How many calories and how many steps a day

[edspillane]

How many calories roughly do you suggest to eat daily and how many steps?  Has anyone who has done around 15,000 to 20,000 steps noticed that it has had a large effect on weight loss?  or is it calories that is the most important?  I know these are general questions but I noticed that when at amusement parks etc, and I naturally walk 20,000 plus steps that day that even if I eat poorly usually I don't gain weight.  

[Colinm39]

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@edspillane wrote:

How many calories roughly do you suggest to eat daily and how many steps?  Has anyone who has done around 15,000 to 20,000 steps noticed that it has had a large effect on weight loss?  or is it calories that is the most important?  I know these are general questions but I noticed that when at amusement parks etc, and I naturally walk 20,000 plus steps that day that even if I eat poorly usually I don't gain weight.  

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@edspillaneYou will find many posts in the Forums posting that around 75% of our calorie needs are used to keep our bodies functioning at rest and the remaining 30% is exercise and genetics.

A Fitbitter posted last year "The fork is mightier than the foot", how true.

I had a crack at walking an average of 105,000-140,000 steps per week, I achieved it, and it made little difference, but time consuming. So then I halved my activity and concentrated on eating more quality calories as outlined in Jonathan Bailor's new book "The Calorie Myth". By doing that I had a balance in life, lost the Christmas 7lb, and have now plateaued leading into Winter.  I proved, eat more quality calories, exercise less but intense and be healthier. That involves no takeaway, and at my age I found that wasn't an issue. I proved I could do that, and now the next stage.... Slightly more intense effort and increase steps to 10,000/day.

Here is an extract..

"Bailor shows us how eating more of the right kinds of foods and exercising less, but at a higher intensity, is the true formula for burning fat"

The suggested calories/day can be calculated this way.. The BMR calculator uses the same formula as Fitbit and is within 5 calories of my BMR  Calculator

When you have your BMR you multiply it by one of these factors to establish your needs.

Sedentary.  Little to no regular exercise.  (factor 1.2)

Mild activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 20 minutes 1 to 3 times per week. This may include such things as bicycling, jogging, basketball, swimming, skating, etc.  If you do not exercise regularly, but you maintain a busy life style that requires you to walk frequently for long periods, you meet the requirements of this level. 
(factor 1.375)

Moderate activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times per week. Any of the activities listed above will qualify.    (factor 1.55)

Heavy or (Labor-intensive) activity level: Intensive exercise for 60 minutes or greater 5 to 7 days per week (see sample activities above).  Labor-intensive occupations also qualify for this level.  Labor-intensive occupations include construction work (brick laying, carpentry, general labor, etc.). Also farming, landscape worker or similar occupations.     (factor 1.7)

Extreme level: Exceedingly active and/or very demanding activities:  Examples include:  (1) athlete with an almost unstoppable training schedule with multiple training sessions throughout the day  (2) very demanding job, such as shoveling coal or working long hours on an assembly line. Generally, this level of activity is very difficult to achieve.  (factor 1.9)

My current activity level with Fitbit and a weight plateau, is 1.4 on an average 7,500 steps/day

When I was on 10,500 steps/day the factor was 1.65, so this is my next short term goal and prove that Bailor is correct.

[Peanut49]

WOW......according to this, I should be getting approx. 2,000 calories a day!  I am currently only getting approx. 1,000......and losing weight at the rate of 1 - 1/2 pounds per/week.  I average 10,000 to 17,000 steps per day (walk/jog/run).  I know if I ate that much.....I'd be putting on pounds, not taking them off!  Other than my hour run each day, I do have a sedentary desk job.....but do other types of exercise each day as well....like calesthenics, aerobics, pilates, etc.

[slysam]

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@Peanut49 wrote:

WOW......according to this, I should be getting approx. 2,000 calories a day!  I am currently only getting approx. 1,000......and losing weight at the rate of 1 - 1/2 pounds per/week.  I average 10,000 to 17,000 steps per day (walk/jog/run).  I know if I ate that much.....I'd be putting on pounds, not taking them off!  Other than my hour run each day, I do have a sedentary desk job.....but do other types of exercise each day as well....like calesthenics, aerobics, pilates, etc.

