FitDay's Best of Series: # of Calories for WOMEN?
 

MODERATOR'S NOTE:

The following is a collection of the best tips that FitDay members have to offer, taken from many threads over a long period of time. Thank you to all of the contributors!

This thread can be used as a "one stop shopping place" for reference.

If you have any suggestions for other posts to be included, you may always PM one of the Forum Moderators.

Over 40, what used to work to trim down no longer works
 

Well, I'm sorta the same, except in my late 40's. And what used to work to trim down no longer works. I found it to be a matter of calories in - calories out. There was a time when I could easily lose weight on 1500 a day with just walking for an hour a day. Now it takes an hour to an hour and a half of pretty substantial workouts at least 5 days a week, up to 7 miles walking also on weekends, and 1200 calories a day to get the scale to budge downward.

Sedentary job is a lot of it for me - last three years, for the first time in my life, I have a job that keeps me seated all day. I'm actually looking for another job and not just because the job itself is boring as all get out, but because I know all this sitting is not good for my health or weight, and I honestly love to be active and move around more. Money's good, but it if destroys your health...

So it's not just you. Age will get us all. :)

Over 40 and trying to lose weight
 

I am also in my late 40s and I have to work hard to drop weight, where before it was pretty darned easy!! After a month I have managed to lose 7 crappy pounds!! And most of that came off the first week!! My calorie intake is averaging 1200 calories. I am sure it is hormone related. I suspect we need to seriously cut carbs and sugar in order to lose weight, but I personally will only cut carbs so far. I don't believe in eliminating grain products from my diet, as they are what feeds my brain, but I eat no white carbs..no white flour, white rice, white breads, potatoes, etc.

I recently started exercising, so we will see if that makes all the difference, I am sure hoping so.

"Recipe" for ladies over 40
 

I'm 41 and have recently found a really good recipe that works for me, I've lost 63 pounds since October, 57 of that since Christmas. Here is the basic recipe:

Daily
1 hour of hard cardio, or 1 1/2 hours of a lower burning workout (my target is 800 cal/workout)
2 servings of whole grain, low-cal, low-fat carbs (usually 150-250 calories total)
3 servings of fresh or fresh frozen fruit
4 servings of low-fat, low cal protein (at least one of them dairy)
5-8 servings of vegetables, either fresh or prepared from fresh
9 glasses of water minimum
10,000 steps on my pedometer

I try and keep my calorie pie chart at 45-35-20 (carbs, proteins, fats), but it varies. If my carbs are too high I eat either tuna, fat free Greek yogurt or a low fat protein shake to balance it out. I used to keep my calories around 1200-1400, but decided that might be low enough to put me in conservation mode, so I've upped it to 1400-1600 which seems to have helped. I also try and get 15-20 minutes/day in strengthening exercises. I've noticed that I always drop weight when my proteins are in line for more than a couple of days, but if the carbs get out of hand, I stall for days on end.

Back in the old days...
 

Ya know, I think the originators of the 1000 calorie statement were just smaller than we are today. So I am betting that for them, the 1000 calorie program was both do-able and appropriate. Not the case for most of us modern women

I remember hearing a similar thing about 1000 cals from my mom, so I suspect she got it from her mom. My mom was fairly small at 5'3". Her mom, and my dad's mom were both tiny, just about 5' and fairly small boned. If you look at the stats for many of the hollywood idols from the 30s 40s and 50s they too were small. Not the tall skinny things we see in fashion and much of TV today, but less than 5'4" with small, fine bone structure. Katharine Hepburn was considered very tall in her day - she was 5' 7.5"

Funny how these things move through the generations. :)

Understanding "Calories Burned"
 

Hi Jenny,

The calorie burn thing is confusing, both in theory and the way FitDay applies it. Here's what works for most people. When you set up your profile pick a level of activity that does not include your exercise routines. For me, most of my day is either at my desk or stand/walking in the laboratory. So "seated with some activity" is appropriate for me.

The "calories burned" in the table now reflects the amount of calories you use just to do the things you need to do in your every day life.

Now, when you exercise you will add those activities independently. For example, my daily calorie need is about 1900, or about 80 calories per hour on average. Then I add a 2 hour run at 10 min miles. FitDay will calculate the calories burned for those 2 hours and replace 2 hours at 80 calories with 2 hours at about 500 calories burned per hour. So my calories burned for that day will be around 2740.

That is the value that will be used to calculate my daily calorie deficit. So if I eat 1700 calories and burn 2700 calories, I will have a deficit of 1000 calories - which is really good, almost a third of a pound of fat at 3500 calories per pound of fat.

