Calorie counting

[ImmortalCandle]

If my tdee is, round figures, 1700 and I stick to, say 1200, I should be able to shift some weight according to my app. So, can I have a day where I go over, then go under to make up for it another day? I thought this was OK? But perhaps I am doing it wrong!
Last week I was slightly over, but while one side if me says 170 calories for the week is nothing major to stress about, the other side of me is panicking. I had a dinner out on Saturday night, and a celebration at work one day, so did have a light day to help compensate, but only one day for the week was over my tdee.
Or have I got it a terribly confused? I am new to calorie counting!

Don't worry about exercise if you can't fit it in. I lost three stone just through calorie counting, I physically couldn't walk far let alone do any exercise. If you think you do well on lower calorie days with a greater allowance on other days then do that, it's no different to the 5/2 diet, and calories for the week as a whole matter the most. Just make sure you don't get really hungry and then eat everything in sight.

I use MFP and eat back exercise calories. I lose very slowly on 1200 per day. MFP has a nifty graph which averages out your calories over time.

I love that feature.

I should be on 1400 cals a day. I am 42

But I only lose weight when I eat under 1000

So I have been living off packets of porridge and premade low cal meals and logging everything and low cal snack bars.

But it is working I have lost 6lb in two weeks

Its not actually been that bad and I can even have a sandwich if I log it.

I will push on till I have lost another 10lb.

I've lost just over 5 stone since February. My tdee is/was higher than yours as I burn more just existing because I am bigger than you.

I eat around 1200 6 days a week and then Saturdays I don't even track what I eat (although the amount has got less as I've trained myself to not crave as much)

Don't give up, don't eat your exercise calories, have a look at the Jason Malford weightloss group on Facebook, not really got much to with the man himself if you're not a fan it's mainly a lovely supportive and knowledgeable group of people!

@MauraandLaura - you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, however it is you choose to achieve this. If you only lose weight eating under 1000 calories a day this suggests you are already short/small with little to lose to have a healthy BMI or are already in the healthy bracket and your TDEE is already low. Or, and this is far more likely, you are underestimating how many calories you are actually consuming. Alternatively there's an underlying health condition affecting your weightloss.

@MauraandLaura

I should be on 1400 cals a day. I am 42

But I only lose weight when I eat under 1000

So I have been living off packets of porridge and premade low cal meals and logging everything and low cal snack bars.

But it is working I have lost 6lb in two weeks

Its not actually been that bad and I can even have a sandwich if I log it.

I will push on till I have lost another 10lb.

This is depressingly common. You don't need to starve and exist on porridge etc to lose weight. This weight is going to go back on once you start eating properly again after losing those 10 more pounds. A healthy approach is what is needed, and lose 1lb a week rather than 3