Calories burned through lifestyle?

Jerrymcknight · 04-08-2011, 03:36 AM

Hello, I'm new. I was just curious about the lifestyle calorie counter. I go to college where I walk about a mile a day and work at a Golf Course where I am standing half the time and sitting half the time. I selected the medium selection for lifestyle and selected vigorous weight lifting and added that I jog 2-3 miles a day. The website calculated that I burn around 2800 Calories a day just through my lifestyle without the exercise part. Correct me if I'm wrong but, this seems really unrealistic. So basically I burn 75% of my calories by just living and the other 25% is from my intense exercise? That doesn't make sense to me.
-Jerry

Jerrymcknight · 04-10-2011, 06:12 PM

wow 55 views and not 1 reply?? Is there any admin on this forum that can answer a simple question?

oglalagirl · 04-10-2011, 10:33 PM

I'm new here also and there are people who will try to answer your questions. Have you tried comparing other web site calculations? There are many websites where you put in your info and they give you your base rate. I just googled basal metabolic rate and over 10 sites came up.

mecompco · 04-10-2011, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerrymcknight

wow 55 views and not 1 reply?? Is there any admin on this forum that can answer a simple question?

Well, Jerry, there really are no admins that read the forums--just three of us volunteer mods who try to help. I admit that I'm not totally following your question but I'll try to address it:

As I understand it, "Lifestyle" is a 24 hour base. If you add 1 hour of exercise, it adds the difference between your chosen "lifestyle" and the total calorie burn of the exercise. Obviously, you "live" all day long and you only exercise part of it, so "lifestyle" generally exceeds "exercise".

Calorie calculators are notoriously inaccurate and at best are an estimate. Many people, myself included, find that when daily excercise and activities are logged, along with 8 hours of sleep (which the programmers tell us is allready figured in, FWIW) the calculation is pretty well aligned with "real life".

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Michael

Skiboy1 · 04-11-2011, 05:11 AM

a basic fact is that if you burn 3500 more calories in any week than you eat you will lose a pound. 7000 is two pounds and so on.

Therefor just keep track for a few weeks and see if the math equals what your scale says. If not, adjust your lifestyle setting either up or down until the scale and the fit day calculations jive.

These days all I have to do is the math and I can predict what that scale is going to read on Saturday morning.

Fit Day is just one tool in the weight loss adventure.

Like ALL tools, you have to work with it a while before it works just right for you.

Did you hit your first nail right on the head?

Just learn to use this tool and you will find life easier with it than without it.

Geoffers · 04-11-2011, 11:27 AM

From what I've read, it's true that the majority of calorie burn comes from the body just doing its thing, digestion, organ function and so on. Think of it, the muscles of the heart and ribcage never ever stop. They have to burn calories too and the heart is quite a big muscle.

Also think about the digestive muscles that drive food through your innards.(a process called peristalsis - did you ever wonder why your dinner never falls out when you're upside down?) That's one reason why it's good to eat little & often because that keeps these muscles occupied and burning calories.

Jerrymcknight · 04-17-2011, 04:44 AM

Thanks for all the feedback. I was just confused. I am a noob to all of this. I'm loving it though. Keeping my diet under 2000 cal. a day and burning around 3800