Calories under budget?

[dnourie]

Hi,

Several times now, at the end of the day, the fitbit site says that I'm under calorie budget. On all the other days I was In the zone. Yet, the weekly email I get wasn't giving me a deficet of 3500 calories for the week, but I know I was burning at least 500 calories and some days 700. Is it igoring days I'm under budget?

I'm wondering what the calulations do when we are under calorie budget?

I've also found that at the end of the day I'm under budget, but I don't't want to eat late in the evening just to be "in the zone".

Fitness-wise and for weight loss does it matter if I'm under budget? Do we always have to be "in the zone"?  I always make sure I eat 1200 calories every day, but it seems like a good thing if I've burned 2000, even though that puts me under budget. Thank you! Dana

[Ukase]

An excellent question. Mind you, I'm no authority on this subject. It seems to me if weight loss is your goal, then the more calories you are under budget, the better off you'll be. In the zone probably indicates that you're within your dietary range of calories consumed/burned.

[Inga · Accepted solution]

I try to stay well "under budget" as you put it. I sure don't eat extra because fitbit gave me more calories at the end of the day.

I think the reason it comes out differently on the weekly stats is because the daily budget is continually adjusted by activity whereas the weekly data just comes off daily averages. I really don't worry that much about how the fit bit rounds stuff up or down, if it counts an extra step when I am driving or any of that stuff. I have had mine over a year and I can tell you that if you keep focused on the big picture... it works!

[wtksk8r]

I agree with the prior comments.  Remember that calories expended is estimated on your activity and calories eaten is also estimated based on your input and unless you weigh everything - make sure you give some leeway there too.  I would let your body be the guide.  If you are not hungry then don't eat just because it says you may not be eating enough.

On the other hand, don't starve yourself.  Your body can go to starvation mode and your base metabolic rate will crash and weight loss stops.

[dnourie]

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

[llchevy56]

Good question!  As a new FB user, I was wondering the same thing.  Sounds like it is okay to be under? I've also heard people say that you can't lose if you don't eat the right amount of calories each day, that being under will not help you to lose?  Just curious.........

[dnourie]

I watched two fabulous courses from Great Courses. One is called Fitness & Phyisology and the other Nutrition Made Clear. From the latter I was able to calculate how many calories I need for my desired weight, and my age and height. For me that came out to 1200-1300 a day. So I make sure everyday that I eat that many calories, and no more than 1300, though a few days I went up to 1400, just because I had exercised so much that day.

Because I'm vegetarian, my fat content is always around 15-19%. I also find I get plenty of protein from beans, peanuts, and cereals.

To lose one pound of weight a week, I have to burn 500 calories daily over the 1200 I eat. So each day I walk for a mile in the morning on my treadmill. Then in the afternoon I walk 1.5 miles, and at night I get in 2.00 miles. I'm finding by dong that and my normals house cleaning, taking the dogs out etc. that I'm 600-900 calories over my intak every day.

I'm not losing a pound a week though, and I attribute this to my dumbbell and pilates/yoga workouts. I'm gradually getting more lean muscle, which helps raise  metabolism. It also doesn't show on the scale as weight loss. I am in a pair of old jeans, yay! And I feel tons better and stronger. I've lost 13 pounts in 4 months. That is only slightly less that a pound a week. I'm happy with the results, and my fitbit encourages me to move more, and it's awesome to see about how much I'm burning. If my calorie burn isn't as high as I wanted near the near the end of the day, I hope back on the treadmill.

[llchevy56]

Wow dnourie!!  That is great!!! You've given me something to think about while I'm learning how to use this new tool.  I'm going to catch those two courses and see if I can hit upon my number.  While not a vegetarian, I've been trying to go gluten free and organic with my foods.  The next thing I need to do is reduce the fat intake - I've noticed that the daily intake seems high so I can now make adjustments.

I do Zumba, walking and a personal trainer 5 days a week and want to meet those 10,000 steps a day as much as possible.

Thank you so much for replying!!

[Ukase]

I haven't taken the course yet, but https://www.coursera.org/ offers courses for free. If you want the certificate, then you'd likely have to pay something. There's a course in nutrition that's starting in a few weeks - Jan. 20th, 2014.

Nothing against you folks with deep pockets paying for a course - but, not everyone's got that kind of budget.

[Candicelh79]

For weight loss, you are supposed to use the "Food Plan" section. It tells you how many calories you have left to eat for the day. The calories in/out are you total calories in/out.

[dnourie]

True, but I never eat those calories I have left. I keep my diet between 1200-1300. That way I'm burning more when I workout more.

