treebound 

Do any of you keep track of calories expended or burned versus consumed per day?
What tools, equipment, programs, applications do you use if any?
Does anyone use a BodyBugg or similar device?

I've started recording food intake and enter it into a phone app on most days and currently I'm taking in 1,800 to 2300 calories a day per the FatSecret Calorie Counter phone app. Some stuff I eat isn't in their program so I look for something similar and use that. Using this has helped me to get a better real idea of what I eat as opposed to just going by gut feel and using the subjective burp meter.

My goal this year is to finally drop 50Lbs. I'm about 5'11", used to be 6' but have apparently shrunk some during my 50+ years. Current weight is between 245 to 250 Lbs depending upon what scale I use, bathroom scale at home with a percentage calculator (foot pads electrical measurement), and a blood pressure machine at work similar to what some retail/drug stores have which also measures weight.

I'm also tracking my blood pressure and have managed to get that down by changing my eating habits, switching from coffee to teas, and watching my sodium intake. My upper number average has dropped about 20 points and the lower number has dropped 5-10 points taking me out of Stage 1 Hypertension and down into the green Prehypertension range per the machine's chart. My heart rate had also dropped about 10-15 beats at rest.

I just ran some numbers per some random web site indicating that cycling at 14-16mph burns about 1,200 calories an hour. Another site said I need to burn 3,500 calories to burn off one pound of weight. I plugged those numbers into the Biggest Loser show results and my math said for one of them to have dropped 20Lbs in a week they need to have burned/expended 70,000 calories more than they ate, which adds up to having cycled over 8 hours a day at 14-16mph for the full week (about 120 miles a day). But I work, don't have two personal trainers, and don't have access to a full gym right now, so I just watch the show for tips and motivation.

So, what do you folks keep track of and how do you track it all?
I figure my cycling season will begin in a few weeks. My current temp job is 45 miles each way so I've been checking Park-n-Pedal routes to figure out a 15 mile bike ride option for a few days each week.
Oh, and 95+% of my web browsing is on a Blackberry phone with no Flash capability so my web options are limited. I'll bookmark this thread so I don't lose it.

Thanks for any insights.

Ps, I've also downloaded MapMyRide and EndoMondo and a few other phone apps that I'll be playing with to see which works better for me.

sstorkel

I measure calories burned using a Garmin Edge 705 and a PowerTap power meter. I record exercise and food consumed using the LoseIt app for iPhone. At home, I weigh food portions using a cheap digital scale.

The Edge will guess at the number of calories burned, but it doesn't seem to be terribly accurate. The power meter will report the the amount of work you've done, in kilojoules. If you assume that your body is 25% efficient, which is pretty average, then kilojoules = calories burned. For me, this number tends to be much lower than reported by any website or HRM. It also matches my actual weight loss, so I tend to trust it more. I'm currently down to around 180lbs and 5'9" tall. If I ride my road bike for an hour on a relatively flat course at an average speed of 16-17mph, the PowerTap suggests I've burned around 600 calories. Hill climbing can boost the numbers significantly.

hammond9705

I also have a PTap and Edge 500. I usually average between 40kj and 50kj per mile. I believe that a lot of the online tools greatly overestimate the number of calories burned by clydes riding.

Mr. Beanz

Nope

psalm

livestrong.com

Tracks calories consumed, and calories burned.

CraigB

Neither do I, at least not beyond the "activity points" WW assigns to different types of exercise, and even then I don't do it for weight loss calculation purposes or to allow additional food intake, but just to feel good about myself as I see the points accumulate each week. (For one thing, their point scale is wildly subjective, with what appears to me to be arbitrary differences in points received for perceived levels of exertion. For example, cycling has what I believe is a fairly accurate point value at the slow end of the MPH range, and at the high end as well, but where it changes over, the difference is absurd. 12 MPH nets you X points per minute of riding, while 13 MPH gets you about 2.5 to 3 times as much. How accurate can that be?)

prathmann

Most monitoring of calorie intake and output is likely to have substantial uncertainties in both numbers so taking the difference as an indication of expected weight loss will be even more uncertain.

