Calorie calculation question

[Christin3]

Just started calorie counting using nutracheck.

I followed its instructions about how many cals to eat to lose 0.5lb per week

It said 1800 - fine been following it.

I saw today that I could sync it to my Fitbit so I did that. I walked 10,000 steps today and saw that I'd burned 400 extra cals. The 400 cals were then added to my calorie goal for the day, making it 2200.

My question is, should I "count" the calories that are burned according to the Fitbit or not? So today should I have had 1800 or 2200?

I never eat back my exercise calories. I don't need to do I would just be eating for the sake of it. I'm on 1750.

Don’t eat back your calories - the apps tend to over estimate how many calories you’ve burned.

I just don't see how "calories burned" can be measured accurately... how does the Fitbit know I burned 400?

Fitbit knows from Your heart rate. combined in a formula with your mass, age, sex and presumed average Vo2 max. Fitbit is pretty accurate in my experience, when I actually calorie counted what I ate each day, my count matched what Fitbit said within ~7% ( I didn't gain or lose weight).

Ok so if it's accurate I can count it right?? Or not?

So confused.

Nope don't count these, stick to the 1800

Although - did you calculate 1800 properly or is this just what the app threw out? It's all based on your weight/height/activity level etc so we are all often at different calorie requirements

count it and eat IF you want to loose weight slowly
ignore it IF you are not hungry
loosing weight slowly IS NOT better for your health or helpful in the long run.
getting to a normal BMI asap and learning to maintain a normal weight leads to less chance of giving up according to most recent researchers.

I used several online calculators which all gave me similar numbers. I'm v tall so this makes sense.

Tbh I've lost quickly before and typically it piled straight back on 🤣 going for he slow route this time, although that research does sound interesting.

The calories in / out method does work, but it takes some calibration. Take the example of calories burned running; some people run with an efficient, fluid grace, bouncing along easily, while others (like me) end up hammering the road in an awful sort of movement, using far more calories.

It’s the same with “resting” calorie usage. Some people sit dead still, others are constantly fidgeting, and getting up and down, and the difference can be hundreds of calories per day.

This means it takes time to work out your baseline. I use about the expected calories per day on exercise, but a bit fewer than expected per day.

If you’re wanting to lose weight, don’t eat calories burned.
They aren’t always that accurate anyway.

If you want to double check your recommendation for calories do a TDEE calculator online.

Interesting. So it's just a case of trial and error until you find a good number of cals to eat for sustainable weight loss (without feeling dreadful!)

A bit, yes. The numbers from your app shouldn’t be a million miles off, but may need some tweaking.

Dont eat back exercise calories. If you have in the back of your mind that you've got 400 exercise calories "spare" you'll eat them anyway even if you're not hungry. Try and reframe it that exercise calories are a bonus for extra weightloss as opposed to meaning you can eat extra food iyswim.

Useful advice thanks everyone. I don't think I'll count them, especially as it's just walking!