a question about calorie burning

[Kreeli]

i'm asking for a friend, i swear!

she wants to know if there are recommendations for what percentage of your daily calorie burning should be from your basal metabolic rate, focused exercise (working out), and your daily activties (walking to and from work/school, housework, playing with kids, etc.) she says that according to some chart she calculates every day, she's burning 50% of her calories from her BMR, 10% from working out, and 40% from her daily activities. does that sound about right to all of you? i know we've got some knowledgeable people here on this stuff.

i TRY to not be calorie-focused when i'm exercising but damn! when you have friends who are all into it, you get sucked in!

[Jinga]

Was your friend using a site like fitday? It will tell you approximately how much you need to live, how much you burn each day, etc. The amount of calories people need are far higher than most 'diet' numbers. When I don't exercise my little calories used pie chart lists 60% of my calories going towards basic body needs and 40% being used in normal daily lifestyle. When I do exercise its more like 50% BMR, 30-40% lifestyle, and 10-20% exercise. The numbers you listed seem right on.

[Kreeli]

thanks, jinga!

i don't think she's using fitday...she's computerless. i think she got the chart she uses to calculate all this from a book. she's acting shocked that she isn't burning more calories from her exercise (which she spends about an hour a day doing). i wanted to reassure her that it's normal and that to overdo can be bad. she's trying to lose weight rapidly. (too rapidly, if you ask me.) but anyway...thanks again! :)

[Formerbaboon]

I just signed up with fitday. Seems really neat, but its so confusing!

[clickman]

It is neat, but I didn't like the "go downstairs to check nutritional value of items X,Y, and Z" part. It seems to be a great 'keep yourself in check" tool, though.

[rabid_child]

i've been using fitday, and i've found it easy enough to use, and easy to enter in foods and things that aren't listed, and they save, so especially with things you eat every day (i.e. breakfast cereal) you just choose them off the list later on. Through it I found out I eat about 3X the RDA of Bvitamins and iron every day. :D

it says about 10% of my calories are burned through exercise as well, so that seems about average.

[shinyredapple]

kreeli, as far as i know the counts you get from a chart could be way off. i don't know about the online calculator, it could be more accurate if you are entering in bodyfat percentage as well as height, weight and age. it is really hard to put into a chart because metobolic rate can only really be accurately tested with a fasting blood test. for instance, someone who has a higher lean muscle mass to fat ratio will have a higher metobolic rate, as well as someone who has been exersizing more consistantly over more years. thay can burn the same amount of calories in a shorter period of time than someone newer to working out. i could go into a super detailed formula if you want me too.

i'd like to know more about fitday... any comments?

[Kreeli]

hmmm...more detail sounds scary, shinyredapple, and would probably go right over my numerically-challenged brain! i think what she was really wondering was...is burning 10% of your calories from a focused workout each day enough for weight loss, or should she be aiming for more?

[shinyredapple]

honestly i don't know. it depends on how many calories she is taking in. is she doing cardio or weight training? all my education says that this is inaccurate. it goes like this... you need to create a deficeit(sp?)of 3500 calories a week to lose one pound, through exersize or diet. more than two lbs a week will cause her to lose muscle mass thereby slowing her metobolic rate. the best thing to do is to 1. get a heart rate monitor and calculate her resting heart rate and max heart rate. all cardio she does should remain in the 70% to 80% of max range. 2. track normal calories for 2 weeks or more, then eating 200-300 calories less on the days she is not working out.

sorry i gave you the math anyway! i hope i don't sound like a know it all!!!

[Kreeli]

ahhh! math! :lol:

i'm of the mindset that she can be totally healthy without paying so much attention to numbers and just eating right and getting a good amount of activity. but she's got a dress to fit into for a formal function later this summer and is completely obsessed with inches and pounds and calories and blah! and she's sucking me in! blah! i have to be really careful because i go nuts when i start paying too much attention to this stuff.

she eats between 1500 and 1700 cals a day (or so she says) and does this hour long workout 7 days a week! (40 minutes cardio and 20 weight training).

thank you, though...you don't sound like a know-it-all. you sound like someone who knows their stuff backwards and forwards.

[shinyredapple]

aakk! she needs one day of rest. tell her if she overtrains her body will fight back by simply refusing to lose weight. and unless she is 100lbs (and she at that weight should not be trying to lose)not to go lower than 1300 cals a day. EVER!(and thats for no more than 6 weeks.) more resistance training would help. all women fall into the trap of "i'll get too big" (can't happen. not enough testosterone.)but the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metobolic rate.meaning you can eat more. :hungry: too much cardio will eat into your muscle.

ps. i'm now the official personal trainer for VB. iv'e been outed. :)

[Kreeli]

okay. i'll tell her all this. thanks so much. i wish she were here to read it. she's trying to drop 30 lbs by august. i think she's insane and setting herself up for disappointment.

[shinyredapple]

i think your right...too much too fast . glad i could help!

[rabid_child]

i've got a question then, persuant to weight/resistance training..
if you don't know how to use the machines at the gym, and can't afford to pay for a personal trainer, what the heck are you supposed to do?