But just the recording of the numbers is likely to have benefits. It makes you more aware of everything you're eating when you're also writing it down and keeping a record. That provides some motivation every time you're tempted to go get something else to eat. Similarly, keeping a record of cycling and other exercise also adds to your motivation when you might otherwise feel like cutting a ride short or skipping it altogether.

The 3500 kcals per pound is a valid number since it's just a measure of how much energy is contained in one pound of fat. But the estimates of kcals used for cycling at different speeds are quite uncertain since they depend on the individual (how efficient are you at pedaling, how aerodynamic is your position, how efficient is your bike, etc.). 1200 kcal/hr for cycling at a moderate speed on flat ground sounds very high to me - and you'll find that such calculators on various websites vary quite a bit. I'd also view the figure of 20 lbs. lost in a single week with some suspicion. Much of that is likely to be due to temporary water loss rather than burning of fat.

Seattle Forrest

I tracked them for a while, and lost around 85 lbs in the process.

I used Google Spreadsheet, which I wouldn't recommend. It gets bogged down, very slow, and cumbersome, with too much data. Excel is more mature. But Excel ties you to one computer, or forces you to email a file back and forth between home and work.

Mr. Beanz

Yeah, I hate to think of all that points stuff. When I feel like it, I eat sensibly and ride harder. Riding the mountains adnbig climbs will do it everytime,..... if I ask nicely.

BigUgly

+1 on www.livestrong.com/myplate I haven't found a food I ate that isn't in thier list. Also, they have several excercises that indicate calories burned. There are sometimes same excercises with diff cals burned. I just go on the conservative side. When it comes to food eaten if I find a conflict I pick the higher cal one. Been doing it for 2 weeks and am having positive results. Lost weight when my net cals were where they arte supposed to be and gained when thye were more then they were supposed to be. When you start out it asks you some questions at it tells you how many cals you should be eating based on your age, weight, and lifestyle to lose a certain amount each week. I am not taking it as gospel but more using it as a guideline and it is working. I amd about your heigt and was your weight when I started but am down to 235. Have a full time job and 3 kids to raise. If you can find at least an hour a day to burn some cals and only consume what it tells you, you should see positive results. On the week spend some more time burn some cals. You don't need a gym membership to burn cals. Go on a ride, hike, walk, jog a little. Even a slow jog burns cals. Jump rope. Look in the fitness list for other ways to burn cals. I burned 600 cals yesterday morning shoveling 10" of snow from my driveway and didn't have to find and hour to hike or ride or walk. Good luck.

treebound 

(Shoot, hit the wrong button and lost what I just thumbtyped in)

I tried the EndoMondo app at lunch and it seems to work. Went for a short parking lot walk, .39mile, 2.9mph, and it said I burned 50 calories. Gives me time and distance, I'll figure the calories burned is approximate, and it works stored in the pocket wallet so it seems to do what I want from it. I'll try to get in a short ride this weekend and see how it does with cycling.

Thanks for the comments so far.

I used to help part time at an LBS a few years ago but don't think my discount is still active, otherwise I'd check into a PowerTap just for fun.

treebound 

My phone didn't work too well with the Livestrong MyPlate site.

We're possibly going to have a dumpload of heavy wet snow if the weather forecasters are right, the kind of stuff that plugs up the snowblower, so if it comes I'll be burning cals with the snow shovel.

We're about 3/4 mile from Lake Michigan so getting some walks in should be no problem. Time for new shoes though, old ones are about done due to salt and slush.

sstorkel

Some stores will rent you a PowerTap for a day or a weekend. If you have a standard training route, it might be useful to ride the route with a power meter to see how many calories you burn. The numbers seem to be pretty consistent for a given level of effort...

socalrider

The Garmins are known for way overestimating calories burned.. I personally use a Suunto HR and the calories burned are a little more realistic..

Wogster

There are a few things to keep in mind, some exercises can burn an incredible number of calories, cycling isn't one of them...
Losing 20lbs in a week, is generally not considered a healthy weight loss, it's doable, probably should be monitored by a doctor if you plan on it, and it's not something that can be done week after week, even on TBL one week they lose 20lbs, the next week 2lbs.... Online calorie counters are notorious for their inaccuracy, with cycling there are many variables, hills, wind, position on bicycle, gear, tire size, tire pressure, even how often you clean your chain, can affect your burn rate. Many online sites overestimate burn and under estimate consumption, so it looks like your doing better then you are....

