Confused!! Help.....

CiciPorcayo
CiciPorcayo Posts: 380 Member
edited October 6 in Fitness and Exercise
So I have been doing some reading... on getting healthy exercising right and I keep reading in order to lose weight you need to burn all the calories you consume.. so if I eat 1200 Calories I have to burn it off with exercise...? 1200 Calories.... that is like a lot of sit ups and crunches....? Is this true or will I still lose weight burning 2-300 Calories a day,

Replies

  • CiciPorcayo
    CiciPorcayo Posts: 380 Member
    BUMP... someone has to know an answer lol
  • westcoastSW
    westcoastSW Posts: 320 Member
    in order to lose weight you need to burn all the calories you consume
    In order to lose weight, you need to burn MORE calories than you consume. Your burned-calories include the calories that you burn just walking around and living every day. Eat below your maintenance level and do some moderate exercise.
  • ldalbello
    ldalbello Posts: 207 Member
    I hurt my knee and couldn't exercise for 3 weeks and I still lost 1 1/2 lbs per week. Makes me wonder why I bother doing it at all, but it is good for you anyway so I do now although not much. 20 - 30 minutes on a treadmill 4 or 5 times a week.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    just follow what MFP gives you. You do not exercise off everything you eat. Eat your 1200 calories. If you exercise, eat more.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    nope.
    basically your body needs calories to function, generally its accepted as 1200 calories. so if you ate 1200 and exercised off 1200, you wouldnt leave anything for your body to work with. you should eat at LEAST 1200, + exercise calories (if youre wanting to use MFP as intended)
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    in order to lose weight you need to burn all the calories you consume
    In order to lose weight, you need to burn MORE calories than you consume. Eat below your maintenance level and do some moderate exercise.

    but don't forget that you are burning calories all day every day. Just breathing and heart pumping sitting on your rump, you're using energy.
  • abbigail_r
    abbigail_r Posts: 283 Member
    some of the calories you are burning are regular everyday activities. walking to and from the kitchen, talking, running your errands all those do add up. Your average is around 1200 a day, or should be then you eat 400 over that and workout those 400 off. Does that help?
  • all4sarcasm
    all4sarcasm Posts: 1
    You need to burn 3500 calories a week to lose one pound; target losing 500 calories a day in order to lose 1 lb each week and you will need to combine cardio and strength training in the mix - the more muscle you have the easier it is to burn fat. I hope that is helpful!
  • amuchison
    amuchison Posts: 274 Member
    I eat 1200 cals a day and I workout everyday for 30 min on my Abdoer Twist which I do the extreme workout DVD and I burn 500+ cals everyday...my first day on was Wed and Thur I weighed n lost 1.6lbs and from yesterday to this Friday morning I have lost 5.2lbs I was on Medifast prior since Aug 20th and lost 52/53 lbs...but had to get off for financial reasons...so the workout I do I cant find and exact amount for cals burned but I googled and it likened it to a medium kickboxing class so I do the advance take i guess I burn more than 500+ cals I'm going to get a body bug when my hubby gets his reinlistment check in the next month..but from my lost and drop in BF% Dec 3 I was 34.6% today Dec 16- 32.7% So something is going right;)
  • JennyDuffy
    JennyDuffy Posts: 45 Member
    If you burn off it all with exercise you could end up starving your body! You actually burn calories naturally everyday by doing nothing, so you need to eat them back to survive, however like someone said above if you follow MFP and eat back the extra calories you burn with exercise you will be fine and start to lose weight. You just need to reduce your daily intake and the weight will start to drop off... just dont go to extremes as then you'll be risking your health.

    Hope that makes sense and helps :)
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
    No, you eat the 1200, and IF you exercise that day, you eat those calories as well.

    MFP has your setting for weight loss depending on your goals - 1lb per week is the default recommended setting.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Do a google search on basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expended (shapefit.com has a good article). BMR is your metabolic rate.. aka the amount of calories you burn without doing everything. Tdee is the amount of calories you burn throughout the day with normal. Essentially you form a deficit from your tdee to get weight loss. And when you create too large of a deficit your body will utilize amino acids from your muscle for energy which will decrease yiur muscle mass. Less muscle mass means a slower metabolism. Slower metabolism means you burn less.


    Lesson of the day: smaller deficit and proper fueling mean more weight loss due to less muscle loss.
  • CiciPorcayo
    CiciPorcayo Posts: 380 Member
    :happy: I am probably gonna get yelled at by one of those rude women on hear complaining about dumb questions. But thanks everyone for answering me. I am new to getting fit and being healthy and I would much rather hear it from people who are in my position then some article online ;) thanks everyone!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    :happy: I am probably gonna get yelled at by one of those rude women on hear complaining about dumb questions. But thanks everyone for answering me. I am new to getting fit and being healthy and I would much rather hear it from people who are in my position then some article online ;) thanks everyone!

    Below are some good websites. I would definitely read up on the last one.

    http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/
  • GeorgianaDarcy
    GeorgianaDarcy Posts: 6
    As someone mentioned above, find out what your basal metabolic rate is. That means, the amount of cals your body needs to keep up it's vital functions (body temperature, heartbeat, lungs, kidneys, brain, etc.). So, if you just lie on your bed and do nothing all day, this would still be the amount of calories you need to consume.
    But you work, walk around, cook, etc. These basic everyday activities also burn calories. If you exercise, that also adds to the calories burned.

    Example: my basal metabolic rate is 1600cals. I have a rather sedentary job, but exercise a lot. So I consume 2000-2200 a day, and burn of 400-600cals with exercise.

    Important: NEVER, NEVER eat below you basal metabolic rate! Your body will interpret that as famine, and turn your metabolism down. Moreover, serious health problems will be the long term result! Check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation_mode
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