Question re biggest loser programme and exercise calories

They are monitored by doctors around the clock. No one is saying you cannot lose by starving yourself the way they do, what MFP promotes is a healthy weight loss that you can maintain and keep the weight off. 1-2 lbs loss/week is what is considered a safe amount to lose.

I do NOT eat my exercise calories and have been very successful. I have lost about 75 ponds since I began but about 23 since I founf MFP and MFP makes it easier. I know that my body needs 1200 calories to lose weight. If I only eat 1000 calories daily I see no progress. I think the exercise calories increases my weight loss. If you eat your exercise calroies then your long term weight loss goal should be successful but it is very slow, 1 pound or so per week

i was wondering the same thing. i try and eat my calories but alot of the time come in under. so would that affect my weight lost???

That is my issue with BL. It tends to set up unrealistic and unhealthy expecations. First, you aren't on BL so you don't have the same advantages - ie being able to dedicate 24/7 to the weight loss, dietitians making/monitoring your meals, trainer helping you develop a perfect plan, no distractions, etc.

But also, most of the people on BL have a LOT to lose and therefore can lose a bit faster in the beginning. For what you have to lose, 1.5 lbs per week is most realistic - you may get away with 2 lbs per week, but it's pretty aggressive. You don't have enough to lose to expect more than that without some unintended (and undesirable) consequences, such as decreased metabolism and feelings of deprivation. The higher your bodyfat %, the faster you can physically lose, when all conditions are ideal. But there are a lot of other factors to consider if you want to actually maintain the weight loss and create a healthy lifestyle (most of the contestants do not maintain their losses).

May help to read this to understand why rapid weight loss isn't really desirable, even if it is possible.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/222019-60-lbs-in-60-days?hl=60+lbs

So, without close monitoring by docs/dietitians, rapid weight loss is very risky. And ultimately, not usually successful in the long term. The reason MFP is designed the way it is, is to maintain a moderate deficit. It includes a built in deficit, regardless of exercise. If you don't replace those cals, you make the deficit larger. You MAY lose faster that way, but faster isn't necessarily better. It often means decreased metabolism, higher percentage of muscle lost, and weight regain.

Whenever I see this question, I always add my two cents: As far as eating back exercise calories, be cautious. If you don't have a heart rate monitor or other accurate way to gauge what you're actually burning. The machines at the gym are far more generous (and this is particularly try as you get healthier, and require less calories for the level of exertion). MFP is also quite generous in terms of their caloric burns for various exercises. People tend to overestimate their caloric burn and underestimate their caloric intake. If you choose to eat back your calories, I would reduce that number burned.

Most often, this is actually user error (but I wish MFP addressed it in setting up an account so people would know.) Most people aren't aware that you need to "back out" your normal maintenance calories from your burns. You need to determine your hourly and per minute burn (take maintenance cals, divide by 24 for hourly, then by 60 for per minute) and then subtract the appropriate amount from whatever you log. These calories burned have already been accounted for, so if you don't subtract them, you're double counting. This is necessary for using MFP or HRM numbers, as most HRM's don't subtract them either.

None of the numbers we use are exact, which is why most people eventually need to tweak the numbers. Counting cals is inherently inaccurate, but most people can minimize the inaccuracies by doing some research and learning how to find the best numbers available (weighing food, using a good HRM, etc.)