Long term success and exercise calories

Disclaimer: I have lost 30 pounds using MFP and started maintaining my weight <2 months ago.

How long have you been on MFP? One year and change (joined February 2011)

How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? 1730

Do you eat your exercise calories? Yes

How long have you been on MFP? Since mid January, 2011.
How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? 1600 for maintenance since mid September.
Do you eat your exercise calories? Yes, 100% of them, though I do rely on a different site (MapMyRun) to calculate the burn.

Did you strength train in addition to your cardio? Yes
What was your weekly goal? A pound a week until I was around 12 pounds above my original goal, then a half pound or less.
Did you ever hit a plateau? No. I didn't always hit target, but a loss was recorded every week.

Preservation of muscle mass was a major issue for me from day one because, as a reforming couch potato in my late 50s, I knew I didn't have any to spare. So I never ate fewer than 2/3rds of my exercise calories and dropped that low only after I had strong evidence that the burn for a given exercise was being overestimated.

How long have you been on MFP? Approx. 240 days (started 8/1/11)
How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? 1500
Do you eat your exercise calories? Generally, no. I workout 3-4 times a week and prefer not to eat them (but enjoy the safety net they provide). If I do eat them, it's on a weekend.

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How long have you been on MFP? 262 days so far!
How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? 1450 but I'm thinking about bumping it up some.
Do you eat your exercise calories? Heck yeah! They taste so good!

How long have you been on MFP? Since December 2011
How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? Try to stay at 1500-1700
Do you eat your exercise calories? No I try not to

How long have you been on MFP? 75 days already
How many calories a day do you eat without exercise calories? 900-1300
Do you eat your exercise calories? No. I try but I just can't.

under 1200 is WAY too little.
and YES you can eat your exercise calories. being full is a cop out - make smart choices - choose more calorie dense food.

Correct!

Please help me understand this: Your saying if I work out and say I burn 900 cals that day, I can eat those 900 cals? I usually eat 1200-1300 cals a day and Im scared to eat the 900 cals I burned because I think I will gain weight, so sometimes I get a headache and go to bed hungry and wake up really hungry. Help me out becasue If i can eat those cals that I burned along with the regualr cals I eat then I may feel better, I have only been on this MFP since Jan 17 -2012 and I have lost 11lbs but I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.? Thanks!

Please help me understand this: Your saying if I work out and say I burn 900 cals that day, I can eat those 900 cals? I usually eat 1200-1300 cals a day and Im scared to eat the 900 cals I burned because I think I will gain weight, so sometimes I get a headache and go to bed hungry and wake up really hungry. Help me out becasue If i can eat those cals that I burned along with the regualr cals I eat then I may feel better, I have only been on this MFP since Jan 17 -2012 and I have lost 11lbs but I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.? Thanks!

My opinion:

1. You are doing something right because you have lost 11 lbs toward your goal.
2. You could probably do even better if you ate your extra exercise calories. (Some or all of the 900 calories in your example.) You'll feel better and are more likely to be able to keep working toward your goal. The headaches sound like your body is "running on empty." Eat some more and give your body the fuel it needs to keep exercising.

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