Calories burned by THINKING

sobriquet84
sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I realize this may, at first, look completely stupid. We ALL think, don't we?!

But I'm talking about the brain work that is required for long, extended, exhausting periods of really intense focus.

I have a sedentary job by nature, I sit in my office 90% of the day. So, my caloric needs are, naturally, computed accordingly. However, I have always found that my recommended daily caloric intake for just a one pound loss per week leaves me completely incapacitated. I literally cannot do my job after just a few days on that many calories (about 1350). Shoot, after just one day, I can't even make coherent thoughts or sentences by the end of my day. I literally feel like its dangerous for me to drive.

Is there ANYTHING out there that takes this into consideration? Honestly, I don't think my caloric needs are the same if I am sitting at home mindelessly watching TV for 9 hours or if I am at work sitting on my butt, but working incredibly hard mentally.

I can't follow MFP's recommendation for a 1 pound loss per week because of this. I need to "feed my brain", and though I know I can still lose weight by going over MFP's recommendation, I would like some concrete information on this.

Replies

  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
    MFP is just a recommendation. If you feel this way eat more. The site is just using a mathmatical formula. If you need to eatr more to focus- DO IT!!
  • LaurySch
    LaurySch Posts: 277 Member
    :indifferent:

    I totally get you. I bet you burn even more calories if you are sarcastic - it takes a lot of brain power to think of something smart, funny and cutting to say.

    :wink:
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    MFP is just a recommendation. If you feel this way eat more. The site is just using a mathmatical formula. If you need to eatr more to focus- DO IT!!

    I realize that, I am just wondering if anyone knows of any way to apply this as a variable so that I can have a better idea of what I really burn a day.
  • aqm22
    aqm22 Posts: 153 Member
    Eat more veggies.

    EDIT: let me elaborate. Your breaks down carbohydrates to use as energy. Thus, eat more veggies. It's healthy has lots of nutrients for your body and your brain. =)
  • gsmithnp
    gsmithnp Posts: 139 Member
    Don't know about calories, but the brain does use more oxygen than the whole rest of your body combined.

    At any rate, if you're feeling poorly on fewer calories you prob need to increase your intake just a smidge.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    perhaps u need to increase the quality of the calories you are feeding your brain... what kinds of things are you eating (or drinking) throughout the day??
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Set it to a half pound a week and make sure you are eating carbs.
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
    I think that perhaps you are really over thinking this (should I log that?).

    Of course the MFP calculator is not accurate for everyone. Try it out and see what happens on the scale. Then adjust your daily goal accordingly with the manual process this site allows. I would not use the defaults and then log your daily brainstorms in an attempt to adjust.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    I think I've found your answer...

    "According to Popular Science, your brain requires a tenth of a calorie per minute, just to stay alive." (http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/caloriethinkfaq.htm)

    I just burned 0.05 calories looking that up. Hardly enough to work off my dinner, but respectable.
  • PuggleLover
    PuggleLover Posts: 261 Member
    There is a difference... brain doctors call that "intense" thinking "Being in the Zone." Your whole body is in tune with what your brain is focusing on. Your thought process is more clear, you can function better and you work faster and more efficiently. Dr. Amen (sp?) has a book out about training your brain... would be interesting to see if he has a total of calories burning while you are in the zone.
  • tameejean
    tameejean Posts: 197 Member
    1200 is such an arbitrary number :ohwell: Do you know what your BMR is? Your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories you need just to be alive (ex: if you were in a coma or bedridden, you would be fed this amount to stay alive). Since I'm pretty sure you aren't in a coma :wink: figure out your BMR and add your activity level, even if it's sedentary. Here is a good calculator to try http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. There is no reason to starve and it's highly unsustainable anyway :flowerforyou:
  • zestyzaftig
    zestyzaftig Posts: 103 Member
    I run into the same problem, and fix the problem without increasing my calories.

    If I'm doing accounting or database work, I eat more carbs than I normally would.

    If I'm doing brainless stuff, and/or physical endeavors, I eat more protein than any other macro.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    If you're losing too much with your activity level set as it is, up your activity level.

    This is a MODEL - it assumes an average person at that activity level. We're all different. If you burn more, set your activity level higher.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    You can eat 10k worth of veggies and fruit and not gain, so that's a start. :laugh:
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I can't follow MFP's recommendation for a 1 pound loss per week because of this. I need to "feed my brain", and though I know I can still lose weight by going over MFP's recommendation, I would like some concrete information on this.

