Calories in and calories out HELP!!!!!

I have not been doing this long , but this is my understanding. Calories in - Log everything you eat and drink. If you want to be more exact weigh everything you eat and drink, ( this helped me a lot at the start to get an idea of what actually ways what and is far more accurate than the vague " serving " option. ) Calories out a little more difficult . Your body uses calories all the time, to pump blood, breathe, sleep and maintain itself - this figure is measured by your BMR - Basal Metabolic rate. BMR is calculated by Height/weight/age and gender. Look for a BMR calculator on line. You can then use this to calculate your body's energy needs dependent on activity level/lifestyle. You will get a figure which tells you how many calories your body needs each day to work. Next is exercise over an above this figure ..... which is where you can start loosing calories by certain activities, walking, sports or even chores. These are earned calories - some people use them - I do not at the moment as I need to kickstart a new lifestyle.
I may be wrong, in which case I am sure I will be corrected soon enough! Hope that explains and helps a little.

This is how it works. There are some great stickies at the top of the board that will give you tips on how to get the best from MFP.