New, and a bit confused
03-19-2012, 01:45 PM
#1
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 11
New, and a bit confused
Hello. I just found FitDay today, and love this place so far. I do have a few questions. I'm 231 lbs, 6 ft. tall, and 43 years old. I eventually need to get to 180 lbs to not be considered fat. Here's where the confusion comes in:
Looking at the calories in to calories burned chart, it says I burned 2800 calories just by being sedentary. I did a Men's Health 15 Minute DVD workout, added it to my exercise log, and it added another 165 calories burned, so I'm just under 3,000 calories burned for the day.
Is it really possible that you can burn 2800 calories just by being sedentary? I have a desk job. Now I've eaten approx 2400 calories today. According to my math, the weight loss should occur if I keep that up, and that 2800 figure is correct.
Am I misreading something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Looking at the calories in to calories burned chart, it says I burned 2800 calories just by being sedentary. I did a Men's Health 15 Minute DVD workout, added it to my exercise log, and it added another 165 calories burned, so I'm just under 3,000 calories burned for the day.
Is it really possible that you can burn 2800 calories just by being sedentary? I have a desk job. Now I've eaten approx 2400 calories today. According to my math, the weight loss should occur if I keep that up, and that 2800 figure is correct.
Am I misreading something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
03-20-2012, 01:30 AM
#2
FitDay Premium Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,621
Yup, that is possible. Remember, that is for 24 hours. Basically it is your Basal Metabolism Rate (BMR) which is the amount of energy (calories) your body requires to stay alive if you are immobile. Any "lifestyle" activities and exercise add to this number. To lose weight, you must keep (on average) a calorie deficit, taking in less calories than you burn.
The trick is coming up with an accurate idea of your calorie burn. Calculators are just best guesses and often you'll need to record a few weeks of data to see where you stand.
It takes, on average, a calorie deficit of 3,500 to use one pound of body fat so theoretically a 500 calorie a day deficit for a week will result in a loss of one pound. Of course, our bodies don't always stay on that schedule and there are a whole host of variables.
Personally, I think at least a 1,000 cal a day deficit is good and gives you some leeway if you're calculations are off. Hope this helps!
Regards,
Michael
The trick is coming up with an accurate idea of your calorie burn. Calculators are just best guesses and often you'll need to record a few weeks of data to see where you stand.
It takes, on average, a calorie deficit of 3,500 to use one pound of body fat so theoretically a 500 calorie a day deficit for a week will result in a loss of one pound. Of course, our bodies don't always stay on that schedule and there are a whole host of variables.
Personally, I think at least a 1,000 cal a day deficit is good and gives you some leeway if you're calculations are off. Hope this helps!
Regards,
Michael
03-20-2012, 01:38 AM
#3
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 11
03-21-2012, 11:31 PM
#6
FitDay Premium Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,621
Regards,
Michael
