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Geek Culture / How many calories should I be burning a day?

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Fuzz
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 04:52
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So I decided I felt like a change and I got a haircut and shaved my beard off and now I look like a chubby 10 year old so I've been trying to lose some kilos lol

I usually eat Subway a few times a week when I'm at work (Subway is literally like 50 metres away) but lately in the past week I've been getting a punnet of strawberries and an organic cola from the supermarket across the road and I've cut down to around 4 cans of Pepsi from around 8 a fortnight (I think I might be addicted to Pepsi).

I don't usually eat a whole lot everyday and I usually walk to work which is around 40 minutes a day and I've been drinking a lot of water lately but I don't seem to notice any difference in my weight.

I've been playing games quite a bit less and getting more sleep but that doesn't seem to help.


Have you guys got any tips you can throw my way?

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KeithC
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 05:07
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Quote: " How many calories should I be burning a day?"


More than you take in, if you want to lose weight. Also; be sure to take at least a good multivitamin. Cut out sugary drinks-full stop. Cut out as much candy as you can (give yourself a treat once in awhile.

Try varying your exercise. It can help to have a generic routine, 5 times a week; for at least 30 minutes. Run Day--> Muscle Day--> Run Day--> Muscle Day--> Run Day. Take the time to stretch properly, before AND after the workout (usually; you want to stretch twice as long after the workout is over). When running, always follow up immediately with a short "cool down" walk; to get your heart-rate back down.

You don't have to run through P90X; just start with something you will actually finish. Above all; doing something like this for yourself will improve your health, and overall well-being (not to mention how you feel about yourself).

Good luck.

-Keith

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Kevin Picone
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 05:30
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Short term diets are generally a waste of time. It's not rocket science, the input -> output have to be in balance. People who are training a lot might go though 3000,4000,5000 or more calories a day.

To put that in perspective, jogging a 400 meter running track equates to around 15->20 calories per lap. The rates vary for everybody ! So that's a lot of running to break even when your average burger is a couple of 1000.

With crash diets you'll peel off some K's quickly initially, but it'll soon level out. The moment you finish the diet, you'll more than likely put it back on with interest.

One of the tips my sister lives by these days is walking 10,000 steps per day. She also does a lot of boxing and weigh training in rotation most weeks. Another issue is portion sizes. Even with healthier eating, you can still happy overeat. Most foods have estimates of the energy content in them. So flipping it over and getting some idea of how much fuel they pack is very handy habit get into. You might only eat a two meals a day, but the energy content might far exceed what you're using.

For me, I just started cycling again. So find something you like, set a goal and work towards it. Just don't sit back and starve yourself into submission. That doesn't work !


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Chris Tate
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 09:14
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Very true. After a crash diet, you feel so hungry; even more hungry than when you were before the diet, you end up binge eating the weight back on.

I am not overweight, but I did have a bit of a belly before starting back up on the gym a few months ago. What works for me is to eat well, not eat less! Lots of vegetables; not just a spoon full of salad and a double cheese burger. Good old fashion home made cooking, lots of broccoli, carrots, spinach, corn with the meat. The variety is the key. With enough minerals the body will have sufficient means to improve your metabolism so that you can loose weight without having to do much running. But if you like running, even better for you.

The most important thing is to cook well; if your diet does not taste good, you will not stick to it. At first all the veg will not taste desirable, but you can make it taste a little better if you season it or add light dressing on it; eventually you will not miss eating at fast food restaurants.

As they say, you are what you eat, every pound of you; but that does not mean eating less will lower your size for long, it means eating right will give your body what it needs to burn more weight with less effort.

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Van B
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 09:16 Edited at: 29th Oct 2013 09:18
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If the walk to work is 40 mins, maybe cycling would be a better option - take less time and burn more calories that way. It would act as a good indicator of fitness as well - how long it takes you to get to work, how knackered you are after it. It can be difficult to judge what is actually happening to your body, especially when you introduce a whole load of foods that it's not used to.

