Quick question on calorie restriction and activity
 

Hello,

Restarting (for the last time...!) a weight loss program.

The software says, based on my lifestyle, I should be eating ~3000 cal/day.

It says, to meet my weight loss goal, I should cut back by 800 cal/day.

Now, I'm burning 900 cal/day in exercise though. Does this mean I should eat 3000 a cal/day, and consider the exercise burning my "calorie restriction", or should I restrict my diet to 2200 calories, AND do the exercise as well?

Thanks,

-clustro

if the software you are referring to is fitday, i believe it says to maintain your current weight, you would have to eat 3000 calories....to lose weight you take in less calories that your body burns (ie 3000). With your projected goal, it says to restrict caloric intake by 800 a day, so your daily intake should be 2200 calories a day.....on the days that you do exercise you could eat those calories like you spoke about and still lose weight or to lose faster you can still restrict diet to 2200 and the extra 900 calories will go to weight loss. Depends on the day sometimes i eat the extra calories; somedays i don't, and then somedays if i exercise for 900 calories, i might eat only half of them depends on how i feel or how hungry i am. Also remember as you lose your daily calorie consumption will lower, so you will have to adjust your target caloric intake. I started out at @4000 calories a day, now down to 2700 range, but i still have about 100 or so pounds to go.

No. Count the exercise as a bonus. On WW, we could add a point (of food) for each hour we exercised, but I found that it was better to 'bank' those points and use them for special occasions--really special occasions, not just your team winning a football game. You won't keep the weight off unless you make a lifestyle change. If you don't learn how to eat better, the weight will come back on--exercise or not. Maybe not now (I don't know how old you are), but exercise may not last a lifetime--better eating habits CAN.

I have no idea which alternative you're telling me to take.

Well, my advice is to keep as large a calorie deficit as you comfortably can. When I was 400 plus, I was burning 4K calories and taking in 1500. Make sure your calories are, for the post part, "good". Lay off the soda, booze, junk foods and desserts. You can be very comfortable on under 2k calories. Just my advice, everyone is different.

Regards,
Michael