So I never bother figuring out how many calories I use or what my deficit is for the day. When I do cardio, I have a goal to get to a certain amount of calories burned, but that is just to make sure I am doing the same level of workout every time, since I know from reading other postings here at 3fc that the machines are never accurate. For the most part, I limit my calorie intake to 1300 per day, no matter what kind of exercise I do. If I have a day where I do extra exercise (in addition to my scheduled workout), then I might add 100 calories.

When I started this program, I took an online survey (offered through my gym's website) that told me how many calories I could eat. It wasn't terribly scientific, I think it was just based on my starting weight. Anyway, it suggested 1200 calories, which I did for a while, but then I decided that with the exercise I am doing, I could bump it up to 1300. I'm totally superstitious, so normally I would NEVER do anything in an interval of 13--which tells you how desperate I was and still am for those extra 100 calories.

Until I got down to these last ten pounds, I lost 1 to 2 pounds per week at this level, so it seemed right. And I've read that you shouldn't eat less than 1200 per day, so even though it's taking forever to lose these last ten (and I'm beginning to wonder if it's even realistic), I don't think I want to reduce my calorie intake further.

- Barbara

I was trying to figure out some way to say that it doesn't really matter how you count calories or minutes or steps or whatever ... when I realised that Firefly has already lost 50 lbs!!! How did you do that? You probably have something you can teach the rest of us!

I'll think about that other and get back to you.

Yes i do alot of reading up on thepost and some biiks websites. I like to figure out all the different methods everyone uses. I am a mixture of many I like to think. I zig zag calories thru the week. I like to stay around 10,000 or so for the week. But I am not have to have every number dead on. I have lower calories some times not by not eating foods just the rightones I guess. Its hard for me to east boxed foods like helpers or any thing premade. So I fill up on vegs and fruits and meats. I love my heart rate monitor it helps me know my calories burned when working out. Like it was said the machines are not that accurate. Thanks for all the help and info on this topic. Every bit helps me learn more to make sure I can keep this weight off when I hit my goal.

OK, I've been thinking about the many variables of calorie counting and how can confusing we humans can make something so simple.

Weight loss is simply about eating less and moving more.

You can do that by counting WW points, eating off a smaller plate, measuring foods, eliminating some commonly supposed fattening foods, sugary foods etc. or counting calories.

And we all know exactly how much we move and know also how to move more in many ways.

Calorie counting can be tiddly. A calorie is the smallest unit for measuring foods and energy and therefore is more minutely fiddly of any of the above. But it is perfect for those of us who love that. I love counting, figuring, planning, filling out the forms .... And that is also why I like to figure my calorie usage. I love the figuring, planning and scheming involved in that too.
And the comparison of the two ... intake and output ... I find it fascinating! I love love love fitday.com.

But it is this very fiddliness that makes it drive some would-be dieters to drink! Milk shakes, full calorie beer ....

All that figuring may not be for you. You can indeed lose weight very well by simply sticking to a diet of 1200, 1500, 1800 or however many calories per day. There are lots of guidelines for those on the internet. In fact there was a pretty good outline of a 1500 calorie diet with a piece of fitness equipment I bought.

A while ago, I came to the realisation that in order for me to get slim and stay slim, I had to learn to eat less and move more on a regular basis. This lead me to the study of calorie deficits and what I would have to learn to do to keep my intake less than my output consistantly ... until I lost what I wanted and needed to figure out how to keep them about even. So I started tracking my calorie deficits.

There were a few other folks here doing about the same thing so I started a thread called Calorie Counters Keep It Simple. However, what I thought was simple seems to be causing distress, discord, confusion and discouragement. I'm so sorry that this is happening and that I started it and continue to fuel it.

Calorie counting does work! I sincerely apologise to anyone who finds this thread distressing or discombobulating. Calorie counting need not be.

I encourage anyone who thinks they want to count calories to stick around in this forum. Ask questions, read all you can. We'll help you count calories as easily as it should be. Even if we have to pm or make a thread especially for you, we'll get it figured out.

