Steps and calorie intake

[SunsetRunner]

Hi there,

So I'm a dog walker and I average 25,000 to 30,000 on weekdays and was wondering roughly how mamy calories in should be eating to maintain my weight? I'm 8 st 6lbs currently. 

[USAF-Larry]

@SunsetRunner, I moved this post to this Discussions Forum, as it is not related to either a hardware problem nor an app problem.  It will getting more discussion here.

[GershonSurge]

I recommend eating the calories your Fitbit says you consumed. If you have a heart rate monitor eat 10-15% less. If you don't, eat about 10 or 15% more. If you start to gain weight, eat less. If you start to lose weight, eat more.

I don't count calories anymore. I weigh myself most days. If I'm gaining, I eat less. If I'm losing, I eat more.

[Dominique]

25-30k is a lot of steps. It’s hard to believe you would need to count your calories in order to maintain your weight at that level of activity. Are you concerned about overeating or undereating?

[SunsetRunner]

I've lost a LOT OF weight over the years! So I'm always worried about
gaining weight again! My issue is that how I have reached my goal weight, I
want to make sure I'm eating the right amount to fuel my body because as of
6 months ago I was on a very strict diet. Now I'm obviously burning a lot
of calories a day and I really have no idea how much I would now need to
keep me going and to maintain my current weight.

The pictures are what I have done this week, which is pretty much a typical
week for me!

[Dominique]

I would think intuitive eating + weighing daily (and using TrendWeight) should work in your situation, given your high activity level and assuming you have a rather regular daily routine (not travelling for business, eating mostly at home). The rationale for TrendWeight (see link in my signature) is to avoid stressing about the natural daily fluctuations (especially since you’re a woman, because of the impact of the hormonal cycle).

If you really want to count calories, start eating 500-750 calories below what your Fitbit says you burn, just in case it overestimates your energy expenditure. If you see you’re maintaining your weight, just carry on. If you’re losing at that level, increase slightly until you reach maintenance.

You may also want to use an online calculator such as this one in order to double-check calories burned as reported by your Fitbit. With an average step count of 25-30k, I would say your activity level is somewhere between "high" and "extreme". If your calories burned from Fitbit are much higher than with the "extreme" activity level, chances are they’re overshooting.