OMG, you’re right, @acollegestudent. I can’t even read a formula.
Well, that means I only need 1080 calories. Hah ha ha.
Uh, I don’t think so.
VH, no, you dont “only need 1080.” You need MORE, because your assumption is based on the ERRONEOUS statement in the post that first brought up the formula that BMR caloric burn is what it takes to maintain weight.
Please see my post above and feel free to add a few hundred more! 
oops! crosspost 
@VeryHappy you subtract 4.7 x age not add it. I got 1426.2 which is pretty close to my measured BMR from awhile back. No formula will be exact to the calorie, though so just use them as general benchmarks. Also they are based on norms for your gender and age and will not take bone mass or body type into account. If you have a very muscular build your numbers could be significantly higher.
And as BB noted several times - that is the energy that it takes to keep your body alive and ticking over. All basic activities of daily living will be added to that and intentional exercise on top of those.
Try this and use “sedentary” (because “moderately active” means walking 2 miles a day):
http://m.cancer.org/healthy/toolsandcalculators/calculators/app/calorie-counter-calculator
Using this, I get about 1700, which is pretty much spot on with my estimate using 25 calories per hour above BMR for 16 hours a day.
Now we can move onto another discussion topic: humans are not calorimeters, and not all calories are created equal. 
I get it. Thanks.
I like the cancer.org calculator much better. That suggests 1836 calories per day, which IMO is much more reasonable. I am moderately active.
BB: “Lightly active” was walking two miles a day.
Re: #97
Rowing is more intense from a cardio standpoint than paddling, since rowing includes greater leg action (both have lots of back action, though the muscles are used differently). Both do involve gripping something (oar or paddle, or the handle on an erg machine like a Concept 2).
Of course, cardio exercise will have some muscle building effect on the muscles being used (as well as the heart, of course), but weighted or resistance exercise tends to emphasize the muscle building. But weighted rows and the like may be more of a problem for someone with grip issues.
For someone wanting to do indoor cardio at home, a rowing erg machine like a Concept 2 is probably one of the better options. Compared to things like treadmills and ellipticals, it gives a more intense cardio workout, yet takes up less space, is easier to move around, and costs less.
What I can never figure out about myself (and especially looking at those kind of charts and formulas) is that when I have a really intense project or series of projects at work that require long, grueling but utterly sedentary work, I always lose weight.
And that is while eating terribly – high calorie junk that I normally don’t eat - and getting less physical activity. I definitely feel my metabolism speeds up during stress and times of intense concentration even when my physical activity drops.
Nottelling, your BMR is not a static number; it goes up and down depending on what cellular machinery is engaged! You are absolutely corect about stress. When our BP jumps up or stress level goes through the roof, our bodies could burn many more calories than what they typically use even if we don’t add any extra activity. A few years ago, when I was under immense stress, I stopped exercising, ate more, but lost so much weight I looked mummified (went from 125 to 117 lb in a month!). Plus, your brain needs more fuel when it goes into overdrive!
very happy, I did the same thing!
Re rowing machine–I also like the concept 2. It does require holding onto the handle, of course, but you don’t really need to grip it tightly. It also helps that it is one handle instead of two oars–maybe it would work for someone with some limitations on grip.
Re: Concept 2 rowers - I have one and use it. At first I just hopped on and went all out. Then I watched the “how to” videos on the Concept 2 website and realized there’s a real technique - and I had been rowing at much too fast a pace. Watch the instructions before falling into bad habits!
Bunsen Burner is correct. I left a line out of the formula when I copied it. Thanks for catching that. As written, it’s the # of calories you need just to exist. However, it’s important that you add back in calories based on your activity level. You do that by multiplying the base # by 1.1 (sedentary) to 1.5 (active). I multiplied mine by both and try to stay on the low end when I’m not doing much and not worry if I’m on the upper end when I’m active.
The fitness apps that count calories and nutrients are good too. Once you get a feel for what you’re eating, you can stop using them full-time. I use one now and then if I need to get back on track, but it’s tiring to use one for an extended period.
