I've been using this site forever but I feel like such a newbie all of the sudden.

I work in an office so I sit pretty much all day so I set my activity on the low one. Anyway, do you make sure your net calories or your consumed calories equals your goal calories? I thought I just worried about the consumed calories before and put the number of cals burned (I track with a polar watch when I workout) and ignored the net calories but judging by what they say there you should eat back the cals you've burned so you aren't too far under.

I've been eating around 1700 and burning 420-500 cals so I'm right around 1300 but am I doing this wrong? Should I make sure I eat 1300 and still burn those 400-500 and be around 800?

Why do I feel so dumb? Maybe all the wieght I've put on is in my brain!

I've used TDP for a while now and I don't eat back calories on a regular basis. I also have my activity set on low.

When my calorie goal was 1200-1300, I might eat back 100-200 if I had a particularly heavy exercise day or did a lot of strength training. Usually got those extra in protein. Once I moved my goal up to 1500+ I stopped eating back at all.

I just got a heart rate monitor for Christmas that shows calories burned, so this whole year I've been using the estimated exercise calories on TDP and I didn't particularly trust them. I didn't want to eat back when I wasn't sure I actually burned that much.

But, that was just me. When I moved my calories up to 1900 for maintenance I continued to lose all the way up to 1750, so I might have been able to eat back more if I had wanted to!

I do the same thing you do - my total cals are around 1700, but if I burn 500 at the gym (I also use a polar HRM ) my body still had 1700 cals in fuel, even if my "net cals" for the day are only 1200.

My total calories consumed is the one I try to reach, not the "net cals."

The only time I tend to eat back calories to fiddle with the net calories was during cycling season where an intense ride would mean I was in the negative. Some of those rides would burn 1400+ calories and I was concerned about deficits like that. But in general, no - I've never paid much attention to net vs. gross.

Additionally - TDP overestimates the calories burned factor, IMO. I've always relied on my heart rate monitor keeping in mind that's somewhat inaccurate as well.

So, I should be eating the 1350 it's allowing me and not go past just because I can get it back down there once I exercise?

1350 seems sort of low. What do you have your weekly loss goals set to?

Right now I have it at 2 pounds. Just to jump start things.

I was telling my hubby last night that I don't know how I did this before but I did. And I was eating 1320 at one point and staying under that before exercise. I suppose once my stomach isn't used to over eating I'll be better at it but I'm starving all the time right now.

Adding in more:
Lynsey - my plan of weight loss attack has been to pick a calorie range, for instance 1400-1700 and then stick with it, regardless of my daily activity. I find a caloric range eliminates obsessing over perfectly meeting (or a bit exceeding) my limit. There has been no set schedule with this, I do not really follow a calorie cycling plan (Mon - 1350, Tues - 1500 and so on) I just stick to that range.

I've never followed TDP calorie recommendations. Instead, I've tweaked my calories to get a healthy, sustainable loss. If my loss is consistently too high for a few weeks - I add in more calories. Too low and I take away some. It's a continuing art. My loss has never been predictable or linear because my fitness levels are changing. I can control it, to some extent with my intake.

I'd say find what works for you, track the calories and loss and tweak from there. If 1350 suits you - great!

You posted while I was typing...

Starving all of the time is no fun! That can certainly be disheartening. How clean is your diet? Are you getting plenty of lean proteins and veggies? Those always sustain me.

If you have TDP set to a sedentary lifestyle it's set to give you the calories of someone who lays in bed all day, merely existing - not functioning. You've mentioned you have an office job and you have your levels set to sedentary. You may consider changing your activity level on TDP to lightly active (computer use). The extra calories would really help with the starving sensation, particularly if they're carefully chosen.

Even better, so you're not doing drastic changes - try starting with ranging between TDP's recommendation for sedentary and lightly (or moderately) active rather than stick to a set amount that doesn't allow for changing appetite and activity. You'll find what works best for you, I know it!

I agree with FB's suggestions! I also had it set to "sedentary" when I begain training for a 5k last summer because I was thinking, well, I just sit on my butt all day at work. But I was going to the gym for 30 minutes and then come home and do another 60 minute walk with my husband around the neighborhood. During that time I was burning about 1,000 calories a day JUST in exercise. I think TDP was recommending something like 1500 calories but I was starving and NOT losing weight because I was exercising so much. So I slowly started adding calories and suddenly I started losing again.

I just looked and I do have it on lightly active. I guess I thought this was low because I was on mod. active when I worked in the plant. I still have to walk around the office and down to the plant at least 3 times a day so I kept it on lightly.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll stick to around 1400 and see what heppens. I just feel like I should know what I'm doing here!