 to 4 months. I think it is doable. The muscle I lose while doing this can be built up again once the fat i lost. It seems to make sense in theory
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited August 2017
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    The "slowness" is what protects your muscle mass (the stuff you don't want to lose while losing weight), ensures you meet your nutritional needs, and helps you maintain energy. If you chose a goal of one pound a week, why do you now want to lose more than that?

    I can simply increase my daily intake of lean protein to solve this issue. Would this be a possible solution? And I just want to lose this fat and achieve my goal in 3 to 4 months. I think it is doable. The muscle I lose while doing this can be built up again once the fat i lost. It seems to make sense in theory

    While eating more protein can help prevent some muscle loss, there is a limit to how much fat your body can burn per day. If your deficit is too large, it will burn muscle instead regardless of how much protein you eat.

    While it's true that you could lose weight rapidly and then put on muscle, it's a lot easier to keep muscle than it is to add it back. Adding muscle is *hard*. Not to mention that with a higher body fat percentage at the end of your rapid weight loss, your remaining calorie needs will be lower than they would be if you lost weight at a more moderate rate and maintained more lean body mass.

    As other posters have said, it's your choice. But people tend to be much happier when they approach goal weight with more muscle (based on my personal experience and posts I've seen from other people). Some people end rapid weight loss actually feeling fatter (in terms of body fat percentage and the "jiggly" factor they see visually) than they did before.

    I have the feeling that this is something you'll need to experience for yourself, so good luck. (I don't mean that as snide and hope it doesn't come across that way. It's just I've noticed over time here that some people have personalities that require them to try things out for themselves and you seem like you may be one of them).
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    That is totally up to you. The bigger deficit you have every day, the faster you lose weight. I would just caution you that you might get push-back on that, as it's generally not the way MFP encourages people to lose weight. When people ask for advice on the forums, other people will speak up if they believe what the OP is doing is unhealthy, even if it's somewhat off topic. And you do want to make sure you're eating enough to keep your body running well. Not eating exercise calories can be unhealthy if you're pushing your body too hard, is all. Good luck!

    Thank you so much for offering great advice while supporting healthy eating and exercise practices!
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    The "slowness" is what protects your muscle mass (the stuff you don't want to lose while losing weight), ensures you meet your nutritional needs, and helps you maintain energy. If you chose a goal of one pound a week, why do you now want to lose more than that?

    I can simply increase my daily intake of lean protein to solve this issue. Would this be a possible solution? And I just want to lose this fat and achieve my goal in 3 to 4 months. I think it is doable. The muscle I lose while doing this can be built up again once the fat i lost. It seems to make sense in theory

    While eating more protein can help prevent some muscle loss, there is a limit to how much fat your body can burn per day. If your deficit is too large, it will burn muscle instead regardless of how much protein you eat.

    While it's true that you could lose weight rapidly and then put on muscle, it's a lot easier to keep muscle than it is to add it back. Adding muscle is *hard*. Not to mention that with a higher body fat percentage at the end of your rapid weight loss, your remaining calorie needs will be lower than they would be if you lost weight at a more moderate rate and maintained more lean body mass.

    As other posters have said, it's your choice. But people tend to be much happier when they approach goal weight with more muscle (based on my personal experience and posts I've seen from other people). Some people end rapid weight loss actually feeling fatter (in terms of body fat percentage and the "jiggly" factor they see visually) than they did before.

    I have the feeling that this is something you'll need to experience for yourself, so good luck. (I don't mean that as snide and hope it doesn't come across that way. It's just I've noticed over time here that some people have personalities that require them to try things out for themselves and you seem like you may be one of them).

    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    Okay so I am understanding this a bit more now so I want to say thank you. The only question that still arises is in the example you used. Say I go for that run and it is my only exercise for that day. I eat those 200 calories to gain back what i lost. Yes, that might leave me with the same deficit I started out with but how am I gping to burng off the rest of the base calories so that i end up with a bigger expenditure than intake of calories before i end the day? I do not want any calories to carry over into the next day when I wake up in the morning. You see what I am saying? I hope I made this clear for you.