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That's to maintain weight (i.e. if you multiplied your BMR by 1.9). If you are losing 1.5 pounds a week while eating 1000 calories it sounds like you are likely burning 1795. Eating very low calories can decrease your metabolism though, so it could be you would be able to lose eating more if you did eat more for long enough. If you don't have that much extra fat to lose, you might lose weight slower (that tends to happen). The common guideline is that one pound a week loss if you have 20 or fewer to lose, and once you are just 10 pounds over your healthy weight .5 pounds a week loss. I think the idea is to diminish muscle loss, decreased metabolism and also as you get closer to goal to get closer to what you would eat to maintain so the transition between losing and maintaining weight is easier. Also, challenging strenght training can boost metabolism--calisthenics can do it as well as weights or resistance bands if the exercises are challenging enough to your muscles that you can only do 8-15 of an exercise before resting or moving on to an exercise that uses different muscle groups. I think full body strenght training arranged in circuits (where instead of resting you switch to another exercise) tend to in the short term have the best metabolism boost.  

[Peanut49]

Thanks for the input!  I am a 64 year old female, who started out on this "getting healthy and losing weight" regime back in February at 170lbs.  (more than I've ever weighed in my life...even while pregnant!)  I put on the last 20 in just 6 months after starting a new desk job.....that scared me!  So, I started out walking.....then jogging.....now alternate between walking/running, at least an hour a day.  Also do other floor type exercises as time allows.  I have lost 22lbs, and would ideally like to lose another 20.  So, it sounds as if maybe I should cut back on the weekly weight loss and eat a few more calories......am I reading you right?

[whome]

I believe you are reading it correctly - be the tortoise, not the hare

Craig

[edspillane]

I thought 2 to 3 pounds a week was doable?

[Peanut49 · Accepted solution]

It depends on how much you weigh. For instance....if you weigh 300 lbs. It would be more "doable" than if you only weigh 150.

[edspillane]

Great point. I guess it's a combination of low calories healthy eating and upping the steps.

[edspillane]

I guess at 3 pounds a week then 10 pounds a month is doable but I have seen where people have lost more.  I guess though the healthy lifestyle is the key.

[Builderjb]

I'm new here and not sure how this works but my question is this.i have now walked over 500 miles since I got my Fitbit and have changed how I eat.i average almost 20,000 steps a day and according to my Fitbit I'm burning 3500 calories a day and basically average 2000 intake but I've only lost 7 lbs.in 2 months.and I'm not eating alot of junk but some. How can I get past my slump.

[Builderjb]

I'm doing about the same amount of steps as you and have totally changed my diet but am not really loosing weight. Its been 2 months and I've only lost 7 lbs my calorie burn is 3500 a day and my intake is only 2000 average so I must be doing something wrong. Thought by now I would have lost more

[edspillane]

Not sure that 20.000 steps equals 3500 calories or maybe you are eating more calories???

[Builderjb]

I believe the fitbit gives you calories that you automatically burn during the day. But at the end of the day with my work the Fitbit says I have burned 3500 at the very least and it says I'm only eating about the 2000 I mentioned. I'm just trying to figure it all out and what I really need to do to loose weight 

[edspillane]

Yes I’m guess it gives your bmr plus calories from exercise. Maybe it’s what you are eating?  Not sure. 20,000 is a lot of steps though diet can have the bigger impact plus metabolism. 

[Colinm39]

@BuilderjbMake sure your physical settings are correct.  Also double check your Fitbit by counting and walking 100 steps.  Also ensure your settings  for the dominant hand are correct.. Also your stride length.

As mentioned earlier it's more about calories eaten.. The extra effort will improve you metabolism improve muscles and lung power plus improve the heart.

This link will allow you to calculate your BMR. It uses the same equations that Fitbit use..

One good way of checking your effort is to divide the BMR into your Fitbit calories for the day.

This table gives you an idea .

Sedentary. Little to no regular exercise. (factor 1.2)
Mild activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 20 minutes 1 to 3 times per week. This may include such things as bicycling, jogging, basketball, swimming, skating, etc. If you do not exercise regularly, but you maintain a busy life style that requires you to walk frequently for long periods, you meet the requirements of this level. (factor 1.375)
Moderate activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times per week. Any of the activities listed above will qualify. (factor 1.55)
Heavy or (Labor-intensive) activity level: Intensive exercise for 60 minutes or greater 5 to 7 days per week (see sample activities above). Labor-intensive occupations also qualify for this level. Labor-intensive occupations include construction work (brick laying, carpentry, general labor, etc.). Also farming, landscape worker or similar occupations. (factor 1.7)
Extreme level: Exceedingly active and/or very demanding activities: Examples include: (1) athlete with an almost unstoppable training schedule with multiple training sessions throughout the day (2) very demanding job, such as shoveling coal or working long hours on an assembly line. Generally, this level of activity is very difficult to achieve. (factor 1.9)

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@Builderjb wrote:

I believe the fitbit gives you calories that you automatically burn during the day. But at the end of the day with my work the Fitbit says I have burned 3500 at the very least and it says I'm only eating about the 2000 I mentioned. I'm just trying to figure it all out and what I really need to do to loose weight 

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