Starting out: burning 2,820 per day

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iNickStuff
iNickStuff Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

My name is Nick and this is my first post on the forum. I am a 6ft (183cm), 220-pound (102kg) young male looking to lose weight and achieve a healthy 74kg. I joined a local gym on Monday this week and have burned roughly 300 calories per day by using the cycling machine and the treadmill. I feel as though I could do better, or at least achieve a better way of losing this weight.

I've download the MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone, put in my details and it says that I need to burn 2,820 per day. I thought that this was very high, and pretty much at a loss as to how I would achieve this in a week, let alone in a day. Have I input the wrong details?

The gym has a steppers and a rowing machine, but I just like to cycle and use the treadmill. The latter is a little more difficult, as I often need to pause and gain my breath back before continuing.

I would like some help as to go about reaching this goal. Perhaps in the morning I would do a cycling session for 1h 30 mins to burn 1,410 calories (half of the target) and then jog for a similar amount of time on the treadmill to reach the goal. Five/six times in a week.


Any help would be appreciated. I am new to forums as well.

Nick

Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    MFP doesn't tell you how much to burn in a day, as MFP does not give you exercise calorie goals, only daily goals for calorie intake. The number MFP gives you as a calorie goal is how much you are supposed to eat. If you exercise as well, MFP expects you to eat a portion of those exercise calories back.

    Read this, and read the links within it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • catfive1
    catfive1 Posts: 529 Member
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    The 2,820 calories you are speaking of is your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day). You do not have to go crazy exercising to burn these calories.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    It doesn't mean that you have to burn that amount of calories in your workouts; it means total calorie burn for the whole day. You burn calories every minute just by living, even while asleep.
  • iNickStuff
    iNickStuff Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    MFP doesn't tell you how much to burn in a day, as MFP does not give you exercise calorie goals, only daily goals for calorie intake. The number MFP gives you as a calorie goal is how much you are supposed to eat. If you exercise as well, MFP expects you to eat a portion of those exercise calories back.

    Read this, and read the links within it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I've read the links, and how to eat correctly, but not what I should do in the gym.
  • iNickStuff
    iNickStuff Posts: 7 Member
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    I understand now, quite clearly, that the calorie counter is not for burning in the gym.
  • Experttrainer
    Experttrainer Posts: 5
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    This site somehow figures out your BMR using your current weight.. While becoming a trainer I learned how to figure out your BMR and calorie expenditure... carefully read through my info here copied and pasted from my nutrition packet. You take body weight x 10 = BMR or resting metabolic rate. That's how many calories your body burns during rest and sleep each day. Then u take that # times your activity level.. Depends on how active u are.. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, lots of sugar, make sure you're still getting fats, carbs and proteins in each meal, u need 5 small meals per day.

    (Calculating your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or BMR)

    Physical activity factor levels for your calorie expenditure

    - Very light: seated or standing activities like in an office, driving or cooking. 1.2 – 1.3

    - Low active: In addition to your sedentary life routine, 30 minutes of moderate activity equivalent to walking 2 miles in 30 minutes. (1.5 – 1.6)

    - Active: In addition to the activities of a low active lifestyle, an addition, 3 hours of activity such as bicycling 10-12 miles per hour or walking 4.5 miles per hour. (1.6 – 1.7)

    - Heavy: Planned vigorous activities, physical labor, full-time athletes or hard-labor professionals such as steel or road workers. (1.9 – 2.1)

    (Calculation)

    Use those activity level numbers to calculate with your RMR down below:
    Step 1. Body weight x 10 = RMR
    Step 2. Your RMR x activity factor = calorie expenditure
  • PrairieRunner2015
    PrairieRunner2015 Posts: 126 Member
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    What was just stated. When you go to the MY HOME tab, it should display how many calories you have available to eat, based on activity levels and weight loss goals you have selected. If you exercise, this number will increase, and you should eat enough to come close to hitting all of the targets (The more you eat, the harder it becomes to not go over on macros and micros.). When it comes down to it, weight loss has to do with eating and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). It's a little different for each individual, but what MFP gives you is a good reference. If you don't see any changes in weight after a few weeks of following MFP calorie goals, make small adjustments until you get to where you need to be. There is a lot of information regarding this out there and you should read and determine what is correct and best for you.

    In regards to exercises/machines which burn a lot of calories for a given time:

    I found a vigorous workout on an arc trainer, stair stepper, and/or elliptical gives me the greatest calorie burns (1,000+ calories in an hour. As weight is lost, intensity or time will need to be increased to achieve the same calorie burn.).
    Running, but use caution as going too fast and too far, too soon/quickly will most likely result in injury.
  • iNickStuff
    iNickStuff Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    This site somehow figures out your BMR using your current weight.. While becoming a trainer I learned how to figure out your BMR and calorie expenditure... carefully read through my info here copied and pasted from my nutrition packet. You take body weight x 10 = BMR or resting metabolic rate. That's how many calories your body burns during rest and sleep each day. Then u take that # times your activity level.. Depends on how active u are.. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, lots of sugar, make sure you're still getting fats, carbs and proteins in each meal, u need 5 small meals per day.

