[Beach Patrol]

I've been using FitDay forever now, and just gave The Daily Plate a try yesterday.

According to The Daily Plate & my input, I should be able to consume 1805 calories per day in order to lose 1.5 pounds a week. I'm currently consuming between 1400-1500 per day & losing nothing per week.

Also, according to DP, my chosen form of exercise, swimming (breast stroke) for 60 minutes, I am burning 826 calories. HUH??????????? So now today, I've consumed 1225 calories, & DP is telling me I can consume another 700-something calories.... ?

FD seems easier to me, but DP seems to have more info about more foods. But now I'm really confused as to how much I should be eating vs. how much I should be burning and how much I should be losing.

God I suck at math!

[fiberlover]

I ignore the calories burned part of TDP. I don't eat those calories back, and I don't worry so much about how much it says I burn. I just use it to log the exercise.

If you are stuck, you could always try increasing your calories, particularly if you exercise a lot. I would try adding 50 to 100 more per day and see if that 'unsticks' you.

I moved up my calories from around 1300 to 1400 and continue to lose.

[JayEll]

The Daily Plate has that big flaw... about "eating back" calories... but what I'd suggest is you settle on a plan and stay with it for two weeks--whether it's increasing calories, lowering exercise, whatever! And start seeing what YOUR body does with it. It's the only way to find out. But a few days won't be enough to tell you.

Jay

[Shannon in ATL]

I've noticed that with the Daily Plate as well - when I list myself as 132 pounds, lightly active, wanting to lose 1.5 pounds per week it tells me to consume 1425. I've been exercising almost daily for the last two months, so I don't define myself as lightly active anymore, and am consuming around 1200 calories six out of seven, 1700-1800 on the seventh day (2000 on one bad seventh day). With my plan I've been losing around 1.2-1.5 on average per week. I don't think there is any way I could eat 1425 and still lose weight...

Plus, if I put myself in with more activity it raises me up to 2018! TDP is big on eating back calories exercised I think...

I use the Harris-Benedict equation to find my calorie count per day:
Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9


I can't put in a link to the BMR calculator because I am too new, but if you caloriesperhour.com I think it will give you the link, or you can just google BMR calculator.

This give me 1705 as my maintenance calories with little activity, which means to lose one pound per week I need to consume 1200 per day. Obviously, as I put in more activity I get more calories...

[Beach Patrol]

Originally Posted by JayEll

The Daily Plate has that big flaw... about "eating back" calories... but what I'd suggest is you settle on a plan and stay with it for two weeks--whether it's increasing calories, lowering exercise, whatever! And start seeing what YOUR body does with it. It's the only way to find out. But a few days won't be enough to tell you.

Jay

Oh, I completely agree. That's what I've been doing since March... little "tweaks" here & there, go for 3 weeks or so, see if there's ANY difference (heck! a 1/2 pound would at least convince me I'm on the right track!)

I just thought it was funky that TDP gave such a HIGH calorie count for me to lose 1.5 pounds per week.

[Beach Patrol]

Originally Posted by Shannon in ATL

to find calorie count per day:
Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

I did this & my calorie-per-day is 1465. In the beginning, I was eating 1200-1300 per day (I find it much easier to have a "mid" goal than a "direct" goal") then I upped it to 1300-1400, and now I'm at 1400-1500.

I still haven't lost one single ounce. Frussssssssssssss-trating!!!!

[JayEll]

Step away from the scale.



Jay

[Diva]

I used Fitday for a long time too, but I've been using TDP since March and I absolutley love it. I NEVER eat the calories it says I can after exercise. I have it set for 2 lbs a week at Moderate activity, even if I exercise more, and just try and stick to what it says I can have w/out the exercise.

Good luck!!!

[thistoo]

I use Sparkpeople, and it way overestimates calories burned too. Maybe they do that to try to make us feel more motivated to keep going? Who knows. But I just ignore 'calories burned' and log my exercise. I find Sparkpeople gives me the most reasonable calorie range (1480-1800, I think), but I generally stick to the way low end of that or lower, because my body doesn't work like a normal person's.

I wish I had some advice for you. I can't even imagine how frustrated you must be.

[cornellchick]

I got a Daily Plate account last week, used it for about 2 days, and then decided that counting calories to the digit was making me crazy! I do better by reading the label and approximating the number of calories I eat at each meal, and keeping a rough mental tally. That way I don't worry about it so much - those 2 days I was on Daily Plate all I could do was calculate exactly how many calories I had left, wonder what would happen if I went too far above/below that number, stressed about what I could buy that would be even healthier than my already very healthy foods... gaah.

But that's just my strategy....

[cmichele1974]

I have used and recommended fitday for years. I only recently started using TDP but I like it much better.

[Apple Cheeks]

Originally Posted by fiberlover

I ignore the calories burned part of TDP. I don't eat those calories back, and I don't worry so much about how much it says I burn. I just use it to log the exercise.

Ditto.

Actually, I find it all quite amusing. For instance, when I do a cross-training aerobics tape it always says I burned some outrageous amount of calories, and that I can now eat something like 700 extra calories that day.

I really don't believe I am burning that many calories, and I'm certainly not going to take their word for it that I can afford to eat more because of it!

[chick_in_the_hat]

I only trust my heart rate monitor when it comes to knowing how many calories I have burned with exercise. My FitDay is set at bedridden and the base calorie level still seems high.

[Beach Patrol]

Originally Posted by JayEll

Step away from the scale.



Jay

Bwwwahahahahahaha!!! LOL!!!!

Yes Drill Sar-geant Jay!!! (I just had a flash of Forest Gump.... "YES DRILL SARGEANT!" ~heh!)

[UrsusMaritimus]

I like Daily Plate simply because it has such a large catalog of foods.

In order to avoid "eating back" the calories I burn when I exercise, I log my exercise in the journal rather than the calorie counter. That way it doesn't recalculate your calorie limit, but you still have a record of what you've been doing exercise-wise.