What can get confusing is that the calorie burned calculations are only a rough estimate. There are many, many factors that go into exactly how many calories an individual burns. And a program like FitDay just can't account for all of those factors.

Many of us believe that our profiles over estimate the number of calories we require for our day-to-day activities. That is why some people add "sleep" or other activities to lower the number. Lots of folks also find that the calories burned doing an activity doesn't match other data they have available like the calculators on elliptical machines or GPS equipment. Therefore you will probably read recommendations on how to adjust those numbers in FitDay by changing the time spent doing and activity or the intensity of that activity.

The calorie deficit calculations can be really helpful for planning meals and exercise. But not everyone likes them or can use them, so the bottom line is: Whatever works for you... stick with it.

Trick your body by zigzagging calories
 

@ Jennygoodman: tracking calories is confusing...I am with you on that and I have spend many hours online reading (which made is worse), right when you think you understand you read something else that makes it more confusing. I've taken multiple nutrition and exercise phys courses for my major and there are people on here that get it more than i do :~) it's a complete guessing game...but one that you can grasp a closer guess to with a few things...

I like RunbikeSki's response...as I too was very confused with the calculators that ask you how much you exercise and include into your daily calorie needs...because A) how does this calculator know how many minutes your exercise and/or what the intensity of your exercise is? Here's what I find to be helpful...

1. For starters, I've read that of the few BMR equations out there the Mifflin is closest to the real deal...so on FD when I calculate my base lifestyle calorie needs, I select Mifflin and then whatever my lifestyle is...i.e. seated all day

2. Use a calculator that will calculate your lifestyle activities and then when you "ADD" intentional exercise it will not only add the est. calories it think you burned for each activity but will also subtract the time you spent doing those activities (like FitDay)...some calculators only add the calories burned to the baseline lifestyle calorie need...

3. If you use calculators on other sites that ask you how many days a week you exercise, keep in mind the things mentioned above...it doesn't know how long you're working out for and how much you're burning but it does include your intentional exercises.

4. Last...not the least, this is what I found most recently to be helpful...since we're unsure the exact amount of calories to eat to lose the weight or reach our goal, we can cycle the calories we take in...depending on your preference, this may sound like a good idea or too complex/time consuming. Here's how it goes...and how I've been doing it:

Sun 1350
Mon 1400
Tue 1350
Wed 1800-1900
Thur 1200
Frid 1350
Sat 1800-1900

This creates a reasonably low average without you feeling hungry while shedding those pounds....this is simply an example so you would have to custom it to your stats.

Check out this link: Permanent weight loss plan to keep weight off forever - Lose weight permanently

When you put in your stats it will give you a range of calories to eat to lose...you can use the lowest of that for your low days and the highest of that for your high days. So basically you're doing 3 low days, 1 high, 2 low days. and 1 high and then you start over again. This is suppose to aid in fat loss/weight loss without putting your body in starvation mode, as it's tricking your body to get as much food as it's suppose to.

This is of course just based on my readings and personal experience...hope it helps you as well.

What is your perception of overeating?
 

Hi Sweetcheeks (love your user name)

Have you tried entering your height and weight into this handy calculator?

Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

Check it out. If you are still getting a daily calorie count that you feel is high, perhaps you have been under-eating for a very long time? It's hard to answer your question without any stats like your height and current weight.

But to answer the question, would you lose weight by overeating then no of course not but if you consider 1500-1700 calories per day overeating then it's a question of perception. Eating enough is important to keep your metabolism going and to make sure your body doesn't resort to consuming its own muscle to survive. If you eat too little, you go into starvation mode and your metabolism adjusts to keep as much fat in its reserves as possible. I'm simplifying the scientific process here but the bottom line is your metabolism needs energy to burn fat and energy comes from calories.

It's also important to get enough protein in your diet. What is your carbs/fat/protein ratio? I try to aim for 30-40% protein because I run 3 times a week and do other workouts too.

Use the FitDay reports and makeup for a "botched day" over the course of the week
 

It works much better for me if I try to make up for it over the course of the week as opposed to that day or all the next day. So, if I blow it by 400 or 500 calories or so, it's a lot easier for me to just subtract 100 for the next few days. FitDay has a report that lets you see your nutrition info weekly just as it pops up daily in the food log; that's helpful.

