How are you supposed to burn 1700 calories in a day?

Hello,

I am 19, 189lbs and 5' 7'
I want to finally make that push to get back into shape and have been eating around 1200 calories and exercise for about an hour

I want to make sure I'm doing this right and quite frankly I'm confused, I've been looking for hours to find the answer to the question above

can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? (if anything)
thank you!

heres some added info.

BMR: 1,831

Log for Today

Total Calories, 1,090
Burned, 1034
Net Calories, 56

Replies

  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
    Hello,

    I am 19, 189lbs and 5' 7'
    I want to finally make that push to get back into shape and have been eating around 1200 calories and exercise for about an hour

    I want to make sure I'm doing this right and quite frankly I'm confused, I've been looking for hours to find the answer to the question above

    can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? (if anything)
    thank you!

    heres some added info.

    BMR: 1,831

    Log for Today

    Total Calories, 1,090
    Burned, 1034
    Net Calories, 56

    Why do you want to burn so many?

    ETA: Your net calories shouldn't be 56 on any day. You should net the 1200 (or even more). If you eat 1200 calories and burn 1000 that nets you 200 calories. You should eat another 1000 to make your net 1200 again. You can eat at or even above your BMR of 1,831 calories, do ZERO exercise and still lose weight. A male should not be eating as few as 1200 calories unless instructed to do so by a doctor or something.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    I think you're confused. You're not supposed to burn up all your calories, you're supposed to net your daily intake. As a male, the bare minimum really is around 1700. I'm 5'5" 124 lb female and I net 1550 and lose .5-1 lb a week.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants 
  • MarcPower
    MarcPower Posts: 67 Member
    Your body naturally burns off calories just by living. That is your BMR.

    BMR + Exercise + Regular Daily Movement (ex. Walking at work, cleaning your house, shopping etc) = How many calories you will burn a day.

    You want a deficit between how much you eat and how many calories you burn daily. A 500 calorie daily deficit will lead to approximately a pound a week of weight loss.
  • karimonahan
    karimonahan Posts: 25 Member
    why do you need to burn 1700 cals in a day? may i ask what your doing to burn 1000 cals in just one hour?
  • Lindseyelizabeth87
    Lindseyelizabeth87 Posts: 151 Member
    It's good you asked and got the net calories thing cleared up sooner than later. :)
    Listen to the people above, there's no need to burn so much and eat so little.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    BMR: 1,831

    Log for Today

    Total Calories, 1,090
    Burned, 1034
    Net Calories, 56

    There's your problem.

    Your net calories should be at least 1200. You need to start eating. FAST
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    How are you not hungry?:noway: I mean even assuming your burn is off by half and your logging is off by...IDK, half we're still talking 1500 in and 500 out for a male who may very well still be growing.
  • stonel94
    stonel94 Posts: 550 Member
    uh, well you aren't supposed to Net under your BMR because that's what your body needs to function, say you cut 100 calories from your diet a day, from your TDEE which is basically what would maintain your weight, if you only cut 100 calories (either by eating 100 calories less, or eating the same amount and exercising to burn 100 calories) it would take 35 days for you to lose 1 lb (theoretically) because you need to have a deficit overall of 3500 calories (burn 3500 calories less than you consume), so you choose how many pounds you want to lose a week and make the deficit based on how much you weigh and exercise to achieve that.
    So, you shouldn't be netting at 56 calories, because then you're starving your body.

    if you wanted to burn 1700 calories a day for some reason though, well you already probably use close to that just working your body (your BMR), and the rest just by doing cardio, can easily burn 600 calories in an hour of cardio so if your BMR was 1100 which is lower than most peoples plus that hour of cardio you would burn 1700 calories in total.
    To burn 1700 just from cardio would be hard, but like 2 hour long really hard workouts might be able to do that. But basically, eat more, eat healthy, work out hard but don't over workout.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    How did you determine you burned 1000 calories in exercise?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Nooooo!!! You're a 19 yr old male and severely under-eating. Not a good plan at all!! You net should be higher than 1200. You're going to be doing significant damage to your body with this plan.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,329 Member
    You are a 19 year old male. EAT MORE! You should likely be netting at least your BMR. By netting I mean your calories eaten minus the calories burned should be about your BMR. Right now, assuming your calorie measurements for what you eat and for what you burn are correct, you are living on 56 calories a day. That is not enough for anyone, not even a cat.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    You need to net at least 1,200 -- actually more like 1,700 cause you're a dude. Probably even more.

