Having difficulty figuring out how much I burn

So, I have been trying to estimate how much I actually burn a day because when I am not working or at the gym I am very sedentary (I am a student, so I read, write and of the sort). My goal is weight loss and currently I am consuming around 1200 calories with the occasional increase to 1500 but I am starting to question if that is enough. Like I said, I mostly sit and read but I have a part-time job (about 18 hours a week) at a restaurant where I wash dishes and help around. It is quite physical and most of the days I break a sweat (and keep sweating lol) plus I lift heavy stuff (like 20-30 metal mini-grills at a time, a pile of heavy china plates to carry over to the kitchen, etc.). 

I also try to go to the gym 3 times a week (or basically on the days I am not at the restaurant), and run 3-4K (3K more often than 4), do some weights for 30-45min on the weight machines and stretch. A workout is usually about 1 and a half hours. I go twice a week most weeks but am trying to up that to 3 times a week now. 

So I really don't know how much I am burning and how many calories I should be consuming. Please help! I do NOT want to starve my body, just to lose fat the healthy way. For the record I am 63kg (139lb), and am 172cm (5'6 1/2''). I am in a healthy weight range but have a 29% body fat and my goal is to get down to 20% body fat, so kilograms and pounds are not that important, as long as I reach and stay below 60kg (132lb).

Anyone? Any advice?

What is your diet like? It sounds to me like you are already doing enough exercise. Maybe cut out fats, eat less meat and dairy, add an extra workout to your weekly routine e.g. go swimming for an hour or lift some weights.

As you are in the healthy weight range I am not sure why you want to cut calories - you do not need to lose weight. Focus on eating natural, healthy food, avoid takeouts etc ... and keep up the exercise.

Hi annibaker2008 and thanks for the reply!

Like I said in the original post, I want to lose fat, not weight per se - so I want to get from 29% body fat (current) to 20%. I eat low fat (the fat I consume comes mainly from dairy, but I do not add oils to anything), low sodium. I have cut out all processed foods except for the occasional cheat day (every 2 weeks), which also means takeouts, I cook all the food I consume. The dairy I consume is only plain/balkan style yoghurt (low fat) and low fat feta cheese. 

So, any suggestions? 

I have been off track for the past week and have started fresh again today. 

Original Post by chugra:

Hi annibaker2008 and thanks for the reply!

Like I said in the original post, I want to lose fat, not weight per se - so I want to get from 29% body fat (current) to 20%. I eat low fat (the fat I consume comes mainly from dairy, but I do not add oils to anything), low sodium. I have cut out all processed foods except for the occasional cheat day (every 2 weeks), which also means takeouts, I cook all the food I consume. The dairy I consume is only plain/balkan style yoghurt (low fat) and low fat feta cheese.

So, any suggestions?

I have been off track for the past week and have started fresh again today.

What are the times you eat and how much?  Try to aim for 6 times a day , small meals. 

Drink lots of water (im sure you already do)  and maybe try some interval training instead of just regular running on the treadmill.

Also , it does not sound like you have a sedentary lifestyle, not if you are working out 3 times a week.

chugra, you are practically my twin.  i'm 5'7, 146lbs, 28yrs old.  the major difference between us is that i've never had balkan style yogurt :)

it IS annoying and difficult to figure out how many calories to eat, etc.  but the content of your food's not a factor in weight loss.  calories are the major factor in weight loss, assisted by the speed of your metabolism (based mostly on muscle mass), frequency of eating, stress level and hormonal fluctuations.  at your height, you're surely burning more than 1200/day.  i'd guess you burn about 2000 on a normally active day, without exercise.  on an exercise day i'd guess you burn about 2450.  those are my estimates, anyway.  i WOULD strongly suggest not wasting 30-40minutes on the strength training machines.  if you could spend that time weight lifting w/free weights, (see the top of the fitness forum for some great threads w/links to good workout plans) you'd see much much better results in terms of fat loss and muscle tone.  if you can't lift weights for 40 minutes, do it for TEN minutes three times a week and you'll STILL see much much better results than you would w/the machines.

Thanks for the replies guys! I will try to incorporate the 'new stuff' in my regimen. As for the water - I drink about 3 litres of water a day, plus 1-2 coffees. I eat 5 times a day, have tried 6 times but it gets really annoying to carry so much food with me at all times, so I have stuck with 5 times, every three to three and a half hours. 

caloriecountingme, balkan style yoghurt is plain yoghurt that has gone through natural milk fermentation process by adding probiotics to the milk. If you can find good balkan style yoghurt where you are, I def recommend it! The only type I remember in North America like 5 years ago was not exactly healthy - 10% fat and no probiotics as far as I can remember. But hopefully there are more types now.

Otherwise, I have been thinking of booking a personal trainer to show me how to use the free weights, as I've never done that before but I guess I've been lazy and have stuck with my regular routine. I'm a bit afraid that my shoulder will get shaky (i've dislocated it 5 times) but if the trainer is a pro he/she should be able to get me to do exercises that will not put me at risk, right? Even if I don't switch to free weights I will try to up my calories to at least 1500 then, see what happens. 

Ok, that was more like a runt than a reply :) Thanks again for the suggestions.

Original Post by chugra:

Thanks for the replies guys! I will try to incorporate the 'new stuff' in my regimen. As for the water - I drink about 3 litres of water a day, plus 1-2 coffees. I eat 5 times a day, have tried 6 times but it gets really annoying to carry so much food with me at all times, so I have stuck with 5 times, every three to three and a half hours.

caloriecountingme, balkan style yoghurt is plain yoghurt that has gone through natural milk fermentation process by adding probiotics to the milk. If you can find good balkan style yoghurt where you are, I def recommend it! The only type I remember in North America like 5 years ago was not exactly healthy - 10% fat and no probiotics as far as I can remember. But hopefully there are more types now.

Otherwise, I have been thinking of booking a personal trainer to show me how to use the free weights, as I've never done that before but I guess I've been lazy and have stuck with my regular routine. I'm a bit afraid that my shoulder will get shaky (i've dislocated it 5 times) but if the trainer is a pro he/she should be able to get me to do exercises that will not put me at risk, right? Even if I don't switch to free weights I will try to up my calories to at least 1500 then, see what happens.

Ok, that was more like a runt than a reply :) Thanks again for the suggestions.

There are a lot of programs out there , video and otherwise that will show you the ropes of using free weights. As far as your shoulder goes , i had a ton of shoulder problems a year ago and any time i would lift it would hurt for days after.

After working out and doing shoulder exercises i have no more shoulder pain =)

wow, ubiquitousfit, and your post is supposed to make me want to lift now? :D Otherwise, I don't think I'll start with self-teaching programs for lifting.. besides, my gym offers free one-time instructions from the trainers there, so I can finally take advantage of that. thanks for the suggestions tho!