Need input (Calorie intake confusion)

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sheri3762
sheri3762 Posts: 159
in Health and Weight Loss
HI Everyone! this may be a bit long so....

Recently, I've been reading a lot of posts regarding how many calories people eat a day and whether they eat back their excercise calories. I've seen where people are losing consistanly at 1200 calories and at 1600. some eat back excercise, some eat partial and some don't eat any. the differences in anwsers I've read led to me to do some searching of the internet to figure out my own personal calculations.

I went to several different sites (went to to many to remember which was which!) and I filled out the info necessary to see what I would burn on an average day and on a day where all my activities (sleep, excercising, cleaing, working, etc.) were calculated and I ended up with different, yet close similarities. Overall, they all said I burn about 2400 calories a day with excercising 5 days a week for 1 hour or 1400-1600 calories a day without activity (basically in bed).

So I took the 2400 and subtracted 1000 calories= 1400. this would be the amount of calories I would need to eat to have a 1000 a day burn or a 2 pound a week loss. What I did next was change my daily calorie allowance to 1540.(a little wiggle room over 1400!) this way I don't have to worry about counting what extra calories I need to eat each day through excercise.

Now, my plan is to continue to eat what I have been eating. 1300-1600 calories a day total. I never know if I'm going to get in my planned excercise so its hard to only eat say 1300 (because thats what my meal plans ended up at) and then try to get in extra at the end of the day (because with excercise I'd have to eat more) . I'd rather continue to plan my meals in advance without having to make changes because of excercise. If I don't work out and eat 1600, I'm not going to worry about it. If I do work out and get in 1300, I'm still not going to worry about it. Does this make sense to everyone? do you think this strategy will work?

Basically my problem is in planning because of my schedule. LIke I said, I can log on in early morning and late at night. Its really stressful to realize at 8 at night that I need another 400 calores!. I can usually make it up with milk and nuts, but not always, especially if my sodium and fat intake is already maxed. (I try to keep sodium at 1800 but its really difficult! I also usually only get the good fats in so I'm not worried about using all my fats, I just don't want to go over!)

Has anyone else checked out similar calculators and what have been your findings?

Another issue is accurated calorie burn regarding excercise. I've read posts recentely where people are getting conflicting numbers. thats another reason I don't want to go any higher in calories because I'm afraid I could be overestimating.

Suggestions, opinions, past experience, I'll take any advice I can get!!! Thanks for taking the time to read!!!!

Replies

  • fozzy33
    fozzy33 Posts: 72
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    I got some really good advice from a member over on Jillian Micheal's message boards, her name is Sandy. She said to keep your body guessing. Somedays I eat 1300 calories others I eat 1800...then I'll do 1500 and then 1600.

    She said that your body doesnt know what to do when you go from 1300 calories one day to 1800 calories the next...so it burns it instead of storing it as fat....

    It has worked wonders for me i was stuck at 173 and now Im down to 157 in 4 weeks of doing staggered calorie days.
  • linzismith
    linzismith Posts: 139 Member
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    fozzy33, i've heard about doing that and have wondered how it would work for me. do you also exercise? So when you say some days you eat 1300 and others you eat 1800, are those numbers before or after you account for what you've burned in a workout?
  • tutujoli
    tutujoli Posts: 104 Member
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    There's no hard and fast rule that says your food journal has to read from midnight to midnight. Maybe your day needs to reset at 4pm. Count your calories from 4pm today, through 4pm tomorrow. Now you know if you got to excersize or not and you can eat accordingly. It all comes out in the wash. You're body doesn't care if you eat the calories 8 hours before you work out or 8 hours after, so long as it's reasonably close.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    Sheri3762,

    Your plan looks good based on everything I've studied on these subjects (nutrition, metabolism, weight loss). If you find it isn't working well, you can always adjust...raise or lower calories, do more or less exercise, zigzag your goals, etc. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • sheri3762
    sheri3762 Posts: 159
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    Thanks for the input ladies! Foxy, I've also read some articles about zig-zagging, thats one of the reasons I am not to worried about consistancy regarding my daily totals. I'm wondering though, if I should tweak that a bit more. Most days I'm within 100-200 calories of the previous day. Mabye I should try 1200 one day and 1700 then next (example) Any thoughts on this, and can you tell me how you do it. whats your range? thanks!

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