Thyroid problem and weight loss
 

Hello,

I have had thyroid problems (no thyroid production) and have been on thyrexin since the birth of my second child, 12 years ago. I also had problem losing weight, but 5 months ago i discovered FitDay and things changed for me. I registered my food intake and found out:

1) I was not having enough calories a day ( was keeping it at 800-900 in my effort to lose weight)
2) Almost all my calories were from simple carbs
3) Was not drinking enough water

I changed all this, I have about 1100-1200 calories/day, have been trying to keep my carb/protein/fat ratio at or close to 40/40/20 and drink more water, about 64 ounces/day.

I also have tried to exercise on a regular basis. To be honest, I didn't know any of these components of the weight loss on my own, but thanks to the wonderful, knowledgeable people and their support on this Forums I have lost 30 lbs and reached my goal in 5 months. Good luck!

How many calories you consume is only part of the weight loss equation
 

How many calories you consume is only part of the equation when it comes to weight loss. Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), Exercise/Activity and the Calories Eaten are all used to determine your Caloric deficit or surplus. The equation is:
BMR + Exercise/Activity - Calories Eaten = Caloric deficit.

Since 1 pound of body weight equates to apprx. 3500 calories then if you maintain a 500 calorie deficit daily you would lose about 1 pound per week. (500calories X 7days = 3500)

On the surface it would appear that the greater the deficit the greater the weight loss. However the body has a built in preservation mode that actually reduces BMR once it feels it is being starved (this is referred to as starvation mode). Your optimal calorie deficit may take some experimentation to find. Michael (mecompco) and Cassie are a great example of the individual differences. Michael can eat 1000 calories a day and lose weight but Cassie (who is much smaller) needs to eat 1300 to avoid going into starvation mode.

Use the Fitday tools to find your BMR then try to acheive a deficit to match your goals. If your deficit is high and you aren't seeing results in two weeks adjust.

The fewer calories you take in, the harder it may be to sustain
 

Hi there! I'm glad to hear that logging your food was so helpful. It really is an eye-opener, isn't it?!

My thoughts on your questions: generally, doctors say that a 1-2 pound loss per week is the safest and most likely to last. However, if you are just starting, or if your weight is pretty significant to begin with, your weekly losses will naturally be bigger.

About the calories, everyone is different. Some say that under 1200 or so, your body starts to slow down the metabolism to conserve, making it harder to lose. Others say that is not true. There are people on this site who are examples of both, so it is not an absolute. If it works for you, do it, as long as your nutrition is okay.

I will say, though, that the fewer calories you take in, the harder it may be to sustain. You want to look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet to go on and off, and whatever you change to should be something you can keep up forever.

And a big thumbs up on the protein and fiber!!!!!!!!

Understanding "Calorie Deficit"
 

Suzay, you first need to figure out your basal metabolism. This is how many calories you body burns daily just to survive, given your height, current weight, age and "lifestyle".

Once you have this number, and it is an estimate, you can then decide how many calories per day you can eat to meet your weekly weight loss goal. Any exercise, in addition to your basal metabolism number will either increase the amount of weight you lose or allow you to eat more.

This is called the "Calorie Deficit". Since we know it takes about 3500 calories to burn one pound of fat one can easily estimate the amount of weight one will lose in a given time period.

Example (me):

Basal metabolism w/1 mile walk per day: 3,100 calorie burn
Amount I eat per day: 1,500
Average daily calorie deficit: 1,600

Now to figure estimated weekly weight loss:
Weekly calorie burn: 3,100 x 7 = 21,700
Weekly calorie intake: 1,500 x 7 = 10,500
Weekly calorie deficit: 1,600 x 7 = 11,200
Calculated weekly weight loss: 11,200 / 3,500 = 3.2 pounds

Now, if you overestimate your burn, and/or underestimate your intake, your calculations won't be accurate and could result in no loss, or even a gain.

Do you weigh/measure your portions? From your list, I estimate that is more than 1200 calories. Also, there seems to be some processed items there, as well as simple carbs. You might consider trying to get some more protein in there, as well as fresh fruits and veggies and reducing the white bread and pasta.

What you ideally want to do is find a calorie level at which you can stay comfortable and that provides you with enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Regards,
Michael

PS My daughter is your height and is 17. She, too, struggles with weight issues--it is a challenge but I know you can meet your goal if you put your mind to it!

PPS Other than by physically removing body parts (liposuction), it is biologically impossible to lose weight if you take in more calories than you burn--sorry.

