Tracking daily calories - second job

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my58vw
my58vw Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all!

I am a teacher, and I set my TDEE to lightly active (which by definition is a teacher). I am on my feet 3 - 4 hours a day, and right now I find that my TDEE is pretty accurate for me. I am starting a second job that will have me on my feet for 4 - 6 hours, with some minor lifting, stocking, etc. I will be working 4 - 5 days a week, so I likely will need a little extra calorie wise to handle the second shift.

I do not want to set my TDEE to moderately active, but would rather track calories on my second job. I was wondering what the best option for this is? A hear that fit-bits are fairly inaccurate, so should I just go with steps, or something else? Again the goal is to add calories on these days to keep my energy high at work, without going way over my normal calorie goals.

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    I think something like a Fitbit would be the only option.

    There is no way to accurately count how many calories you burn in a set period of time when it is not constant, steady-state cardio. Anything will be a guess. Fitbits track all day step based movement. If you 'talk' with your hands a good bit, then I highly suggest the Fitbit One or Zip. They clip to your waste/pocket/bra and are not worn on your wrist. So they track body movement rather than arm movement.

    Other than that, trial & error? Add an extra 25-50 calories per hour of 2nd job and monitor your results over time.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Fitbits aren't necessarily inaccurate. My One is usually pretty spot on, in fact, especially if we're just talking about counting steps.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    My FitBit works great for this. I set my activity level at sedentary and let it add calories for my activity for the entire day. My numbers have me losing exactly what I predict I will lose over time, so I'd say it works for me.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    sllm1 wrote: »
    My FitBit works great for this. I set my activity level at sedentary and let it add calories for my activity for the entire day. My numbers have me losing exactly what I predict I will lose over time, so I'd say it works for me.

    This is what I do also -- I've done it since July of 2015 and have lost/maintained exactly as I would expect to.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    sllm1 wrote: »
    My FitBit works great for this. I set my activity level at sedentary and let it add calories for my activity for the entire day. My numbers have me losing exactly what I predict I will lose over time, so I'd say it works for me.

    This is what I do also -- I've done it since July of 2015 and have lost/maintained exactly as I would expect to.

    Exactly the same for me. Four months of using my Fitbit, since my activity level varies by day, and I lose exactly as I'm supposed to while eating back all of my Fitbit-added calories.
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    It took me months to trust my fitbit, but I've found it to be highly accurate since I learned to trust it. So I sync and eat what it tells me, if I notice that my adjustment is low or gone into the negatives, I go for a walk or something.
  • kikkipoo
    kikkipoo Posts: 292 Member
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    Can I just say that it is a real shame that the teachers of our world have to take on second jobs to make a living. I'm sorry. It shouldn't be that way. That's all.

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