im actually so confused :(

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danpool1991
danpool1991 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
i need help badly

i dont mind sharing this with yous so here i go

im trying to lose weight, my current weight is 266 pounds (19 Stone) i want to try and get down to about 154 pounds (11 Stone) but this whole thing with calories and daily goals in straight over my head

according to my doctor, 1 pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so if i eat 1000 calories a day and exercise 1500 calories i have burned off the 1000 calories i have eaten and the extra 500 is coming out of my body fat and over a period of 7 days i would have burned off 1 pound of fat (500x7=3500) yes that makes sense to me.

but no that is apparently wrong.... how? i really dont understand. according to this site at my age/weight/height to burn of 1 pound of fat a week it gives me 2250 calories, how can i possibly lose any weight at that on the app i eat in total daily 1000-1100 calories in 3 meals and with my weight and simply because i spent the last 10 years been a lazy git i manage about 800-900 calories of exercise a day by doing 90 minutes on the Wii fit and a bit of walking to town and back daily.

then when i add the exercise to the app it then gives me all the calories back then tells me i basically need to eat more.... seriously what? i can barely do 1200 calories a day in 3 main meals!!

does this mean im never actually gonna lose any weight or what im so confused :/ and the whole long confusing terms and sentences just go straight over my head and its all very confusing to me

Can anybody dumb it all down a bit so i can actually understand it :(

Replies

  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 994 Member
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    Ok, just by being alive, you burn calories, which is your BMR, when you setup your MFP account, it calculates this, then you choose how active you are, say sedentary, you're moving but not terribly much, then the site deducts 500 calories a day (if you're set to lose 1lb a week). Then you exercise, and you really ought to (though some people disagree) eat these calories back.

    So for me, my BMR is 1400, but with a sedentary lifestyle I expend approx. 1700 calories a day. So, to lose a pound a week, I would eat 1200 calories, plus any calories I burn, so I have enough energy.

    That's the basics. If you set up your account correctly, just trust it for now.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    your body needs a certain number of calories just to survive, this varies depending on your age, weight, height, exercise etc.

    Lets say it is 2500 calories.

    A deficit of 500 a day is what is needed to lose a lb, so you eat 2000.

    The example you gave above only said what you were eating and exercising, and did not take into account what your body actually uses.

    Have a read of the stickied threads above for an idea of how it all works.

    Good Luck. :)
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    according to my doctor, 1 pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so if i eat 1000 calories a day and exercise 1500 calories i have burned off the 1000 calories i have eaten and the extra 500 is coming out of my body fat and over a period of 7 days i would have burned off 1 pound of fat (500x7=3500) yes that makes sense to me.
    This is right except for one thing - you forgot about the calories you burn off by living. Your body needs a lot of calories to keep your organs functioning, and for your daily activities other than exercise.

    According to the numbers you gave, it takes 2750 calories per day to maintain your weight. Take off 500 to lose a pound a week. (In fact, if you are trying to lose 100+ pounds, you could safely lose 2 pounds a week.)
  • mattdunn1701
    mattdunn1701 Posts: 5
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    hi
    iv been trying to wrap my head around this for two days now and i still dont understand it all

    im about the same as you mate i weight in about 260lbs mark and after a weight of about 140lbs i use the app on the iPhone and have it set to

    Weight loss: 2lbs per week
    Exercise goals: 4 times a week for about 60-90 minutes

    and am giving a calorie goal of 1750

    Today i have had

    1044 calories in food (3 meals)
    840 calories in exercise
    204 calories in Net
    and a remaining of 1546

    and it makes no sense to me what so ever even when i complete my entry for today it tells me if every day was like today i would weight 240.5 lbs in 5 weeks then tells me im not eating enough calories which will make weight loss more difficult and i should up my calorie intake... sorry like but i eat 3 meals a day at reasonable sizes that fill me and im still not eating enough what the hell :(

    so if anybody can give a amazing explanation that sums it all up it would be much appreciated.
  • kruggsy
    kruggsy Posts: 23 Member
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    I find some of this highly confusing also but I will try to help. This site will give you the calories you need to eat per day to be able to exist.
    e.g- for my height and age I should eat about 1900 calories a day but to lose weight safely, I need to eat 500 calories fewer than that ,which means eating 1400 calories a day.
    If you eat too few calories you will actually find it more difficult to lose weight (something to do with how our bodies use the calories, I think).
    If you exercise you should try to eat at least half of those calories back , meaning - if you have been told that you should eat 2500 calories a day, you should really try to eat that amount,. if you exercise and burn 400 calories then you should add at least half of those onto your 2500. Gosh I hope this is making sense, I'm sure somebody out there will explain it much more clearly.
    All I can say, is that once you get your head around it it does actually work quite well.
    Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day ,just keep a positive attitude and try again the next day.

    Good Luck, we are with you.
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 276
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    Goal to eat 1500 calories in a day

    Calories consumed 1500-500 Calories burned during exercise = Net calories 1000

    MFP is going to tell you that you get 500 additional calories because your goal is still to eat 1500 calories in a day.

    2000 BMR - 1500 Goal calories per day = 500 calorie deficit each day * 7 days in a week = 3500 calories (one pound of fat)
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    hi
    iv been trying to wrap my head around this for two days now and i still dont understand it all

    im about the same as you mate i weight in about 260lbs mark and after a weight of about 140lbs i use the app on the iPhone and have it set to

    Weight loss: 2lbs per week
    Exercise goals: 4 times a week for about 60-90 minutes

    and am giving a calorie goal of 1750

    Today i have had

    1044 calories in food (3 meals)
    840 calories in exercise
    204 calories in Net
    and a remaining of 1546

    and it makes no sense to me what so ever so if anybody can give a amazing explanation that sums it all up it would be much appreciated.

    The NET calories should be at 1750 - you still have 1546 left to eat to get there!

    You start off with a calorie goal of 1750, this includes a defict of 1000 as you set it at 2lb per week.
    If you exercise you have increased the defict - you burned 840, so you need to eat back that 840 to get back to the 1000 deficit.


    The green numbers remaining at the bottom are how many caolories you have left to get to your goal calories.

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