hey all,

This is my first time posting here, heck i just joined this forum today, lol. But i wanted everyone here to know that all of you inspire me which is why joined here in the first place. I believe i can succeed here.

I am all about calorie counting but sometimes i am confused as to how it is to work. I mean i know it is supposed to be about calories in vs. calories out but if i am consuming about 1300-1400 healthy calories a day (i have cut sugar, white bread, white pasta and alot of fat off of my diet) and i excersise once in the morning for 40 minutes and once in the evening for 40 minutes (burning a total of 750 calories) i am not burning more than i take in, so how does this work. This is the plan i want to stick to, i just do not want to sabbotage my efforts anymore. I want to SUCCEED!

Thanks in advance for your responses!!

You are forgetting something very important in "burning"...the calories you burn just BEING, not exercising...just keeping your heart and lungs and brain going, your body at normal temperature, etc. burns a LOT of calories. This is called your "Basal Metabolic Rate". It varies from person to person, but there are some calculators on the web that can give you a starting place. You'll figure out your own rate over time, based on how you lose at different calorie levels.

So, yeah, the calories you burn exercising are ON TOP OF the calories you burn on a daily basis, which is going to be a bigger number. 1400 is probably on the low end of where you could lose, based on your current weight, particularly exercising almost 80 minutes a day...you might be able to lose consistently eating even more than that. Just experiment until you find a level where you have consistent losses of 1-2 lbs per week, and you're not hungry, and you'll be golden.

Thank you for that enlightment. i was not even thinking of that......duh!
I did use a calc that said for extreme fat loss i should be at about 1600 per day. I will try to up my caloric intake, it just makes me feel really guilty doing so. I hate the guilt!!! But maybe an extra snack or 2 or something will help.

You might try playing with it a bit. Most of the calculators, I find, overestimate the calories that some of us need, but hey, you can always adjust up or down if your losses aren't what you expect, right?

The good thing about starting your calories a bit higher is that, as you lose weight and need fewer calories to just go about your daily life (when you weigh less, you burn less), you'll have somewhere to go without going down to unsustainable low calorie levels (below 1200 or so, its REALLY hard to get all of your essential nutrients in)

I've had a hard time upping my calories as well, but if you incorporate things that are healthy and nutritious the guilt is much decreased, and disappears entirely after a week or so. There are all kinds of delicious healthy snacks that can bump you up in calories without making you feel bad (i.e. If you have toast in the morning, put a spoonful of peanut butter on it, etc.).

Like mandalinn82 said, you'll figure out little things that work for you, and the little things make all the difference in the world!
Also your BMR is super duper important! I know that I exercise for maybe 45 minutes a day and I am bushed . Essentially you want to go for a calorie deficit that will have you losing 1-2 lbs a week (3500-7000 calories a week), once you factor in BMR and exercise it is a really attainable balance.

Best of luck,hon!

Thanks for Advice!!

At least now i know why i have been so hungry all the time. But like i said i always felt guilty for eating more. of course i had to look up "BMR" (i had no clue what that was), lol, but seeing that number made me feel better about adding in those extra calories. The extra little snacks help keep me satisfied too. Then i do not feel urge to binge!

This helped alot, Thanks so much!

Welcome to the group! I agree with your intake being more like 1600/day. Also, don't feel so guilty...it's just food and you're in control so if you have some extra snacks it's not the end of the world. CCing is not only about weight loss but about having a better relationship with food and that includes not punishing yourself for enjoying it!

Hang in there!

Welcome! Glad you posted. You'll find lots of support, ideas and friendship here at 3fc - as to go on your journey to better health.