Should I eat more?

taiyola

Got my HRM through this week. From calories burnt, on a quiet night at work, I'm burning 250-300 cals an hour. On a busy night I don't know yet as haven't used it when it's busy yet.

Say I burn 4000-5000 a week at work, and 300 on 5 other days of the week roughly (will have to test this next week as I'm working solidly until Tuesday), and have one day off... should I be eating more than 1200 a day? Is this why my weight loss is so slow? Should I just leave it at 1200 and just attempt to eat my exercise cals? There's no way I can healthily eat 3000 cals in one day, lol.

My calories burnt are actually a lot more than what MFP says. For a night like last night, MFP would have suggested around 700-1000 cals. I actually burnt 2514. :noway: So I'm thinking maybe my weekly cals are higher as well.

SO CONFUSED!

FairyMiss

hmm i shoudl get one see how much i burn at work.

taiyola

Yup! It's the best thing ever!

LillysGranny

That's a good question. A lot of the accuracy will depend on your HRM. Some don't do well when they are used in a situation like yours. BUT if you're that active at work and only eating 1200 calories you are probably starving yourself.

aippolito1

Don't worry about cals burned during work. Just increase your lifestyle to lightly active and that will give you more calories. I wait tables but not at a very fast paced restaurant. My base before the job was 1400. My base now is 1600 and I can lose just fine eating my base and most of my exercise calories.

EHuntRN

Your issue sounds just like mines...I wore my HRM to work one nite and for my 12 hour shift it read 2000+ cals...now I dont know if that included my BMR cals or not but nevertheless I am burning at least 1000-1500 cals of energy at work and like you mention....that wasnt on one of the busier nites in the Trauma/surgical ICU....so I too think maybe this is why my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enuff and furthermore the reason why I have been gaining weight over the past years instead of losing...So I upped my cals from 1200 to 1390 and eat most of my excercise cals back....My activity is very active in my MFP settings

taiyola

Well I ate more yesterday (mainly through crap), but was still 1000 under. Surely that's not good to be 2000 under a week? :indifferent:

taiyola

Don't worry about cals burned during work. Just increase your lifestyle to lightly active and that will give you more calories. I wait tables but not at a very fast paced restaurant. My base before the job was 1400. My base now is 1600 and I can lose just fine eating my base and most of my exercise calories.

I only work 2-3 nights a week though? This week I'm doing 6 lol

Newfiedan

it would not hurt to try upping the cals a bit for a week or 2 and see what happens, what is the worst that can happen? 2 weeks lost big deal, in the grand scheme of things that is nothing. A hrm is the best guess as to how many cals you burn, for me I burn much more than what mfp suggests as well and until I get my new hrm I am just ballparking what I have burnt based on previous workouts and it is still working for me. It is totally possible to eat that number of calories in a healthy way, you just look for caloric dense healthy foods like nuts, grains, and fruits. Olive oil is a fantastic way to pack in a lot of cals with a very small portion. Here is a quick example:
Protein Shake:
1 medium banana
1 cup of frozen blueberries
2 scoops protein powder
1 cup 1% or skim milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
Total cals 500-600 depending on if you use 1 or 2 cups milk.
Simple recipe, easy to drink, tastes awesome, and very healthy.

lethalsarcasm

You should se your lifestyle settings to more active - that's what it's there for to help compensate for activity you do at work/every day.

taiyola

Your issue sounds just like mines...I wore my HRM to work one nite and for my 12 hour shift it read 2000+ cals...now I dont know if that included my BMR cals or not but nevertheless I am burning at least 1000-1500 cals of energy at work and like you mention....that wasnt on one of the busier nites in the Trauma/surgical ICU....so I too think maybe this is why my weight loss is slow because I am not eating enuff and furthermore the reason why I have been gaining weight over the past years instead of losing...So I upped my cals from 1200 to 1390 and eat most of my excercise cals back....My activity is very active in my MFP settings

Glad to hear I'm not alone! I don't know what my ACTUAL base is, I'm thinking maybe I should wear it when having a nap or something, dividing the number by my hours of sleep, and then x by 24?

For years I have battled to always be under 1000, but I didn't do as much exercise as now. During the week I exercise for 1-2 hours, walking my dog and some times elliptical. I was contemplating 30 D/Shred. Maybe my problem is not eating enough.

taiyola

it would not hurt to try upping the cals a bit for a week or 2 and see what happens, what is the worst that can happen? 2 weeks lost big deal, in the grand scheme of things that is nothing. A hrm is the best guess as to how many cals you burn, for me I burn much more than what mfp suggests as well and until I get my new hrm I am just ballparking what I have burnt based on previous workouts and it is still working for me. It is totally possible to eat that number of calories in a healthy way, you just look for caloric dense healthy foods like nuts, grains, and fruits. Olive oil is a fantastic way to pack in a lot of cals with a very small portion. Here is a quick example:
Protein Shake:
1 medium banana
1 cup of frozen blueberries
2 scoops protein powder
1 cup 1% or skim milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
Total cals 500-600 depending on if you use 1 or 2 cups milk.
Simple recipe, easy to drink, tastes awesome, and very healthy.

