I agree with you!  I see so many people posting how many calories they burned in a workout and it can't possibly be correct.  I know that most gym machines exaggerate the calories-burned number by including your resting metabolic rate calories in the total they display.  In other words, the display readout is showing you not only their estimate for what you are burning during the exercise, but adding in what you would be burning if you were just sitting on the couch.  Most people end up adding the calorie burned number to what they can eat that day, not realizing that is a double-count of your RMR.  I track my exercise, but never add the calories back into what I can eat during the day. 

I'm battling a weight gain of about 10 lbs myself right now, so I totally understand!  It's a lifelong battle!

HI!

How do you KNOW that you are burning 500-1000 a day?  A HRM is a good benchmark but they aren't reliable.  They dont even agree with each other!  For example, I strap on my polar HRM and my garmin GPS + HRM and I do not get the same calorie burn for a 5 mile run/jog off of them.  They arent in the same ballpark.  The worst difference I saw between the two was 130 calories!  Yikes!  Like that is 13 tic-tacs or an entire protein bar!!!

Also, if you are fit, you body will burn less calories than an unfit person doing the same exercise (per my trainer). So it is very likely, if you are using a website that gives a general calorie burn per activity (like weigh****chers), you are burning LESS than you expect.

Are you going through menopause?  Maybe your thyroid is starting to act up. I was see a NP about this.

Good luck!

The 2000 calories per day is almost certainly too many.  Many of us eat only 1400-1500 to maintain our weight.  I was maintaining at 1300-1400 calories until menopause hit.  Now that is too many.

No, your body is NOT going into "storage mode" due to lack of wine consumption! (Where did you hear that?!?)

Most people who adjust their eating to offset what they THINK they are burning in exercise end up in exactly the boat you are in... gaining weight.  Some people think they are burning massive amounts of calories during their workouts (we have had people here claim that their hour of Zumba burned more than 1000 calories!!!!) and because they are NOT burning that many, they sabotage themselves by adjusting  their eating.  Eat what you would eat without any exercise offset and you will almost certainly start losing weight.

Lora

There is a pulmonary test that my doc did a few years back for me...u blow into this machine and it measures how many calories you burn in a day and how many you need to maintain or loose....mine was l500 to stay exactly where I am now...to loose take in less calories....I am eight years out....I had a thirty pound regain after drinking wine for a year straight....by the grace of God I stopped a year ago....and have lost all the regain except for a floating five pounds, and that is my fault because I graze......I did have rny and still go to many of support meetings for it all over florida while I am here as a snow bird.....that has helped me allot too because of seeing other people have some of the same issues........each day is a battle, it is not the easy way out as some people seem to think, it has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do...yes the first l8 months was easy,   then the work started...good luck..........................Lois

I liked your post and am planning on being a snow bird in the next few years.  What area of Florida do you go to and where are there support meetings?  Thanks so much! 

South Ft Myers here :)

Thanks for responding!  Hoping I can find support on the east coast when I'm there for the winters.  :)

We live in Silver springs, next to Ocala............I go in Ocala and also drive to Ocoee which is 65 miles from me but the meetings are fabulous.......and the doctors attend the sugeons.......yes, believe it or not............where do you live...I am from PA....

Thanks for getting back to me.  I live in NY but we bought a place on the east coast of Florida in anticipation of being a snow bird (still have 5 years to retirement..Yuck!)  It seems like everyone who goes to good support groups in Florida is on the west coast.  Hoping I can find support on the east coast for when I'm there (I know it's a life-long battle).  

Just as a point of reference my husband walks 5 miles daily at 5 mph - which is a hustle of a pace. He burns off about 600 calories on his walk.