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sometimes ingnorance is bliss... (question for the peanut gallery)

J-Cat

Shared on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:37

Okay: I went home form, work today sick. As such I left lunch WAAAay too late and had to pick something up on the way home. I was lightheaded the whole deal. What is on the way? Mickey D's.

Got home and just now I looked up on the calorie calculator. Okay: Crispy chicken sandwich and lg fries: Diet Coke.  How many calories?  Go on... guess...

Over 1100  it would be 1320 if it was a regular coke.

holy crap.

Okay: now being sick I have also not worked out in the last few nights. boo... but aside ffrom today I was doing good (note tonight is toast with egg for dins... yummie). Here is my question for the peanut gallery.  I am quite confused by calorie counters... like how many calories I should be eating in a day in order to lose weight...

Like: I know how many cals I burn in a workout (usually 500 and up: my elliptical gives a readout). And I know my weight and height... so...  I should be ablet o figure this out..

If my basal calorieintake is 1456 (let's just say 1500 for ease of math) ... and I workout and loose 500 cals a workout:  if I want to lose a pound a weekish (-500 a day) then I have to either eat 1000 a day without working out, or 1500 with working out.

do I have this right?

Comments

TDrag27's picture
Submitted by TDrag27 on Tue, 09/16/2008 - 16:27
Just keep in mind that the calories your elliptical is spitting out for you is probably higher than what you really burn. If you really want to know, get a heart rate monitor with a calorie burn counter. At the gym, the machines estimate about 200 cal higher per workout than what I actually burn according to my HRM that uses my height, weight, gender, and age (much more accurate).
MikeJames's picture
Submitted by MikeJames on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:49
Basically to lose weight, you simply have to burn more calories than you take in. There is no right or wrong with how much you eat. My neighbor eats more than I do and is skinny as a rail. He also works about 10 times harder than I do. So it's all relative. MJ
TANK's picture
Submitted by TANK on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:52
the frys are the killer, go with the small fries.
hudsmack's picture
Submitted by hudsmack on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:54
Aside from working out there are other things that burn calories. It depends on how sedentary your lifestyle is. Common things that burn calories: Household chores Playing with your kids Walking up and down stairs (start counting, you would be surprised how many stairs you do in a day) Having sex Muscle mass, if you have quite a bit, you body will be a natural calorie burner Sleeping burns 8-12 calories an hour The quality of your calories makes a big difference too. If you are getting a lot of your calories from high fats and simple sugars (like McDonalds ;-)), those are the wrong kind. Cut out soda altogether, even diet. While diet soda obviously has less calories, many artificial sweeteners can make you feel hungry even when you are not. Lastly, SLOW DOWN when you eat. You would be surprised how satisfied you can be on less food if you just slow down while you eat.
J-Cat's picture
Submitted by J-Cat on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:54
MJ: totally got ya: but my pint is this: if I knew the numbers I am more likely to find sucess... So I want to make sure I have the basics down. Is my basal met. rate actually my rock bottom? Is it a true place to start or is going below this not a good idea even if I am trying to lose weight?
Durty's picture
Submitted by Durty on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 16:02
I read somewhere to take how much you want to weigh, multiply times ten and using that as your calorie allowance for the day and if you wanted to lose a weight a little quicker, subtract a couple hundred from that. So, say you want to weigh 140 lbs, 140 * 10 = 1400. With working out you should be just fine with going that route. You don't want to limit your calorie intake so much that you cheat and then give up because you cheated. Give yourself an allowance of a 'goodie' once a week or so, be it a bowl of ice cream or whatever. Weight Watchers is a good example of that...they allow you to 'bank' points every week for goodies depending on how much you work out ever day.
Tactica's picture
Submitted by Tactica on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 16:27
J-Cat, Counting calories is one of many ways to trick your body into losing weight, but it's not a rubber mold for all people. Usually, it takes much more than that to have a healthy body changing experience. Excersize, diet while being aware of your BMI, blood pressure, and good/bad cholesteral levels are also key elements... all of it is easier said than done. "Weight" can also be deceiving if observed alone. Muscle weigh more than fat. A tone / fit healthy strong person can look weigh more than an otherwise "lighter" person that has ver low muscle mass, but still appears to be in relatively good shape (until you touch them and realize they are basically jello!). Good rules of thumb to consider: 1. Healthy metabolism, eat regularly, don't skip meals (one big meal = bad!) 2. Quality foods, balance the diet, (cut out McD's, chips, fried foods, avoid transfats, etc) 3. Reduce Quantity of intake per setting (calories) 4. Slow down pace of intake at each setting 5. Excersize regularly, get heart rate up 30+ min a day. 6. Water only 3-hours before bed (midnight snacks - bad!) Cheers, and good luck, Tac
Lbsutke's picture
Submitted by Lbsutke on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 16:47
a 1000 calories a day is very low and could be dangerous. Do not forget you are burning calories just by breathing... So dont think of it as, crap I ate 1500 calories today, and worked out and only burned 500. I am a 1000 calories to the bad side...you will have burned additional calories durning the day, just by doing your daily routine.
LuxDevil67's picture
Submitted by LuxDevil67 on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 17:33
life is too short. eat whatever the fuck you want and don't cut back on working out.
meemoos's picture
Submitted by meemoos on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 18:50
Next time you look at the McD's "facts"...Check the FAT content!! Screw calories!! A sausage McMuffin with egg (my fav.) is about what your total days fat intake should be.
madwoman's picture
Submitted by madwoman on Tue, 09/16/2008 - 14:22
Be careful not to lose more than 2 pounds a week on average. It can wreak havoc on your body. Very dangerous. Do not go under 1200 calories a day. Your body needs those calories. Try cutting 250 calories and burning about 250 and you should see it start to happen. Don't be suprised if you gain...as someone said above muscle weighs more than fat and if you are working out more, or more intensely then you are likely to gain muscle mass. Eat food with lots of fiber (very filling) and watch the fat content. Lower fat, sugar free stuff gonna be low on calories. Good luck!

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