Hi ya'll,
Question for ya.

I just got the LoseIt! app yesterday and am really trying to figure out this calorie counting thing.

I have noticed that, with my exercise calorie deficit, I am like 450 calories under budget at the end of my day. I realize this is a good thing, but I'm in this for the long hall and I don't wnat to burn out.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't have a Hershey bar or ice-cream cone after dinner? Or will this sugar splurge effect my weight loss?

What do you think?

I never eat back calories unless I'm hungry and feel "real" hunger not just "emotional" hunger. That's just me, some people just net to what they want and will exercise off anything they eat in addition, in truth, calories are hard in a few ways:

1) The treadmill, trackers, and apps we use, aren't 100% perfect with the actual calories burned. They may be within range of 20 calories - 120 calories, but they aren't perfect. If they are telling you you burned 100 calories, and you really only burned 50 calories, so you eat back the 100, you may be selling yourself a little short. My fit bit sometimes tells me my run burned 200 calories, MFP will say 120 calories, and the treadmill will claim 220 calories, which one was more accurate?

2) Our foods also aren't perfect in measuring. I can measure out exactly a table spoon of sugar, and it will be as close as I can get to what the calories will be, but what about when I cook? If I measure every item in a veggy casserole exactly, and then divide the total calories by a perfect measurement of what I'm going to be eating (say 1/6th of the total) there is no guarantee that's a "perfect" calorie measure. So, maybe I grab the 1/6 that has more asparagus than another slice that got more of the cream or cheese? These will be off as well.

Generally these balance out over a long period of time, and as long as there is a deficit it's not really a big deal, the bigger the deficit, the higher the weight loss, best idea is a 500 calorie a day deficit for a 1lb a week.

Here's another thing though, while it's not, in anyway, wrong to eat back the calories you work off, you want to have hershey and ice cream. These are yummy treats and also not the most healthy. Again, it's calories in, and calories out, and while ice cream gone forever would not be doable for me, I do avoid these treats except for on special occasion. Technically you could lose weight eating nothing but McDonalds, but it's not the healthiest idea. I think a big part of this is WHY you are losing weight. If it's just to lose, then sure, go for it. If it's to get healthy then I would limit these type of snacks and fill up on veggies, fruits, and other good foods. I also noticed, that personally, when I fill my calories with non-healthy items I feel like crapola the next day. When I eat healthy, I feel amazing and it helps with the diet. After a while, you stop craving ice cream and start craving fruits!

You also feel more full and satisfied on veggies than on sugars.

I think it depends on if that splurge triggers you to eat more off plan. Part of this weight loss thing is mental. If you track everything and are really sure you have those calories and the sugar won't trigger you to look for more sugar, it's good.

Realize that these apps and trackers are not 100% accurate, maybe google for some articles on which are the most accurate just to know what you're using.

Lots of people eat back or don't eat back their exercise calories, you have to find what works for you.

If you're going to "splurge" plan for it, think about your goals, is your goal to change your long term way of eating? Sometimes a splurge for me is a really good full fat cheese or a good handful of pecans.

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice

best of luck to you!

There's no reason why you can't splurge on an ice cream cone once in a while but not every night. Also, I don't know what LoseIt is saying that you've burned during exercise but always assume around 200 cals or less, not more.

Ok, great tips, all. Thanks and good "food" for thought.

So, my app says that my "budget" for the day is 1358. Doesn't this budget assume a daily deficit as a part of my target weight loss goal?

So...if I'm under budget those calories are in addition to the deficit already factored into my daily calorie budget? Net calories is saying only 980...that doesn't seem like much.

Also, I taking into considerating the weighing of food might be off...and that the app might not be 100 percent accurate....truth be told, I didn't finish my plate at every meal either, so....

...a little confusing there. :-)

I honestly don't want to do any extreme dieting this time around...been there, done that mostly for health reasons and I'm ready for gentle.

It's ok for net calories to be that low...as long as you feel well. If you're hungry, then you can dip into your burned calories, but having a Hershey bar doesn't sound like hunger to me and eating foods high in sugar tends to stimulate the appetite. You'll never know what is the "right" thing for you until you experiment because we're all so different. There is no right or wrong here.

Keep in mind that if you burn 100 calories in a mile (for example), that you would have still burned 20 calories just from laying on the couch. It's very easy to overestimate what you burned and underestimate what you ate. You say you didn't finish all your food....why not just have something more nutritious? If you really want something sweet, have a fruit or a hardboiled egg. You could bake an apple and sprinkle some cinnamon into it. Nourish your body and it will reward you with better health. Or, just have the Hershey bar and call it a treat. It's up to you.

Oh, I can relate, iam@hero. As much as I would want to go ahead and splurge a little, I wouldn't because I know that I would start looking forward to that splurge in no time, then start planning my menus around it, and then having an all out binge at some point. I can't be trusted! So, if you only did it once in a blue moon and then got right back on the wagon, it would probably be just fine. I have a "cheat day" every 2 weeks. I eat whatever I want all that day and then the next day, it's back to business as usual. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

I'd call it quits and resist the Hershey bar or ice-cream cone after dinner and go to bed very happy in the knowledge you were well under.

There will be days you eat over.

And weightloss is a game of averages...

So play it long.

Yes, this!

If you have a day where you are significantly under like this, TAKE IT! Because you WILL, almost certainly, at some point have a day where the munchies take over and you eat and eat and find yourself 500, or even 800 calories over your budget. Now you've built in a pad that allows for that to happen with minimal setback to your goals. Also, if you have that deficit and you suddenly get a dinner invitation to go out with friends or family you can without worrying as much about what to order. You'll probably still go over on recommended sodium eating restaurant food, but you get the idea.

great advice everyone! You guys are awesome!

I guess I'm just trying to learn how to eat without going to an extreme in any direction. I did an extreme version of paleo (SCD) with my kids for health reasons for 3 years. Yes, I looked fabulous and the health benefit to my kids was more than obvious, but when it came time to reintroduce foods, I had no idea how to do basic calorie control or "maintenance". I didn't know how to just eat one piece of cake instead of the entire cake. (I love cake). So, I am learning a new way this time.

I did end up eating 180 calories of chocolate and still lost 2.6 pounds last night. I am loving using the app for calories! It's soooo enlightening!

Won't be doing that every night though, as the points above are excellent to factor in.

Over all, I was still under budget though!

It looks like I am too late to answer "in the moment," but I will still add my thoughts for the next time.

I love what Ian and MauiKai said, and totally agree. I also agree that you have to recognize that you will never be able to get 100% accurate calorie intake or expenditure numbers. Even that chocolate bar that is packaged at 180 calories is not going to be 180 calories. It may be 190 or 170. So, I try to stay away from attempting to calculate exactly how much I need to eat or exercise in order to lose a certain amount of weight. Way too much variance in all of those things to be able to do that accurately.

However, I would add - If you really, really want that chocolate bar or ice cream cone, you should eat it and enjoy. every. single. bite. of. it. As they said, don't eat it just because you can. But being able to indulge in something completely ridiculous is a huge benefit to calorie counting versus other WOE (way of eating) choices.

Thanks for adding your thoughts Laurie!

Just curious, what app are you using to count calories? I'm using my fitness pal but always looking to see if other apps are better (or worse) and what others are using

Excellent point! This it is very important to understand.

The number of calories I've seen estimated as burned by various apps, websites and even exercise equipment is typically grossly inflated.

At 5'4" and 170 you just aren't going to burn that many calories exercising unless you're capable of sustaining high intensity for a long time or you have hours to burn (like biggest loser contestants.) Your typical hour at the gym? Novangel is right. In any case it is better to under estimate than over.