    You're not eating nearly enough.
  • CeddysMum
    CeddysMum Posts: 101 Member
    OK ...

    1) I think you're confusing *exercise* burn with *total* daily burn!

    Total daily burn (= TDEE = total daily energy expenditure, or something like that (haven't finished my morning coffee LOL)) includes:

    - your BMR = the calories your body burns just to stay alive without moving a muscle (fueling organs, brains etc), as if you were in a coma
    - ***plus*** any calories burned throughout the day, e.g. just moving around, exercising etc.

    2) Please please listen to those above! You *need* to feed your body functions, so please make sure that you eat enough calories to *at least* net your BMR (= *after* exercise burn has been deducted!!)
    Especially as you're a young male who (as has been mentioned) very likely is still growing!
  • With all due respect guys that is why I am asking lol I don't know about this kind of stuff
    although, I appreciate you guys saying it bluntly
    helps me get that maaaaybe I'm not doing it right

    So am I supposed to exercise then? If I am loosing my BMR just by living and eating only around 1200, then wouldn't I loose weight?
    that's what I'm confused about, I've only ever thought that you need to exercise to loose weight
    so if i ate the 1200 and did no exercise, I thought that I wouldn't accomplish anything

    I'm not too far into it, about a week
    I just want to make sure I understand it 100%
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I bet you could lose weight at double that intake, if not more.
  • why do you need to burn 1700 cals in a day? may i ask what your doing to burn 1000 cals in just one hour?

    I messed up on that portion, sorry

    I work for 10 hours, always on my feet and constantly moving around
    then later in the afternoon I do some cardio
  • MarcPower
    MarcPower Posts: 67 Member
    So am I supposed to exercise then? If I am loosing my BMR just by living and eating only around 1200, then wouldn't I loose weight?
    that's what I'm confused about, I've only ever thought that you need to exercise to loose weight
    so if i ate the 1200 and did no exercise, I thought that I wouldn't accomplish anything
    Yes, you would lose. Why? Because your BMR is 1800 and if you ate 1200, you would have a deficit of at least 600 calories. This assumes that you don't take even one step in your day. However, that is unlikely to say the least. Most people burn an extra couple of hundred calories just walking to their car, shopping or cleaning.

    However, you should not eat 1200 calories. It is far too low for a man. You should be eating at least your BMR. Your brain and organs require energy to function. It is also a miserable life trying to eat so little. You will be hungry, could lose hair, sex drive, muscle mass, and your energy to do anything.

    Eat over 2000 calories and go to the gym. Be active and have fun with your life! Life is not just about dieting...it is about living.
  • So am I supposed to exercise then? If I am loosing my BMR just by living and eating only around 1200, then wouldn't I loose weight?
    that's what I'm confused about, I've only ever thought that you need to exercise to loose weight
    so if i ate the 1200 and did no exercise, I thought that I wouldn't accomplish anything
    Yes, you would lose. Why? Because your BMR is 1800 and if you ate 1200, you would have a deficit of at least 600 calories. This assumes that you don't take even one step in your day. However, that is unlikely to say the least. Most people burn an extra couple of hundred calories just walking to their car, shopping or cleaning.

    However, you should not eat 1200 calories. It is far too low for a man. You should be eating at least your BMR. Your brain and organs require energy to function. It is also a miserable life trying to eat so little. You will be hungry, could lose hair, sex drive, muscle mass, and your energy to do anything.