"For those of us who are male, it’s the “metabolic syndrome,” including that hard-to-eliminate gut. "
Metabolic syndrome is a major issue for women too. You can exercise and diet like crazy, and not lose weight unless you get that under control. You need to figure out if you have this. Excellent advice given from another poster on cc. This is important!
However, if you’re willing to make the investment, bioidentical hormones are awesome, and help a lot.
The appropriate amount of melatonin to help you stay asleep is important.
You can massively cut sugar cravings by taking chromium and/or alpha lipoic acid. Chromium works so well that even fruit was too sweet for me.
RE post #110 yep - you want to have a controlled recovery the accelerate on the pull. Drive through your legs with a tight core then finish with your upper body. You can get an excellent workout at 20-25 spm. The more efficient your stroke the lower your split time will run.
Can I share good news? After 4 weeks of food logging and cutting back as well as increasing my exercize I am now down almost 5 lbs!
I have a hard time with this. I have gained 10 pounds since last year on top of the 20 I have wanted to lose for the past 10 years… I am not a snacker and I don’t overeat but I don’t diet. I like walking but cannot do it all the time. I guess my metabolism is just getting slower and slower. My doctor wants me to go on a 1200 calorie diet. I doubt, I could survive that. He probably thinks I am eating McDonalds and drinking sodas. I made a food diary and there is really nothing awful in it. Yes, once in a while I indulge in ice cream but not to the point where I need to gain 10 pounds.
My friend, however, has always been thin, loves to cook and eats as well. She does not exercise and just went into menopause without gaining a pound. She is a size 2. Her genes are fantastic!
@fallgirl - congratulations!!! Having just walked that road, I know how hard it can be and how satisfying to finally see the results. What’s working best for you? Having finished the C25K program (but no 5K yet), I developed a bit of hip pain and have been walking instead of running the past week. Knowing my own patterns, I suspect it will take me awhile to make my way back to running form, breathing-wise, but that too will come. It’s finally beautiful here. Sunny, but not too humid. Great weekend ahead. Hope all of you in the rain or drought zones get some relief soon.
I’m not middle aged or anything, but one tip I’ve found that helps a lot of people lose weight is to fill up on tons of water throughout the day. Eat raw fruits, nuts, etc. that all have high fiber content and take up more volume in your stomach. A small square of dark chocolate has been shown to produce hunger suppressing hormones and is also a good way to satisfy any cravings for sweet foods you may have.
As an aside, I also want to advocate for lifting weights or doing some kind of strength-based training. As people age, the density in their bones and their muscle mass drops considerably each year. Strength training won’t necessarily reverse this loss permanently, but it can help you maintain bone density and muscle tone for as long as possible, which some studies suggest is more critical to maintaining a longer life span than cardio-based exercise.
Any older guys here should also supplement Vitamin D3 and/or fish oil (actually, all of you should do that!). Vitamin D is crucial to the production of testosterone and is just generally good for you, and fish oil is great for many things. We Westerners (especially Americans) eat way too much Omega 6/9 and relatively little Omega 3. It’s very effective for cognitive health and possibly effective for preventing Alzheimer’s.
Sorry, that’s my little unsolicited advice rant. Good luck with all of the weight loss CCers!
Metabolic syndrome here. It’s a collection of symptoms that can all be attributed to other things, none of which are huge red flags, but when combined, they raise the risk of cardiac events exponentially. Then it can be deadly.
There is no such thing as a one small square of chocolate. And I say this as someone is not a chocoholic. Some foods are triggers for me. I just have to back away and Not.Go.There.
The concept two is what I was using at the gym I think. They were nice.
The bar did work well for me because I could adjust my grip.
My knee isnt a problem any more since the replacement. I have to keep it exercised, and I am afraid to jump or run very much, but it rarely hurts.
I also dont have shoulder problems, really, although I have some scoliosis and Im sure if I paddled for a long time I would discover what hurt, but the dragon boat was so social that it was really fun, and I could rest if I needed to.
I actually eat a tiny, ( about half of a section) of chocolate every night. But it is edible medical cannabis from the Venice Cookie Company, for my fibromyalgia and arthritis so I can sleep.
Im not tempted to eat more, I learned my lesson on that one!!!