How to estimate exactly how many calories if you workout alot?

This is confusing to me ... based on the tools and the burn meter/calorie meter - I check 'light activity' because I sit most of the day - I'm not active at night.  However, I do work out at least 4 times a week and burn somewhere between 400 - 800 calories each workout.  

I'd like to try counting calories - but if I just eat 1600 calories a day and not eat more on the days that I workout - I'm afraid that I won't lose because if I burn 800 calories - than I'll only be consuming 800 cals a day and that is not enough to lose weight on. 

Anyone have any advice on how to figure this out? 

I'm like you: Desk Job, love lounging at home (although I do walk or job each night) and occasionally hit the gym (I really like being outside for workouts).

I don't stick to the same intake everyday. If I workout, I eat more.

On days where I just do light walking/jogging, I consider myself "light" activity and determine deficits from there.

On days I run/workout, I go by "vigorouss" activity...and so on.

As long as you average a healthy weight-loss deficit, you'll lose. It doesn't have to be determined to an exact science. Just don't undereat...that will more than likely lead to binging in the days to come.

Thanks ..... I just find it tough to know what is a healthy deficit?  Is it 500 calories a day - 1000?  800?  Does anyone have an idea?

I confess that I'm a weight watcher member - and my head is spinning from points and activity points and eating all of them. I would like to count calories for a week and see if its a bit easier for me to figure out.  But I'm not sure ... when I burn 500 or 800 calories in a workout - how many calories should I try to consume that day?

I like 300-800 cals. 300 is still manageable if you need more nutriants that day and 800 wont put you in binge mode.

500 is perfect, 800 max.  If I burn 500 calories extra on a workout day, I always eat a little more...70 to 100% of what I burn.

Also I recommend changing your activity level to sedentary but being vigilant about recording all exercise.  It seems to come out with the most accurate depiction of your calories burnt each day.  I do running, martial arts, pushups, other strength training, and I record it all, (5 sets of pushups probably only 10 minutes of effort but I still enter it) but still leave it at sedentary.  Helps with the days I don't do much of anything.  Rounding in this way has served me very well.

Moderate Activity

• At work - you are very active much of the day
• At home - you rarely sit and do heavy housework or gardening
• Exercise - you exercise several times a week and push yourself pretty hard

Keep in mind that these bullet points are "OR"s not "AND"s.  So if you exercise several times a week and push yourself pretty hard you are Moderately Active even if you sit all day at work.

Original Post by trhawley:

Keep in mind that these bullet points are "OR"s not "AND"s.  So if you exercise several times a week and push yourself pretty hard you are Moderately Active even if you sit all day at work.

Well that helps me a bunch - I thought they were ands and I've been worried I was overestimating my activity level by putting myself at light - I have a desk job and I lounge at home, but I hit the gym 3x a week and play volleyball 2-3x. Common sense says that I'd be moderate, but the other bullets made me feel like I was cheating if I put myself there! Thanks for the clarification!

ditto to x54fit.  thank you trhawley!

hmm. I was wondering about the ands also. Strangely, I have found that when I stick to a calorie target right in between slightly and moderately active, I get the best results.

Some people like to set it at sedentary and then log whatever activities they do.

I was also a weight watchers member and I am actually finding this easier. I have a sit down job but i couldn't get my eating right because I exercise a lot. Since starting on CC on days that I dont exercise I stick to 1200 cals a day, if I exercise I take my resting daily calorie burn (without exercise) and then add any exercise on top and then take off 1000 calories and eat whats left making sure I don't go below 1200 so some days I may only be using a 800 calorie deficit, but I do try have a 1000 calorie deficit on most days.

Anyway its working for me, I have lost 1.3kg/2.8lbs so far this week!