Calorie/Exercise question....

[welovedis]

Ok, this probably sounds dumb because it should be so simple for me to get. I am doing a low-fat, low-calorie eating plan and write down everything I eat, calories and fat for everything. When I got to the gym, the machines I work out on (x-trainer, TM (for cool down) and the bike) have me input my weight and age and then give me a "calories burned" count at the end of my workout. Today it said I burned 248 on the x-trainer, 135 on the bike and 72 on the TM for a total of 455 calories burned.

Do I take the whole 455 calories & add that to my baseline caloric intake? In other words, let's say I want to be sure that I eat 1500 calories a day. Since I burned 455 at the gym am I supposed to be eating 1955 calories today to make up for the amount I am working off? I've been working out daily and eating about 1600 calories a day, but been feeling really lightheaded at times so I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough (can there really be such a thing!).

I saw my doc yesterday and he said that I should maybe add in 1/2 the amount I burned (so an extra 227-228 calories today) to the 1500 baseline.

Sorry to sound so convoluted, but my reg doc is out and this guy seemed kind of clueless since he doesn't know me well. They are sending me for bloodwork to rule out diabetes, but was wondering what you all thought in the meantime.....Thanks for reading this rambling post!

 

[plutosmyfav]

Its a good question. I asked a trainer at my gym whether or not the calorie burn on the machine was really extra calories. She told me to only consider 80% of them as extra calories burned above metabolic rate. Also, to be safe, I always input my weight low (8-15 lbs lower than it really is) to make sure the calorie burn isn't inflated. Also, if you hold on to any hand rails while exercising, that lowers your actual burn. So the machine will say more than you really burned.

Hope thats helpful,
Sundie

 

[lap3]

Do I take the whole 455 calories & add that to my baseline caloric intake? In other words, let's say I want to be sure that I eat 1500 calories a day. Since I burned 455 at the gym am I supposed to be eating 1955 calories today to make up for the amount I am working off?

No, if your dietician or trainer suggested that you maintain a 1500 calorie intake diet, then this is the figure you should stick to. The 1500 caloric intake will allow you to lose weight just be eating alone, if losing weight is your goal. However, factor in some sort of exercise will further your goal for losing weight or maintenance. If you're feeling any discomfort(in this case, light-headedness), you should probably stop and not over-exert yourself. Consult with your local trainer for to ensure that it is safe to continue...

 

[welovedis]

No, if your dietician or trainer suggested that you maintain a 1500 calorie intake diet, then this is the figure you should stick to.

I went to a dietician about 14 months ago and haven't gone back, now that my insurance has changed it is no longer covered. I was basing the 1500 calories a day on the information she gave me at the time, which I kept. I know that I need to burn an additional 3500 calories in order to loose 1 pound of weight, so that means cutting 500 calories from my daily diet to achieve each 1 pound loss. I figured that if I cut a bit more then that would accelerate the weight loss slightly.

I've only been doing this for about 10 days and have lost almost 7 pounds (as of Saturday) but also assume that alot of it is water weight.

I asked 2 trainers at the gym and they told me 2 different things. The first told me that I should use about 60-65% of the calories burned above metabloic rate toward adding to my caloric intake. The other cited the 80% that plutosmyfav mentioned. I figured I would ask here and see what others have been told/read/heard about to get more info.

The doc didn't seem to think the lightheadedness was a huge issue, more a minor inconveneince. The trainer said I probably need to walk slower during cool down to allow the blood to re-circulate and not pool in my legs.

I averaged out the first 7 days that I was OP and my intake was about 1405 calories/day & 25g fat/day. Not too bad. But if you consider that I went to the gym 5 days out of seven and burned at least 3--400 calories a day, I'm just hoping that I'm not harming myself in the long run, that's all.

Perhaps it is time to suck it up & pay for the dietician out of pocket!

 

[lap3]

Wow! 7 lbs lost already?! Good for you! Keep it going!!! You know, you really don't need to pay to see a dietician. If you belong to a gym, they do have trainers onsite that can assist you with proper diets.

During the off-season(I'm a cyclist), I'll try and limit my caloric intake to about 1500-2000 calories. However, during the racing season, I'll bump this up to 2500-3000 calories but that's ok because the amount of racing and training I'll do will burn this off and allow me to maintain my energy level as well as keep me fit.

BTW, pace yourself in the gym. Going too much too early will cause you to get burned out and you may not be motivated to go anymore after a while. Try mixing other things like cross-training. As an example, I'll put in about 25-30 miles on the bike for about 3-4 times a week. In that week, I'll also throw in some weight training for a couple of days in the gym. I'll also maybe run a 5-miler on a Saturday morning. And Sunday is my fun day where I'll play roller hockey. Now, you don't have to kill yourself like what I'm doing but the point is to not get in a normal routine where you get bored. Try throwing in some leisurely walks around the park or the mall. Or, if you work during the day, try and get in some walking during lunch, if time permits.

 

[welovedis]

lap3-thanks for the info! As far as the gym trainers, they are good, however, I belong to a "women-only" gym and the trainers there really push a nutritional program called APEX. They sell the products and whatever else goes along with it, I have never been interested in it. So when I ask nutritional questions I get the usual, "Well you should try APEX and they'll teach you the proper way to eat, etc..". When I say that I'm not really interested in it because of my food allergies, etc...then they say that I should check with my doctor. He says 1500-2000 calories is fine, etc., etc., etc....

I think I'm going to see how it goes for the next few weeks and if I am dropping the weight too fast I will increase my calories per day. I believe that I recently read you can only lose up to 2.5 pounds of fat per week and anything above that is either bone or muscle loss so I don't want to do that.

I agree about pushing too hard. I used to run (last year) and had got myself down to a decent weight but packed on the pounds when I got sick & discouraged. I'm committed to more reasonable goals this time and decided to use the calorie/fat system to help control my eating habits. At they gym I am alternating between weight training and cardio on separate days so it is not too bad.

Cycling sounds like a great way to keep fit, I tried a spinning class recently (I liked it because the room was dark & felt less like a newbie!) and will go back to that soon!

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[lap3]

Karen, cycling is a lot of fun. Check with your local bike shop because there are many fun rides to participate in and around your area. A spinning class is different but it will certainly give you a good workout. I taught a spinning class once for a friend of mine and boy do your quads burn! Those are great workouts!

That's too bad that the trainers you have push their products. The trainers at my gym(24 Hour Fitness) suggest the products they carry but don't push it. In fact, I haven't seen a trainer in a while but I'll consult with them from time to time and they never charge me for this service!

Well, keep up the weight loss and if you ever want to chat about exercise or nutrition, let me know. It would be fun to have an online training buddy!