daily allotment of calories

I second Deb's thoughts. Always eat at least 1200 calories a day. For me, after that, I then listen very carefully to my body. As you go on this journey, you're having to reprogram yourself to eat when you're hungry, not during, emotional situations, or boredom. Some people that eating their daily allotment without exercise isn't enough and they up it by 200 calories, which is what I've done lately. It helped with the crazy snacking at night. Just play with it, but make sure that the calories your getting have protein, because that seems to keep people fuller longer and energized. Keep doing good!

I have what seems like a very stupid question... when looking at my daily information... it tells me how many calories I have, I put in what I've eaten and it gives me "extra calories" for exercising.

Do I have to eat all the calories that it's telling me to? And if not - what's a safe % less to go? I know that you have to eat to lose... but I don' t know if I can eat as much as it's telling me to....

it is not a stupid question at all,,,it is a question we all have had and some still have...there are many factors personal to you (size, weight, lifestyle, etc) that fidure into your answer....there are some great threads to check out and since this is a life long journey we are on, you should take you time and get some information before locking into your decsion...

one of the best things for me is lots of exercise so I can eat lots of good fuel....take your time and try to have some fun at the same time

whether or not you need to eat (any, them all, or some of them) really depends on how much you weigh, how much you're eating and how much you're burning through exercise. If you are in the obese BMI zone or higher it's usually pretty safe to have a larger deficit. If not, depending on how much you eat vs how much you burn, it may be very unhealthy for you to not be eating them. thus, more info is needed.

I know this looks liek a ton of reading, but it's all good info that every newbie should know :flowerforyou:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

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Banks two threads "Newbies" and "Newbies 2nd edition"
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/9614-newbies-please-read-me

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad
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......and if you still can't sleep:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8199-off-to-a-slow-start-actually-still-at-starting-gate

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6737-true-confessions-from-a-slow-learner

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9007-bmr-ma-because-of-the-answers-to-the-questions

i'm losing two pounds a week and i eat all the calories it tells me too. they say the more you eat the more youneed to burn but the reverse is true you should eat how much you burned becasue at the end of the day the day if your suppose to eat 1500 calories a day if you eat the calories you burn at the end it cancles out to 1500 calories. hope this made sense