Is it a good idea to underestimate burned calories?

[GKI]

First of all, I apologize for my English - not native.

Short backround, 5"2, weight approximately 139-141 pounds, 30 years old female. A bit more than 1.5 years ago my weight was 209 pounds. First year lost 66 pounds with healthy eating, after started to count calories and later exercise (bike, running (have done couple of semi-marathons, gym), the second year I lost only 8 pounds, mostly due to lack of motivation as my weight was not so bad anymore (but still too much) and since this Summer gained back those 8 (or even more, didn't weigh myself) as I became too relaxed plus holiday abroad with ice cream diet (the best ice cream there!) 😄

So anyway, since August I am back on track, started slowly, cut out all the sweets, started running more regularly, lost some weight, clothes AGAIN started to fit normally, so now I am around those 139 pounds (maybe a mistake, but I try to avoid scale and concentrate more on measurements as my weight fluctates A LOT). Since September I started to count calories again. Fitbit says I burn more than 3000 calories on my active days - running in the morning, some walking (at least 8 miles per day), evening bicycling to gym/back, spinning class, sometimes elliptical machine with maximum resistance. I know it is a lot of cardio, but I am addicted to running, can't skip or stop that, I love spinning classes in the gym, but next week I will start also a weight training program. So, do you think it is realistic that I burn more than 3000 calories on such days? I am wondering, because in my head I always count off 10-20 %. So if I see Fitbit says I burnt 3000 calories, I will think I burnt 2400-2500 calories and I will eat around 1700 calories. Is it a good or bad idea?  I love to do sport, I have been living like this before, but it is the first time I count calories and use Fitbit at the same time...

Sorry for the long introduction.

[GershonSurge]

Great job on your progress!

I monitor calories carefully as it's the only way I can stay disciplined. As I have an engineering mind, I put everything into spreadsheets. My Fitbit Zip understates calories burned by about 20%. The Surge overstates calories burned. 

As long as you eat at least your Basic Metabolic requirement each day, you should do fine with the exercise you are doing.

Weight lifting doesn't burn many calories for me. In fact, I can burn more doing light cleaning around the house. I've discovered it's important for runners, and even light lifting will make those little pains in the upper body disappear in time. 

To answer your question another way, if you maintain between a 500 to a 1000 calorie deficit you should lose weight. 

[userzero]

Great Job on the weighloss!

I'd have to agree with @GershonSurge - I have a surge and there are days that it reports that I've burnt 5000 calories. No way that's accurate.

[shipo]

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@userzero wrote:

Great Job on the weighloss!

I'd have to agree with @GershonSurge - I have a surge and there are days that it reports that I've burnt 5000 calories. No way that's accurate.

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Hmmm, on days where my Surge reports between five and six thousand calories I have no problem believing the number is relatively accurate.

[A_Lurker]

I have a charge HR and over more than 5 months I've decided there's a difference of about 17%.  This could be it over estimating my calories burned and/or my own inaccuracies on calories in.  Like anything else, it is best at comparing your information today to your information yesterday, last week, last month (ie. are you burning more, are you burning less).

Treat it as gospel for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.  Since you're not looking at scale weight, use a tape measure.

[GKI]

Thanks! Must say that it seemed more easy to lose 45 pounds than now 11 pounds 😄 But I believe it is mostly in our head and at the end we just become more relaxed about the weight loss.

I know weight training does not burn many calories, but I feel that I need more muscles. I also know that with calorie deficit it is almost impossible to gain muscles like I want, but I want to try, at least I will have a good base for the future. After today's progress pictures, I understood I need to start serious squating 😄

Here are some examples of my days:

 This is the most active day I got (running for maybe 50 min, biking almost an hour, spinning class 45 min), not counting hiking in the mountains for 11 hours.

 This is a day with only running and some walking.

 Sundays are my rest days when I don't run or go to gym. I have also seend only 1600 calories burnt on such days.

Just wondering how all these calories can be realistic, knowing my stats. 200 active minutes with high heart rate probably burns some calories. But I am too scared to rely on them.

In the future I do plan to weigh myself more regularly and make a sheet with calories eaten, calories burnt, and calories burnt minus 20%, and compare to weight loss. I know it is not an exact science, but it will make some picture. I do measurements with tape now, I see some little results, but I also don't measure all of my body parts, so it is hard to tell.