Are this many calories actually neccessary? Confused...

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  • DJonssy
    DJonssy Posts: 18 Member
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    The higher the daily deficit, the more chance you have of losing muscle as well as of compromising general health.

    2lb/week or 1000 calorie daily deficit is a number plucked out of the air that makes sense as a maximum deficit to not go above.

    So if you're starting with a 250 calorie deficit, I wouldn't worry going over it.
    If you've already got a 1000 calorie deficit, I'd try and eat back as much as you can.

    This evening I went for a run which burnt 806 calories I think it was.
    So I had a tub of low calorie ice cream (around 570) with some 'cookie crisp' mixed in. Lots of simple carbs are ideal to replenish energy used.

    How long do you run to burn that many calories? My knees are pretty terrible so I've taken to the woods hiking instead. Well... and Zumba. :) I'd like to run but it's more high impact than I would like, I guess. Maybe I am just a sloppy runner.
    To be honest, I haven't been on a regular running routine since high school volleyball/softball! Yikes....
  • Tanya949
    Tanya949 Posts: 606 Member
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    I think you should really look into doing the TDEE method. You find your TDEE and take away a percentage and eat that amount every single day. When you log exercise you log it as 1 calorie burned. That way you don't worry about how many calories you're burning because your calories are already calculated into the TDEE #.

    Example - I am 5'5", I eat 1940 every day. My diary is open, you'll see I do log exercise and it shows the estimated calorie burns but that's because I have my Fitbit linked. If it wasn't linked (and I might disconnect it) then I'd log all my exercises as 1 calorie burned.

    I am doing TDEE-15%.

    Here is a great link to explain TDEE. If the first link is TL:DR (too long didn't read) go to the 2nd link. It's condensed.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I know you hike, do you do any strength training?

    ETA: Do you own a food scale?

    I agree... you should try this. Works great for me.
  • DJonssy
    DJonssy Posts: 18 Member
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    I think you should really look into doing the TDEE method. You find your TDEE and take away a percentage and eat that amount every single day. When you log exercise you log it as 1 calorie burned. That way you don't worry about how many calories you're burning because your calories are already calculated into the TDEE #.

    Example - I am 5'5", I eat 1940 every day. My diary is open, you'll see I do log exercise and it shows the estimated calorie burns but that's because I have my Fitbit linked. If it wasn't linked (and I might disconnect it) then I'd log all my exercises as 1 calorie burned.

    I am doing TDEE-15%.

    Here is a great link to explain TDEE. If the first link is TL:DR (too long didn't read) go to the 2nd link. It's condensed.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I know you hike, do you do any strength training?

    ETA: Do you own a food scale?

    My strength training so far has only consisted of pilates, which I found out tonight when trying to plug it in.... doesn't count as "strength training" :( I'd like to expand this part of my routine and get some good ideas.

    I do not own a food scale. My "food scale" is 12 oz pack of chicken with 3 pieces, well, this is probably 4 oz. :) If I don't have an exact number, I tend to overestimate because I figure it's better than underestimating... but I could be totally wrong, I suppose and that could be just as bad.

    Reading this thread, it really looks like I may need to get my self an HRM, and a food scale to stay on top of myself. I've played around with the idea of the fitbit but it's really not in the budget right now. Bummer.
  • spideywebb77
    spideywebb77 Posts: 126 Member
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    Just some questions on your calorie burns - did you walk for 180 minutes or are you including some activity, like your job, in that?
    And you don't post your weight but with 36 lbs to lose, I honestly don't think you burned 611 calories for Zumba.

    And this ^ to the links above. Really great start.

    Yes, it was actual walking, not work stuff. . Well, Hiking, but I read MFP calculates high when it comes to burning calories so I just put in walking instead of hiking.

    Should I put in less than my actual exercise time when it comes to zumba so that It doesn't calculate high? I've just been cutting the amount of burned calories to eat back in half to compensate for any high MFP estimates. I thought that would be enough.

    After seeing the complaints about MFP and its calorie burn quantities I bought a heart rate monitor. Honestly I think of it as an investment in my health. I use the calories I get from my HRM and then enter the activity I completed (Treadmill usually). enter the amount of time and then correct the calories to whatever my HRM says.

    ETA: I know some say that HRM's don't calculate well either. All I can say is that so far I have only had steady progress based on my logging and the HRM calories that I enter.
  • 04ward
    04ward Posts: 196 Member
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    Bump
  • DJonssy
    DJonssy Posts: 18 Member
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    I think you should really look into doing the TDEE method. You find your TDEE and take away a percentage and eat that amount every single day. When you log exercise you log it as 1 calorie burned. That way you don't worry about how many calories you're burning because your calories are already calculated into the TDEE #.

    Example - I am 5'5", I eat 1940 every day. My diary is open, you'll see I do log exercise and it shows the estimated calorie burns but that's because I have my Fitbit linked. If it wasn't linked (and I might disconnect it) then I'd log all my exercises as 1 calorie burned.

    I am doing TDEE-15%.

    Here is a great link to explain TDEE. If the first link is TL:DR (too long didn't read) go to the 2nd link. It's condensed.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I know you hike, do you do any strength training?

    ETA: Do you own a food scale?


    I finally got a chance to sit and go through the info on TDEE. That is some good GOOD stuff! Excellent sources too. Thank you! Looking at the actual definition of a calorie in that post, even though it may sound ridiculous, was extremely helpful to my psyche. (If I can use that word) I was also grateful for the hormone talk in relationship to diet, and it shed a lot of light on things for me. I am very sensitive to even the slightest of hormonal changes so that was some info I really needed to hear. In fact, everything in that post clearly laid out everything that I needed to hear and understand. I see now why others have been applauding that link.
    Seriously, thank you!

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