Calories are a pain in the ass

[TonyAndonuts]

So I read that it takes a 3700 calorie loss to lose one pound and I should aim for two pounds a week. I have to either burn off 3700 calories through exercise or eat 3700 calories less than I burn in a week. Well, I checked some of the food and drinks I consume regularly and most said that a serving would equal about 150-250 something, and I usually just eat whenever I feel hungry. So I'd say I consume about 1500 something calories a day. So I figured once I do my workouts, I'll burn it all off. Well, I was on the treadmill switching back and forth from walking to sprinting for about 40 minutes and I read that I should aim for about an hour of exercise 3 days a week (the other 20 minutes I lift weights. Not very heavy ones though). But, in 40 minutes I only burned 250 calories. If that's all I burn in 40 minutes and they want me to do that 3 days a week (so about 750 calories burned a week), but I consume more than quadruple that amount in just a day, then how in the holy mother of hell am I supposed to lose two pounds a week? Am I getting false information? Am I doing the math wrong? Maybe I'm supposed to just starve myself everyday in order to make progress....but even if I did the treadmill every single day, that's still only about 1750 a week. Am I not trying hard enough? I'm confused and kind of feel like the answer is really simple too. So I also feel a little stupid... :/

[Wade]

Fuck calorie countin' brah.

That shit'll drive you insane. Just eat more green stuff, less quantity, and move more.

[Merc]

You might want to look at this a different way. Change your lifestyle completely and try not to get too caught up on calories. I would pay more attention to what you are eating and when. You can even do cardio every day if you want. For fat loss, it's best to knock out 45 mins or so each morning on an empty stomach. If you keep your heart rate between 65% and 75% MHR you will maximize fat loss and ensure that you don't start to catabolize lean muscle tissue.

Keep your meals regular. Personally when I'm in hardcore training mode (whether that be cutting or recomping) I do not mix carbs and fats in the same meals. My meals are either Protein/Fat or Protein/Carb with the carbs focused primarily post workout (lifting) since that's when your body needs them most.

It's also beneficial to separate your cardio and lifting sessions if you are able. Aerobic and Anaerobic activity mixed into the same session can counteract each other. Lifting doesn't mean that you are going to 'bulk' up either unless your diet is built for that specific goal. Honestly, what you choose to eat and when (the fuel) will contribute to about 75% of your overall results.

It can be discouraging, but check out some different methods out there, find one that works best for you, and one that makes sense. Definitely don't starve yourself lol. When our bodies aren't receiving a regular intake of nutrients, they WILL hold onto the fat.

[TonyAndonuts]

I'm about 5'6" or 5'7". Last time I checked, I weighed about 145 or 150. I'm not overweight or anything, but I do have a significant amount of belly fat, enough flab that I doubt abs would show up if I started abdominal workouts.
Today I woke up kind of late at 12pm (EST) and ate a slightly larger than average bowl of cereal 30 minutes later. It's the only thing I've eaten all day. I plan on doing cardio sometime today, but should I have done it before eating? Closer to when I finished eating? Was cereal a good choice (Cinnamon Toast Crunch)?

[MisterTinkles]

The trick is to burn twice as much as what you consume in a day.

So if you average 2,000 calories a day, you need to burn off 4,000+ calories per day.

[TonyAndonuts]

^That seems crazy. If the treadmill was correct in that I only burned 250 calories after 40 minutes of walking and sprinting, I'd have to be doing cardio nearly all day long. :/

[MisterTinkles]

^That seems crazy. If the treadmill was correct in that I only burned 250 calories after 40 minutes of walking and sprinting, I'd have to be doing cardio nearly all day long. :/

Well, thats what you have to do to lose weight.

You can maintain by just burning what you take in.

If you want to lose weight faster, eat less carbs, more protein, less sugars.

I had a Dr. put me on 75 carbs a day for a few months. Believe me...I LOVE my food....
I learned REAL fast what foods I could eat all day without having to sacrifice my intake.

I ate a LOT of raw veggies and salads, and could still have a few potato chips a day.
I cant ever give up my potato chips. But I changed from "bag" chips to Lays Stax.
They have less carbs and no oils.

[princealbertofb]

So I read that it takes a 3700 calorie loss to lose one pound and I should aim for two pounds a week. I have to either burn off 3700 calories through exercise or eat 3700 calories less than I burn in a week. Well, I checked some of the food and drinks I consume regularly and most said that a serving would equal about 150-250 something, and I usually just eat whenever I feel hungry. So I'd say I consume about 1500 something calories a day. So I figured once I do my workouts, I'll burn it all off. Well, I was on the treadmill switching back and forth from walking to sprinting for about 40 minutes and I read that I should aim for about an hour of exercise 3 days a week (the other 20 minutes I lift weights. Not very heavy ones though). But, in 40 minutes I only burned 250 calories. If that's all I burn in 40 minutes and they want me to do that 3 days a week (so about 750 calories burned a week), but I consume more than quadruple that amount in just a day, then how in the holy mother of hell am I supposed to lose two pounds a week? Am I getting false information? Am I doing the math wrong? Maybe I'm supposed to just starve myself everyday in order to make progress....but even if I did the treadmill every single day, that's still only about 1750 a week. Am I not trying hard enough? I'm confused and kind of feel like the answer is really simple too. So I also feel a little stupid... :/

I think one pound a week would be great, even half a pound if it helps you keep on your course... Be too drastic and your body adapts and will start thinking it's starving and stop using extra calories.

[princealbertofb]

I think the thing is to keep it feasible. Concentrate on what you CAN afford to do, in terms of time and exercise and calorie counting, and not on too high a goal, which will leave you disappointed and frustrated and be counter productive.

[princealbertofb]

Maybe one does, Pellaz, but I think most medical advice would be to do this slowly and not try to fool your brain or your body. Over long periods of time (depending on how much you need to lose) control becomes increasingly difficult when restrictions are too drastic.