What is the appropriate amount of calories to burn daily through exercise? I know you burn tons of calories by existing, but how many extra calories should you burn with daily exercise? I'm thinking something between 350-400. Is that good/safe?
Nothing 'unsafe' about what you're suggesting. It's a question of stamina, really. If you're going back to exercise after years of being unfit, you need to ease yourself into it, or your muscles will hurt so much you might give up.
As an instance, if you weighed 200 pounds and you did moderate-paced cross-country skiing for 30 minutes, you'd burn just over 400 calories. But you might find that 30 minutes is tough, when you're just starting.
If you can burn off that sort of amount 6 days a week (it's always good to have a rest day) then every 1.5 weeks or so, you should drop a pound of fat.
Note, though, that you may also develop some muscle from the exercise, so your weight might not decrease by 1 pound. That's why it's always best to use a tape measure rather than weigh scales. If you're losing body fat, then your "vital statistics" won't lie, but your bathroom scales might mislead you grossly.
I can't tell you how many people I've known give up exercising because they stopped losing weight (or even gained) even though the bathroom mirror told them they had nothing to worry about!
Don't 'crash diet' and exercise sensibly, and you should see 'measurable' results.
And don't be impatient to lose too quickly. Steady progress lasts longer...
