Daily calorie allowance with or without factoring in wo...

[hootski]

Hi all. I've been pondering the question of whether or not I should use my TDEE that just takes into account my lifestyle WITHOUT workouts. You see I use DietPower software and you can track your workouts which in turn adds those calories burned to your daily calorie allowance, a very nice feature. So far I don't track my workouts because a high activity level is already factored in to my TDEE.

I just figure that some workouts burn more calories than others, so my daily allowance would be much more accurate if I'm tracking calories burned each day.

Maybe in the end it doesn't make much of a difference as long as you're keeping up your activity level. But on days when I do workouts such as Body Max (90 min. long!!!), I'd like to see that yes I should definately eat more! :9

Heidi

 

[Boybert]

I think you can safely add more calories for a rough workout session. Usually your body needs a little extra fuel. The trick is just not to get carried away


Live with sincerity, love with passion, and dance like you mean it.

Debbie

 

[hootski]

RE: Daily calorie allowance with or without factoring i...

Thanks Debbie. I know there's no risk of adding more calories on the day of a tough workout. I do tend to go a little overboard in my technique for choosing a calorie intake though, it's my anal side! LOL! But in reality if I don't track my calories, I either overeat or undereat, and neither of those are helpful.

Heidi

 

[teddy16410]

Hi Heidi-
After 3 months of faithful tracking thru FitDay I have just this week found the common thread for me and my stubborn mid life 15 pounds...
A few things I have learned from the 3 month overview:
I lose BF and increase MM and drop pounds when my weekly averages look like this:
39% Carb
40% Protein
21% Fat
AND (an AHA moment for me) When I BURN (thru exercise) 27% of my caloric intake
Because I workout 5-6 days a week it is a higher daily % for the weekly average to be 27%.
Also my cardio must be varied in order for this to work: Spin, Interval, Kick, Jog PLUS 4 strength sessions per week.
I have been reading and logging and reading and logging and feel like I finally get my 43 year old body!
Lesson 1: The type of calories really do matter
Lesson 2: Every body is different and the amount / type of exercise is an important factor
Keep logging and analizing and you'll figure it out for your body!

 

[hootski]

RE: Daily calorie allowance with or without factoring i...

Thanks Traci! It is nice when we figure something out isn't it?!

For me I've found I need carbs, and I don't do well at all on high protein, so my ratios are 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. With that, IF I'm eating clean and eating enough, I lose fat and gain lean mass. In fact I just checked my bf% this morning and it's gone down and my lean mass has gone up. I had been losing a bit of lean mass over the past 2 weeks but clued in to the fact that I wasn't eating quite enough. Thankfully I stopped that trend!

You're so right about varied cardio, and for me the best way to lose fat is to BURN it off is through cardio. I can only handle a small deficit....gosh I'd better write these new discoveries down into my binder before I forget for the next time I find I need to lean out!

Thanks for your thoughts!

Heidi

 

[honeybunch1]

I tend to look for the way that will get the job done without taking up too much time - I go for moderate level of activity when factoring my lifestyle, even if I do high intensity workouts. I'd rather err on the side of underestimating since too many people eat too much because they think they are very active.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain ;-)

 

[hootski]

RE: Daily calorie allowance with or without factoring i...

Hey that's a great way to figure it out! I think that could work well for having a good ballpark figure to shoot for. Thanks!

Heidi

 

[honeybunch1]

RE: Daily calorie allowance with or without factoring i...

For moderate activity, I go with 15 calories per pound if what I want to weigh - in my case 15X128=1920 per day, and that seems to do the trick even with factoring in my weekly pig-out day.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain ;-)