New Here - Need help with calorie intake please

bobcatpilot
bobcatpilot Posts: 4 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
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Hi there. I've been here for the past month and have seen really great results. I've lost about 10 lbs. in the last 30 days. I'm set on lightly active, 1.5 lbs. loss/week. My calculation is fairly high because I'm a big-framed guy (6'4", 280). I've been following the caloric limits and logging my exercise (3-4x per week). On days when I've given extra calories from exercise, I usually eat a bit more because I'm hungrier (not eating all of my "earned" calories though). However, about two weeks ago I started using a Garmin Vivosmart HR. It's been good overall, but SOME days, I get stats like the picture above. I had a HARD 55 minute workout this morning, played a little soccer in the yard with the fam, and put on quite a few steps just doing life. However, there's NO WAY I'm going to be hungry for another 3322 calories today! I'm eating really good whole foods, and my energy levels are great. I'm not slugging around right now, and foresee another 1000-1500 cal for the day will keep me completely satisfied. Sooo, what do I follow? I've been trusting my body and keeping fairly close to the 2500 range. Is it silly to think I should eat a bunch more just to stay closer to the updated target from my HR/step tracker? I've lost a fair amount of weight in the past, but not this comfortably. In the past I was HUNGRY because of the limited amount of food I ate per day (regardless of exercise). This time, I've ALMOST always been satisfied, save the late night temptations. I don't want to eat for the sake of eating. Am I wrong?

I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks!

Replies

  • srk369
    srk369 Posts: 256 Member
    edited March 2017
    My husband and I both have the same garmin and normal days seem fine but active look like yours. We both are doing TDEE that includes our activity level and ignoring the garmin input. My husband is 6' 4" and started at 245 and 2600 calories. He has been super busy at work and more sedentary and dropped it to 2100 temporarily. He has been losing about 1.5 lbs per week...I'm trying to get him to up his calories a little more actually for 1lb a week loss. I'd say only add in a few hundred...maybe cap total calories at 2800 a day and monitor your loss.

    Eta: I really like my garmin for capturing my run data but feel the calorie burns are kinda high for everything else. Maybe it's just us in a hot climate, but my husband and I have both seen some crazy high numbers.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @tacklewasher I think, not sure, this is the tracker you are using.
    Could you drop by if you are around please?
    You are also just great with 'big guy advice' :)

    Cheers, h.
  • rutzsa
    rutzsa Posts: 52 Member
    I have seen this too with my Vivosmart HR as well. I can only guess it has to do with having your heart rate elevated. I have contacted MFP to make sure it wasn't a glitched but got no where. On normal days with little to no activity it seems fine but days that are above and beyond are off the charts.
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's quoting ALL of your burned calories, even those that are burned just from you existing. MFP already accounts for those burned daily based on your lifestyle. I would only add those specific extra exercise calories that you burn 3-4 times a week. And even then, underestimate your burn.

    Really, unless you are running a marathon you are not burning an extra 2300 calories in your workout.
  • srk369
    srk369 Posts: 256 Member
    crb426 wrote: »
    I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's quoting ALL of your burned calories, even those that are burned just from you existing. MFP already accounts for those burned daily based on your lifestyle. I would only add those specific extra exercise calories that you burn 3-4 times a week. And even then, underestimate your burn.

    Really, unless you are running a marathon you are not burning an extra 2300 calories in your workout.

    No, it looks like the fitbit adjustment where it estimates your entire day using calories burned at your last sync and compares to mfp daily calories and gives an adjustment. It's just crazy high!
  • bobcatpilot
    bobcatpilot Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks for the replies. Yes, it is calculating all of my activity; it just seems high. You're right though... on normal days I get little to no extra for steps unless I workout. Also, if I workout in the morning, I get A LOT more cal for my steps it seems. Today, my workout was estimated by Garmin at 700 cal, plus bonus for steps as a big guy living are currently at 2100 extra. :smile: I joke with my wife... "Oh, they're giving me an extra 500 cal for getting out of bed this morning since I'm so huge." I suppose I'll leave things where they are and just stick with eating about half of my actual exercise calories back when hungry.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    @middlehaitch Thanks for the comment

    This is the tracker I used to use but gave up on because it frustrated me for just what the OP is asking.

    @bobcatpilot If you are using the activities on the VSHR, it is likely double counting the calories from those activities, both for the activity burn and an equivalent number for the steps. I gave mine to my wife as an expensive step counter and went with the VivoActive HR, which does not have the same problem. When I was using it, and according to a few threads I found on the Garmin forum ( https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?556-vivosmart-HR-HR ) this is a common problem that Garmin does not seem to be fixing. Now not all units do this and I have no idea why, I just gave up on it.

    My suggestion (besides taking it back and getting a VivoActive) is to see what it does if you don't use the activity feature and just let it track calories from steps. It didn't seem so bad when I did that.

    With the VAHR, when I'm on the treadmill, I've compared the VAHR to a Polar chest strap and found them within 10% of each other, close enough that I don't bother with the strap any more.

    As to calories, I'm 6' and currently 250 lbs, down from 330. I'm eating around 2000 calories, based on 1550 plus ~500 for activity. Did no exercise this weekend but spent 10 hours cleaning my garage and 500 was about average. This gives me close to a 2 lb loss per week. I'm not going below 2000 cals as I get hungry so I'm fine if my loss slows down some.

    You may be more active than I am as I have trouble getting 8K steps if I don't use the treadmill.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Your weight would make a difference but I can tell you that I rode my bicycle for three and a half hours yesterday and I didn't burn that many calories. Unless you find yourself losing more than two pounds a week I would suggest you eat significantly less than what it is telling you.
  • bobcatpilot
    bobcatpilot Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback guys. I think I'm going to stick with my baseline target given by MFP (currently 2500), with a 300 cal reserve on days that I workout. I average about 8-10K steps/day without a workout, so I'm getting a decent calorie burn based on my size from daily activity. I was down 2.2 lbs this morning (for the week), based on 2500 cal cap regardless of extras given by Garmin/MFP. My setting is for 1.5/week loss, so the extra 300 cal on workout days should be just fine. @Tacklewasher I might try that experiment of tracking minus the activities. It's a bummer it can't be trusted, but overall the technology has been really helpful for me in keeping active/motivated. Unfortunately, I'm outside the return window.
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