Well the good news is I LOVE cheese and that is high is cals :laugh: Wouldn't know what type of protein shake to get though? And I don't do loads of strength training or anything. At work I lift crates of beer etc, but that's about it.

jsteras

I don't know if I am correct but I thought you set your activity level according to what type of job you have then MFP gives you your calorie alotment and that is what you follow. You only eat back exercise calories outside of your normal every day job that you do. Like you go for a walk outside of work then that counts as exercise.

taiyola

You should se your lifestyle settings to more active - that's what it's there for to help compensate for activity you do at work/every day.

I don't feel like that would benefit me as 2 days a week I may burn 5000 over both days, and then through the rest of the week I may burn 200-500. I find it easier to have sedentary, and add in my activity.

taiyola

I don't know if I am correct but I thought you set your activity level according to what type of job you have then MFP gives you your calorie alotment and that is what you follow. You only eat back exercise calories outside of your normal every day job that you do. Like you go for a walk outside of work then that counts as exercise.

Yes, but as I say, I only work on average 2 nights a week. I don't have a normal 5 day a week job like most, and not every shift at work is the same. o.O

adhillman01

HRM aren't accurate at getting a daily calorie burn. They only work when you are doing cardiovascular exercise. You should just adjust your activity level to adjust for calories burned at work. You could also in invest in a Bodybugg or Bodymedia, they are designed to get your daily calorie burn in non-exercise situations. AZDak has a great blog on why HRM don't work when your hear rate isn't significantly elevated. You can search for him and ask for it.

taiyola

Lol, I feel like I'm repeating myself now...

Why would I change my activity level for what I do on a daily basis... when I only work 2 days a week? Doesn't make sense to me!

Never heard of a bodybug - I'll look for it, cheers!

EHuntRN

Even though you work 2 days a week...I think you should def change it from sedentary just because you say you walk your dog thru the week and exercise....I only work 3-4 nites a week and work out every off day...ergo..my lifestyle setting is active...gives me more cals to eat for the days that I am burning the most cals...zigzaging cals is also a way to keep the metabolism going...I definitely want a BodyBugg for this exact reason!!!

jsteras

I don't know if I am correct but I thought you set your activity level according to what type of job you have then MFP gives you your calorie alotment and that is what you follow. You only eat back exercise calories outside of your normal every day job that you do. Like you go for a walk outside of work then that counts as exercise.

Yes, but as I say, I only work on average 2 nights a week. I don't have a normal 5 day a week job like most, and not every shift at work is the same. o.O

I also don't work a typical 5 day a week job, I am a nurse and work for an agency, so one week I may work 5 days and the next week 1-2 days. I go for the sedentary setting simply because I figure I am sedentary more than I am working. I do work out every day since I have started. I also go with what my body tells me, if I feel hungry I eat, if not, I don't. I really was wondering if others eat back calories from what they burn at work. I didn't think we counted those. I intend to continue as I have been till I reach a point where I'm not losing and then will have to change it up a bit. I started with over 100 pounds to lose so I have a long way to go. I am realizing from posts of people with little to lose or close to goal weight that it is much tougher to lose the weight and figure out what is the right combination of eating and burning to get there. I will monitor to see what responses you are getting:) Thanks for posting this question.

baisleac

Lol, I feel like I'm repeating myself now...

Why would I change my activity level for what I do on a daily basis... when I only work 2 days a week? Doesn't make sense to me!

Never heard of a bodybug - I'll look for it, cheers!

If you're on a budget, and not squeamish, check out used ones on eBay. (The arm band can be washed and a Clorox wipe on the sensor part... voila!)

taiyola

This is my usual routine.

Monday - Work.
Tuesday, Weds, Thurs, Sat - Walking dog at a 'normal' pace for an hour. I occasionally do 10-20 mins on elliptical if I need to burn extra cals and can be bothered.
Friday - Work.
Sunday - Either walk dog, or sit on my *kitten* all day.

I'm usually over my cals during the week, but burn off what I'm over at the weekend, near enough. I'm on my 3rd week of logging my weekly cals. Last week I was over by about 250, but lost 1.5lb. During the week when I'm over, it's usually because I'm really hungry.

My weight is constantly up and down, but I do weigh myself most days, but sometimes I don't log and it's just a habit!

taiyola

Lol, I feel like I'm repeating myself now...

Why would I change my activity level for what I do on a daily basis... when I only work 2 days a week? Doesn't make sense to me!

Never heard of a bodybug - I'll look for it, cheers!

If you're on a budget, and not squeamish, check out used ones on eBay. (The arm band can be washed and a Clorox wipe on the sensor part... voila!)

Is it worth it? Do you just use it once or do people use this all day every day? Are they pricey?

baisleac

Lol, I feel like I'm repeating myself now...

Why would I change my activity level for what I do on a daily basis... when I only work 2 days a week? Doesn't make sense to me!