Healthy weight, wanting to lose belly/thigh fat
 

Maybe you're forgetting the number of calories you're burning though daily activity. FitDay has a tool to calculate this. This is calculated by taking your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which describes how many calories your body needs for basic function (think: sitting on the couch doing nothing but breathing, pumping blood, etc.) and using a "lifestyle" multiplier (the more active you are at school, work, chores or whatever, the higher it will be) to get a base amount of calories you need to do daily activities without exercise. For me (5'3", 135 lbs, 27yo female with an active job) it’s about 1800 calories. So I need 1800 calories to go about my life as usual -- your workout generally should not be figured into this equation, and is more "icing on the cake".

To lose weight you would need to create a calorie deficit. Here’s how:

Using my own example, let’s say I ate 1600 calories on a given day through a calorie-restricted diet and worked out hard enough to burn 300 calories. I'd take that base number of 1800 (based on caloric need for bodily function and active lifestyle) and subtract the 500 calories of deficit that I created with my diet and exercise efforts. My total net calories for the day would then be 1300 (which is 1800-500). Doing this for about a week should create a one pound weight loss (because you need create a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound). In theory. It’s different for everyone and the 3500 calories is really just a guideline. My example is also pretty simplified.

Also, be aware that FitDay's estimates for calories needed tend to be a little high. I'd recommend cross-checking it with a few different sites to get a more accurate estimate. Also, remember this is really all a big experiment with yourself -- if what you're doing isn't working, change up your routine! Give your body time to see if your strategy is actually having an effect. If not, tighten up your diet, hit the gym harder, and/or be honest with yourself about your goals and expectations. Be ready and willing to tweak things – the take home point is that while FitDay seems numbers-oriented and scientific, its just an educated estimate of what you can expect. No computer program can compete with personal dedication, honesty, and a willingness to adapt!

You mentioned that your goal is to lose body fat since you're already at a healthy weight. This can be tricky. Losing body fat is not the same as losing body weight. There's a saying that washboard abs are made in the kitchen, and that's where I'd start. I'd recommend taking a really close look at your diet. Make sure you're eating healthy, whole foods (the less processed, the better). The list you mentioned in your post seems pretty highly processed to me. Learning to like certain foods and how to cook them might be worth the rockin' body awaiting you.

Also, I would hit the weights a lot harder. Weightlifting burns way more body fat than most traditional steady state cardio. Focus on “big” movements like squats, lunges, push-ups (which you’ve got under control), and pulls, all of which use multiple muscle groups. This is discussed in many other posts here on FitDay. You can compliment your strength routine with short sessions of high intensity cardio (HIIT) to get the most bang for your buck. You may also need to increase the number of calories you're eating, helping you get a great workout through increased energy and really stoking the fire that is (or will be) your metabolism.

Keep tweaking your routine and you can do it!


EDIT: Sorry for the repeated info -- Michael got to the reply while I was typing that wall 'o' text. Good info in his post!!

To be safe, run your calculations for 1-2 pounds/week loss
 

Hi Jen,

The 502 calories you have calculated is the number of calories you would be allowed to eat in 1 day, if you wanted 3 pounds in a week. Not much is it???

The 1500 calorie number is the number of excess calories you need to burn every day, not consume.

For most women 1 to 2 pounds lost is about all your body can accomplish in a week. For one thing, 500 calories is really not enough food to keep you functioning without going into serious mental, emotional, and physical slump. Secondly, most bodies will go into a metabolic protective mode where the body just won't release the energy reserves in fat because the body is trying to protect you from starvation. (Thousands of years of adaptation has taught our bodies all sorts of survival techniques, and this is one of them).

So, you might want to run the calculations again for 1 or 2 pounds. A 500 calorie deficit (1 pound per week) would put your daily consumption at 1500 calories, which if you are just starting out will be challenging enough.

1000 calories a day will give you an approximately 2 lbs/week loss. But as you will surely see from reading the posts, 1000 calories requires very careful planning. A couple of crackers, or handful of nuts can put you way over.

Sorry to be the barer of bad news, but losing weight is not for sissies! It takes dedication and patience. But it is totally do-able, as you will surely see by the posts from all these folks who have succeeded.

Post back if you have other questions. There is tons of experience and knowledge here.

How low can I go?
 

Hi there! I don't think there really is a magic number. It's best to just listen to your body...when you begin to feel your energy levels drop, you'll know your caloric intake is too low. And when trying to lose weight, the last thing you want to happen is for your metabolism to slow down and eating too few calories will do just that.

