Calorie Calculators

[Axel Slinger]

Ok, some of you are more experienced at this sort of thing than I am, so maybe someone can tell me if I am right or wrong about these so called Calorie Calculators. Using This (http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/calories-burned.php) one for example, I put in that I am Male, 52 years old, 6 feet tall, and lead a Light Activity lifestyle. It calculates that I burn 3400 calories during a typical day. I think that has got to be wrong. If I change the Lifestyle option to Moderate Activity and leave the rest the same, it says I burn 3900 calories during a typical day. (Some days I am pretty active, others I'm not.)

Here's where I need to be corrected if I am wrong... If I were to eat 1600 Calories a day (which I try very hard to stick to) and if I were to burn 3400 to 3900 Calories a day, logic tells me that I would be burning anywhere from 1800 to 2300 Calories more than I eat in a day, thus I should be losing weight pretty fast. Right?

But I'm not. In fact, since I found out I am diabetic I have changed my diet considerably. I eat less, I eat better, and yet I have gained a lot of weight. Thus I think these Calorie Calculators are far from accurate.

What do you guys think?

[susique333]

My Dr. explained insulin resistance (Im resistant to normal amounts of insulin, so my body makes excess insulin). That larger amount of insulin then tells my liver to take extra glucose and store it as fat. I have run into the same problem as you. She put me on metformin and said couple that with low carb I should break the stall. So far...nope.

Edit:Google insulin resistance and weightgain and it can tell you more.

[tanyatype1]

3700 calories = 1 pound. I've never heard of those calorie counters before:)

[Evermont]

1 pound per day = 13 hours hiking 13 miles over very rough terrain (steep 2000 foot elevation changes) with a 35 lb pack while eating ~2000 calories (averaged over 23 days).

I learned that losing 1 pound is much harder than I ever thought, and harder than I think most people would estimate.

You gotta EARN it!

I tried FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal (http://www.fitday.com/) once, it seems pretty good.

[LoDeSp]

For me, that calculator gives reasonable results (~2100 calories/day for sedentary, 2800 calories/day for moderate).

Based upon your response, I would guess that you're around 250-300 pounds (where I was when diagnosed). If you're only eating 1600 calories per day, then you should be losing weight quickly (I lost around 2 pounds a week for 3 months when I cut my calories to where you are).

So here are two possibilities:
1. You're not calculating your daily calorie intake correctly
2. You have a slow metabolism and/or thyroid issue

I'm not a doctor, but something doesn't seem right about this. I'd double-check your daily calorie intake and if that seems correct, ask your doctor about it. You should be losing weight fast.

[HelenM]

You website might find this website useful in tracking your calories/expenditure USDA - CNPP - MyPyramid Tracker (http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/default.htm)
Towards the bottom of the page theres a place to try it out without registering. Its time consuming (and quite hard if you don't understand cup measurements) but if you fill it the food and exercise diary you get a very good idea of your nutrient and calorie consumption/expenditure.
As its not aimed at people with diabetes you may (or may not) disagree with the carb proportions suggested.

[RLK]

If your calorie deficiency each day is 2000 calories, it's quite possible that you're actually preventing yourself from losing weight. When calorie intake is very low compared to the actual caloric needs, the body goes into "starvation mode", where the metabolism slows greatly in order to protect the fat stores that would sustain the body during a famine. It then burns muscle to make up the calorie deficiency, which doesn't help your weight loss any.

I tried the calorie counter that you posted, and it was pretty accurate for me (2100 calories for moderate activity). My suggestion is that you increase the number of calories that you're eating, and see if that doesn't increase your weight loss. Also, if you haven't met with a dietician or nutritionist yet, I strongly recommend it. My appointment was very helpful!

Good luck!