I've never seen the point in these diets. Trying to eat healthy is something you should always do, not when you just don't like the numbers on the scale. Some junk food is a lot better than others, come up with your own healthier subway, avoid the pepsi as well. Try switching to just water or fruit juice for a week, diet drinks are still full of chemicals and liquid is absorbed into your body really fast - so changing that will make a difference I'm sure. Fruit is full of sugar, don't think for a second that replacing a meal for fruit is going to make a big difference, it just won't. What it will do is provide better vitamins, so as long as your exercising it's fine, but if not your probably better off just going for a smaller portion. Avoid grapes, they are basically lumps of sugar in fruit form. Also, eat oily fish like Tuna a couple of times a week, maybe a couple of lunches instead of going to Subway.

Lastly, stop thinking about the numbers and the calories and what you can and can't have. When you have a healthier diet, your body will tell you exactly what it needs. You'll crave the foods that provide what you need, it's just that you have to educate your system so it knows what has what. Like Beetroot - I love the stuff even though it makes everything else on the plate purple, it's got iron, potassium, lots of vitamins and antioxidants - More people should eat beetroot, shame it doesn't go very well with tuna

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Kezzla
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 10:53
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from what I have been told, if you want to burn fat you need to spend time above your anaerobic threshold -which is pretty much when you start breathing heavily.

anaerobic threshold is where you are working to a point where your breathing cannot supply the needed level of oxygen to feul your muscles (hence the panting) if you spend some time above that your body switches to another fueling system and will start converting fat into fuel for your body -(I am not an exercise scientist or trainer or anything so this is all simple words and concepts as explained to me by my teacher)

if you get your heart rate up high enough to get just above the threshold and keep up the intensity for a minute, and then back it down just below for a minute, then back up etc. you only need to do about 20 minutes of exercise(it will feel like an eternity)
one unfortunate side effect is that the process creates lactic acid which will make your muscles burn and feel stiff and you may spew...
it will also improve your cardio.

You don't need any equipment, you just gotta work hard.

I like my fitness pal for keeping track of how much energy you consume. its a free one and does the job.

Disclaimer: I am not a health and fitness professional. Nothing I say should be treated as trustworthy advice. For real and trustworthy advice you need to consult a professional. any sickness, sweating, butt rash or head spins are not kezzlas fault... nor any other ailment you suffer.

Burn retina, burn!
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 11:41 Edited at: 29th Oct 2013 12:26
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I'm on a diet, since the end of October I've lost one and a half stone. I've not bothered with counting calories, I have tried it before, I found it works for a little while, but it's easy to fall into old habits.

The diet I'm currently using comes from Slimming World, which doesn't expect you to count your calories, the important strategy is to stop using oil to cook, cut fat off of meat, if you're using beef mince to use extra-lean instead, poultry's fine just don't eat the skin and the same with fish. Reduce the amount of 'bad' food you eat (but don't completely cut out), replace some food items with stuff that's light, I've found things like Muller Light Yogurts are excellent at combatting my sweet tooth. You can replace sugar for sweetener, but I don't. Coke for Diet Coke if you can stomach it, or squash with no added sugar if you can't. Grill most things and if I have to fry, I use a product called 'Fry-Light' instead of oil.


Also, when you can, make sure your meals non-starchy veg. I also make sure I keep my fibre and calcium - wholemeal bread, semi-skimmed milk, cheese, certain types of cereal. I've found my meals to be satisfactory and not taste too 'diety'.

I've also joined the gym, bear in mind (I only found out recently) if your body is not used to exercise, it will retain more water, which gives the myth "muscle weighs more than fat", which will make weightloss harder for the first few weeks. But with a diet you should still lose, but you won't notice the difference from exercise until your body is used to it.

So basically, it's about heating healthy and exercise and not about calorie counting or finding a trick to lose weight.


Lost 6lbs in my first week without exercise, am now losing 2lbs a week on average, which is considered the healthy amount.

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Seditious
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 14:53 Edited at: 29th Oct 2013 14:55
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How many calories you should be burning (and consuming) depends on your weight and height. Exercise is important, but diet is just as important, if not more.

Cut out all soft drinks as they generally contain a lot of sugar. Avoid eating too much bread as it is very calorific (in the form of carbs), and generally try to reduce your meal sizes. You might find that you'll feel fine eating half the amount of food you eat, if you eat the right stuff. Reduce your alcohol consumption (especially if it's beer), since that can be very calorific.