    Eat over 2000 calories and go to the gym. Be active and have fun with your life! Life is not just about dieting...it is about living.

    Why is it then suggested and followed by a lot of people, that you need to eat 1200 and have a deficit of 500 to burn a pound a week?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I guarantee you that you can eat way more and lose weight.

    You don't have to "burn" off or exercise off every single calorie you take in. Most of your body's calorie requirements are derived from just keeping you alive and functioning. That is your BMR which is estimated at 1800 calories....which means you would "burn" 1800 calories if you were in a coma or just sleeping all day and never moved a single muscle.

    After that you have your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...this is your day to day hum drum...getting out of bed, walking around, working, etc. The more you are up and on your feet and moving around, the higher your NEAT is, thus requiring greater calorie intake.

    Finally, you have the smallest element of your calorie requirements...your EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). Even for a pretty active and fit individual, EAT is usually in the 10-15% range of total calorie requirements.

    When you add all of these (and yes, I understand this is a bit of an oversimplification) you get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). BMR + NEAT + EAT = TDEE. My numbers look like this....

    1850(BMR) + 500(NEAT) + 400(EAT) = 2750. This means I would maintain my weight if I consumed 2750 calories...which is about right considering I've been maintaining for about 7 months. When I was losing I was eating around 2100 - 2200 calories and lost about 1 Lb per week.

    These calculators do all of this math for you...you just need to understand which method you're using with which tool. MFP for example, accounts for exercise after you log it...you do not include it in your activity level as you do with a more traditional TDEE calculator...you log it and get credited calories for it after the fact...you just have to make sure you're not overestimating your burn which is why I prefer the TDEE method.
  • MarcPower
    MarcPower Posts: 67 Member
    You do need a deficit of 500 calories to burn a pound a week. That deficit can be achieved in any number of ways!

    You can burn 2700 calories and eat 2200 and achieve the same weight loss as someone who only eats 1300 calories and doesn't work out.

    The only people who should be eating 1200 calories regularly are tiny women!
  • MarcPower
    MarcPower Posts: 67 Member
    Based on what you say about your job, you are probably burning at least 500 calories at work. Add this to your 1800 BMR and you are already at 2300 calories.

    This means that you could eat 1800 calories and lose a pound a week. If you go to the gym and burn 500 more calories, you could eat 2300 calories.
  • Based on what you say about your job, you are probably burning at least 500 calories at work. Add this to your 1800 BMR and you are already at 2300 calories.

    This means that you could eat 1800 calories and lose a pound a week. If you go to the gym and burn 500 more calories, you could eat 2300 calories.

    Huh, you know that actually makes sense now. thanks!
    another thing though? before I started eating better (boy was I wrong about that), I hadn't lost any weight. I highly doubt I was eating more then my BMR, so how could this be?
  • I guarantee you that you can eat way more and lose weight.

    You don't have to "burn" off or exercise off every single calorie you take in. Most of your body's calorie requirements are derived from just keeping you alive and functioning. That is your BMR which is estimated at 1800 calories....which means you would "burn" 1800 calories if you were in a coma or just sleeping all day and never moved a single muscle.

    After that you have your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...this is your day to day hum drum...getting out of bed, walking around, working, etc. The more you are up and on your feet and moving around, the higher your NEAT is, thus requiring greater calorie intake.

    Finally, you have the smallest element of your calorie requirements...your EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). Even for a pretty active and fit individual, EAT is usually in the 10-15% range of total calorie requirements.

    When you add all of these (and yes, I understand this is a bit of an oversimplification) you get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). BMR + NEAT + EAT = TDEE. My numbers look like this....

    1850(BMR) + 500(NEAT) + 400(EAT) = 2750. This means I would maintain my weight if I consumed 2750 calories...which is about right considering I've been maintaining for about 7 months. When I was losing I was eating around 2100 - 2200 calories and lost about 1 Lb per week.

