Training & Nutrition - Help with counting calories for weightloss.

Hey guys I am kind of at a plateau and am really looking into kicking up my weightloss for the winter. I have decided to start counting calories. I googled calorie calculators and basal metabolic rate calculators. I calculated my BMR from 5 calculators and took the average of them.

I am 6' 200lb 22 year old male. The 5 calculations averaged 2090.61156 calories so just say 2100 calories.

I messed around with a lot of other calculators too and am confused where I should start. One calculator said my BMR was 2000 calories and if I slept for 24 hours I would need an extra 1030 calories totalling 3030 calories.

So my question is:

1. If my BMR is 2100 calories, how much should I add for other activities throughout the day? (for things like sleep, going to school, regular daily activities, etc. ignore cycling)

2. How should I approach replenishing for cycling. I have a powertap so I have a pretty accurate estimate of what I burned. Should I replace 100% of what I burned from cycling, 80% or maybe even 120%? I know sometimes exersize makes you pretty hungry so how should I approach this.

3. After estimating total calories used in a day I figure I will start by eating 500 calories less since that seems to be the typical number heard. Should I try 750 calories less or some other number?

I would guess that this is what I should do:

BMR = 2100
Random Daily Activities = 500 calories
Cycling = x calories
To lose weight = -500 calories

So I should take in 2100 + 500 + 1x - 500 calories total


But I am wondering if maybe it is

2100 + 300 + .8x - 500 or something else different.

any recomendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey guys I am kind of at a plateau and am really looking into kicking up my weightloss for the winter. I have decided to start counting calories. I googled calorie calculators and basal metabolic rate calculators. I calculated my BMR from 5 calculators and took the average of them.

I am 6' 200lb 22 year old male. The 5 calculations averaged 2090.61156 calories so just say 2100 calories.

I messed around with a lot of other calculators too and am confused where I should start. One calculator said my BMR was 2000 calories and if I slept for 24 hours I would need an extra 1030 calories totalling 3030 calories.

So my question is:

1. If my BMR is 2100 calories, how much should I add for other activities throughout the day? (for things like sleep, going to school, regular daily activities, etc. ignore cycling)

2. How should I approach replenishing for cycling. I have a powertap so I have a pretty accurate estimate of what I burned. Should I replace 100% of what I burned from cycling, 80% or maybe even 120%? I know sometimes exersize makes you pretty hungry so how should I approach this.

3. After estimating total calories used in a day I figure I will start by eating 500 calories less since that seems to be the typical number heard. Should I try 750 calories less or some other number?

I would guess that this is what I should do:

BMR = 2100
Random Daily Activities = 500 calories
Cycling = x calories
To lose weight = -500 calories

So I should take in 2100 + 500 + 1x - 500 calories total


But I am wondering if maybe it is

2100 + 300 + .8x - 500 or something else different.

any recomendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would just keep it simple. BMR + around 300-500 for daily activities +exercesise - (500 to 700).
So lets say your BMR is 2100 and you burn 1200 Cal on a bike, and seat on your bum all day long: 2100+300+1200-700=2900 worth of munchie goodness.

Few things to remember. Those calculators just provide a ball park figure, so yours might be off by 200-300 Calories in either direction. Amount you burn during a day by doing stuff is even more of a guestimation. Then there is calorie counting itself. Most people go by "well that looks like two table spoons" :rolleyes:, so they tend to really under count how much they eat. So if you really want to get serious about it, you'll need food scales. Yeah I know it sounds a bit obsessive compulsive, but that's the sad truth. This kind of demonstrates the point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAJ3yT2rR9U
Bottom line use all these formulas as a starting point, track your weight trend. If after few weeks it is going down you got the in vs out right, if not you over estimated calories burned or under estimated how much you eat.

UD

Thanks for the reply.


So if you really want to get serious about it, you'll need food scales. Yeah I know it sounds a bit obsessive compulsive, but that's the sad truth.
UD

Already got one :)