Sport Calories per Day? Please Help
- Thread starter LeslieT06
- Start date
Sport Fitness
Assuming you meant lbs, rather than kilos, I ran your numbers through the BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) formula I found online - 1422 calories - is the amount of calories you'd burn if you simply laid in bed all day and did absolutely nothing. This needs to be adjusted according to your activity level as per the following:
1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
So, if you were lightly active, you'd take the 1422, and multiply it by 1.375 and come out with 1955 calories to maintain your current weight. Using Christa's suggestion, you'd then want to have around 1455 calories if you wanted to produce weight loss. Hope this helps.
Edited to add: And what Fly said is true - (as you can see from the formulas above) the more exercise you get, the more calories you need to maintain.
1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
So, if you were lightly active, you'd take the 1422, and multiply it by 1.375 and come out with 1955 calories to maintain your current weight. Using Christa's suggestion, you'd then want to have around 1455 calories if you wanted to produce weight loss. Hope this helps.
Edited to add: And what Fly said is true - (as you can see from the formulas above) the more exercise you get, the more calories you need to maintain.
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I love your posts Singo. You always go the extra mile and look into things for everyone. Thank you for this.
The BMR method is fine in theory but you absolutely cannot get an accurate BMR from an online calculator so any plan based on that figure will be off.
And really are you going to spend the rest of your life micromanaging your calorie intake by carefully weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink? That is probably one of the most tedious things you can do and a major reason why diets fail.
Stop counting calories. It is virtually impossible to overeat if you eat the right things.
Eat 6 meals a day consisting of 1 serving of protein, 2 servings of vegetables, one serving of fruit.
A serving is what can fit in your hand. A small chicken breast, a couple of eggs, a piece of lean meat the size of your palm and a 3/4 to 1" thick or a small handful of raw nuts. A handful each of baby carrots and broccoli crowns and a handful of berries or a small to medium sized piece of seasonal fruit.
Eat foods that are unprocessed and drink 2-3 liters of water per day.
And really are you going to spend the rest of your life micromanaging your calorie intake by carefully weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink? That is probably one of the most tedious things you can do and a major reason why diets fail.
Stop counting calories. It is virtually impossible to overeat if you eat the right things.
Eat 6 meals a day consisting of 1 serving of protein, 2 servings of vegetables, one serving of fruit.
A serving is what can fit in your hand. A small chicken breast, a couple of eggs, a piece of lean meat the size of your palm and a 3/4 to 1" thick or a small handful of raw nuts. A handful each of baby carrots and broccoli crowns and a handful of berries or a small to medium sized piece of seasonal fruit.
Eat foods that are unprocessed and drink 2-3 liters of water per day.
Nice post Skull Pilot. I am not a fan of counting calories. Who wants to live like that? With so much emphasis on calories... your life becomes that! Then one day without "success" feels like your life is destroyed and you go off track. It's a horrible scenario.
Learning to eat healthy is much better
Learning to eat healthy is much better
Interesting post Lynn, I am surprised you de-emphasize calories so much. Coming from an ectomorphic frame as I did, and other long, slender individuals who I train, calories are everything. Of course quality of those calories mean the world as well, but I, personally never experienced success with increases in muscle mass until I counted calories.
I know others who can get by with simply cleaning up their diets. I guess it is different for everyone. I do believe that some people must count calories depending on their goals. I also believe most Americans eat much more than they believe. All the snacks and juices add up, from my own experience of analyzing people's diets.
I know others who can get by with simply cleaning up their diets. I guess it is different for everyone. I do believe that some people must count calories depending on their goals. I also believe most Americans eat much more than they believe. All the snacks and juices add up, from my own experience of analyzing people's diets.
stroutman81 said:
That was so true for me. I found out I'd been burning about 2300 calories a day just doin my thing, and I was still gaining weight! I remember thinking "when do I find time to eat all those calories!" And I'd still be hungry all the time. My rules now are try to eat things that only contain what you're eating. ie. buy spinach that only contains spinach, not spinach, salt, preservatives, and NO high fructose corn syrup! I dont' know about the rest of you guys but it just makes me hungrier.
I guess I took the roundabout way of saying, just look over what you eat once, make some changes and stick with them.
i kind of just eat small portions around 6 times a day and drink plenty of ice water. ice water makes your body burn fat (or carbs depending on what your diet looks like) to warm your organs back up.. if you're willing to go to the restroom a few extra times a day its a little bit extra to help any diet.
i try to worry less about calories and more about what type of calories...
for instance turkey is probably around 95% protein calories...
and peanuts are probably around 30% protein calories.
as far as portions go... the smaller the better and the more protein % the better. remember not to eliminate carbs altogether because they're essential in boosting metabolism.
i normally do two days mostly protein and then one day of carbs and fat to boost my metabolism...
i try to worry less about calories and more about what type of calories...
for instance turkey is probably around 95% protein calories...
and peanuts are probably around 30% protein calories.
as far as portions go... the smaller the better and the more protein % the better. remember not to eliminate carbs altogether because they're essential in boosting metabolism.
i normally do two days mostly protein and then one day of carbs and fat to boost my metabolism...
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Stroutman81... I agree some people NEED to and SHOULD count calories. Although I do believe most people get to analytical over it. And it becomes their entire life. Not a good thing, IMO.
LeslieT06, to answer your question... if you eat one meal with 1400 calories you would overload your stomach. You'd feel bloated and digestion would take FOREVER. You could get stomach cramps/pain or even get ill.
Your insulin levels would spike, your liver would be stressed out and other bad things. We're programmed to eat small meals throughout the day. Even in hunter-gatherer days... we would eat throughout the day.
LeslieT06, to answer your question... if you eat one meal with 1400 calories you would overload your stomach. You'd feel bloated and digestion would take FOREVER. You could get stomach cramps/pain or even get ill.
Your insulin levels would spike, your liver would be stressed out and other bad things. We're programmed to eat small meals throughout the day. Even in hunter-gatherer days... we would eat throughout the day.
Agreed Lynn, and you are correct. Many people would be better off by not counting calories all the time since it could turn them away from following the program and leave them worst off.
However, I do believe everyone should count their caloric intakes from the start, just to get a feel for where they are today and what direction they need to head in.
However, I do believe everyone should count their caloric intakes from the start, just to get a feel for where they are today and what direction they need to head in.
Good points. People just starting out may want to count calories. My issue comes in when people start to count calories and get very obsessive with it. I am a firm believe that we should live life and not be be so darn consumed with units of energy
All of you make some good points.
I would just like to add that for me, personally, I do much better counting calories for a couple of reasons.
*It provides a sense of order (I love lists, charts, etc)
*I am able to see in black and white that I am doing well (or not)
*It provides a feeling of accountability, it makes me really think about whether or not something is worth eating, and do I want to see it on that day's entries (I use FitDay)
*Counting calories keeps me from falling into the "this food isn't that bad" trap
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents on why some people do better counting than estimating.
I would just like to add that for me, personally, I do much better counting calories for a couple of reasons.
*It provides a sense of order (I love lists, charts, etc)
*I am able to see in black and white that I am doing well (or not)
*It provides a feeling of accountability, it makes me really think about whether or not something is worth eating, and do I want to see it on that day's entries (I use FitDay)
*Counting calories keeps me from falling into the "this food isn't that bad" trap
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents on why some people do better counting than estimating.