    You aren't carrying anything over. Your body is using 2000 calories to maintain your current weight. Any time your net consumption is below that number, you lose weight. Eating exercise calories *does* lead to slower weight loss, but the idea with the MFP system is that it is healthier to keep to a consistent deficit every day rather than pushing yourself to burn every last calorie possible. So back to that example: your body needs 2000 calories to stay at your current weight. Your goal is to have a 500 calorie deficit every day. You can reach that goal by eating 1500 and not exercising at all, or by eating 2000 and burning 500. This adds up to a 3500 deficit a week, which is about a one pound loss. There are a lot of benefits to exercise, but bottom line, losing weight is about cutting calories, and it isn't necessary to work out to do that.

    That is exactly what I was trying to say. I do not want to lose weight slowly. I am okay with not eating back my exercise calories.

    The "slowness" is what protects your muscle mass (the stuff you don't want to lose while losing weight), ensures you meet your nutritional needs, and helps you maintain energy. If you chose a goal of one pound a week, why do you now want to lose more than that?

    I can simply increase my daily intake of lean protein to solve this issue. Would this be a possible solution? And I just want to lose this fat and achieve my goal in 3 to 4 months. I think it is doable. The muscle I lose while doing this can be built up again once the fat i lost. It seems to make sense in theory

    While eating more protein can help prevent some muscle loss, there is a limit to how much fat your body can burn per day. If your deficit is too large, it will burn muscle instead regardless of how much protein you eat.

    While it's true that you could lose weight rapidly and then put on muscle, it's a lot easier to keep muscle than it is to add it back. Adding muscle is *hard*. Not to mention that with a higher body fat percentage at the end of your rapid weight loss, your remaining calorie needs will be lower than they would be if you lost weight at a more moderate rate and maintained more lean body mass.

    As other posters have said, it's your choice. But people tend to be much happier when they approach goal weight with more muscle (based on my personal experience and posts I've seen from other people). Some people end rapid weight loss actually feeling fatter (in terms of body fat percentage and the "jiggly" factor they see visually) than they did before.

    I have the feeling that this is something you'll need to experience for yourself, so good luck. (I don't mean that as snide and hope it doesn't come across that way. It's just I've noticed over time here that some people have personalities that require them to try things out for themselves and you seem like you may be one of them).

    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?

    I would say it is smarter not to undergo rapid weight loss (unless it has been recommended by a doctor). If that means eating back at least some of your exercise calories, then yeah.

    As you lose weight, you generally make your deficit smaller, not larger.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?

    You can stick with the 500 calorie deficit as long as you want - the primary reason people "plateau" (i.e. stop losing weight after losing for a while) is because the more weight you lose, the smaller your margin for error is (because smaller bodies need fewer calories to maintain their current weight), and so if you've been sloppy with your calorie tracking it will catch up with you eventually.
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?

    You can stick with the 500 calorie deficit as long as you want - the primary reason people "plateau" (i.e. stop losing weight after losing for a while) is because the more weight you lose, the smaller your margin for error is (because smaller bodies need fewer calories to maintain their current weight), and so if you've been sloppy with your calorie tracking it will catch up with you eventually.

    How often should I readjust my maintenance calories and my deficit to prevent myself from plateauing? @janejellyroll
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited August 2017
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?

    You can stick with the 500 calorie deficit as long as you want - the primary reason people "plateau" (i.e. stop losing weight after losing for a while) is because the more weight you lose, the smaller your margin for error is (because smaller bodies need fewer calories to maintain their current weight), and so if you've been sloppy with your calorie tracking it will catch up with you eventually.

    How often should I readjust my maintenance calories and my deficit to prevent myself from plateauing? @janejellyroll

    Most people do it every 5-10 pounds, I think. When I was losing weight, I did it every five pounds.
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    seansta5 wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    So it would be smarter to eat back all of my exercise calories post workout? Also, how would I know when it is time to go for a bit larger deficit than 500? Are there any times where you may need to make adjustments after doing the same deficit for a long time?

    You can stick with the 500 calorie deficit as long as you want - the primary reason people "plateau" (i.e. stop losing weight after losing for a while) is because the more weight you lose, the smaller your margin for error is (because smaller bodies need fewer calories to maintain their current weight), and so if you've been sloppy with your calorie tracking it will catch up with you eventually.