    (Calculating your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or BMR)

    Physical activity factor levels for your calorie expenditure

    - Very light: seated or standing activities like in an office, driving or cooking. 1.2 – 1.3

    - Low active: In addition to your sedentary life routine, 30 minutes of moderate activity equivalent to walking 2 miles in 30 minutes. (1.5 – 1.6)

    - Active: In addition to the activities of a low active lifestyle, an addition, 3 hours of activity such as bicycling 10-12 miles per hour or walking 4.5 miles per hour. (1.6 – 1.7)

    - Heavy: Planned vigorous activities, physical labor, full-time athletes or hard-labor professionals such as steel or road workers. (1.9 – 2.1)

    (Calculation)

    Use those activity level numbers to calculate with your RMR down below:
    Step 1. Body weight x 10 = RMR
    Step 2. Your RMR x activity factor = calorie expenditure

    Calculated.

    RMR is 2,200. RMR x activity factor (1.5) = 3,300

    I am to expend 3,300 calories?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    MFP doesn't tell you how much to burn in a day, as MFP does not give you exercise calorie goals, only daily goals for calorie intake. The number MFP gives you as a calorie goal is how much you are supposed to eat. If you exercise as well, MFP expects you to eat a portion of those exercise calories back.

    Read this, and read the links within it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I've read the links, and how to eat correctly, but not what I should do in the gym.

    LOL. Ok, I like how the three of us came up with three different explanations of what that number is. So for clarification, go to your food diary, look at your calorie goal, and eat whatever number that gives you. Also, MFP's recommendations for protein intake are ridiculously low, you're going to need more. As a 5'7" female, I eat over 100g of a protein a day.

    As far as what to do in the gym, do whatever you want. There is no magic exercise for weight loss, it's simply burning more calories than you consume. One thing you do want to do is some kind of resistance training, as that will help burn fat and preserve lean body mass (your existing muscle). A progressive loading program with compound movements is a good place to start, especially since you have access to a gym. Stronglifts 5x5 and Starting Strength are two highly recommended programs for people who are new to lifting. You do not need to do a ton of cardio to see results. Cardio is good for improving cardiovascular health, and it gives you more calories per day that you can "eat back," but you do not need to be logging hours on the machines.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Options
    This site somehow figures out your BMR using your current weight.. While becoming a trainer I learned how to figure out your BMR and calorie expenditure... carefully read through my info here copied and pasted from my nutrition packet. You take body weight x 10 = BMR or resting metabolic rate. That's how many calories your body burns during rest and sleep each day. Then u take that # times your activity level.. Depends on how active u are.. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, lots of sugar, make sure you're still getting fats, carbs and proteins in each meal, u need 5 small meals per day.

    (Calculating your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or BMR)

    Physical activity factor levels for your calorie expenditure

    - Very light: seated or standing activities like in an office, driving or cooking. 1.2 – 1.3

    - Low active: In addition to your sedentary life routine, 30 minutes of moderate activity equivalent to walking 2 miles in 30 minutes. (1.5 – 1.6)

    - Active: In addition to the activities of a low active lifestyle, an addition, 3 hours of activity such as bicycling 10-12 miles per hour or walking 4.5 miles per hour. (1.6 – 1.7)

    - Heavy: Planned vigorous activities, physical labor, full-time athletes or hard-labor professionals such as steel or road workers. (1.9 – 2.1)

    (Calculation)

    Use those activity level numbers to calculate with your RMR down below:
    Step 1. Body weight x 10 = RMR
    Step 2. Your RMR x activity factor = calorie expenditure

    Respectfully, you do not need to eat 5 small meals per day. There is no evidence that the number of times you eat per day or when you eat has anything to do with weight loss. Calories in, calories out. And while your formulas are lovely and make sense to people who have been at this for some time, I think it's a little much for people who are new to exercise and weight loss. Having someone calculate their calorie expenditure is just going to prove confusing to most of the new users here and have them thinking they need to exercise enough to burn that off.

    MFP calculates a calorie deficit for each user based on calorie intake only. It does not account for exercise, exercise calories are added in by the user and the user is supposed to eat those back. There are no calorie expenditure goals on this site. All users need to do is eat their calorie goal to see weight loss; exercise calories are a bonus.
  • iNickStuff
    iNickStuff Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    MFP doesn't tell you how much to burn in a day, as MFP does not give you exercise calorie goals, only daily goals for calorie intake. The number MFP gives you as a calorie goal is how much you are supposed to eat. If you exercise as well, MFP expects you to eat a portion of those exercise calories back.

    Read this, and read the links within it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I've read the links, and how to eat correctly, but not what I should do in the gym.

    LOL. Ok, I like how the three of us came up with three different explanations of what that number is. So for clarification, go to your food diary, look at your calorie goal, and eat whatever number that gives you. Also, MFP's recommendations for protein intake are ridiculously low, you're going to need more. As a 5'7" female, I eat over 100g of a protein a day.

    As far as what to do in the gym, do whatever you want. There is no magic exercise for weight loss, it's simply burning more calories than you consume. One thing you do want to do is some kind of resistance training, as that will help burn fat and preserve lean body mass (your existing muscle). A progressive loading program with compound movements is a good place to start, especially since you have access to a gym. Stronglifts 5x5 and Starting Strength are two highly recommended programs for people who are new to lifting. You do not need to do a ton of cardio to see results. Cardio is good for improving cardiovascular health, and it gives you more calories per day that you can "eat back," but you do not need to be logging hours on the machines.

    Thank you for your simpler explanation, helps a lot.

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