To start in order for me to lose a pound a week according to loseit.com and reach my goal by June 23, 2011 I need to eat up to 1,636 calories a day. (I have never well I’ve always attempted to try calorie counting but it always frustrated me so I never really bothered after 1 day…) so on the site if I eat 1,300 that leaves me with 336 left to eat. Now if I add I worked out and burned 300 calories it goes down saying I have 636 left to eat throughout the day.

I guess the point I’m trying to ask is, if you eat all 1,636 and then work out and kill 300 of those calories you have ate, do you still have room to eat more or do you just leave at, you’ve consumed your calories and it’s great you worked off 300 of them but you can’t eat anymore?

Is this making sense? I'm not sure how else to explain it...

I don't eat calories burned. You can, but I don't. I don't feel like I see the same results when I do. You may wanna try it for a week & see if you notice a difference. Or maybe do it every other day. HTH!

If your asking if you should eat all your 1636 calories plus the calories you burned. I'd say its up to you, I've never ate my exact amount on calories, I'll come close or sometimes I'm just not hungry and I'll still have 300 or so. I try to never eat the calories I burned unless I'm starving that day. I hoped I helped.

I think it's a bad idea to eat more on days you plan to work out. Just eat about the same every day, cycling for more/less hunger, and work out most days *independent of your eating*. Calories in/out is a good thing to be aware of in terms of tracking expected loss, but it's not a good way to train your body to respond to exercise. Basically, you don't want to get used to cheeseburgers on cardio days... it's a bad set-up for the near future when you'll have a lower basal metabolic rate because you weigh less, and will need to exercise AND eat 1200-1400 a day to keep losing.

Most people here will probably say to stick to your 1636 and anything burned through exercise is a "bonus." It's really hard to estimate calories burned by exercise...so most people opt to err on the side of caution in case the estimates are way off. If they're off in your favor...then bonus! If not, you could be creating less of a deficit than you want due to not burning as many as you think you are. Food calories aren't an exact science either...but that estimate is much more reliable.

I use the loseit app too, and try to not to go over my alloted food calories, (regaldless of my exercise calories)...but if I go a little over and my meter is still in the "green" by the end of the day, it's all good. Taking in the EXACT amount of calories every day isn't always good either (your body can learn to "anticipate" this and can get too "efficient", meaning it conserves energy and you don't burn as much fat!). It's good to shake things up a bit by varying your intake a little through out the week, at least in my experience.

You'll lose weight slower (if you lose at all) by eating back those 330 calories from exercise. First, most people and cardio machines WAY overestimate the number of calories they are burning through exercise.

Second, our bodies have all kinds of survival tactics built in, thanks to evolution. This includes the tendency to counteract an increase in energy expenditure from exercise with a decrease in energy expenditure from non-exercise activity.

Third, it's WAAY to easy to get in the mindset of "treating" yourself every day that you exercise, even if it's just a little bit. The "oh, I jogged 2K today, so I can have dessert today" effect. Pretty soon you'll eat back the exercise calories and then some ... and then wonder why you're not losing weight! (Not the specific "you," the general you. Happens all the time on this board.)

//b. strong,
Kim

At this point I wouldn't eat your calories back- If you eat 1600 and burn 300 then eat it that's 1900 calories eaten when you weigh 159, I think that would dramatically decrease your rate of loss.

Awsome guys thanks for your input. Its only day one of calorie counting and I'm already over and it's only lunch time. Today was a complete binge day and I'm not even sure why?! I'm hoping tomorrow will be better but all honesty it's a learning experience and there are 3 things that if I didn't eat today (arizona green tea, the bag of chips and a snack) I totally wouldn't be over, but tomorrow is another day!

Isnt the point of exercising to create a bigger deficit and lose more? I dont eat those calories back, mostly because I'm trying to maximise the loss and also because it is really hard to estimate how much you've burnt.
The binge could be because now you're like "omg theres less i can eat, but i really want to eat stuff, i cant have x, y, z, omg now i want them really bad" kind of thing. Learning what works for you in counting calories is a fairly decent process, like today you had arizona green tea (i dont know what that is, is it like, green tea with cream or something??), chips and a snack. And that pushed you over. So what I would do is think, why did I have those things? Was I hungry/thirsty, bored, worried? If i was hungry, then I would say ok, what can i replace those things with? Maybe fruit (im not a big fruit fan :P ) or something I really like, but that is better for me- a healthy muesli bar, maybe a home made whole meal muffin, wholegrain crackers and hummus, or maybe I needed more lunch? Thats just what i would do

I only drink water now- I save my calories for food lol.