SusanB,
I didn't find your comments distressing or confusing at all! Even though I haven't tried to do it, I can see why people might find it helpful to count deficits and to know how many calories they burn each day. If nothing else, it gives you a tool to evaluate how well you've done each day (sort of like how I use the calorie monitors on the gym machines). And as someone who weighs myself twice a day and considers that restraint, I can certainly understand why you like the minuteness and fiddliness of it. I also secretly enjoy filling out forms. If I'd found this forum when I was starting six months ago, maybe I would be figuring my deficits by now.

Everyone's posts on this forum are helpful to me, even if I end up doing my own thing after reading them. I didn't mean to create discord with my post, I just thought people might be interested to know that I had at least had some success without doing that. But I didn't mean to discourage anyone.

And I agree that calorie counting does work!

- Barbara

Discord was probably a poor word choice, Barbara. I just get upset when folks say they are so confused. Calorie counting does work and I want it to work for everyone! If at the beginning I had tried to follow all the calculations and permutations that I tell folks to do ... I would have quit but quick!

I could read back but I don't remember you posting anything discordant. Is that a real word?

Susan great post! I totally agree calorie counting is the way to go. For new counters it can seem hard at first but once you get use to it it's easy although somewhat time consuming.

I am planning on counting calories for the rest of my life. This is a lifestyle not just a diet for me!

I had a good deficit of 1354. I always seem to do better on the day before my weigh in I did 45 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights.

I agree calorie counting is a pretty basic thing cals in cals out. Just the time you need to take for yourself is what we all have to do.

Susan, I am with you on loving the figuring/planning aspect. And I think getting all my food in order in such a way has helped me to organize other aspects of my life (work, budget) in the same way and that has been wonderful.

Deficit of 1,059 for me yesterday. I didn't really eat much. I got very depressed (tiny disagreement with fiancee) and instead of binging on the brownies he is supposed to eat on the oven I just didn't eat anything. By the time we had sorted it out I was in bed and exhausted. However, I'm sure one day of very little food (I got in my weights too) won't hurt me. Just going to try to eat healthy and in my range today.

Love all the chatter on the calories. I didn't figure mine out until I went off plan for a couple weeks and realized I had maintained at a higher calorie level than my usual range, so I guessed that to be about my maintenance level and it appears pretty close, though I don't lose when I should with it, the lbs come off slower even though the math is right, they just hang on for a few weeks extra sometimes.

SusanB,
Yes, discordant is a word! I looked it up and I'm glad you don't think I was being discordant. I guess I was just being overly cautious.

Even though I don't really track the calories I burn, I do keep an exercise log so I can look back and see how much I've exercised. And I always feel a little burst of accomplishment every time I write down the exercises I did for the day.

And I certainly spend enough time figuring out the calories in everything I eat to make up for the time I don't spend on figuring out the calories I burn. I cook a fair amount and refigure the calories for every new recipe I make (usually one to two per week), even if nutritional info is provided with the recipe. I have a whole little system I've created to do this.

I only wish my organization here would extend to other areas of my life. Sadly, the rest of my life is still a disorganized mess.

- Barbara

Hmmm ... I was pretty envious of Miles too. I am not getting more organized at all!

Don't feel bad Michelle I had a hard time with it at first too.

Do you use FitDay? That is the first place to start to find out your calories, then you add in your extra exercise like walking or gym work in the exercise section.

You take your total calories for the day and subtract them from your total (including the basal) calories burned and that number is your deficit.

Fitday does all the work except the subtracting.....

Hope this helps and maybe someone can explain it better.

Phyllis

Hello! Folks! 3FC withdrawl here. Computer trouble argh! I'm on the college boy's laptop just so that I can have a small fix. Be good everyone!

Good morning!

I'm back after a prolonged 4th July holiday . We went out of town for the long weekend, got back Tuesday late so I took the rest of the week off. Oops!

Oh well, back on the wagon today .

3 pages of posts into July already! When I have time I will catch up and read them all, until then I hope you all have a good Monday.