[Jinga]

I also agree she needs a day of rest. In addition, she should make sure to alternate activities, so she doesn't get burned out or get an overuse activity. When it comes to weight training, its best not to workout the same body group two days in a row. Something like MWF lower body and TTS upper body would be ideal over working everything every day. When you workout, you get tiny tears in the muscle fibers. A day of rest gives them the opportunity to heal and build a stronger muscle. Without the day of rest, you are breaking down the muscle you already have.

Her caloric intake sounds alright if she is a fairly small person. She could probably eat more than that and still lose weight. As shinyredapple stated, losing 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy rate (if you have weight to lose). More than that and you are most likely losing muscle and/or water. If she cuts 500 cals from her normal daily intake of food and adds 500 cals to her output of energy, she will lose the max of 2 lbs a week.

An hour a day of exercise sounds healthy, but since I don't know the girl, I hope this info does not perpetuate an ongoing eating/exercise/image problem. As a 'recovered' person with eating problems, I know how easy it is to get obsessed with numbers ... whether it be calories, percentages, pounds, or time working out. Keep your eye on her. Good luck to her on becoming an ever more healthy and strong woman :)

[Jinga]

i've got a question then, persuant to weight/resistance training..
if you don't know how to use the machines at the gym, and can't afford to pay for a personal trainer, what the heck are you supposed to do?

A lot of the time, they have a little instruction sign on the machines. If they don't, try a online weight training source or check out a weight training book. I was lucky enough to be introduced to the proper use of weight machines while in school. When I come across a new machine, I usually just ask someone who I saw using it, how it works. :yes:

[shinyredapple]

okay this is easy... most gyms offer a intro session with a PT with your membership, ask, they won't always tell you. if they don't,...
one session is not always that much. be clear to the PT that you want to learn the machines.

does your gym offer group exersize classes? if so, you can replicate a movement in a sculpting class on a machine or on a free weight.if not...

bug the people who work at the gym. (you're paying for it!) ask questions. bug people working out who look like they know what they are doing. i know this is hard, but most people love to go on and on about this stuff.(like me!)

most machines have diagrams on them.whatever your schedule, try to do at least one exersize per muscle group( 8to 12 reps , for three sets. the last rep should be to fatigue.)if this does not help, let me know and i will send you some stuff. :up: jinga beat me to this, i see!!

[Artichoke47]

This all sounds too complicated for me. :)

[shinyredapple]

An hour a day of exercise sounds healthy, but since I don't know the girl, I hope this info does not perpetuate an ongoing eating/exercise/image problem. As a 'recovered' person with eating problems, I know how easy it is to get obsessed with numbers ... whether it be calories, percentages, pounds, or time working out. Keep your eye on her. Good luck to her on becoming an ever more healthy and strong woman :)

i agree, and i would not want anyone to take any info i give out that way. IMO fitness and healthy eating is a reward you give your body for all it does for you, not a way to acheive a unhealthy societal ideal.

[shinyredapple]

This all sounds too complicated for me. :)

you are absolutely correct. as soon as i learn to skydive i am giving it all up. :dizzy:

[rabid_child]

okay this is easy... most gyms offer a intro session with a PT with your membership, ask, they won't always tell you. if they don't,...
one session is not always that much. be clear to the PT that you want to learn the machines.

does your gym offer group exersize classes? if so, you can replicate a movement in a sculpting class on a machine or on a free weight.if not...

bug the people who work at the gym. (you're paying for it!) ask questions. bug people working out who look like they know what they are doing. i know this is hard, but most people love to go on and on about this stuff.(like me!)

most machines have diagrams on them.whatever your schedule, try to do at least one exersize per muscle group( 8to 12 reps , for three sets. the last rep should be to fatigue.)if this does not help, let me know and i will send you some stuff. :up: jinga beat me to this, i see!!

My gym doesn't offer a free personal training session. It is, however, half as expensive per month than the next cheapest gym in the area (i'm paying $37/mo, the next cheapest gym is $75/mo). Personal training sessions are all $65/hr. I may just have to suck it up and pay for one session to learn everything. Its just, argh, thats a full day of work for one hour of personal training!!
The gym does offer classes. I take yoga for an hour twice a week, and do cardio 3 days. I'm a bit on the shy side when it comes to asking people for help, and feel dopey enough using the cardio machines, so I don't feel confident about asking a stranger. They do have the little diagrams, but i'm concerned I'll do it wrong and hurt myself!! That would suck.

[Formerbaboon]

Tomorrow will be my first day of using fitday. I think it will be easier for me to start first thing, rather than late in the afternoon.

[shinyredapple]

rabid, yoga is a great way to build strength. ask your instructor if she/he would show you additional exersizes you could do on your own. honestly, in the winter i don't even touch the weights, i just do pilates and yoga. if you want me too, i will look up some stuff tomorrow at work and send it to you. let me know. sra

[Scorpius]

I burn of 110% of all the calories eat by blowing bubbles and watching them go to tha moon. :yes:

[Jinga]

What a great form of exercise. You must have an amazing set of lungs :yes: