I have an account on fitday.com, and you know they ask you to enter your daily "lifestyle" or whatever and they give you an ammount of calories that your body burns everyday without extra activity. Sooo what exactly does it mean? I know they say you have to cut/burn 3500 calories a week to lose 1 pound right? So I guess what I'm asking is where does this estimated number of calores my body burns by itself come in? The number they say my body burns is 3000 calories. So If I eat just 2000 a day (I don't) that means I have "burned" 7000 calories a week which is equal to 2 pounds .... or at least mathematically this is the way I think .. but I can tell you that it ISN'T correct or I wouldn't be here asking these kinds of questions ! lol

I find that the calorie calculators are always high. One said that I had to eat 5000 cal per day! Generally, your basal calorie burn is anywhere from 1100-1300, depending on your weight. That's why the advice is not to go below 1100-1200.

When describing their lifestyle, people often over-estimate and that throws the calculation off. Even though I get to the gym 5 times a week, doesn't mean that my lifestyle is overly active.

By keeping track of your calories, you can pretty well figure out the number at which you maintain. Then decrease your calorie intake from there. At 1400, I lose. At 1600, I maintain. At 1800, I gain. So I know where I stand.

Hope this helps...

It's so hard to keep track! I usually get tired of fitday-ing after a few days and then I stop. I'm just frustrated that I've gained about 30 pounds since I graduated HS (2002), and most of it seems to have appeared in the last year. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism back in October as well.
So I'm getting to a point where I just want to SCREAM. I've started eating healthier, cut back on pop (I have a can MAYBE once a week) / high calorie coffee drinks which I used to drink almost everyday. I drink a lot of water. Food wise I don't think I do too bad. I pretty much avoid fast food, and other junky foods, which I didn't really eat that much BEFORE because it upsets my stomach most of the time.
So at this point I just want a straight answer for what to do, I want it to be exact, and accurate like a mathematical equation lol, and I know I'm not going to find that anywhere. I just want it to be easier than it is. Basically I just need someone to kick me in the butt and tell me just to do what I need to do!

I graded in 2003 and I have gained at least 30 pounds (probably 40) since then *sigh* And as like you, most of it has appeared in the last year Sure sucks doesn't it!

I started at the same weight as you, and found when I was eating 1100-1300 a day I wasn't losing. But when I bumped it up to 1400-1700 I was losing. Doesn't mean it will work for you. I also put on fitday that I do "seated work" because I find it seems to over calculate how many calories you burn in a day. I tend to ingore everything except activie calories anyway.

Yeah for fit day I just put that Im a lump in a bed cuz it was so off for my cal intake.

Lady Jackly has the right idea. Under estimate. If in a couple of weeks it looks like you are indeed losing two pounds a week then you can fiddle with it and make it look better in restrospect.

Or you can start with bedridden and add everything you do all day. Sooner or later you'll notice a trend maybe 2200 on gym days and 1800 on lounging type days. Then you'll know it's safe to choose whatever lifestyle level gives you about 1800 per day.

I have explained that better. I could try again if it's not plain.

Ok I just changed mine from seated work, some movement, to just seated work. So now it's 2636 per day.

I'm still new at all this I guess (even though I've been lurking since July of 2004!) I have always been overweight and am always looking for answers / advice, and this place has a lot of both from what I've seen!

I don't Fitday. It does my head in It works for some people and not for others.

First rule of weight loss - do what works for you!

I started by diarying everything I ate and using an old fashioned calorie counter book to total it up. I hit for 1400 -1600 a day depending on my calorie output, and I aim to hit the gym 5 - 6 days a week. However I am not overly active during the day.

Your not going to get mathematically correct answers, coz there aren't any! Too many variables. Then you'll get weeks where you are doing everything right, and you don't lose, then you'll have weeks where you have been a bit naughty and you lose.

Try not to get caught up in the numbers, but learn to live a healthy lifestyle, and the weight loss will start to fall in to place.

Wow, I can't believe it said for you to eat 5000 calories a day! LOL!!

We had a nutrition "expert" do a presentation at work yesterday and what she said really confirmed something I believe also. That is that processed foods are where a lot of our health problems come from. I avoid most of them if possible and find it does make a huge difference for me personally. The closer to the source of natural stuff, the better off we are.

Works for me.

What I do that helps me is to add in the hours I sleep to my activities. I just went and put in 8 hours; that dropped my total from 2700 to 2200 (without any exercise). That seems a bit more normal to me, even though I think of it as a high-end estimate just so I don't go overboard.

You said that you were recently diagnosed as hypothyroid. Are you on meds? Have you had at least 3 thyroid panels done showing "normal" levels? If not, aside from the fitday numbers being too high for most of us, they aren't going to aplly to you at all.

You really need to make sure that your thyroid levels are correct before you try to figure out at what calorie levels you'll lose/maintain or gain. Until then, I'd concentrate on eating HEALTHY. Quality lean protein, small frequent meals, whole grains and healthy fats. Work on making good choices a habit, then when your thyroid levels are under control, weightloss will be a happy side effect

And exercise never hurts, but when you are first getting used to thyroid meds, don't push to maximum intensity on cardio.

Mel

Always add in sleep to fitday or it will assume your active 24/7.

oh - opps - didn't know that! Thanks!

I am on my third dose of Synthroid now, the first was too high, the second too low and now what I'm on is inbetween those too, I just had a blood test last tuesday so I'm waiting to see what the results are on that. Hopefully I don't have to change AGAIN. But I hear it's kind of a normal process to change dosage at first.