Excercise Points?

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Road2Hotness
Road2Hotness Posts: 75
in Introduce Yourself
As I have beenr reading threads through out the day I keep hearing about excercise points? Can someone explain this a little bit for me?

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  • Road2Hotness
    Road2Hotness Posts: 75
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    As I have beenr reading threads through out the day I keep hearing about excercise points? Can someone explain this a little bit for me?
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    When you exercise you burn calories. Because MFP has already calculated a deficit in your calorie consumption you can "eat" the calories that you have burned through exercise. It's a subject of hot debate around here about whether you should or shouldn't eat your exercise calories - most people find that it works well to eat at least part of their exercise calories - but you have to find what works for you.
  • Vanessa1969
    Vanessa1969 Posts: 144 Member
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    From what I have gathered from the very knowledgeable posts that I have read, you should be eating them or most of them. Banking a few for errors shouldn't have that much of a negative effect, but you should try and eat them. I sometimes have a problem eating mine, because I am just so full, but I do try to pace things so that I am consuming them and feeding my body properly.
    I think that some people, maybe those with more weight to lose, are doing well not eating them at all, but I think that over a long period of time that might prove to be detrimental. You will be losing more weight for sure, but you could start not feeling well, getting sick, feeling tired all the time, and that might cause you to give it up.
    You have to be aware and not dismiss those indications that your body is giving you.
  • Jesse13
    Jesse13 Posts: 72
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    I don't understand the concept? Are you suppose to eat the amount of K lossed during an exercise? I want to lose weight FAST. Will this action help speed things up?
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    You can set MFP to "maintain" your weight, eat those cals, and then not eat back your exercise cals. MFP is set up without exercise, so it automatically gives you a deficit. The important number is the net calories. Net calories = total cals consumed - exercise cals. You need to make sure you are eating enough so that you don't burn muscle instead of fat, and so that you are giving your body the energy it needs to do what it needs to do. Some people can go on a starvation diet and lose weight fast, sure, but as soon as they start eating, their weight will go right back up there and then some. Long term success, not short term, is the goal.

    Make sure you are eating at least 1200 cals after your exercise cals have been taken off of your total cals consumed. If you are bigger, taller, etc. you probably need more than that for your body to survive and be healthy.
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    When you enter your weight and your goals into MFP it takes your BMR (the amount of calories your body burns at rest) and subtracts 500 calories for every pound per week that you want to lose. So - you COULD simply eat that way and lose weight.

    However, when you exercise you speed up your metabolism and helps to firm up your muscles... so we exercise. When we exercise, we burn calories. The concept of "eating back your calories" is that you need to fuel your body in order for it to burn calories and work efficiently. I don't know how fast you are wanting to lose - but I can tell you that I've lost 15 pounds in under 3 weeks - and I eat most of my exercise calories every day.

    Does that help?
  • Road2Hotness
    Road2Hotness Posts: 75
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    ok so what does the below mean for me?

    Your estimated BMR is: 1,738 calories/day*
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    ok so what does the below mean for me?

    Your estimated BMR is: 1,738 calories/day*

    BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate - it means that your body burns 1738 calories in a day at rest - breathing, blood pumping, etc.

    To lose 1 pound a week, you would need to subtract 500 calories a day (a pound is equal to 3500 calories - 500 calories/day X 7 days = 3500)
  • Road2Hotness
    Road2Hotness Posts: 75
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    OMG! That means that if I want to lose 2 lbs a wk then I would have to reduce my calorie intake by 1,000 calories leaving me with 738 calories to consume?!?!? That's insane and not safe I would think. So what would I need to do to lost the 2lbs per wk that I want and not starve? Any suggestions?
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    OMG! That means that if I want to lose 2 lbs a wk then I would have to reduce my calorie intake by 1,000 calories leaving me with 738 calories to consume?!?!? That's insane and not safe I would think. So what would I need to do to lost the 2lbs per wk that I want and not starve? Any suggestions?

    You shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories a day. You're right - it's not healthy.

    Exercise.... I earn about 500 calories a day with exercise. Have you put all of your info into MFP? Honestly... it takes all the guess work out of the equation...

    Also -you need to know that the less you have to lose, the slower it will come off.
  • Jesse13
    Jesse13 Posts: 72
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    Thank you for all the information, really appreciate it, and way to go on your 15lbs. What type of exercise/how much are you doing?
  • rower45
    rower45 Posts: 36 Member
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    Thanks so much for this information. I am new to the site (this week!) and I really didnt understand how this works. All of these posts were very helpful to me. At first it seemed crazy to exercise and then eat 300 more calories but you are right. Over time if you don't, it could be detrimental. Plus I like what you said about increasing metabolism.

    I am learning.

    Also in general losing 2 lbs a week seems unhealthy to me. We see it on the "biggest loser" but everywhere I read says to try for 1 lb a week.

    Nancy
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    You're very welcome and thank you. I'm walking on the treadmill. My goal is to walk for 30 minutes a day - but I generally walk for 40 minutes a day - even if I have to break it up into 2 30 minute sessions. It's really amazing how quickly your body bounces back... a few weeks ago I was hurting after 15 minutes at 2.5 mph... yesterday I walked for 60 minutes at 3.5 mph. The treadmill makes it nice for me because it takes a lot of the "fear" out of walking - I felt that I was so out of shape that I might get out and not be able to get home... on the treadmill I know that I can "stop" if I need to. I also feel comfortable that no one is "watching" me - whjch is good because I make a fool of myself while I'm walking... I sing, I do hand motions to my songs, I fart (lol), I snap, clap... I just have fun with it.

    The best advice I can give (and I hardly feel like I'm in a position to give advice) is find something that you can start slowly at and increase your intensity on. Find something that you don't HATE doing and make it a routine. Listening to cheezy, happy music helps too!
  • Vanessa1969
    Vanessa1969 Posts: 144 Member
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    OMG! That means that if I want to lose 2 lbs a wk then I would have to reduce my calorie intake by 1,000 calories leaving me with 738 calories to consume?!?!? That's insane and not safe I would think. So what would I need to do to lost the 2lbs per wk that I want and not starve? Any suggestions?

    Nope, that isn't how it works. You take your 1738 calories that you would burn by just laying in bed doing absolutely nothing all day long. Then, you would add to that more calories depending on the lifestyle choice you made when you joined, sedentary, active, very active, etc. They will then add calories to the 1738 based on that choice. Then, they deduct the amount of calories from that number based on your weight loss goals.
    For example, your base BMR is 1700 (not getting out of bed) + your lifestyle choice adds 1000 (just using a number out of the air) which gives you a total calorie (no weight loss) of 2700 calories per day. Then, from that they will remove 500 calories per day for every pound that you want to lose. If you wanted to lose 2lb/week, you are correct that they would remove 1000 calories. That will leave you with 1700 calories.
    They are not subtracting the calorie loss from your base BMR, it is BMR plus lifestyle.

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