[Candicelh79]

You may want to do a bit of research on that subject. Everything I've read says that eating too far below your Caloric output can lead to long term damage to your metabolism. Many people make great gains in the first months, but then hit plateaus, experience weakness, and get ill more frequently. Safe weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week, and the caloric deficit Fitbit gives you is set for those amounts of loss. Exercise is for health and so you can eat more. Not all experts recommend you eat back all of your exercise calories, unless you have a Heart Rate Monitor because that it the most accurate way to measure how many calories you burned during a workout. When you do not have a HRM I've seen conservative estimates of eating back 50% to not so conservative of 100%. However, I really encourage you to do your own research.

[dnourie]

Yes, I did research. For my height and weight, I'm staying on the right amount of calories, and my workouts don't put me in danger of starvation mode.

[WenP-1966]

I found that if I don't eat enough, my weight does not change.  I exercise twice a day, and do a lot of walking, so my calorie intake has to go up.  I have a real hard time eating the amount of calories it tells me to and I have really noticed on the scale.  When I eat more and continue my exercises, I actually lose between 2 and 3 pounds a week.  However, when I eat my salad, and fruit and can't make it to even 1200 calories, my weight changes by maybe a few oz.    So I would say try and eat healthy, but your body needs fuel to burn, so eat more calories, even if it is an extra apple, or melon.  Good luck to you and Happy New Year.

[StefK]

Dnourie, when you calculate your 1200 is that your BMR or TDE? BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to just survive while in rest mode, i.e. sleeping. TDE is what your body needs during a day taking into account your activity level? Just curious as 1200 calories sounds very little and I wonder whether you go by BMR, which would mean you undereat.
Stef.

[dnourie]

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@StefK wrote:
Dnourie, when you calculate your 1200 is that your BMR or TDE? BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to just survive while in rest mode, i.e. sleeping. TDE is what your body needs during a day taking into account your activity level? Just curious as 1200 calories sounds very little and I wonder whether you go by BMR, which would mean you undereat.
Stef.

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By what you are explaining here, I've been going by my BMR. Usually at the end of the day fitbit says I have 400 calories I could still eat. Sometimes I go as high as 1400, but I've not gone over that.

Because food got me the extra weight, I'm always hestiant to use those left over calories. From what all of you are saying, it's sounds like I should eat closer to the TDE.

[StefK]

I think the problem can be when you eat your BMR that your metabolism slows down. There is a lot of information on the Internet. Our bodies are very intelligent and when you do not give them enough food they slow down and you will burn less fat. You can trick them though by eating one day very close to your TDE and the next day eat less calories. This way your body will not go into starvation mode.
Stef.

[KJScarp]

The way I always explain it to people is that your BMR is the lowest amount you should be eating (the floor) and your maintenance calories are the most you should be eating (the ceiling).  Eat between the floor and the ceiling and you will be eating enough food to properly fuel your body,  yet still lose weight.

With regard to whether or not to eat back your exercise calories, if you're hungry or fatigued, then go ahead and eat 50-100% of those calories back.  If you're eating above your BMR and you are feeling satiated and energized, then don't eat them back.  I think eating back 50% is the place to start, because, face it, there is no way to be 100% accurate that we are weighing and logging all that we eat.  Even the calorie counts on packaging can be as much as 20% inaccurate, so the exercise calories are a kind of buffer against logging inaccuracies.

[Hats26]

Crikey. I will admit, I have never really fully understood all of this despite research. A while ago I cared a lot when I had My Fitness Pal and then I stopped paying attention. Since I've had my Fitbit (January), I have got back into fitness again for stress primarily but also to keep fit and ideally to get under 50kg, which might not be necessary, it is just an aim/goal to keep the motivation going.  

Fitbit is just what I needed as it pushes me to do more cardio. I am however, getting confused with the calorie input/output. After doing a workout eg. Circuit training with Viprs and Kettlebells, I never know how much I have burnt but I've certainly had enough by the end of my session. Then to see that I should eat more when I am not interested to do so, can be quite annoying. 

I have enjoyed reading everyones posts. My situation is 5ft (approx), Teaching Assistant, estimated calorie intake 1200. If I ever am 49kg it never stays put by the week after. I usually range between 51 and 54KG. I bought Premium Fitbit to keep my awareness up. Even after my workout, I still need to burn 500 calories. 

Should I be less obessed about my calorie input/output? It says try to keep dinner/snacks to 30% if you want to lose weight. Can anyone reccommend a basic but effective book/videos online that can help me understand all of this more? I'd rather my awareness stays up, but to not get too carried away with it and then stop caring again, which happens a lot. Motivation needs to stay up so reading everybodies messages are great! I am a complete novis with this stuff though, but do exercise as much and when I can. 

Only just realised my calorie intake is not what it should be? It says I should eat about 2000 calories or something. I'd love to change that but it never stays at 1200? 

[Buckdzl]

Thank you for sharing your information which I will use in my decisions.  CB