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Old 06-14-2009, 07:21 PM   #1  
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Default Calorie Deficit?

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I'm calorie counting and I know that it's important to know how many calories you burn/how many calories you take in, and I know how to chart the calories I burn with excercise. However, I'm not at all sure how to calculate how many calories my body burns simply by walking and talking and breathing all day. Is there a reliable way of doing this?
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:32 PM   #2  
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I don't know if this helps or not, but I prefer to look at my calories consumed and burned as two separate pieces of information. For example, I calculate my calories needed to live/maintain a sedentary life and subtract xxx no of calories off of that #. The exercise calories are all just extra (I also don't count my chores, regular activities as additional burned calories). I try to have an hour to an hour and a half of dedicated exercise 5 days a week.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

If I use this link and put in that I have a desk job, maintenance calories are 2150 cal/day. So I could subtract 400 calories and exercise 200+ calories daily and loose at least a lb a week.

It's all just kind of a guesstimate for each person, you won't know until you've tried someting for a couple of weeks whether it works for you or not. At 190 lbs, you probably can be eating 1700 calories and still loosing weight fairly well if you're exercising regularly.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:38 PM   #3  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by munchievictim View Post
I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I'm calorie counting and I know that it's important to know how many calories you burn/how many calories you take in, and I know how to chart the calories I burn with excercise. However, I'm not at all sure how to calculate how many calories my body burns simply by walking and talking and breathing all day. Is there a reliable way of doing this?
freedieting.com is one of the many websites that have numerous "calculators" if you're interested.

I personally don't believe that it is important to know how many calories you burn through intentional or unintentional exercise. "Those" calculators are highly inaccurate in that regard. There are so many variables. Each body is so different. They are pure "guesstimates" at best. Which is why I have never, ever bothered tracking them. And to date, I've had no problem creating a calorie deficit. Monitoring my calories and watching the scale has helped me to discover the right amount of calories needed for me to obtain that calorie deficit. No tracking of my calories burned was required.

Therefore, I keep my calories burned totally and completely separate from my calories consumed. I eat what I eat. And I burn what I burn. I believe that the only calories worth tracking are those ingested. Any calories burned through exercise and activity is simply a bonus in my book.

Last edited by rockinrobin; 06-14-2009 at 07:39 PM.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:40 PM   #4  
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Okay, I see sprklmajik and I posted at nearly the same time and said very much the same thing.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:45 PM   #5  
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You can use online calculators or you can pick up a device like the GoWearFit or BodyBugg, if you want a more accurate assessment of what you are "actually" burning day to day. No device is a 100% accurate, but I have a GoWearFit and for me, it has been spot on and a very useful resource.
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Old 06-14-2009, 08:00 PM   #6  
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rockinrobin and sprklmajic--thanks I understand what you're saying. I wasn't sure whether it was an important thing to know about myself or not. Essentially, then, it will be best for me to simply track the calories I consume, be sure to burn a few as well, and not count on those burned to "make up the difference"?
delphi--are things like that expensive? full time student here, so my funds are limited, but I'll definitely check it out. I need to find a good pedometer anyway, so if I can afford to do so I might just buy them both at once.
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Old 06-14-2009, 08:12 PM   #7  
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Essentially, then, it will be best for me to simply track the calories I consume, be sure to burn a few as well, and not count on those burned to "make up the difference"?
You're a quick learner! That's EXACTLY it.
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Old 06-14-2009, 08:16 PM   #8  
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Unfortunately, those devices can get expensive. However, as the others have suggested, it really isn't necessary to know "exactly" what your body is burning. The online calculators are a good starting point, so you can at least get an idea of what your body is burning and then you can go from there and work your plan from that. Just pay close attention to what goes in your body and how many calories you are burning via exercise. It's a process to find what works for you.

Last edited by Delphi; 06-14-2009 at 08:18 PM.
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