After a bit of advice please

Hello!
I hope some of you lovelies can help me. I've been dabbling in many diets over the last 12 months which has resulted in a stone gain! After some soul searching and lots of thinking, I found I coped best with weight loss when I calorie counted.

I've just joined a gym and have my induction on Tuesday. I'll aim to go 3 times a week but one of those might only be to take my LO swimming.

I have a desk job so am not active there at all! I am going to use MFP to log and track food and exercise. I'm saving up for a fitbit so I can better track my activity. Should I be telling MFP that I have a sedentary or lightly active lifestyle and should I be eating exercise calories back?

PS I have read the stickies but still need a bit of clarification!

Thank you for your time
Andrea xxx

Hi Andrea !

If like me you don't take any exercise and work primarily at a desk it's sedentary.
If like you say you intend to work out 3 times per week def not sedentary ! If you do exercise you must eat more calories to make up for this exercise. I've seen people exercising like mad and not eating their extra cals and the weight sticking!! So you must up it to compensate for this activity.

Hope that helps!! Xx

Thanks for your reply. I might eat the daily calories of "lightly active" and if the weight doesn't drop off I'll lower it.
At the moment i don't exercise at all but I've joined the gym so that I can have an hour to myself! 3 times a week will be good to start but i would actually love to go once a day - childcare permitting!
I need to tell myself that I am not on a diet. Nothing is restricted as long as I have the calories to cover it! This is a lifestyle change. No more fad diets! X