calories in vs calories out.......sorry to ask

cssyti
cssyti Posts: 108 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This will probably sound like a really dumb question. To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume, correct? So If I consume 1200 calories a day, I have to burn more than 1200 calories during my workout? I am new and confused. Please don't be sarcastic

Replies

  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    No, because your body automatically burns calories by functioning (breathing, etc) and through basic every day activities. It is the calories that you need to burn on top of that. (Supposedly your TDEE less 20%, approx.) I'm sure someone will give you a much more scientific answer...
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    No, because your body automatically burns calories by functioning (breathing, etc) and through basic every day activities. It is the calories that you need to burn on top of that. (Supposedly your TDEE less 20%, approx.) I'm sure someone will give you a much more scientific answer...
    This pretty much covers it. It takes energy just to maintain your current weight because all of your body's functions burn calories. This is called your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is what you would burn in a coma. Then there's the calories burned by activities of daily living (making anpot of coffee, doing the dishes, driving your car, etc.). Let's say it takes 2000 calories just to do all of that stuff and then you burn an extra 500 at the gym. You burned 2500 calories that day. Now let's say you eat 2000. You're at a 500 calorie deficit for the day (-1lb/week).
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    This is what you would burn in a coma.

    no no no a thousand times no. Save us the emotional claptrap.

    BMR is what you use lying down in a clinic in subdued lighting after an overnight stay with no food intake. Look it up.

    You don't really suggest that BMR values are determined by putting people into a coma ? Jeez.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    This is what you would burn in a coma.

    no no no a thousand times no. Save us the emotional claptrap.

    BMR is what you use lying down in a clinic in subdued lighting after an overnight stay with no food intake. Look it up.

    You don't really suggest that BMR values are determined by putting people into a coma ? Jeez.
    Do you think I suggested that's how these values are determined? That's not at all what I said. What I said was "this is what you would burn in a coma." As in, if your BMR is 1400 calories and you did not move at all the entire day (like you would in a coma), you would burn 1400 calories that day. If you need additional reading comprehension assistance, I suggest you hire a tutor.
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
    I think that there is so much error in all these calculations that arguments like the above are inevitable.

    Bottom line is you need a certain amount of energy just to stay alive, whether in a coma or not (the exact scientific methods used to measured this are not relevant to most people) and then a bit more for your activities of daily living...and more if you do more strenuous exercise etc.
    I find that there are several calculations out there (using sex, age, height etc) but they are all ultimately estimates.

    To the OP: I think if you find one of those and set your activity level as 'sedentary' then you will have an idea what your BMR is. The perceived wisdom is to take 500 calories off this to give you a deficit that will approximate 1 pound a week. If you exercise, you will have a larger deficit and it's up to you to either eat extra (for slower weight loss) or keep the deficit (for faster weight loss).

    The only thing I will add is that in my experience once I hit the mid-range of the BMI and my body fat dropped quite low, the hunger pangs became unbearable and I am currently only able to tolerate a very minor caloric deficit or none at all.
  • cssyti
    cssyti Posts: 108 Member
    According to the BMR on this site, mine is 1,772 calories a day.
    I do a 30 min workout 6 days a week, burning about 300 calories each workout.
    I am on a 1210 calorie intake each day.

    So I have about 800 calorie deficit each day? Is that correct?
  • kingtermite
    kingtermite Posts: 82 Member
    According to the BMR on this site, mine is 1,772 calories a day.
    I do a 30 min workout 6 days a week, burning about 300 calories each workout.
    I am on a 1210 calorie intake each day.

    So I have about 800 calorie deficit each day? Is that correct?
    Technically you have even more deficit. BMR is what you would burn if you literally sat still and didn't move all day. Your TDEE (Total Day Energy Expenditure) is your more realistic calorie burn for the day. When you registered the website asked you about your activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc...). Based on that it bumps up the calories burned by a small factor (1.1, 1.2, etc....based on what you chose) to get your TDEE.

    Your TDEE is your more realistic calories burned every day.

    Your deficit is TDEE - Calories Eaten.

    Sounds like you may be doing even better than you think.
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
    According to the BMR on this site, mine is 1,772 calories a day.
    I do a 30 min workout 6 days a week, burning about 300 calories each workout.
    I am on a 1210 calorie intake each day.

    So I have about 800 calorie deficit each day? Is that correct?

    Well if your BMR is 1772 and you do absolutely nothing else apart from your 30min workouts, your daily energy requirement should be: 1772 + (300x6)/7. Which gives 2029 per day to maintain your weight.

    If you eat 1210 calories a day then your daily deficit is 820 or so which gives 5740 or so which gives a projected weight loss of 1.5 pounds per week.

    My caveat/bugbear is that the numbers are far too precise for my liking, given that we are estimating wildly here...your BMR could be 1600 or 1800 for all I know, depending on muscle mass, genetics etc. Secondly, people are usually not that accurate with tracking calories (portion sizes, homemade food, and some food labels are misleading) so expect a margin of error.

    I suspect that if you stick to about 1210 a day you'll lose more than 1.5 lb per week (as I imagine that you must be at least lightly active during the day) but you'll have to really restrict what you eat to be mostly low-calorie high-volume foods to avoid feeling starved. I would be inclined to eat more (maybe 1500-1700?) and go the slow scenic route. You could also work out more.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    According to the BMR on this site, mine is 1,772 calories a day.
    I do a 30 min workout 6 days a week, burning about 300 calories each workout.
    I am on a 1210 calorie intake each day.

    So I have about 800 calorie deficit each day? Is that correct?
    True if you never move at all other than exercise. However your TDEE may be quite a bit higher than that. For example I can burn an extra 800-1000 calories just walking around and other non-exercise activity during the day.

    You might lose the first 10 or so pounds quickly, but once you get down to the ballpark of 20 to lose, a big deficit will no longer be your friend. If you choose to stay on 1200 calories be sure to re-evaluate if you start feeling weak or foggy or your hair starts falling out, etc, because chances are you can eat a lot more than that and still get rid of fat just fine.

    You might try this post to learn a bit more and get a good start on your journey. :)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/963088-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

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