THE answers to THE questions

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Just found this and BUMPing it.

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Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Store calories? Will we just die then? The calories will be used for movement and just, well.. living. Many people CAN handle 1000cal deficits (the very overweight; personally I don't and can't physically and mentally) but that is false information as well-intentioned as it may have been.

I LOVE this!! I am just starting out and trying to get the hang of everything again. This post really is like gold!

Arrgh y'all are going to hate me but I'm still not getting this. Yes on paper I'm understanding this 'eat your exercise calories back' thing because well I've been trying to stick to 1200 cals a day. So then if I burn say 300 I've been living on 900 which is bad news. It just seems so counterintuitive because I figure the less I eat and the more I exercise the more deficit I create and the more weight I lose. But fine I'll eat my exercise calories.
My new issue is now with this BMR hoopla. Two websites have told me my BMR is 1800 cals or so. So if I'm eating less than that it's unhealthy? Cause that seems like a lot of food (I've been keeping to 1200 since March.) I'm all for eating more food and still losing but I just don't want to undo all my hard work experimenting with this. I've been reading for 2 days and am so confused. What I thought I knew is all wrong apparently and I feel so lost.
I'm 26, 5'7" and weigh about 220.

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Great topic.
I just have one question. How come that individuals with higher weight should eat more calories?

It takes more calories to not only move a large body, but just to maintain functions.

Thanks.

I'm not looking forward to cutting the calories when I'm skinnier.

Once you reach your goal weight, you'll get plenty of calories. If you find yourself hungry, you're doing it wrong.