You probably won't notice a change for a few weeks, so keep it up and think positive.

Perhaps most importantly you should be looking at a permanent change to your eating habits, since going back to your old ways will put the weight back on.

Quote: "organic cola"


Organic doesn't mean lower calories, just so you know. I'd recommend replacing it with water (carbonated, if that's your thing), as any type of cola is very high in sugar.

[edit] If you have a smartphone I'd recommend getting Noom Weight Loss Coach since it's useful for tracking your meals and looking up the calorie content of food items.

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Fuzz
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 14:57
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Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

I'm not really on a diet or whatever, I've just been drinking more water and eating more fruit.

Quote: "More than you take in, if you want to lose weight."


How are you supposed to manage that? Haha. I did 11.5 km on the exercise bike today and apparently I only burned around 200 calories, though I'm not sure how accurate it is. Going from that though, I'd have to spend around 3 hours before I started burning more than I ate.

I know it's not all about the calories but I was pretty much wondering what worked best for you guys, which you answered!

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Quik
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 15:04
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no, you don't need to loose more than you take in - you need to loose the "extra" you take in.

for example - aregular male takes in 2000 calories a day (I think)
so, if that's the case, then any calories you loose, will make you loose weight.
if you take in 2100 - loosing more than 100 will mkae you loose weight

etc.

^
Not exact numbers, but that's about how it works.



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Seditious
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 15:04
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Quote: "How are you supposed to manage that?"


Your body naturally burns calories throughout the day, so you don't need to plan to burn exactly what you are eating (in any case, good luck burning 1000 calories if you've only consumed 1000 calories that day). Just reduce your calorific intake and do some regular exercise and you'll be fine.

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KeithC
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 15:23
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There are also various "chemical components" that your body uses to maintain a healthy body weight. For me; there are two things that enhance my weight loss and overall health:

- Taking Vitamin Supplements (I take the Vitamin Packs made by Nature Made).

- One serving of yogurt per day (doesn't have to be a special kind). I don't bother with the sugar free/fat free crap. Personally; I don't (or try not to) eat anything that has "fake sugar". It depends on what you want to believe; but I just don't think ingredients such as aspartame, are good for you at all...in fact I think they are a detriment to your health in the long run.

You could try "halving" your normal portions during meals, and have a snack between them (something light, but packing energy...while not adding too many calories or sugar). Then judge how much is enough for you as you go. It's not a diet, it's a modification of how/what you eat. It needs to be something you can sustain, both at home as well as around town. Stay away from counting calories, and stay away from weighing yourself every day (once a week is more than enough). If you start building muscle, you will gain weight for a time, so don't get discouraged. Having a "generic" menu weekly will help you plan your meals AND your shopping trips. I say generic, because you don't want to over-micromanage yourself. You can put down for dinner (for example): One Protein, two vegetables, one starch and one fruit. Then use what you have available that day. If you feel you can be more precise than that, then go for it; but start small and simple at first, so you don't wind up getting frustrated and give up too soon. Having a "cheat treat" once a week won't kill you, it'll probably end up saving you from going back to crap eating. Eventually (speaking from experience); you'll lose the taste for most sweet things (sugar-wise), and a lot of the garbage you're used to eating. Also; try getting veggies and fruits from Farmer's Markets (local) if you can; it's usually better and cheaper, and you can avoid the occasional salmonella outbreak from "foreign produce".

You also mentioned eating lots of fruit. This is good in moderation, and with variety. Too much fruit can have an adverse effect (as fruit contains natural sugar as well); mix in some veggies for a snack too (bag of carrot and celery sticks, or celery sticks with some peanut butter). Just experiment with what works for you.

As you go along; you'll know what's working, not by your weight, but by how you feel. Lastly; don't underestimate the healing powers of a good night's sleep...I don't care how old/young you are.

All this combined will also have the added benefit of being able to fight off the common cold. Even if you get it, it won't last as long as it used to.

It's a lot to take in, I know; but taking it in stages, monitoring your progress, and conversing with peers will help you...until you have found your own "way".

Again....good luck!

