Counting Calories: Round 3!

Have I exhausted this topic of calorie counting yet?

I have posted twice before on this:

Figuring Your Calories: Round 1
I've Got Some Explaining To Do:  Round 2

 I got a great email this morning that made me take a second, third, and twenty-seventh look at my calorie counting methods. I’ve explained before that I use my iPhone’s “Lose It” application to calculate and track my calories. I realize, however, that not everyone is using Lose It to calculate their calories, so I provided the Harris Benedict Method in order to figure your caloric needs.

I list in my Eat With Me posts that my lately BMR is around 1900 calories. Well, using the Harris Benedict Method, I have a BMR of 1414. Now, I know that there is a large range for counting calories, but this 500 discrepancy is just too large for me -- or this insightful reader -- to ignore. So, I dove into my iPhone this morning. I have emerged from the land of numbers and figures and have a few things to share.

First of all, I was surprised to learn that "Lose It" does not use the popular Harris Benedict Method that I recommended. It turns out there is a newer formula out there called the Mifflin Method that better represents our bodies and this more sedentary culture we are proud to be a part of. It also calculates our RMR - or resting metabolic rate. Here’s the difference:

BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, and is synonymous with Basal Energy Expenditure or BEE. BMR measurements are typically taken in a darkened room upon waking after 8 hours of sleep; 12 hours of fasting to ensure that the digestive system is inactive; and with the subject resting in a reclining position.


RMR stands for Resting Metabolic Rate, and is synonymous with Resting Energy Expenditure or REE. RMR measurements are typically taken under less restricted conditions than BMR, and do not require that the subject spend the night sleeping in the test facility prior to testing.

 Definitions taken from http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php

OK, so "Lose It" uses the Mifflin Method. If you are interested, here it is:

For women: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) -161

w - weight in kg

h - height in cm

a- age

Alright, with my numbers plugged in, I got an RMR of 1,362 calories. OUCH! That’s even lower than the Harris Benedict Equation! Well, it turns out that Lose It then multiplies that by my PAL factor-- Personal Activity Level (see Step 2 here for the PAL factors). But, since they know with "Lose It" everyone is going to plug in their workout calories, they choose a lower PAL factor of 1.45.

So my RMR x PAL = my calorie budget. With my numbers it looks like this:

1362 x 1.45 = 1,975

That, allegedly, is just what I need to eat to maintain my weight. I also plug in my workout calories, then eat them back through out the day.

After getting this morning's email, however, and discovering that "Lose It" is using an automatic PAL factor of 1.45 for me, I feel that is a bit high for me. So, after much deliberation and calculating, I’m going to use a PAL factor of 1.3 instead -- more accurately reflecting my actual activity level when I am not exercising. Then, I will plug in my workout calories on top of that. My new numbers look closer to this:

1,362 x 1.3 =1,770 calories per day.

So, you will now see some changes in my calorie budget in my Eat With Me posts:

1,362 (RMR) x 1.3 (PAL) = total calories
- 500 (weight loss calories)
+workout calories
------------------------------------------
GRAND TOTAL!

Holy cow.  I'm tired.  I have a degree in Elementary Education, not rocket science.  No wonder people go crazy when trying to lose weight.  WE JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES TO EAT!  OK, I'm done with my rant.  I hope I've done more to clear things up, and not made you want to go eat some Double Stuffed Oreos.  Please send any questions my way.

**Side Note:  So, you may ask, which method do I prefer?  The Harris Benedict Equation?  The Mifflin Equation?  Well, the totals are not that far part, so either one really.  I will be using the Mifflin Equation since I'm still using Lose It.  And the Harris Benedict has a tendency to overestimate caloric needs and  I'm more of a underestimate kind of gal.

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Fit Momma Question: Pregnancy and Calories

Fit Momma Robin emailed me this question. She's not the only one who is asking this:

Being pregnant, is it reasonable to want to "lose weight" now? If so, what is a safe calorie level to shoot for during these last few weeks of pregnancy?

Awesome question! I've had several moms email me recently about this. What was in the water a few months ago? Everyone I know is pregnant! Yippee!

While pregnant, it is not a good idea to shoot for losing weight. I wouldn't be counting calories at this point, but IF you did the range is wide the range is wide -- around 1900-2500 calories a day.

BUT, it is never a bad time to try, TRY! to make better food choices. Nothing new here:

tons of veggies
fruits
whole grains
lean protein
lots of water
cut out (cut back on) refined sugars, refined flours, and entire bags of Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (yes, I did down an entire bag with Baby #2)

Check out this site: Momma's Health

Thanks for the email and questions... Bring 'em on!

