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

Old 01-05-2010, 05:20 PM
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Thumbs up FitDay's Best of Series: # of Calories for WOMEN?

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Last edited by VitoVino; 01-19-2012 at 03:59 AM. Reason: kickoff post
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Old 01-28-2010, 08:42 AM
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Default Over 40, what used to work to trim down no longer works

Originally Posted by cmeag
Any other formerly-fit moms in their early 40's out there who are trying to get back to their former selves? My goal is to lose 25 lbs by July 10th (my 25th high school reunion)! Not a lofty goal..should be doable but I'm really struggling. I am hovering around 150lbs and cannot seem to get lower.

The techniques I used in my early 30's don't seem to be working for me now! I'm doing 1200-1500 calories per day, and working out 4 - 6 times per week. I'm using the FIRM DVDs and also walking briskly for about 2 miles. With 2 preschoolers at home, I don't have much time for working out.

Have any other women in their 40's found a plan that is working for them? I've been at this for about a month and have lost almost nothing. Well at least I haven't gained. I'm getting so frustrated and feeling hopeless about getting a fit, toned body back at this "advanced" age!

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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 03:15 AM. Reason: added title
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Old 01-28-2010, 03:50 PM
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Default Over 40 and trying to lose weight

Originally Posted by cmeag
Any other formerly-fit moms in their early 40's out there who are trying to get back to their former selves? My goal is to lose 25 lbs by July 10th (my 25th high school reunion)! Not a lofty goal..should be doable but I'm really struggling. I am hovering around 150lbs and cannot seem to get lower.

The techniques I used in my early 30's don't seem to be working for me now! I'm doing 1200-1500 calories per day, and working out 4 - 6 times per week. I'm using the FIRM DVDs and also walking briskly for about 2 miles. With 2 preschoolers at home, I don't have much time for working out.

Have any other women in their 40's found a plan that is working for them? I've been at this for about a month and have lost almost nothing. Well at least I haven't gained. I'm getting so frustrated and feeling hopeless about getting a fit, toned body back at this "advanced" age!

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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 03:16 AM. Reason: added title
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Old 04-17-2010, 07:19 AM
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Default "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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 03:20 AM. Reason: added title
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Old 04-29-2010, 10:29 AM
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Default Back in the old days...

Originally Posted by claudiev
Back in the old days, before WW, South Beach, etc., your mom's diet rule was 1000 calories. Well, I've done it all and I swear, at my age right now (57) I can't seem to drop anything until I get to 1000 calories. It seems severe to me, but finally the scale is moving. I do exercise -- yoga, weights, cardio -- and it would seem that exercise and 1400 or so should work, but it doesn't. There just isn't an easy way:-(

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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 03:49 AM. Reason: added quote, title
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Old 05-20-2010, 04:30 AM
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Default Understanding "Calories Burned"

Originally Posted by jennygoodman
I apologize for asking such a ridiculous question, but I really can't seem to get a grasp on this whole "calories burned" thing.

So I just did the Calorie Calculator/Daily Caloric Needs, and if I use the option for exercise 3 times weekly, it says my daily caloric needs for maintenance are 2166 calories.

Here's where I get confused:

When I exercise, do I add the calories burned from each workout to my daily caloric needs, and THAT is how many calories I burn for that day? Or is the calculator I just used accounting for my workouts, and I'm only burning 2166 total?

I don't understand!!!!! Also, you guys say you add in your sleeping hours to your FitDay activities. Is that not accounted for in your BMR? I seriously get so confused by all of this that I want to stop counting calories altogether, because I never know what the right number is!!!

Somebody please explain


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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 08:22 AM. Reason: included quote, title
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Old 07-31-2010, 01:15 PM
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Default Trick your body by zigzagging calories

Originally Posted by jennygoodman
I apologize for asking such a ridiculous question, but I really can't seem to get a grasp on this whole "calories burned" thing.

So I just did the Calorie Calculator/Daily Caloric Needs, and if I use the option for exercise 3 times weekly, it says my daily caloric needs for maintenance are 2166 calories.

Here's where I get confused:

When I exercise, do I add the calories burned from each workout to my daily caloric needs, and THAT is how many calories I burn for that day? Or is the calculator I just used accounting for my workouts, and I'm only burning 2166 total?

I don't understand!!!!! Also, you guys say you add in your sleeping hours to your fitday activities. Is that not accounted for in your BMR? I seriously get so confused by all of this that I want to stop counting calories altogether, because I never know what the right number is!!!

Somebody please explain

@ 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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 08:30 AM. Reason: added quote, added title
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Old 10-16-2010, 12:39 AM
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Default What is your perception of overeating?

Originally Posted by sweeetcheeeks;69466[COLOR="Red"
]I feel like I am allowed too many calories per day[/COLOR]. On the days I feel good about how I have eaten I eat around half of my calorie limit; this is where I am usually at by the end of the day. On days where I feel I have over eaten I manage to get it entered in and I am still under my limit by a few hundred, which does not happen often.

Would I really lose more weight by over eating? I am getting married next summer so I am very determined to lose weight and need all the help I can get!

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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 08:45 AM. Reason: added quote, title
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Old 10-26-2010, 01:15 AM
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Default Use the FitDay reports and makeup for a "botched day" over the course of the week

Originally Posted by kytila
I have a new idea and want to know if it is something others do..
I am definitely an emotional eater, and sometimes even just extreme boredom eater, and anytime I mess up, I feel awful, avoid socializing and try to get back on track the next day.
Also, I find that depending on the time of the day I mess up, it could affect the rest of the day (I end up restricting) and most likely lead to another binge the next day.

SO.

It's after lunch time, and I'm already at my daily limit. BAD.
Should I have dinner as normal, say 300-400 calories, then for the next four days continue as normal, minus 100 calories per day?

Will this work over all? I know some people track calories weekly not daily, so just curious.

Thanks!!


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.

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 08:48 AM. Reason: added title
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Old 10-26-2010, 03:39 AM
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Default Thyroid problem and weight loss

Originally Posted by luceeloo
I've been trying to lose weight for 2 years now, ever since I was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid and put on Synthroid meds. Would like to hear some success stories and how you achieved 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!

Last edited by VitoVino; 02-08-2012 at 03:20 AM. Reason: added quote, title
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