Counting exercise calories

HM2206

I'm curious how most of you estimate your calories burned from a workout.

I have about 8-9 lbs left to lose and can feel it getting harder. I'm afraid to eat back to much of what I exercise, but at the same time I feel extremely hungry after the gym.

I work out at Barry's Bootcamp here in Oslo - for those who are not familiar, it is a one-hour workout, half interval cardio and half strength training. It is a very intense workout and non stop. At the same time I think they advertise that you can burn a LOT and I don't want to exaggerate when counting.

What I usually do is just look at the numbers on the screen on the treadmill and add those, and not count for the strength training. But I am extremely hungry the rest of the day, even to the point where I'm feeling faint and tired (I have had chicken and vegetables plus some whole grain rice after).

I'm really struggling to find the middle ground between going to bed dizzy and hungry and successfully losing weight, and not losing at all. The former works, but I can't keep it up. Though it sometimes looks like I'm not losing at all unless I'm suffering.

Do you take it a little bit 'by feel', to try and see how much energy you need?

AsISmile

How big is your current calorie deficit?
With only 9 lbs left to lose a 2 lbs a week weightloss is too high. It should be at 0,5 now.

That should give you some extra calories.
Your method of estimating calories sounds fair...

Personally I wouldn't eat back exercise calories by feeling, I think that would make it way too easy to overeat.

HM2206

AsISmile wrote: »

How big is your current calorie deficit?
With only 9 lbs left to lose a 2 lbs a week weightloss is too high. It should be at 0,5 now.

I've set the target to 1500 calories a day. I think my BMR is 2000 a day - hard to know exactly how active you are, but I seem to lose at 1500.

When I've burned 300 (or so I think) I eat 1800. Sometimes I eat more too, if I'm absolutely starving, though never over maintenance completely.

AsISmile

You do know BMR is not maintenance?
Maintenance includes activity level, BMR doesn't.

Anyway, a half pound a week weight loss would be 250 calories under maintenance.
I can't explain you why, but I always read that a half pound loss a week is the best for people with 25 pounds or less to lose.

You could also consider using thr TDEE method.
Find your TDEE and eat 250-500 calories under that.
It includes activity and exercise, so you never have to think about eating back calories again, since those are already incorporated in the number.
The scooby workshop calculator is a pretty good one.