Calorie Confusion II..
As of right now, I have like 1500 calories burned from exercise today. and I have only eaten like 1100... It seems I've been eating like every 30 mins. And according to the link Chad gave us, I burn like 2100 calories in a day, doing absolutely nothing.
So now for my stupid question: It seems I have a lot more calories to eat today, just to stay healthy, right?
This is too much like work..
Curt
She said that they are old and have proven to vary widely from person to person. The only accurate method has to do with measuring your co2 expendature or something like that. Here is a wiki article talking about getting good BMR or RMR. I highlighted the part in red that the nut was talking about.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting in humans). The release of energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain and the rest of the nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles and skin. BMR decreases with age and with the loss of lean body mass. Increased muscle mass can increase BMR. Aerobic fitness level, a product of cardiovascular exercise, while previously thought to have effect on basal or resting metabolic rate (RMR), has been shown in the 1990s not to correlate with BMR, when fat-free body mass was adjusted for (see following section "Aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise" for references). Illness, previously consumed food and beverages, environmental temperature, and stress levels can affect one's overall energy expenditure as well as one's BMR.
BMR is measured under very restrictive cir****tances when a person is awake, but at complete rest. An accurate BMR measurement requires that the person's sympathetic nervous system not be stimulated. A more common and closely related measurement, used under less strict conditions, is resting metabolic rate (RMR).[1]
BMR and RMR are measured by gas analysis through either direct or indirect calorimetry, though a rough estimation can be acquired through an equation using age, sex, height, and weight. Studies of energy metabolism using both methods provide convincing evidence for the validity of the respiratory quotient (R.Q.), which measures the inherent composition and utilization of carbohydrates, fats and proteins as they are converted to energy substrate units that can be used by the body as energy.
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
I think another part of the problem is that the number of calories burned during certain activities is also often overestimated by the calculators. I sincerely doubt I burned 1700 calories doing my half marathon, but that's what the calculators say for my weight. Even the heart rate monitors tend to overestimate calorie expenditure, but they're much closer.
I'm sure I'm not any real help here, but there are so many calculators, etc. that I would say to be careful about what numbers you trust. For sure keep track of what you eat (I found I ate more calories than I thought I did) and go from there.
Hope you figure out what works.
Linn
It is a lot like work, but it's a worthwhile investment of your time! I've spent a lot of time looking for my "sweet spot," meaning just how much can I eat and maintain my loss, taking into account how much I exercise. I had my metabolism tested by New Leaf Fitness in May 2007 - at that time, my resting metabolism was right around 2000 calories a day, which was about 200 calories higher than the results I got from a BMR calculator.
I've puttered around with various calorie ranges over the past year, and had been maintaining around 185 w/ a 2600 calorie a day average. In the past couple weeks, my exercise has pretty much stayed the same and my daily calorie intake has dropped to around 2200 calories a day; I'm now down to 178. In terms of exercise, I base my calories burned on the numbers from my heart rate monitor, not a calculator. The heart-rate monitor is not 100% accurate in terms of calories burned, but I think it's a lot more accurate than the numbers I get from the cardio machines and/or activity calculators.
It's not an exact science, plus it's scary to bump your calories up into ranges that's so much higher than many other post-ops eat. But for those of us who've been bitten by the exercise bug, we need to eat more to support our exercise routine. Frankly, I love the fact that I can still eat 2200 calories a day and maintain my loss!!!
Good luck finding your sweet spot -
Kellie
Like this week I gained 3 pounds. I freaked out until I was reminded that I've been lifting weights and doing strength training for the past two weeks. Plus I'm retaining water for certain feminine reasons. But the gain is still in the back of my mind so now I'm even more nervous about increasing calories lol
My gym just odered one of those 02 gadgets to determine BMR so we'll see once that comes in where I'm at in comarison to the BMR charts.
Great point, but like youre starting to find out, once you start exercising and get past that "Honeymoon" period things seem to change and the need to count calories and exercise becomes apparent.
What I have found is that if I dont match my intake with my exercising I dont lose any and in fact gain some. Its like the body is trying to hold on to every last calorie.
Why is this so confusing...
And I do plan to take the metabolic rate testing as soon as I can.
Thanks again
Curt
