Calorie Conundrum

[angie_mitchell]

Cathe, or whomever would like to respond! I posted this on OD:

I've recently started tracking my calories through an iPhone app (Lose It!) and it has really helped me in the sense that it forces me to recognize and take responsibility for everything I eat. BUT, I'm confused about the whole calorie concept.

The program suggests I eat about 1500 calories a day. This is after I told it that I weigh 125 lbs, want to weigh 118, and want to lose 1/2 lb a week. OK, so this seems doable to me. I haven't been super hungry - if anything, I am below my calories (unless I have an off day ex: at Disneyland!). My issue is that when I workout, there is a place to enter that and the amount of calories I've burned. What it does then, is actually adds the same amount of calories I've burned to the amount I can eat for the day. So, at the end of the week, I'm 2000+ calories UNDER my allotment.

I have a hard time believing the whole process is that mathematical. If the point is to try to consume less calories than I burn, then what is the point of continuing to eat what I burn?

I know the underlying point is to rev your metabolism so that you're burning more and more calories post workout but that's not track-able.

I'm really wanting to figure this whole thing out. I don't have a LOT to lose obviously and I'm aware that I'm not overweight but I really want to move from my consistent "kinda fit" to "really fit" by my 30th birthday which is in 7 months.

I would love any insight you could offer!

Thanks so much!

angie

 

[soon2bfit]

Angie,

Each pound equals 3,500 calories. 2,000 calories is approximately one half pound. I didn;t run you numbers (i can if you want) but they look resonable to me.

 

[HomeschoolMom]

www.myfitnesspal.com is a good website to track calories and log exercise. You should not go below a "net-calorie" count of 1200 or you risk your body wanting to store the calories thinking you're entering starvation mode. If you start with a 1200 calorie allowance, and then burn 350 exercising, then you need to eat 1550 calories for the day. Your i-Phone program is factoring that in. If you use myfitnesspal's guided goals, they won't let you go below a net of 1200 calories, therefore, for some people you can't lose as much weight per week that they would like to because it would not be healthy.

 

[angie_mitchell]

Thanks for the info! I don't think I could survive on 1200 cals a day - just trying to wrap my head around the whole thing. I'm not in a huge hurry to lose weight just want to make sure it's steadily coming off.

HomeschoolMom, I was a homeschooled child! I planned to homeschool my children but a move to France kind of encouraged us to put them in French school to learn the language and give us social purposes here! I am in a sense, "after schooling" as I had purchased, and am using Sonlight's Core 4/5 program with my 4.5 y/o daughter along with Singapore Math and teaching her to read with Hooked on Phonics and Explode the Code. We're trying to keep up with the American standards so they're not behind when we go back. It's fun. Not sure what we'll do when we return to the States but I'm enjoying it while I can! Anyway, nice to meet another Cathelete/homeschooler!

 

[HomeschoolMom]

I used Sonlight years ago when my oldest (now 18) was just starting. I have 5 kids and, next year, will be down to schooling 3 of them. My son is at George Mason University, and my daughter (17) will be taking one co-op class and the other classes at a community college under dual-enrollment. I still have a 13, 9, and 6 year old being home schooled. That's wonderful to have the opportunity to live in France.