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Freedom-No-781 OP t1_j6hctdu wrote

Reply to comment by 152centimetres in ELI5 - When losing weight, why is it common to hear "burn more than you consume" in reference to calorie intake. if you consume" 1000 calories, how do you burn 1500? by Freedom-No-781

This is what always gets me, I've got a very active job (I'm a CO, so while doing my rounds I walk at least 6 miles up and down stairs a day) but even on the treadmill reaching high calorie output numbers seems daunting.

I weight train, and then do cardio on top of my job, although even if I eat 1500, spending 20 minutes on the treadmill only burns about 500 calories, where does the extra 1100 come from?

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Jkei t1_j6hd4kq wrote

Just being alive sees you burning something like 1800 calories a day. You'd use that much even if you laid perfectly still in bed all day, like a coma patient.

Say that between an active job and exercise, you burn another 700 or so, putting your total at 2500. If you then stick to a harsh diet like 1000 kcal a day, you're 1500 kcal in the negatives, so that comes from fat instead.

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Freedom-No-781 OP t1_j6hdjt3 wrote

Ohh ok, see I didn't even think about basic bodily needs outside of the gym, that makes it much easier to understand how that's obtained now! So from your example, I could even eat 1500 calories and still lose weight from just normal everyday bodily needs?

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Jkei t1_j6he2oe wrote

Absolutely. As long as total in is smaller than total out, your weight is on a decreasing trend. 1500 in vs 2500 out is still net -1000 which is very substantial.

As a rough estimate, a kilogram of body fat contains about 7000-9000 kcal worth of energy, so this particular diet would see you lose one kg of weight in roughly a week's time.

Similarly, if you were comatose and getting fed 1500 kcal a day, you'd be at 1500 - 1800 = -300, so still losing weight but only 30% as fast as the example diet --> about 1 kg a month.

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Freedom-No-781 OP t1_j6heeiq wrote

Thank you!! This conversation helped so much!

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Jkei t1_j6het39 wrote

No problem, and good luck.

E: do keep an eye on proper macro balance, though.

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annomandaris t1_j6l24wt wrote

Also note that while losing weight is simply calories in > calories out, in the long term there are some factors that can make a difference. First off the longer you spend starving yourself your body will start to slow your metabolism down. Your body wants to keep its fat, it makes you fitter for survival in lean times. So simply starving yourself typically isnt as efficient as doing things like intermittent fasting. Again this doesnt mean that one is better for this person or that person, but just mathematically you can lose more weight that way.

Also remember that even if you are intaking less calories, you still need certain nutrients to be healthy. Your body requires fats, carbohydrates and proteins, as well as nutrients and vitamins to survive.

Unless you are very skilled and knowledgeable about balancing diets and meeting all these requirements and such, cheat days are a benefit to your overall health. Your body will often crave things it needs, so every now and then, you should treat yourself.

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englisi_baladid t1_j6iqkki wrote

You aren't burning 500 calories in 20 minutes on a treadmill

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Representative_Art96 t1_j6kc5va wrote

Yeah even going 25km/h for 20 minutes straight (which I highly doubt you're doing) you're still burning only 200 calories or so. 20 minutes of treadmill burns around 100 calories or so if you run half the time

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152centimetres t1_j6hdfvy wrote

i'd talk to a nutritionist, they can help you with your caloric/macro nutrient intake goals and figure out the best exercises for you

but honestly it sounds like you're quite fit so im guessing your goal is just general weight loss? so i'd like to just put it out there that unless you change your eating and exercise for the rest of your life, as soon as you stop the "diet" or extra exercise or whatever it is, you will more than likely end up gaining the weight back and possibly more

tl;dr diets dont work, lifestyle changes do, and weight loss isnt the end all be all for happiness/self esteem

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Freedom-No-781 OP t1_j6he1pi wrote

Talking to a nutritionist does sound like a good plan, unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere USA so I'd have to travel a bit to see one.

I'm overweight for my height at least not in my mind tragically so, 220 at 5'9 my goal is both to put on muscle while also losing weight, a lifestyle change is exactly what I need tbh, I don't want to diet, simply eat less which I guess is "dieting" but it's not as strict, I mean I could eat 1500 calories of McDonalds and call it a day.

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152centimetres t1_j6her5i wrote

like i said, macros are just as (if not more of) an important factor as the actual calories, here's an article from harvard about why a calorie is not a calorie, which i think is a good place to start! do some research, and listen to your body!!!

my best advice tho is not to worry too much about counting calories, listen to your body and only eat when you're hungry, and try to eat the foods that you're craving, because your body will tell you what it needs (but like if you're craving fast food, try to eat homemade foods with similar ingredients that will give your body what it needs while still keeping you relatively healthy)

that said, all things in moderation! if you want chips here and there thats fine! a soda once in a while? why not! your body is whats keeping you alive so try to give it the love it deserves!!

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mrasifs t1_j6k1hkz wrote

A lot of health plans will allow (maybe even encourage) you to see a nutritionist for free. Chat with your GP to see if they can recommend a virtual consultation.

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ars13690 t1_j6hdext wrote

If you're an average sized person your basic bodily functions, heart beating, liver filtering, brain thinking, all use anywhere between 1500-2000 calories a day. Speaking from experience an overweight 6'5" man burns 2500 calories if i just sit in bed reading a book all day

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Freedom-No-781 OP t1_j6hdoal wrote

So if said overweight 6'5 man just stayed in bed all day, and ate 1500 calories. He'd lose weight rapidly then? Even with no exercise?

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Myrrmidonna t1_j6hn9ti wrote

He would, but his muscles would deteriorate from not being used, his metabolism would slow down and eventually his body would need much less calories, so he'd have to keep reducing the calories intake. In the end he'd become thin but very weak instead of fit, like a survivor of a long and heavy illness, and might have earned some ailments as a bonus.

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annomandaris t1_j6l0mde wrote

Most of it is burned to keep your body temp up. The rest of it is to just do the basic functions, lungs, heart and organs working, the brain takes up a good chunk of energy as well.

Your right, you wont lose much weight by excercise unless you do it for many hours a day. You best bet is portion control, and eating less calorie dense foods, ie vegetables and fruits and natural meat instead of things with corn syrup, oils, butter, etc. its better to eat a giant bowl of spinich than it is like 1 slice of cheese.

The problem is our bodys have evolved to crave energy dense foods, so it basically means good tasting stuff is bad for you.

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tm0587 t1_j6m8jmn wrote

You continue to burn more calories than resting AFTER you stopped working out so that's something to consider for your calculations.

Also, putting on muscles means your resting calorie count go up too.

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