I'm no professional but I wouldn't recommend going below 1200, maybe 1000 calories at most. That's pretty low as it is and you don't wanna cause any harm to yourself. Ultimately though, it depends on how you feel. If you can eat 1000 calories a day and still function through work and working out just fine, then you're good. Just break up your meals throughout the day to keep the metabolism going. :D

BTW... Based on your stats, you seem to be doing just fine at 1200 calories. Be patient and keep up the good work.

Shaun

There's no "magic number" so... experiment
 

I'll have to agree--there is no magic number and everybody responds differently. Personally, in the past I've dropped weight like crazy on 0 calories (for 30 days) and at 1,000 cals (for nine months) and now since last May at 1500 calories.

Fully admitting that I'm no expert, I think the whole "starvation mode" thing is, at best, misunderstood. I don't deny that the body may, at a certain level, burn fat more slowly. But, as long as you take in less calories than you expend, you WILL lose weight. The body is not a perpetual motion machine. You either live off the food you eat or what's stored (or some of both).

So, I say experiment. You may find it easier to stick to more that the absolute survival calories, thus weight loss will over time improve. Some have found that they actually lose faster with more calories (up to a point, of course). It's really up to you.

Regards,
Michael

Everyone loses at a different rate and your body knows what is best for you
 

I totally agree with Michael. I am 139lbs over the healthy weight for my height. That allows me to burn more calories doing the same activities as someone closer to their goal weight would. So yeah twice in the last month I lost over 6 lbs in a week but the other two weeks (TOTM :p ) I only lost about 2 lbs. It all evens out and as long as it is loss...I will take it! ;)

Everyone loses at a different rate and your body knows what is best for you. Just keep up the hard work because it is obviously paying off for you since you have lost 20 lbs so far. And they say (I have no true experience) that slow weight loss is healthier and easier to maintain in the long run anyway.

So what I do is try to stick to 1500-1600 calories daily. Go for 30-45 min walks that equal about 1-1/2 miles on my lunch break and 3-4 times a week work out on our home gym while the other 2-3 times a week I do some leg strengthening and increased balance and flexibility exercises that I found in a magazine. Some day I may buy some DVDs to work out with but for now this is working for me. I have also stopped eating most bread, no more sodas (even diet) ... (well sometimes one glass of diet with dinner), and eat salad every weekday for lunch with no meats on it unless it is tuna.

Good luck! It isn't an easy road but it is a rewarding one!! :)

Log everything and drink lots of water
 

I lost 4 pounds this week (first week) but I have pretty much been killing myself. I've been charting everything (and I mean EVERYthing) I eat and trying to keep my calories around 1200. I've been doing cardio...either elliptical or recumbent bike every single day hard for at least 30 minutes. I'm drenched with sweat by the time I'm done. Oh, and lots of water!

Followed FitDay member's recommendations and increased calories
 

That sounds good to me--give it a week or two and see how it goes. I bet the added protein will help but don't give up if it takes a couple of weeks to see results.

I have to keep reminding myself that this is not a race and that I spent many years putting the weight on so it's not going to go away over night.

Regards,
Michael

Calorie deficits don't work for me
 

I know in the past when I worked at weight loss, if I stayed in a range of about 2000 calories a day, while working out about an hour a day, I lost weight at the rate of about 2 lbs a week. Whenever I lowered the calorie count I would struggle with weight loss.

I have never found calorie deficit to work for me. It is more about healthier choices and eating foods that prevent me from craving more.

Fitday gives you the tools
 

What you described as your typical meal plan is fine - and there is no such thing as 'too many carbs' unless you are a diagnosed type 1 diabetic and under the care of a doctor, who advises you about the number of carbs per meal. Even then, there are plenty of type 1 diabetics who are vegetarian and do just fine, without ever suffering weight gain problems eating healthy carbs!

So what you HAVE left out is the number of calories you are eating in a day and how many you are expending. Fitday gives you the tools to get some caloric limits. Then you can put the measured food quantities you eat in your food log and see how many calories you are eating each day. If you are gaining weight, and you are accurately (important) reporting your food in your log, you'll see why. You just have to shave off some calories or seriously increase physical activity.

That's the whole story, pretty much, right there!

The Food Pyramid
 

The food pyramid is meant to ensure that people who use it as a guide will get the right amounts of vitamins and minerals, fiber, protein, etc. and not gain weight in the process.

In the end, calories for the day can be apportioned any way you want them. And whatever works for you, works for you. I have heard the 'I lost weight and then I gained, doing the same thing' applied to every diet (including low-carb diets). You just adjust, adjust, adjust. For one thing, your body is not stuck in time. You're getting older, and your hormonal profile (for a woman, that's an entirely different thing...) is changing with every bit of aging, too.