Fit Momma Question: How to Count Calories?

I've been posting my Eat With Me posts for a few weeks now. Two Fit Momma's named Ann asked the same question:

Annie P: I am new to your blog and I am thinking about what I eat. I have no idea what the calorie count is for most things I eat. And since I eat mostly homemade things I don't have a package to go by. How do I figure this out?

Ann: How do you keep such good track of the calories of all you eat? I understand prepackaged stuff- (i.e. bars), and stuff you put together with few ingredients can be easy to figure, but....???

There are a few resources I use in order to count my calories. Here are the top four:

1. Lose It - iPhone app (we use this one the most)

2. As for stuff I make myself, Jared is my number king and will take the time while I'm cooking to add up every single ingredient in the entire dish, then divide it by the servings. He's done this for chocolate chip cookies, enchiladas, my lasagna, and we are doing more and more each week.

From January 2010

Sounds tedious? We love it. We're weird. We both gagged in disbelief when we found out how many calories was in a cup of shortening (1,812! And 205 grams of fat! Ahhhhh! I'm now running around like a crazy woman with my hands waving wildly in the air!). We high five each other when we load 3 cups of spinach on our plate for a whopping 21 calories.

What can I say? It bonds us (see this post).

3. Google it-- I'll just punch in "calories for one medium orange" – 64 calories later, I am in know. If it some obscure dish, I will just try to find something similar.

4. www.thedailyplate.com -- There are a million and one more calorie counting resources online as well.

We eat pretty much the same things after a while, so its not like we are starting from scratch each day. Also, when calorie counting, if I’m just not sure about something, I round up. I’m kidding nobody but myself.

I must also add that I don’t live like this 365 days a year. I do have some fitness goals right now I’m working towards, thus the calorie counting has begun again.

It just plain works.

Send any questions my way, I eat this stuff up (along with my 21 calories of spinach)! Click here.

Ooops!

Fit Momma Amy pointed out that my chart from yesterday's post about calculating your calories was off a bit. My blond hair is taking full responsibility. I apologize for the over site, corrected the chart and you are good to go! Start calculating away!

Figuring Out Your Daily Calories

Alright… We’ve been talking a lot about weight loss lately for primarily two reasons:

1. It is a new year and weight loss it usually in the top three of people’s New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps it is one of yours.

2. I am in LOSE IT LAND myself right now.

Yesterday I discussed the case for counting calories, at least for a short period of time. Many of you may be wondering, “How in the heck do I know how many calories to eat?” Is it some random number thrown out by the Weight Loss gods? Did Jenny Craig just make it up? Is it science or fiction?

From Personal Training pics

There are ways to determine this. I personally, just use my iPhone app “Lose It” (it’s free!) to plug in the numbers, chew them up, and spit them out at me all in the time it takes for me to gnaw on a piece of beef jerky.

Of course, if you don’t have this app or an iPhone – there are many other methods. Amazingly, some geniuses sat down and figured out a mathematical formula to figuring out how many calories you should be eating.

Want it?

It’s called the Harris Benedict Equation, and this Harris was one smart cookie (or carrot stick for our purposes). It is long, a bit involved, but not too hard if you passed 7th grade Pre- Algebra and thanks to Mrs. Perry at Crane Jr. High, I did.

Here are all the steps, with a bit of New Kid’s On the Block singing background music for us. I just couldn’t help myself:

Step One
(We can have lots of fun!)

This step determines your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). BMR is the amount of calories needed to maintain your current weight without exercise.

For Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

For Men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Step Two
(there’s so much we can do!)

Now, take the number from Step 1 and multiply it by the level of exercise below.

I, personally, used the “moderately active” option, simply because I wanted to be honest and at the low end of the calorie meter. I do workout out at least an hour, if not more, 6 days a week, but am not training for an Iron Man or anything (and never will), so I put myself in the Moderately Active category just to be safe.

Exercise Factor	Category	Explanation
1.2	Sedentary	Little or no exercise
1.375	Lightly Active	Light exercise (1 to 3 days/wk)
1.5	Moderately Active	Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days/wk)
1.7	Very Active	Hard exercise (6 to 7 days/wk)
1.9	Extremely Active	Hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

Step Three
(there’s just you and me!)

The number you have now will tell you how many calories you can eat for WEIGHT MAINTENANCE.

Wanna lose a few lbs? Need to gain some poundage? Then adjust your number up or down depending on your goals:

• For weight loss (this is for 1 lb per week), subtract 500 calories per day from your Step 2 number.

• For weight maintenance, just use the same number from Step 2.

