Calories burned / intake, TDEE and BMR

[Alyusha]

 Ok, I do see a similar post, but it does not really answer my questions.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Weight-Loss/TDEE-BMR-and-calorie-counting/m-p/728384#M20644

I have always struggled to understand why I should consume more calories on top of my BMR just for exercise. I do not know why I have a hard time understanding this, but I do. For example, I should eat 2,386 calories a day to lose 2 pounds per week, roughly. FYI, I am 28, male, 270 LBs, former smoker (quit about 2 weeks ago).

I also know my Fitbit tracks all this data in real time, it is just nice to have a rough estimate to go off of. 

What I do not get about my Fitbit is the following... I have burned 4,310 calories today. I have consumed 542 calories so far. It is telling me to eat 3,963 calories MORE today and today is not over! At this rate, it is telling me to eat close to 5,000 calories today, and I do not understand how this is even possible to do in a heathy way, let alone how I would lose weight this way... Is this right? Normal? Especially if I did this 5 times a week?

My other question is about calories burned. I used to use a polar heart monitor chest strap while cycling. At roughly the same weight, it would say I burned around 1,100 calories for a 10 mile bike ride, at about a 15 MPH pace ( I was a smoker then). Everyone said this seems very high. Even though I was averaging a HR of about 140-170, I began to lose trust in the device. I nevertheless was losing weight, and all was good until I shattered my fibula and tibia and was bed ridden for 4 months and it took another 2 to really get active again. 

Since then, I have quit smoking and although I could not exercise, I still could have kept my weight in check by eating healthy. But I didn’t. So I gained the weight right back. Now I am at it again, and god willing I do not break my ankle or something else, I intend on sticking to this till I hit my goal. So I got myself a Fitbit for several reasons. 

Now here is question # 2. I did the exact same bike trail as I used to do, roughly the same temperature outside, roughly the same wind speed and the same weight. Only difference is... This time I had a bike trailer with a 35 pound kid in the back. So 15+35+270 = 320 Lbs. Fitbit at the end says about 1,100 calories burned. Granted the added weight from the trailer, so my body worked harder, I am still skeptical about 1,100 calories burned. 

While my wife, who is 32, around 170 LBs and... Female. Only burned 300 calories for the same bike ride. The only differences outside of the obvious is that she did not have a trailer and she has never been a smoker. We both have the same watch (Fitbit Blaze) and use the same app on the same phone. 

I would imagine that adding in the extra weight from the trailer, I burned more. So without that, It would have been slightly less calories meaning the old polar monitor was not correct. 

Sorry for the long story, back to the question. Does it seem right that I burned 1,100 calories doing a 10 mile bike ride with a combined weight of about 320 pounds and an average HR of 155 bpm and my wife, while 150 pounds lighter, never a smoker with a HR of 131 bpm burned only 300?

Thanks for reading and sorry for all the info and stories. Just trying to be descriptive!

Thanks for any help!

[SebringDon]

@Alyusha

Based on a height of 5'10" for you and 5'5" for your wife (since you didn't say) I'd say her burn of around 300 calories is pretty close, while your 1100 is about double what it should be. I'm not sure how Fitbit factors in the heartrate, so I can't comment on that part. (Remember that you're male, heavier and younger, all three of which make for a higher BMR.) That's based on a MET of 8 for bicycling, which is what this chart shows, courtesy of the National Cancer Institute, and a 40 minute ride.

http://appliedresearch.cancer.gov/atus-met/met.php

Naturally, if your calorie burn is that far off for this exercise, you have adequate reason to suspect the success you'll have with your Food Plan based on that burn data. Once that's resolved you'll probably see your Daily Calorie Allowance start to seem more reasonable.

Based on that, I'd recommend you restart your tracker and see if your burn rate goes down for future activities. Here are directions. You may want to do it three or four times just to be sure it takes.

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-restart-my-tracker

Hope this helps! 

[emili]

Everything that Don said in addition, if you have time, read this http://www.iifym.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IIFYM-Starter-Report.pdf... he offers really good explanations for all the things you are inquiring about as far as BMR, TDEE and eating those calories. Just for fyi, I don't eat mine back most of the time or I too would gain back everything I lost.

[Alyusha]

Thanks, I also felt it was a bit high. I did reset my tracker, let’s see if it helps. I do find it a little strange that 3 separate apps and 2 different monitors have given really high results. I also read the article in the link provided. Thank you both for the information!

[SebringDon]

@Alyusha

Given your reported high heart rate and that you've seen these numbers across a number of devices, it might be a good idea to consult with your doctor about what's going on.