Ok...I think I may have figured this out...

Let's see if I'm wrong.

So in order to lose a pound you need a deficit of 3500 cals. Soooo in order to gain a pound you would need to consume 3500 cals more than you burn right? Then that means, if I keep a daily deficit of let's say 200 cals and then at the end of the week I eat 2700 cals in one day, I won't gain right? Or am I wrong here?

Essentially if you looked at the week it would all balance out. No net gain or loss and it would be more like 1200 leading up to the 7th day that you have banked plus whatever you eat for maintenance which is probably around 1800 so you could have 6 days at 1600 and then a 3000 calorie day if maintenance were 1800 for you.

My maintance is actually about 1250-1300. But it's nice to know that if I go over that every once in awhile, it's not the end of the world. I binged at Golden Corral this weekend and was really worried over it. I wound up actually losing a pound. LOL.

Thanks.

Original Post by sullysbunny:

My maintance is actually about 1250-1300. But it's nice to know that if I go over that every once in awhile, it's not the end of the world. I binged at Golden Corral this weekend and was really worried over it. I wound up actually losing a pound. LOL.

Thanks.

How is your maintenance only 1250-1300?  What are your stats?  I eat way more than that to lose over 1 lb. per week!

Hi,

You have miscalculated your maintenance calories, or misunderstood the meaning of the term.  Unless you are exceptionally short, elderly  and in a coma, your maintenance calories are certainly not 1250 - 1300.  You can try http://www.phord.com/cc/ or you can enter your stats correctly into the calculators on this site.

Ax

Let's say that for 7 consecutive days you ate 500 more calories than your maintenance BMR or calorie burning required for you to maintain a set weight.  In theory, at the end of one week you would gain 1 pound.  But several factors can change that quite easily: 1) If a person has lean muscle weight, for example, from weight-lifting, the body burns extra calories at night in rebuilding "torn" muscles.  2) If a person has increased his/her metabolism, such as by drinking a large glass of water first thing in the morning and had a high-protein breakfast, the BMR can fluctuate and actually change fairly quickly.  3) The body does not use, store, or convert calories from different sources the same exact way:  500 calories from refined sugar, 500 calories from lean red meat, 500 calories from vegetables, and 500 calories from beer do not exactly affect the body's calorie burning the same way.  So, you may or may not gain weight, depending on many different factors.

My BMR is listed as 1310. ( other sites I looked at had me listed lower) I keep the calories I eat between 1200 to 1300. I have been pretty much stuck at the weight that I have been for the past 2 months, therefore, wouldn't that mean I'm maintaining that weight? I do exercise daily and log that seperate from my baseline bmr but again...I'm still stuck at my current weight. I don't need to lose any weight but I don't really want to gain any either so I keep my calories there so I can just maintain it.

Original Post by sullysbunny:

My BMR is listed as 1310.

If your BMR is 1310, you burn more than that - BMR is just what you burn in a coma, not what you burn in a day.

If your BMR is 1310, and you are sedentary, you burn 1570 (BMR * 1.2) in a day, and should eat that to maintain.

Chronic undereating is a possible reason why you've been eating 1200-1300 and not continuing to lose weight.

When I check my stats on CC and list them as sedentary which lists sitting on my butt at the office it comes out as 1310.

I'm taking baby steps to eating more though. I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out. Trying to see how much I can eat and still maintain.

Original Post by sullysbunny:

When I check my stats on CC and list them as sedentary which lists sitting on my butt at the office it comes out as 1310.

Then that's not your BMR.

Wow. Now I'm really confused.

CC does not calculate your BMR. So if CC says you burn 1310, that's not your BMR, it's your burn rate.

People get confused and use the wrong terms, which in turn confuses other people.

If CC has calculated your Daily Caloric Expenditure at 1310 using the Burn Tool, then that is the amount you would expect to eat daily to maintain your current weight. 

Instead of sticking to the 1310 daily, you could average it across the week, similar to what chrissy1988 was talking about.  I don't know what your age is but will assume you're out of your teens, however you are very close to the minimum caloric intake (1200) for an adult woman already, so you should be careful not to go too much below your 1310 daily amount.

Keep in mind also what pilgrimdude mentioned.  Counting calories is a really good way to track your eating, but our bodies are much more complex than just simple addition/subtraction.

Ok....so then as long as I don't eat more than 1310 a day I'll maintain. Or 9170 calories in a week. Or I can eat 1250 cals for 6 days and then 1670 on one day.  Right?

 

Looks like you have it figured out.  The best way to implement is always a bit of a learning process, with each of us hopefully finding a process that suits us.

For example, many people choose to add some form of additional activity to their day that will burn calories not included in their burn meter.  Doing some yard or house work, walking the dog, walking around the mall window shopping, or flat out exercising! Your "maintenance" calorie requirements will increase as you do more.

If you've listed yourself as "sedentary," be sure to add any extra activities you do during the day in your CC activity log, the same way you log your calories.  Checking your CC "My Home" tab updates your burn meter to include your added activity.

Yes, I log my daily exercise the following day since I exercise every evening. I like keeping some deficit in case I decide to indulge in something I really want like that Stuffed Crust Pizza that has been calling my name for the past 4 months. LOL.

Thanks all!

Girl, my advice to you is to go ahead and eat the pizza and gain back a few pounds.  You're underweight and not having your periods (according to another post of yours I just read). 

Eat already and put some of those pounds you lost back on...