Another question I should already know the answer to...

[SirenSongWoman]

...I'm trying to determine roughly how many calories I should be taking in every day if I want to lose weight while not negatively impacting my work out or general feeling of well-being. I know a lot of variables have to be taken into consideration (like what kind of work out, present weight, approximate weight I'm trying to get to and how fast, etc.).

Anyone know a website that will help me determine a rough estimate? I really have no idea how many calories I should be consuming because I always did what I felt like, obviously. But now, I'm taking it serious and keeping track.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[LaughingWater]

Try this:

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php

I plugged my info into the BMR & RMR calculator. The numbers are very close to what I came up with doing the calculations myself using a couple of different formulas.

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Thank you so much. I'm going to check that out. Meanwhile, I found a calculator over at FitDay.com and have been given a series of dates, based on daily calorie count and activity level (etc.), at which I can be expected to lose the weight.

Of course this brings up yet another question: Am I MODERATELY or am I VERY active? Even I'm not sure.

I work out six mornings per week, alternating full body dvd workouts (MuscleMax, Amy Bento Slo-Mo, Jari Love, etc.) with Cardio Coach (usually) on the treadmill. 2-3 times per week I add on an evening circuit-style light weight workout (i.e. The Firm, etc.) just for the fun factor.

Does that constitute moderate or heavy?

 

[orphylea]

Holy night, that's a lot of working out! From reading calorie counter websites (a lot!) I think that heavy activity or very active tends to be someone that has a very physically intense job that keeps them busy all day long, like road work or something. But if you work out that much, I would experiment. If you can get away with eating at a heavy level and still lose weight (and you just might with how much you exercise) then DO IT! If you try it for a week and you don't lose weight, then decrease your calories.

 

[jennifermaria]

Hi SirenSongWoman,

I bought a book by Nancy Clark (who's widely regarded as an expert in sports nutrition) that's aimed at marathoners, and she has a really simple formula for determining your calories required and how you should reduce it without sacrificing your ability to fuel your workouts properly.

First, she has you multiply 10 by the number of pounds you weigh--this is your RMR (to get even more accurate, you can use the Harris Benedict formula). Once you have your RMR, she has you multiply this by 1.3 or 1.4 if you live a fairly sedentary lifestyle OUTSIDE OF YOUR WORKOUTS, 1.5 if you moderately active in your lifestyle, and 1.6 if you have a very active lifestyle. Now you have the calories you need just to maintain your every day life.

Next, you calculate the approximate calories you burn during the week when you exercise. I have a Polar HRM, so I'm able to record the calories I burn during all my workouts--do you have something similar? Otherwise, I'm sure you can google some sites that can estimate calories burned on common activities.

Once you've got the total number of calories burned in a week from exercise, you divide it by 7, and then you add that number to the calories you need to maintain your lifestyle. This total number is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight when you're exercising.

To lose weight but still be able to appropriately fuel, she recommends taking off no more than 80% of calories needed to maintain while exercising. She believes that taking off more than that will lead your workouts to suffer. She also believes in honoring the hunger and making sure that even on rest days or if you're injured, that you need to eat those calories so your body is repairing itself properly.

The weight loss will be slower than if you were to do the traditional 500 calories a day deficit, but she believes that for really active people, this can be too big a deficit and can really harm your metabolism because of muscle mass loss. The idea is to lose weight, but not feel deprived during the process.

Hope that helps!

Jennifer

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Hi SirenSongWoman,

I bought a book by Nancy Clark (who's widely regarded as an expert in sports nutrition) that's aimed at marathoners, and she has a really simple formula for determining your calories required and how you should reduce it without sacrificing your ability to fuel your workouts properly.

First, she has you multiply 10 by the number of pounds you weigh--this is your RMR (to get even more accurate, you can use the Harris Benedict formula). Once you have your RMR, she has you multiply this by 1.3 or 1.4 if you live a fairly sedentary lifestyle OUTSIDE OF YOUR WORKOUTS, 1.5 if you moderately active in your lifestyle, and 1.6 if you have a very active lifestyle. Now you have the calories you need just to maintain your every day life.

Next, you calculate the approximate calories you burn during the week when you exercise. I have a Polar HRM, so I'm able to record the calories I burn during all my workouts--do you have something similar? Otherwise, I'm sure you can google some sites that can estimate calories burned on common activities.

Once you've got the total number of calories burned in a week from exercise, you divide it by 7, and then you add that number to the calories you need to maintain your lifestyle. This total number is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight when you're exercising.

To lose weight but still be able to appropriately fuel, she recommends taking off no more than 80% of calories needed to maintain while exercising. She believes that taking off more than that will lead your workouts to suffer. She also believes in honoring the hunger and making sure that even on rest days or if you're injured, that you need to eat those calories so your body is repairing itself properly.

The weight loss will be slower than if you were to do the traditional 500 calories a day deficit, but she believes that for really active people, this can be too big a deficit and can really harm your metabolism because of muscle mass loss. The idea is to lose weight, but not feel deprived during the process.

Hope that helps!

Jennifer

Hey Jen, I'm PM-ing you about this. Okay?

 

[morningstar]

To lose weight but still be able to appropriately fuel, she recommends taking off no more than 80% of calories needed to maintain while exercising. She believes that taking off more than that will lead your workouts to suffer. She also believes in honoring the hunger and making sure that even on rest days or if you're injured, that you need to eat those calories so your body is repairing itself properly.

Really? Take off 80% of the calories you need? Isn't that basically starvation? Am I reading this wrong?