Not understanding "Calorie Restriction"
 

Hi taylornewton

What was the weight loss goal you entered? If you are trying to loose more that 1 or 2 pounds per week, the calculator will give you an unreasonable low amount of calories that you can eat in a day.

If I read your post correctly, it looks like you are trying to lose about 5 lbs in a week. Thus the 964 calorie restriction. 1 pound is about 3500 calories. If that is the case and your daily requirement is about 2700 calories, then the calculator is saying, yes, you get to only eat about 758 calories a day, which is really not enough to keep you going.

You might want to do back and redo the calcs, exploring different weight loss options.

Cutting back gradually is definitely the way to go
 

Do you know how many calories you're burning a day? Cutting 500 a day assumes you will lose a pound a week only if you're eating at a level that's maintaining your current weight. 3500 calories a day sounds like a lot to be maintaining a weight of 160, with three times a week exercise.

Said differently, if you cut back to, say 3000 or 2500 calories a day, and you're only burning 2200 a day, you are still going to be gaining weight, not losing it. High fiber foods will fill you up, and protein and healthy fat will keep you satisfied longer.

Cutting back gradually is definitely the way to go if you're worried about giving up and trashing your diet, but run the numbers first. FitDay does it, but I also like this calories burned in a day calculator for a "second opinion." Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

Warning about going too low
 

I would find out what the calories are you need to maintain your weight at your goal weight using one of the online calculators (or more, you can compare a few of them). And then eat that.

Always stay above 1200 unless you are very short.

Type 2 diabetes
 

I will admit that I am new to this weight loss business. With that said, I have had to change my eating habits due to being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. What I did is let FitDay calculate what my calorie count should be and made sure that I logged everything that went into my mouth. I am 5'7" so a bit taller than you and it calculated 1610 calories a day for me. I do not allow myself the extra calories calculated due to exercise. I am loosing 1-2 pounds a week which I feel is a decent amount.

Just my 2 cents worth

Linda

Recommended calories seem high? Try adding sleep as an activity
 

A lot of the weight loss process is trial and error. I too am short, muscular and overweight, and one thing I've found is that the composition of the calories is as important for weight loss as the actual number of calories. I can actually eat a few more calories if I keep my protein intake above 25%, especially if I consume a good amount of protein after a workout when my body can use it effectively.

Another thing I would suggest is that you add cardio to your workout schedule. Lifting weights is all fine, well and good, but it flat out doesn't burn calories like a good cardio workout. There are some really good workout videos that bring up the heart rate doing calisthenics, so if running or swimming isn't your thing you might try that.

Also given your height and weight I agree that 1,600 calories might be on the high side for weight loss, but it won't hurt to try it. If not you might add "sleeping" to your activities and see where that lands your intake. Many of us find that it corrects the deficit equation and makes the calculations more accurate.

"Big Picture" explanation of how FitDay works for 'How many calories should I eat?"
 

Fitday will calculate how many calories you burn each day. This is also known as your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR). Make sure you fill out the Height, Weight, Age part of your profile. You can also customize the number if you find (like me) that it is inaccurate, but I will explain how to customize after I explain where to see your BMR.

The easiest place to see you BMR is on your ACTIVITY tab. On the last line of your Activities list (even if you haven't added any) is and entry for 'Lifestyle', the next column shows your selected activity level and here is an option to customize your entry. The 4th column under Calories Burned is your BMR.

If you use the WEIGHT GOAL tab and set a Weight Goal FITDAY will calculate the Calorie Deficit needed and show you the amount of calories you can eat to achieve that deficit. (Look at the Calorie Restriction and Calorie Balance tabs under your Weight Goal).

The Weight Goal tool also makes it easy to see if your goal is reasonable. If your time frame is too short the calorie deficit will be too high and the amount of calories to consume unreasonably low.

Customizing your BMR number:

Go to your ACTIVITIES tab, on the last line click the 'Customize' link. This take you to a screen where you can choose between the Mifflin or Harris-Benedict calculations or a Custom BMR Number (this is helpful if you have a BMR from another web-site or trainer you would like to use). Be aware that if you choose the custom number FITDAY will add a varying amount to it based on your activity level selection. So you may need to play with the custom number a little.

Most people find that if they use the Mifflin equation and enter their sleep as an activity it is very close to reality. (Some don't add sleep and are fine).

Hope this helps with the 'How much should I eat' questions.

UPDATED, so...

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