Daily calories = calories -(minus) calories burned?

Hi,

Could somebody clarify if my daily calorie goal is 1800 cals.

If I then burn 500 calories exercising should I be eating 2300?

If not my body will only have 1300 calories a day (entering into the stages of starvation)

Thanks in advance!

Hi,
 
It depends where the goal of 1800 came from and what your goal result is.
 
If your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is 1800 and you burn off 500 through exercise, you'd need to eat 2300 if you want to maintain your weight. But if you want to drop body fat, you could eat 1800 and get a net of 1300 to lose approx. 1lb per week.
 
It's hard to know exactly what your BMR is, but if you've used a formula / calculation to work out that it's about 1,800, it then depends if you want to bulk, maintain or cut.
 
I find the best way to do it is to try the calorie input / output for a week, record everything and check your body fat % at the beginning and end of week and make adjustments from there - based on results as well as how you feel energy wise - if you can still train hard and not low in energy, or perhaps cutting down if you're feeling good but not getting the results you're after.
 
Hope that makes sense! Feel free to PM me if you want more clarification!

Here's a bit of useful reading for you:
http://articles.muscletal...ive-equations-bmr.aspx

James,
 
What is the best option for working out calories in your opinion?

The_Lone_Wolf


James,

What is the best option for working out calories in your opinion?

If you do need to work out calories, which the chances out you don't, then use standard BMR equations and add increments