Are these actually correct? I almost died when it said that my body burned almost 4000 calories a day just to live! How is this possible to burn that much and lose nothing? I wasn't eating anywhere near that amount and still didn't lose anything so,how in the world can that be right?

Try this link -- my guess is that your basal metabolic rate (the energy you use just for survival) is around 2000 calories. Let us know!
http://health.discovery.com/tools/ca...sal/basal.html

That is much better! Thank you! I tried numerous ones and they all had really high numbers so,I am glad that they were way wrong and now I have a correct # to work with.

I just wanted to mention that the BMR is what you would burn if you were doing absolutely no activity, where you are just in a room in a bed. I think that calculating your daily activity will give you a more accurate picture. You burn calories eating, taking a shower, even sitting. If you're doing any type of exercise, that should also be a factor. According to another online site, a person who weighs 180 lbs. who also walks a dog for 30 minutes and runs for 30 minutes, would burn 3,130 calories in 24 hours, to include all other daily activities, such as taking a shower, eating, driving a vehicle, etc.

This is where I also get confused about how someone who uses 3130 calories of energy, and only eats 1200 calories wouldn't lose weight. Maybe 1200 calories is too low a number, and the body is going into starvation mode and that's preventing a weight loss. Maybe that's why people suggest actually subtracting just 500 calories a day from your daily calorie energy needs to safely lose 1 lb. a week, since 1 lb = 3500 calories. So, if you actually do require 4000 calories currently, maybe eating 3000 calories will help you more than eating 1500 calories, which might be to0 low.

Individual metabolism varies greatly depending on age, how long sedentary, how long overweight, and so on. The formulas just give a number based on general assumptions.

To get FitDay to work for me, I have to set it at completely sedentary. Then I add any exercise I do to the Activity Log. That comes out pretty well--but at the moment, the calories I burn during 24 hrs. comes out to 1,786. I add about 200-300 with exercise. That allows me to eat more than 1200 cals a day.

Just for comparison, my BMR from that website comes out to 1,384. It's a good thing I don't stay in bed all day!

So, just remember, no number is engraved in stone, and weight loss is not a straight line.

Jay

I don't want to highjack your thread. Does anyone know though, what happens if someone weighs 250 lbs. and then eats 1200 calories a day? Would that person automatically start losing weight, or would the body go into starvation mode resisting a weight loss?

jayell - how do you do that on fitday. I have set mine to sedentary also, but where do you find those numbers you are talking about?

MicheleKC, 1200 cals would probably be too little for someone weighing 250 pounds. It might or might not trigger "starvation mode," but the person would probably feel hungry and pretty tired much of the time.

GatorgalstuckinGA, I use the downloaded FitDay program, and the numbers for "24 hour activity profile" are found under "My Metabolism." The other number (1,786) comes out of the "Weight Goal" calculation. I don't know whether these modules are available in the online version or not--I haven't used it.

Jay

Calculators:

They are guestimates. There are too many variables to make them accurate: age, genetics, muscle mass, body fat percentage, ACTUAL activity down to every last step you take each day, etc., etc., etc. They can be used to give you an idea as far as calories, etc. but then you have to do your own tweaking, etc. from there.


1200 calories/250 pounds:

I don't recommend going this low starting at 250 pounds. My reasoning really has nothing to do with starvation mode at all. It has to do with the fact that the more you weigh, the more calories your body uses. My famous analogy is taking a 250 pound woman, and a 150 pound woman-and having them both walk a mile. The 250 pound woman burns more calories doing the same exact workout as a 150 pound woman, because she is carrying an extra 100 pounds of resistance with her. A 250 pound woman is carrying this weight around with her all day long-going up stairs, walking across a parking lot to the store, etc.

When you lose 10 pounds, 20 pounds, 40 pounds, or what have you-you will end up hitting a place where you plateau because you weigh less-and at that time you will need to either: lower your calories OR increase your exercise OR both, at that time. 1200 calories a day is the low end of calorie counting-so if you start there, you don't have much wiggle room when you plateau down the line as you weigh less. I recommend starting at about 1800 calories a day first-do that for a week or two, and weigh in. If you lose a pound or two a week at 1800 calories, then stick with that level. If you don't, then drop to 1700. Stay at whatever calorie range is working for you (about a pound or so per week) until it STOPS working. Then drop your calories by 100 a day.

If you adjust your body too soon to 1200 a day (which it can adjust to!) then you will have a slightly harder time down the road when you hit a plateau. (I don't consider one week without a loss a plateau, btw-because it is common for someone not to lose one week, and then lose 2-3 the next-because our bodies don't work like clockwork.)

Thank you so much!!