New & Confused

MelieOli
MelieOli Posts: 34
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone,

I have joined 3 days ago... Never ever had weight problems before until i quit smoking a little over a year ago.......I gained 15 pounds that just wont let go of me and it just seems like its piling up some more!!! I am fed up with it....Im 32, mother of 2 and i struggle with enough in my life ...i really dont need the weight gain on top of everything.......So. so far i like it ! i watch what i eat and try to do my share of exercises everyday......But i am soooooooooo confused with the daily goal....its supposed to be 1200 cal/ per day i have to consume, i workout for 300 cals then my goal change to 1500....the more i exercise, the more i must eat??? is that how it goes? how will i loose weight that way? i would get the same result by eating less and not working out??? Im very confused!! and it keeps telling that under 1200 cal a day, then im in starving mode......i try going over and then my daily goal report on my wall was showing in red...so of course, naturally, i did not like the big red number on my wall........anyone can help me see more clearly??? And i can always use more support and tips! As i said im a newbie at this stuff!!..Thanks!! :)

Replies

  • cinfull360
    cinfull360 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi there!
    The idea is that based on your current weight, age, activity level and other information you provided in your profile, it is determined that a daily calorie amount of 1200 calories a day will allow you to lose weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs a week. By adding exercise to your day, you do earn more calories that you can consume - and you will still lose weight at a steady and safe pace. This method helps make sure you are getting enough calories in a day to keep your metabolism up, and to help you with good habits even after you have reached your goal weight. Eventually you will find that you will make food choices that are more satisfying and stay with you longer and will balance your caloric intake with your caloric burn.
    After only a couple of weeks of being on this site, I am starting to think a little differently about my food choices and activity levels. If I want to splurge on some calories, I need to earn them. ;-)
    Hope this helps!
  • photojunkie28
    photojunkie28 Posts: 292
    100% agree with the last response! Spot on. A good rule of thumb I think is to eat most of your exercise points, but not all. As it is hard to calculate exactly how many calories you burn during any given activity. This way you are not starving your body the fuel it needs for the next activity, but at the same time you aren't risking going over your calories either. Welcome to the world of exercise, it will not be an easy path but it will be a rewarding one if you can just stick to it.
  • pandeamonia
    pandeamonia Posts: 9 Member
    I'm not really a health expert or anything, but the general idea is that it calculates what the best calorie consumption is for your goals. When you work out (mainly cardio), it burns calories, so it allows added calories into your daily intake. What you keep an I on I suppose are the "net" calories. Meaning that if you burn 300 calories in exercise and consume 1400 throughout the day, you have a 1100 net calorie intake for the day.

    It is my general understanding that you don't HAVE to consume extra calories you burn, but the system allows you those calories if you choose. In any case, the best bet is to use calories with proteins, and when eating fats, try and stick to "health" fats, fats that come from nuts, vegetables, and fish, as opposed to fats that come from meats. I'm not sure about dairy fats, I've been meaning to ask someone about that... I have also read that carbs are best to obtain through grains, fruits, and the like, (oatmeal, rice, etc) rather than breads and pastas, because those are more processed.

    This is just information I have read, heard, or guessed at as I go along. Research is a great tool. One great tip I have found for healthy eating (and read in health magazines as well) - experiment with herbs and spices to make plain meals more flavorful... otherwise a healthy diet gets mundane very quickly. :-)


    I wish you the best of luck!!
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    It did!!! Thank you.
    So if i exercise , i earn more calories to consume(eat!) but i dont have too as long as stay above my 1200 cal......right? I still have to learn about that stuff...but did make it more clear to me...
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    Thanks everyone for your feed backs! Feel free to add me! There is ever enough support and encouragements in the process of loosing weight...
  • kbd388
    kbd388 Posts: 125 Member
    I am still confused about the calorie equation so I can't help you there but I wanted to say I am so proud of you for quitting smoking! It's so hard to do!
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    Thank you! how sweet of you! But i have to mention that with that weight gain........i have been thinking about starting again everyday!!!!!!! So far i have been able to talk myself out of it ........but this web site is really amazing and it gives me a lot of hope.
  • twelker878
    twelker878 Posts: 146 Member
    I would say if you start smoking again I will drive up there in kick you in the butt, but that would just make you WANT to start. So I will say DONT YOU DARE.
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    I love you Tina! You know that its mostly because of you if i did quit...........i wouldnt do that without talking to you first! ;)
  • musicalityphan
    musicalityphan Posts: 22
    Thank you so much for asking this question! I just joined MFP yesterday, because I've gained about 25 pounds since getting married and starting work on my Master's about a year ago, and I want to catch it before it gets any worse! I was having the same question, since I didn't want to starve myself when I exercised, but I didn't necessarily want to make my weight loss slower, either.

    Thank you so much, and congratulations to you on quitting smoking! My father smoked for years, and I know how hard it was for him to quit. Keep it up! =D
  • rmwhitlo
    rmwhitlo Posts: 4 Member
    : What it means is that you have burned calories so it adds them to you calories for the day that you can utilize without going over your goal. The more you workout then the more you can use towards your goal without being in the red. But the down side of it is if you utlize all the calories that you are putting in after working out makes it harder to loose weight. So what I do is I ignore the added calories from the workout and use my regular calories as a guide that way you loose the weight. I know it is confusing but I do it this way so by the end of the week I am way below my average so I do not count calories on the weekends thats me time and I do splurge but burn it off the next week. Hope this makes sense:smile:
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    Thank you!!! If you need some support , feel free to add me! :)
  • nicolekrezinski
    nicolekrezinski Posts: 42 Member
    Good job with quitting smoking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree with most of what has been said already. However, I do not necesarily agree with eating back all of your exercise calories. You will not starve yourself but you will produce better results. The only time I would eat them back is is you are exercising over an hour a day every day. That would be hard core training and not include taking hour walks every day. I would be more concerned with the types of foods you are eating and switching up some different types of exercises (weight training and cardio). Eat clean, whole foods and keep moving. Simple...wish it was just as easy to stick to the equation!
  • MelieOli
    MelieOli Posts: 34
    It does make sense......thanks! I was worried because each time i didnt go ''over'' it was telling me i was in starving mode.....so the next i did try to reach it and then i was in the red so.......i was totally confused but now i understand the more i work out the more i COULD consume but i dont have to ..........now....what about the ''NET''???thats the net i have to rely on to know my goal. weither i reached it or not? .........i may sounds stupid but trust me im not.....im intelligent i just need to learn the drill!!! lol Thanks for your help!
  • virginies
    virginies Posts: 137 Member
    You will find all the support you need to lose the weight on this site. Everyone is on it for the same reason and if you want to add me, I'll be glad to provide all the help I can! And if you need support with staying tobacco free, let me know as I quit a little over 9 years ago. You obviously have willpower if you could quit smoking. Now use it to lose the weight you want to, you can do it! :) Good luck for everything!
  • sjmitchner
    sjmitchner Posts: 121 Member
    Few pointers:
    Don't beat yourself up over mistakes/bad food choices-think of it as a learning experience
    Drink plenty of water
    Do both cardio and weight training
    Keep track of your measurements, there will be weeks where the scale doesn't move, but you may have lost inches! (happens to me lots)
    Find healthy methods to relieve stress (you don't need the cigarettes hon) Personally I dance around to music that makes me happy.
    If you need a friend, add me.

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