• For weight gain (yes, there are some rare species like this out there. We must love them, too), add 250 or 300 calories per day to your number from Step 2.

So, break out with the calculators (yes, I had to use a calculator. Hello, I'm a mother of 3 young children. Enough said. Sorry, Mrs. Perry, to disappoint you.). Get plugging!

Here's my break down:

Step One: 1,420.145
Step Two: 2, 201.2247
Step Three: 1,701.2247 --GRAND TOTAL

Oh, joy! I have an extra 1.2247 calories I can eat from now on! YIPPEE! I had no idea! Maybe one big sniff of a Chips Ahoy bag will do the trick.

HUH!
My thanks to New Kid's On the Block for their contribution today.

** Source: www.beachbody.com, Insanity Elite Nutrition

To Count Calories or Not?

Years ago, my little sis was a serious athlete. She ran track for many years and ripped up the hurdles, triple jump, and high jump. She ended up running track for BYU for a few years. Her workouts were intense (and this blogger’s dream): twice a day – 2 hours on the track, 2 hours in the weight room. Five days a week. Saturdays she was expected to workout on her own.

She was in a nutrition class and her professor had all the students track their calories for a day. She was young, had been an athlete for as long as she could remember, and really never thought about how much she was eating a day. She just ate. And ate. And ate. She figured she ate around 2,000 calories. She wrote down every thing she ate and was shocked to discover she was regularly eating 4,000 calories per day! Holy tamole! The only other person who was eating that much in her class was another athlete from the track team. And a male.

From October 2009

This is my dearest Emily now.
She just had a baby four weeks ago! Isn't she a beauty?

Granted, she was a top level athlete, working out to the extreme, and her body was a finely tuned calorie burning machine at that point. My point of writing this is to point out that her perception of what she thought she was consuming was soooo very different from reality.

On a lesser scale, that often happens with us. We ball-park-it and think we are eating roughly under let’s say 2,000 calories, but perhaps reality is that we are a few hundred over that. And then guess what? We gain weight.

**Eating just 150 calories beyond what you are expending each day can lead to a weight gain of 5 lbs. in six months. That’s like a piece of whole wheat bread and a small apple. Does that stink or what? Slowly but surely, the little things add up.

Since I’m in weight loss mode, I’m a countin’ the calories again (sung to the tune of “Back in the Saddle Again”). I do not do this long term, but when I’m in LOSE IT mode – it is the first thing do.

I keep a food journal and write down everything – every raisin, every walnut, every lettuce leaf– that passes my lips. No lying allowed. No cutting corners. Sounds monotonous? YES. IT. IS. I do that for a least a week, if not longer (especially weekends!) to get me back on track. Then I run screaming like a crazy lady off the nearest cliff. What I mean is, after I’ve re-learned exactly what my calorie count should look like in terms of real food, I stick with that basic menu for quite some time, until I’m out of LOSE IT LAND.

I’m not saying that you should count every calorie from now until you take your last breath. No, that is over the top, even for me. BUT, if you are trying to lose weight, you really should do it for a solid week as a benchmark to know where you are and where you can reduce your calories.

What you learn will really surprise you.

In a previous post (click here), I mentioned three excellent tools to help you count your calories. It is much easier than it used to be. Use this free technology to your advantage!

Calories 1,2,3

A lot can be said about weight loss... But in the end it simply comes down to calories in versus calories out. A very effective way to lose weight is to simply count calories. For some, it only takes a few days to get things under control, and others I work with it requires them to count every last stinking calorie until that last pound is lost. Personally, I need it periodically to grab the reins again and have a few "Oh my gosh, I had no idea there were that many calories in __________(fill in the blank)!!!!" moments.

I have found a few great helps online. They are all FREE (sweet!) and very easy to use. You simply set your weight loss goals, record the food you put in your mouth, and also input your exercise you've done that day. It will help you by setting your allowed calories for the day, letting you know how many calories you've eaten that day, and how many more you have left in order to meet your goals.

Here the ones I've used and that I feel are worth your time:


www.thedailyplate.com
Great selection of foods to input. Probably my fav online.


www.fitday.com
Tried and true. This is the first online one I ever used and I was shocked at how my unlimited handfuls of almonds were killing me! It took seeing the actual numbers on the screen to help me break my almond addiction (I'm now down to one handful a day!).


For you iPhone users out there, this application is called "Lose It!" and it rocks! My husband and I have been using it faithfully for a month now and we LOVE IT. It is simple, easy and hands down my favorite calorie counter out there. Yes, it is free -- so what the heck are you waiting for? You can use it for weight maintenance as well. Brilliant!