To answer your question, nope.

digger531

I have been researching the body bug for some time now. What I have found out is they clame it is 90% accurate as compared to a metobolic chamber. Users say that the calories burned while cycling seems low which is probably good seeing that most people over estimate calories burned. I hope this device is everything they claim because what a break through but, I am not ready to give up my money just yet

treebound 

I'm just going to shoot for a 2Lbs per week weight loss average which should take care of my 50Lb goal by the end of August. That and a couple of cycling goals to motivate me back into cyclist mode, I don't want the weight loss to be the single biggest goal since that is just one aspect to my overall health.

I think I'll start wandering by the LBS and ask if maybe someone has a PowerTap (or simillar) I could borrow for a day. I think there were three or four people there running them.

Good stuff, thanks

snowman40

I use myfitnesspal.com, I can just scan the bar code and only a few of the things I eat with bar codes haven't shown up. I put in my ride times, but I don't really use it to see how many cals I've burned, just to track what I eat and keep myself honest.

DropBox - 1 file on each of my PCs, phones whatever....

poperszky

Yup, Garmin 405 CX, since works for both hiking/cycling/yardwork. But I don't usually alter my eating habits based on them, it is simply a measure of the amount of energy that I am expending.

bengreen79

I used this and managed to drop 60 lbs in 6 months (5'11" 237 --> 177). I've maintained that weight or less since then.

I believe it's cycling calorie estimates to be fairly accurate based on my experience. I used average commute speed (known distance/time) instead of what my cheapo cycling computer said.

harrv

There is a standalone blackberry app for Livestrong.com MyPlate that would probably work much better than just trying to access the web site from your phone. I use the iPhone app for Livestrong.com and love it. Very easy to track both calories consumed and calories burned.

I also use an iPhone app called RunKeeper, which initially was an app for runners to keep track of their runs, but has since been expanded to handle cycling as well. The thing I really like about it is it uses the GPS in my phone to produce a really great map of where I've been when I'm done, along with great data like split stats for every mile. The calories burned estimate is better (I think) on RunKeeper than on Livestrong.com because it uses additional data from the GPS such as changes in altitude (climbs and decents) and knows your speed for each portion of the trip, not just an average. It doesn't work well from your pocket though--the phone needs to be in an armband or mounted somewhere.

I'm not sure why I'm going into detail with you about RunKeeper though. You said you have a Blackberry, and so far RunKeeper is only available for the iPhone and Android platforms. You should definitely check out the Blackberry Livestrong.com app though.

prompterbob

I use runkeeper.com along with their free iPhone app which works like a bike computer mapping your route, speed, distance, calories, etc. Great website and program. To track my meals I use myfitnesspal.com. A silly name but an awesome website and free iPhone app. They have the best food database PERIOD. I plan my meals in advance and if it's not on my daily menu - I don't eat it! Lost 70+ pounds since September.

pbd

Calculating calories burned in situ is difficult.

However, calculating weight loss is easy, and calculating calories consumed is easy, therefore calculating calories burned over a period of time is possible when looking back at recorded data.

If your daily calorie intake is consistent and your activity level is consistent, then it is trivial to look back at a month of combined weight and calorie input data and calculate your calories burned ex situ.

It doesn't give you an instant look at daily activity, but it'll tell you how many calories your average activity level burns.

sstorkel

Unfortunately, I doubt that activity levels are consistent enough, nor calorie tracking accurate enough to make this exercise useful.

Accurate calorie tracking is quite a bit more difficult than people often assume. Unless you're weighing and measuring everything you eat, there's probably quite a bit of inaccuracy in your calorie estimates. Activity levels are probably similarly inconsistent, unless you're using a power meter to measure the actual amount of work you performed.

treebound 

I've read the reviews on the Livestrong app and figured I'd wait for the next rev, but then it's only a couple of dollars so I'm still thinking about it.