I am new to using fitday and I was wondering if it tells you how many calories , protein, carbs and fat you should be eatting. If it does I can't find it. If it doesn't does anyone know where I can go to find this information.

thanks

The number of calories you should be eating will depend on your current weight, goals, activity level, etc. Once you determine that though, (the formula I've always used is your current weight multiplied by 13, then subtract 500 to get the number of calories you need to lose one pound per week. You should aim for 2 lbs a week by also increasing your activity level to burn more calories and possibly reduce your calories by more than 500 as long as you don't go below a healthy number). After that, the a good rule of thumb is 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein.
I also use fitday (online, not the software) and I love it. It really makes keeping up with your food so easy and I love that I can enter the nutritional information of my own recipes.

YIKES! That would mean I'd need to eat less than 1,200/day. LOL I actually did a test run of DietPower. I didn't like it too much, except that it does calculate the number of calories you should take in per day. It had me around 1,350. So I'm staying around that right now. I do burn off at least 200 calories every other day. Sometimes I can get in exercise every day. But it's hectic right now. And with the move and holidays, I've been fighting a few pounds I had added back on and am now back to the 140 using the 1,350 a day for a little over a week.

thanks for your help.

bev

Almostheaven,
Actually, that formula would put you in the 1800 calorie range just to maintain your current weight (I'm assuming 140 based on your signature *13 = 1820) so, according to that formula, to lose one pound a week you would need to come in somewhere around 1300. Of course, that is just an estimate and doesn't take into account your activity level, etc. At any rate, it pretty much syncs up with the DietPower calculation you are currently using and obviously works if you are down 100 lbs! Wow, that is awesome!

That multiply-by-13 formula is very very general. A more accurate formula is the Harris Benedict equation, which takes into account age and gender as well as weight/height and activity level. A very handy HB calculator can be found at: http://www.jimkaras.com/loss_math01.cfm

Also, the 50/20/30 breakdown isn't hard-and-fast. I eat something like 55/25/20 and lose just fine, and my health, blood profiles, etc. are great.

I just wanted to jump back in to clarify that I agree 100% with funniegrrl. I did not mean for my first posts to read as if the percentages and calorie consumption formula I mentioned were hard and fast rules - just a general rules of thumb to give a starting place and that happen to have worked for me. It's like anything else involving weight loss you'll have to tweak whatever formulas you use to find what works for you - not just in terms of loosing pounds but overall health as well.

Ok, really time to get a new calculator. I didn't even look when I put in the numbers, but sometimes my keys on it stick. I've been meaning to replace it. Guess nows a good time. Cause I came up with under 1,200. LOL

The JimKaras.com calculator says I need to consume 1,426 calories a day in order to lose 1 pound a week. So by keeping at the DietPower range of 1,350, hopefully I'll drop a couple pounds a week.

AHH! This is the message I got:

Hi Mrs Shalynn
Your current BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is 3230

Your Body currently uses or burns 3230 calories per day. In order to lose weight you must consume less than this number of calories. If you desire to lose 1 pound a week then you must consume 2730 calories per day. If you do not want to consume less food, another option is to increase your physical activity level.

I couldn't help but LOL when this popped up.. I have been taking in under 1,500 a day.. Is there something wrong with this picture?

No don't worry! When trying to lose weight you should aim for 1200-1600 calories per day, depending on your activity level and all. On weight watchers I have been consuming about 1100-1200 a day. I use the Fit Day PC, the one you pay for, and I love it! I have used the free one for at least 10 months. I finally broke down and paid for the better one, and I am so glad I did! If you feel you are taking in to few or to many calories a day, talk to your doctor or dietician about how many they think you should consume for weight loss. Good luck!

chixyb, I have been an avid user of the fitday.com for some time and love it. I've considered purchasing the actual software but felt like I was getting all I needed for free. What "extras" do you get by purchasing fiday PC? I don't work anymore so I'm not eating out much and don't really have the need to have the information handy in my palm pilot or anything. Is there anything else I'm missing out on?