Never heard of a bodybug - I'll look for it, cheers!

If you're on a budget, and not squeamish, check out used ones on eBay. (The arm band can be washed and a Clorox wipe on the sensor part... voila!)

Is it worth it? Do you just use it once or do people use this all day every day? Are they pricey?

I think it's TOTALLY worth it. You do have to pay for a monthly subscription (if you buy new it comes with 6 months or a year's worth). But you input your calories eaten (I just do one lump meal based on my MFP log) and it tracks your calories burned, while awake, while sleeping (if you wear it to bed) and shows you your actual deficit.

I was burning more than I thought just moving around the office/shop... I can also see spikes in calories burned when I do pull ups (we have one of those doorway bars that's impossible to just walk past without wanting to do a pull up).

I have the BodyBugg but, the BodyMedia Fit also tells you how efficient your time spent in bed is (sleep wise that is); how much just laying down, how much actually sleeping.

donnaeve8

To me, it does sound like you are in starvation mode. For example, you are a 21 year old slightly active female and weigh about 143 pounds...your calorie intake for BMR (basal metablic rate) should be about 2000 calories (this is just to have enough energy to get through your normal day). To lose weight, you would reduce those calories by 500 per day bringing it to about 1500. Starvation mode is when your BMR is less than 50% than what it should be (less than 1000 calories for you) Now that is NET calories, so if you work that day and your HRM says you burned 4000 calories (2000 more than normal) then that would be considered exercise calories. You need to eat these calories otherwise you are starving yourself!!
Net Calories consumed = Total calories consumed - exercise calories
1500 - 2000 = -500
intake - exercise = net calories (this is what you are doing to yourself)

What you should be doing:
(3000-3500) - 2000 = 1000 - 1500

I am new to figuring this all out myself, but these numbers are rock solid and make sense.

taiyola

To me, it does sound like you are in starvation mode. For example, you are a 21 year old slightly active female and weigh about 143 pounds...your calorie intake for BMR (basal metablic rate) should be about 2000 calories (this is just to have enough energy to get through your normal day). To lose weight, you would reduce those calories by 500 per day bringing it to about 1500. Starvation mode is when your BMR is less than 50% than what it should be (less than 1000 calories for you) Now that is NET calories, so if you work that day and your HRM says you burned 4000 calories (2000 more than normal) then that would be considered exercise calories. You need to eat these calories otherwise you are starving yourself!!
Net Calories consumed = Total calories consumed - exercise calories
1500 - 2000 = -500
intake - exercise = net calories (this is what you are doing to yourself)

What you should be doing:
(3000-3500) - 2000 = 1000 - 1500

I am new to figuring this all out myself, but these numbers are rock solid and make sense.

Apparantly my base is only 1460! I usually eat back my exercise cals during the week and have problems staying under. Guess I have to play around with my exercise/food.

taiyola

Lol, I feel like I'm repeating myself now...

Why would I change my activity level for what I do on a daily basis... when I only work 2 days a week? Doesn't make sense to me!

Never heard of a bodybug - I'll look for it, cheers!

If you're on a budget, and not squeamish, check out used ones on eBay. (The arm band can be washed and a Clorox wipe on the sensor part... voila!)

Is it worth it? Do you just use it once or do people use this all day every day? Are they pricey?

I think it's TOTALLY worth it. You do have to pay for a monthly subscription (if you buy new it comes with 6 months or a year's worth). But you input your calories eaten (I just do one lump meal based on my MFP log) and it tracks your calories burned, while awake, while sleeping (if you wear it to bed) and shows you your actual deficit.

I was burning more than I thought just moving around the office/shop... I can also see spikes in calories burned when I do pull ups (we have one of those doorway bars that's impossible to just walk past without wanting to do a pull up).

I have the BodyBugg but, the BodyMedia Fit also tells you how efficient your time spent in bed is (sleep wise that is); how much just laying down, how much actually sleeping.

I think I'ma have to Google this thing then! Thanks

donnaeve8

Yes, the numbers I gave you are ballpark since I only know your age and weight but you can google calorie counters to get a better idea.

Newfiedan

like I said try it for a week, worst case scenario you end up having lost a week, o well no big deal.

o0oAliciao0o

1450? I think that's the baseline they give you if you set up your MFP to lose 1 lb a week. To lose a pound a week you need to be under your basal rate by 500 a day, but for me my basal is 1700 and so to lose a pound a week MFP set mine to 1250. SO when you're looking at your weekly progress you are allowed to be at zero under your weekly goal and still lose a pound a week. That's why I set my goal back up to 1700 and now I try to get it to say -500 and then if it's only -200 or -100 I still lose weight (as long as it's not above zero) but if that average line is set to where you set it up to lose a pound a week then you should be striving to be right at that line at the end of the week. Does that make sense?

o0oAliciao0o

This is a good website to calculate your BMR. If you subtract 500 a day (3500 a week) you will lose one pound a week.

http://www.cookingnook.com/calorie-calculator.html

kmb2522

how do you figure out how much you burn at work and change it on here?