    I don't think you're going to get concrete information on how many calories your brain burns, because not enough is known about how the brain works yet. But a practical thing I would do in your position is to change your goal to 0.5 lb loss per week. Then MFP will up your calorie intake goals, and you'll be better able to focus at work. And if your brain really is burning all those calories, you may even find yourself losing more than 0.5 lb per week.
  • HC82
    HC82 Posts: 22
    While I don't think that office work burns a lot of calories, I hear what you are saying. I'm in grad school and spend my work days writing and thinking, so I get it. I find myself feeling sluggish and not very productive when I am following this program to a T. I also find that if I workout in the morning, I don't think as well for the rest of the day because I'm too drained.

    I think it's just that some bodies need a bit more to get by on and you need to eat more. Possible solutions would be to change your goals to aim to lose less than 1lb per week, enabling more calories per day. Or exercise more so that you can eat more and still lose. Or just eat more low calorie foods. It is possible to cram a ton of food into 1200-1300 calories, if you are willing to eat large quantities of vegetables everyday.
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,238 Member
    You can eat 10k worth of veggies and fruit and not gain, so that's a start. :laugh:

    :flowerforyou: HA!
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    I know exactly what you mean, sobriquet84. If I'm on a restricted calorie diet, I find myself wiped out if I have to do a task that requires intense concentration and thought. And it's definitely true that pound-for-pound, the brain requires greater power than anything else in the body.

    But the sources I've found say that the brain uses about the same whether or not you're thinking deep thoughts because most of your brain power goes to automatic functions anyway.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/304577-calories-burned-by-brain-activity/
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    You can eat 10k worth of veggies and fruit and not gain, so that's a start. :laugh:

    I vaguely remember reading that on MFP *very* recently. A quick search revealed nothing though. =P
  • AlphamaleBAMF
    AlphamaleBAMF Posts: 373 Member
    I realize this may, at first, look completely stupid. We ALL think, don't we?!

    No.
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Just when I thought I had seen it all on here.
    Bless your heart.
    Momma loves you,doesn't she?!
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    Many people in office jobs pound diet soda - all the caffine, no calories...
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    I sat and intensely thought about this. After toweling off & showering, I came to the conclusion that you'd need to elevate your heart rate to create a caloric burn. If you feel you need to eat more, consider incorporating some exercise into your daily routine so you can "eat back" those calories but maintain your desired caloric defecit.
  • rachelbethany
    rachelbethany Posts: 211 Member
    Sometimes you do just need more calories. However, what kind of foods are you eating to reach that amount of calories? Certain foods aid brain function more than others, such as foods full of omega-3, antioxidants, and such. Fish, nuts, leafy greens, etc. are all good sources. And if you're eating a bunch of broccoli and salmon, your calories will be low for each meal, so you may end up being able to eat more in volume, thus satisfying your emotional need to eat (sometimes that's why I can't focus, anyway; it's more that I need something to munch on/fill my tummy than that I'm actually starving). Google "food for brain power" and look at some of the info that comes up. What you eat really does make a huge difference in how well you can function mentally and physically, even if you stay at the same caloric intake.
  • NicoleisQuantized
    NicoleisQuantized Posts: 344 Member
    Your brain requires a significant amount of glucose, which is obtained from the food you eat. If you are on a calorie restricted diet and are not consuming enough glucose required for your body AND brain, you will experience difficulty in concentrating and thinking. There are a few calorie calculators on the net that estimate the amount of calories burned when studying or reading; however, I have no idea if they are reliable or where they obtain their information.

    I am a graduate student and spend a significant amount of time reading, thinking, concentrating, etc. If I eat too few calories in a day, I will not be able to function academically. My suggestion for you is to slowly increase your daily caloric intake to a level where you can function normally.

    I find many people frequently overlook the energy demands of the brain.
  • NicoleisQuantized
    NicoleisQuantized Posts: 344 Member
    1200 is such an arbitrary number :ohwell: Do you know what your BMR is? Your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories you need just to be alive (ex: if you were in a coma or bedridden, you would be fed this amount to stay alive). Since I'm pretty sure you aren't in a coma :wink: figure out your BMR and add your activity level, even if it's sedentary. Here is a good calculator to try http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. There is no reason to starve and it's highly unsustainable anyway :flowerforyou:

    Agreed.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    Thanks for feedback everyone. And I see I'm not alone on this!

    For the record, the quality of calories that makes up my normal diet isn't something that needs to be improved. And I'm not a soda drinker (or diet soda drinker for that matter) and I'm good with my water intake.

    I do, however, try to stick to low GI. I keep starches and sugar on the low side, especially when trying to shed a few lbs. I focus more on proteins, good fats, veg, low GI carbs. I think that may be my problem. My brain isn't getting the glucose it needs.

    Hopefully incorporating more immediate carbohydrates into my day will help. Its not worth it to feel like crap like this. (But this doesn't mean I'm going to be reaching for the conference room donuts.)

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