Accurate way to figure out how many cals a day i burn?

amberx1127
amberx1127 Posts: 45
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone! I just wanted to know if there is a machine or monitor or something i can purchase to know accurately how many calories I burn a day so i can have a more solid answer as to how many calories i need to eat a day. When i use those online calculators the results are all over the place and usually seem like a high number of calories to eat a day. Although before i started being more health conscious and counting my calories im sure i consumed a much higher number per day than i do now, and i was never overweight or anything. The calculators tell me i need 2021 cals a day to maintain, but i am eating anywhere from 1500-1750 right now. Am i really supposed to eat that many cals to maintain? I workout every day and i just want to tone up, but i dont want to be starving my body by not eating enough cals however i dont want to gain weight either..so back to the original question!! Any monitor or anything i can buy to find out a more accurate number of cals i burn a day??

Replies

  • amberx1127
    amberx1127 Posts: 45
    I am 21 years old and weigh 110 lbs at 5'3"
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Once I hit my maintenance, I will be eating some where around 2500 calories. I am 5' 2 and 44 years old, that sounds a little low, especially since your younger.

    ETA: I use a fitbit zip, to figure out my calories.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    It is all an estimate no matter how you figure it but I prefer my Polar FT60 heart rate monitor during steady state cardio... I have used it throughout 200 of my 312 lb. weight loss and would not think of doing cardio without it..... Best of Luck I have been in maintenance for the past year and my maintenance calories is 4200 a day... Only way to know yours is make sure you are weighing and measuring and logging your food, step on the scale weekly until your weight stabilizes and eat to whatever that level says... Best of Luck
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    I have read good things about this device: http://www.bodymedia.com/. They use it on biggest loser and you wear it all the time...not just when you are exercising. It's supposed to be pretty accurate. The downside is that there is a monthly subscription. But I'm still thinking about getting one.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    Get your RMR tested, see if your local Y does it (the one in my area does) ... and then go from there ...
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    The most accurate method of measuring TDEE would be acquiring doubly labeled water but I doubt you want to spend $250+...

    You can also take a Resting Energy Expenditure and Active Energy Expenditure test which will measure how many calories are needed to support Resting Metabolic Rate as well as physical activity at various heart rate intensities. These tests are widely available and can range from $50 to 90 each...

    If you are not using a digital scale to weigh literally everything you eat and drink, you more than likely are greatly underestimating how much you truly need to maintain your present weight with that high level of activity. Thus, if you are patient, buy a food scale and weigh everything you normally eat when maintaining weight.

    Since you are quite active, I implore you to read this research review which demonstrated significant discrepancies in self-reported intake versus actual intake measured by doubly labeled water: No offense, but active, young females are one of the groups that statistically tend to underestimate to larger degrees. I believe one explanation is psychological in nature whereby they attach negative associations with high numbers relative to body weight and caloric intake.

    http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1415-52732001000200006&script=sci_arttext
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    I am 36. I weigh 115lb. I "Maintain" at 1495 Calories a day plus exercise.
    I have my goal set to Sedentary because my job varies and i would rather err on the low side. It sounds like you are just about where you need to be depending on how active you are.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    I have read good things about this device: http://www.bodymedia.com/. They use it on biggest loser and you wear it all the time...not just when you are exercising. It's supposed to be pretty accurate. The downside is that there is a monthly subscription. But I'm still thinking about getting one.
    I have one and have done well with it. It has been 90% accurate as stated in their website. If you do a lot of swimming, it would not be as useful as it is not waterproof. I like it because it counts steps, average METs, daily calories burned etc and sets personal bests for you to try and beat. Pretty cool motivational tool, but not perfect. Once you have logged accurately for a while, you can use your own results as a guide. Discussion of it here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1141259-what-is-your-actual-tdee
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    So a few devices I have heard of includes
    Fitbit (one, flex, force, etc)
    Bodymedia Armband
    Jawbone Up
    Nike fuelband

    I have used the fitbit one, and I really enjoyed it though I did doubt its accuracy. I have recently purchased the Bodymedia Link Armband. I find the numbers to be fairly similar. Unfortunately with the bodymedia you have to pay for a monthly subscription, so if you are turned off by that - I would go with the fitbit.
  • calkitch
    calkitch Posts: 1
    I'm 20, 5'8 at 130lbs and I maintain my weight by eating 1400 calories plus whatever I work off that day. I wear a nike fuel band and my goal is 3500 fuel points (1000 cals) so I eat about 2,400 calories a day if I make my goal. I think your intake sounds right...just depends on how much you exercise!
  • Froggy_
    Froggy_ Posts: 9
    I've been using a Fitbit One and have been delighted with it. It's really accurate counting the flights of stairs at home and my steps, and I love that I can just keep it in a pocket rather than have to have a waistband to clip it to. It won't help if you're doing things like gym work (use either the calories burned as per the machine or try out the website below to estimate) and does count some "ghost" activity during a car journey, but it's been very accurate for climbing stairs, walking and hillwalking which are what I bought it for.
    The combination of a good set of kitchen scales, a good set of bathroom scales (MiBody ones that seem accurate and also report BMI, BMR, body fat %, body water% and muscle % — bit dubious about the accuracy of the % readings, but they are very consistent and the BMR is pretty accurate, and, of course, is re-calculated for my weight at each weigh-in), My FitnessPal and my Fitbit have helped me to lose 14 kg (30 lbs) since August (lost 2 kg before using MFP!), meaning I am no longer classified as Obese so I'm delighted with the purchase. I also find looking at the graphs etc on the website to be very motivational for increasing my activity, just as I find MFP encourages me with the nutrition side of things. I'm not yet down to my target weight, but I have no doubt that these 4 items will help me maintain my desired weight when I get there. :wink:

    If you just want to check the calorie value of various activities, you could try this website:
    http://calorielab.com/burned/ which I've found to be really useful when doing things like gardening and housework which obviously burn calories even though I'm probably not doing many/any steps for my Fitbit to pick up..

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