    These calculators do all of this math for you...you just need to understand which method you're using with which tool. MFP for example, accounts for exercise after you log it...you do not include it in your activity level as you do with a more traditional TDEE calculator...you log it and get credited calories for it after the fact...you just have to make sure you're not overestimating your burn which is why I prefer the TDEE method.

    Do you think you could help me put that equation into my situation?
    I've got the BMR, Neat would be going go @MarcPower maybe 500?
    and then I'm a little lost at EAT, is the 400 what you burned exercising?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    So am I supposed to exercise then? If I am loosing my BMR just by living and eating only around 1200, then wouldn't I loose weight?
    that's what I'm confused about, I've only ever thought that you need to exercise to loose weight
    so if i ate the 1200 and did no exercise, I thought that I wouldn't accomplish anything
    Yes, you would lose. Why? Because your BMR is 1800 and if you ate 1200, you would have a deficit of at least 600 calories. This assumes that you don't take even one step in your day. However, that is unlikely to say the least. Most people burn an extra couple of hundred calories just walking to their car, shopping or cleaning.

    However, you should not eat 1200 calories. It is far too low for a man. You should be eating at least your BMR. Your brain and organs require energy to function. It is also a miserable life trying to eat so little. You will be hungry, could lose hair, sex drive, muscle mass, and your energy to do anything.

    Eat over 2000 calories and go to the gym. Be active and have fun with your life! Life is not just about dieting...it is about living.

    Why is it then suggested and followed by a lot of people, that you need to eat 1200 and have a deficit of 500 to burn a pound a week?

    WOMEN who want to lose weight quickly are recommended 1200 NET calories...............

    If you were a woman and ate 1800 calories & exercised for 600 .....this would be 1200 NET

    1800 minus 600 = 1200

    This 1200 calories is for basic bodily function.......heart, lungs, kidneys. You are on a path to weight loss.....hair loss, muscle loss....and oh yeah ....some fat loss too.
  • MarcPower
    MarcPower Posts: 67 Member
    Based on what you say about your job, you are probably burning at least 500 calories at work. Add this to your 1800 BMR and you are already at 2300 calories.

    This means that you could eat 1800 calories and lose a pound a week. If you go to the gym and burn 500 more calories, you could eat 2300 calories.

    Huh, you know that actually makes sense now. thanks!
    another thing though? before I started eating better (boy was I wrong about that), I hadn't lost any weight. I highly doubt I was eating more then my BMR, so how could this be?
    Usually an underestimation of calorie consumption. Either your portion sizes are bigger than expected or you underestimated the calorie count for the food you were eating.

    Unless you have a metabolic issue (ie thyroid problem), you should not be able to gain weight if you eat at or around your BMR. Try eating a few hundred calories above your BMR for a couple of months and see your progress. Be extra, extra vigilant about tracking your food...if possible, weigh your food with a digital scale to ensure accuracy.

    Portion sizes are ridiculous sometimes and the best way to ensure accuracy is to weigh your food.
  • Based on what you say about your job, you are probably burning at least 500 calories at work. Add this to your 1800 BMR and you are already at 2300 calories.

    This means that you could eat 1800 calories and lose a pound a week. If you go to the gym and burn 500 more calories, you could eat 2300 calories.

    Huh, you know that actually makes sense now. thanks!
    another thing though? before I started eating better (boy was I wrong about that), I hadn't lost any weight. I highly doubt I was eating more then my BMR, so how could this be?
    Usually an underestimation of calorie consumption. Either your portion sizes are bigger than expected or you underestimated the calorie count for the food you were eating.

    Unless you have a metabolic issue (ie thyroid problem), you should not be able to gain weight if you eat at or around your BMR. Try eating a few hundred calories above your BMR for a couple of months and see your progress. Be extra, extra vigilant about tracking your food...if possible, weigh your food with a digital scale to ensure accuracy.

    Portion sizes are ridiculous sometimes and the best way to ensure accuracy is to weigh your food.

    I'll try that. thanks a bunch for taking the time to help me figure this out, really appreciate it!