    How often should I readjust my maintenance calories and my deficit to prevent myself from plateauing? @janejellyroll

    Most people do it every 5-10 pounds, I think. When I was losing weight, I did it every five pounds.

    Thank you!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited August 2017
    seansta5 wrote: »
    I have belly fat I want to lose. Lower abdominal visceral fat. I have a large frame. I will get my body fat measured today at the gym and let you know. I may be 27% max but i highly doubt I would be that high.

    I think you have gotten and seem to be taking lots of good input. One thing that jumped out at me. You feel that you only need to lose 22 lbs but you are just slightly into the "obese" category on the BMI scale. Losing 22 lbs would put you in the middle of the "overweight" category. Better for health but getting into the "normal" category would be even better. That would mean getting below 220. BMI is not always the most accurate indicator. Just food for thought.

    Also, you've mentioned visceral fat. I'm not trying to pry into your personal life, but why would this be an issue. Did you get some specific diagnosis that caused you to be concerned with that?

    Lastly, the weight loss phase is only part of the battle. The thing that is equally important is learning how to stay at the more healthy weight. This makes a compelling case, IMHO, for a smaller deficit, a slower loss rate but one that is not that different than what your long term eating habits will look like. With diabetes, the more you can get to a healthy weight, the better your overall health outlook will be. All the best!
  • HarlemNY17
    HarlemNY17 Posts: 135 Member
    Because your in such a high deficit (1000) calories you need those carbs for energy. If you were to set it to 1lb a week the carbs would go lower
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    Because your in such a high deficit (1000) calories you need those carbs for energy. If you were to set it to 1lb a week the carbs would go lower

    Why would carbs need to go lower?
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    seansta5 wrote: »
    I have belly fat I want to lose. Lower abdominal visceral fat. I have a large frame. I will get my body fat measured today at the gym and let you know. I may be 27% max but i highly doubt I would be that high.

    I think you have gotten and seem to be taking lots of good input. One thing that jumped out at me. You feel that you only need to lose 22 lbs but you are just slightly into the "obese" category on the BMI scale. Losing 22 lbs would put you in the middle of the "overweight" category. Better for health but getting into the "normal" category would be even better. That would mean getting below 220. BMI is not always the most accurate indicator. Just food for thought.

    Also, you've mentioned visceral fat. I'm not trying to pry into your personal life, but why would this be an issue. Did you get some specific diagnosis that caused you to be concerned with that?

    Lastly, the weight loss phase is only part of the battle. The thing that is equally important is learning how to stay at the more healthy weight. This makes a compelling case, IMHO, for a smaller deficit, a slower loss rate but one that is not that different than what your long term eating habits will look like. With diabetes, the more you can get to a healthy weight, the better your overall health outlook will be. All the best!

    So with my size and frame I don't believe the BMI is a good indicator as you mentioned above. Right now I sit at 262 and that to me is a big overweight but not obese. If I can get down to 240 then I will be in a normal weight range. I am 6'6 so I am not short and stocky as the BMI would suggest.

    A lot of people close to me feel as though the weight at which I would look my best would be 225 - 230 lbs. I chose 240 as a starting point and once i get there if I feel as though I would like to decrease my body fat a little more than I will work on reaching that goal.

    As you noticed before I am Diabetic. I am 27 now but priro to getting Diabetes at 14 I was extremely overweight. When I got Diabetes I lost a lot of my fat and slimmed out which motivated me to start going to the gym. The only thing that stuck with me is some of the baby fat or the visceral fat in my stomach. To be honest, it bothers me. I have always wanted abs and thats why it bothers me so much.

    Thank you for youe input man! I greatly appreciate it!
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    Because your in such a high deficit (1000) calories you need those carbs for energy. If you were to set it to 1lb a week the carbs would go lower

    Thanks man! That seems to be the same answer everyone else has given me which is a bit of a relief
  • seansta5
    seansta5 Posts: 30 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    Because your in such a high deficit (1000) calories you need those carbs for energy. If you were to set it to 1lb a week the carbs would go lower

    Why would carbs need to go lower?

    I think he is telling me that if I set my weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week I would need to eat back the exercise calories (the extra carbs) to restore the energy I lost from working out. However, if I set a slower and more steady goal of 1 lb per week I will not need to eat as many carbs to restore my energy. I believe that is what he is trying to say.