-Keith

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KeithC
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 15:25 Edited at: 29th Oct 2013 15:27
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Quote: "no, you don't need to loose more than you take in - you need to loose the "extra" you take in.

for example - aregular male takes in 2000 calories a day (I think)
so, if that's the case, then any calories you loose, will make you loose weight.
if you take in 2100 - loosing more than 100 will mkae you loose weight"


That's basically the same thing I said. If you are consuming 2000 calories a day; your body needs to burn more than that to lose weight. When you are at your ideal weight (and health), you have found the amount you can take in (calorie-wise) coupled with the amount of exercise you need (which isn't just about losing/maintaining weight...but overall health).

Quote: "Just reduce your calorific intake and do some regular exercise and you'll be fine."


That's basically what most people need to do.

-Keith

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Quik
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 16:26
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Just eat healthy - not necessarily "less", just don't pack up your day with unnecessary meals.
aand exercise



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KeithC
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 16:42
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Quote: "Just eat healthy - not necessarily "less", just don't pack up your day with unnecessary meals.
aand exercise"


QFA

-Keith

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Wolf
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 17:03 Edited at: 29th Oct 2013 17:06
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No snacking, that'll help you. Just regular meals.
If you feel like you require a snack, try an apple or some vegetable.
Try to drink only tea and water. All these flavoured drinks aren't exactly healthy... especially no diet coke.

Stay away from sugar free/ fat free processed stuff...it often has questionable content.

What I think is lacking from your already decent change of habit is some good exercise Walking isn't enough for your age.



-Wolf

http://www.serygalacaffeine.com
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 29th Oct 2013 21:42
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It's not just numbers to worry about but the kind of food you're eating, you should in essence meet your targets in calories, but completely lack the nutrition you need, some nutrition helps with metabolism and therefore weightloss. It was where I failed with things like calorie counting or pro points, if it works for you, great, but I think a balanced diet is the healthiest way to go - for me it has been the most successful method and easiest to stick by, doesn't have to be boring or taste like crap - I love the meals I eat, but a few habitual changes that improve health.

For example, I now add carrots and celery to my spaghetti bolognase and use extra lean meat - the cheese, the tomatoes, herbs, pasta and everything else stays the same, so it doesn't feel like I'm eating carrots or celery, but it just adds extra nutrients that help my metabolism to a dish I frequently eat. Replacing white bread with brown gives me my fibre and so on. Getting rid of fat from meat is a bonus too. I still eat some guilty pleasures, like my super noodles, chocolate, sausage rolls, crisps, just in smaller quantities and making sure I don't go over the limit.

First week of dieting, I had a night out with colleagues, had a few drinks, had a meal out and managed to make choices to enjoy the evening but not compromise my diet and of course lose 6lbs in that week. So having balanced and healthy meals and reducing crap to minimum does work. Everybody is different, so some have preferred methods, calorie counts worked for a little while for me, but it was difficult to stick to - you're reading labels, adding up calories, writing a food diary each day to make sure you're keeping track, making sure you exercise a certain amount to keep within your targets and I find it complicates things in terms of remaining stuck to it. If you've the discipline or if it works with how you do things, awesome, I found changing habits better, but then I'm not very well structured XD.

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Phaelax
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Posted: 30th Oct 2013 23:54
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This past month, I lost 10 lbs in only 5 days. And I'm not an overweight guy. At 6' 190 I dropped to 180 within a week. How? Stopped drinking soda completely and only drank water with the occasional cup of milk. Eat smaller portions, which for some might feel like starvation but trust me that people eat a lot more than they need.
The hunger effect goes away after awhile once your stomach gets used to the smaller portions. Also the time that you eat is important. 3 square meals a day was all I did and I didn't eat anything after dinner (5:30) until breakfast the next morning.
When you eat late at night, your body works off that food rather than burning the excess fat stored while you sleep.

Did this weight loss involve any cardio? Actually no, I mostly sat on my butt all week with the occasional set of pushups. If you're going to do cardio (which improves health as well as trim fat) you need to actually sweat and work hard. Get that heart rate up for at least 20min. And when combining any cardio with your workout, be sure to balance out the amount of food you eat. A body builder will eat 2-3 times more than an average person but because their body is burning it off through intense workouts.

Another thing I've heard about is to cut out processed meat (lunch meat). I love sandwiches, so I haven't been willing to give this one up yet.

PT test in 2 weeks, hooah!

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