calorie question!!! HELP

collingmommy · December 2012

Ok, so i have my calorie intake set to loose 1.5 lbs a week, my activity level is active, (im a stocker at wal mart, so im constantly running back and forth across the store for 8 hours a day, 4 days a week) I bought myself a wrist watch heart rate monitor from walmart, the sportline s7 .. i was curious and wore it to work 2days in a row and calculated my calories burned while i was there, i am burning 900 calories there, and over all day i total a burn of 1400 on the night that i DIDNT exercise.. my calorie intake is set at 1350, i think if not right at that. My question is, if i am burnign that much at work, is the calorie counter taking that into thought>? or should i take in more ? i know that this is probably not making a ton of sense, but i wonder.... if i take in 1200 calories, but burn 900 at work alone, that leaves 300 for my body to work on, then i burn off lets say 300 doing my exercising, im runnin out of calories to burn, but does that mean that im not getting the nutrtion needed to stay "healthy"? seems like to me im flatlining.. im coming out equal. Help me!! oh,, and my food diary is open if you want to look!!!!!

angieleighbyrd · December 2012

Well even though you are burning that much at work your body is also used to it. There is a lot of debate on the topic and weather or not to eat back your calories burned. I always say do what works for you. I only ever add in actual exercise calories. I chase a toddler all day. I never sit down. I'm sure if I wore my HRM one day all day I would burn a lot but it's also things I do every single day I'm not really pushing myself to do them like if I was to go for a run. I don't always eat back my exercise calories. I do sometimes if I am hungry. I just learned to listen to my body. Like I said there is a lot of debate on the topic, but I also believe that is why there are so many different diets out there and so many different studies on weight loss because not the same thing works for every one. You just have to play around and find what works best for your body.

SunshineDecember · December 2012

While I agree with the reply above, eating 1300 calories in an active day (or an inactive day, for that matter) sounds like way too little to me. Depending on what your BMR is, you should probably not be eating less than 1500. Generally, it isn't recommended to try to lose more than 1lbs a week, as your metabolism is likely to slow down, and your hormones may get messed up. If I were you, I'd play it safe, up the cals and be a little more patient with the weight loss. Better to find a healthy long term solution than a quick fix. But if you're really concerned, talk to your doctor

bms34b · December 2012

I agree with the above posts and can totally understand your concerns.

The main advice I would give would be to listen to your body. If you feel absolutely drained, maybe you aren't eating enough. Regardless of calories or hunger, just stay tuned to your amount of energy. If you're having trouble moving your body at all, eat more. If you're the same amount of tired after a long day that you normally would be, I'd say you're doing a great job. After staying at 1300 calories for over a year, my body started to shut down and I felt sick all of the time until I bumped up to around 1900 calories a day.

Healthy eating should invigorate you, not wear you down. Also, good for you for embracing your active job as a part of your weight loss!

mamagooskie · December 2012

I think you should eat more. Aim for 1200 net. so if you burn 900 you could eat 2100 in that day.

NaomiJFoster · December 2012

You set your activity level at 'active' so it is taking that into account already. If you believe you are more that 'active' I think there is also a 'very active' setting.

But I had mine set at 'active' and 'one pound per week' and it tells me to eat 1400. When I changed it to 1/2 pound per week, it changed me to 1600.

So, 1300 doesn't seem unlikely to me if you're set at '1.5 pounds per week'. If you feel tired, week, unenergized, or are losing endurence you might want to try changing your setting to 'one pound per week' and see how that lets you feel. You'll still reach your goal, it just might take you a few weeks more.

2hobbit1 · December 2012

Take a look at the roadmap I think you will find that you are way under a sustainable calorie goal for you activity level before you add in exercise.if you need help with working the numbers you can PM me with your info and I will run the numbers for you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

sandradev1 · December 2012

Some MFP members have put together information, calculators and a spreadsheet, which helps you to work out how many calories you should ideally be eating. I found them very helpful and thought you may like to take a look for yourself.

The first one gives all the information and calculators. It does initially seem text heavy, but it soon becomes clear. The link is:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

The spreadsheet looks complicated but if you follow the instructions and just input the information into the yellow boxes, it will calculate it all for you. The link is:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

LOL - I took so long to find the link 2hobbit1 beat me to it. Lots of people on here are using this.

rastrong35 · December 2012

Hello! It has been proven that in order to lose 1 pound in a week you must have at least a 3500 calorie deficit. I would say continue eating 1200 calories per day but, be mindfull of the type of calories. Also based on your excercising routine and schedule figure out how to burn at least 3500 calories more per week than what you take in. Hope this helps.

collingmommy · December 2012

K. Kool. Thank yall.. I just kind of wondered about it. Maybe thats the reason i get so stuck at my weight all the time. Iv been at 177 for over 1 week now!! Poop!

calorie question!!! HELP

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