I understand that the food meter shows how many calories we've taken in, and the burn meter shows how many calories have gone out.

 I just joined now so obviously I haven't logged anything (food or activity) - but my burn meter says 2390. How is that possible? My body has burned that many calories without me doing a thing?

The EAT meter TOP number shows the number of calories you have selected as your target goal (in your account settings -- you can change it)

The EAT meter BOTTOM number reflects the calories you are logging into your food log.

The BURN meter TOP number is the total estimated calories you burn based on your age, height, current weight, gender, and activity level -- if you set yourself as "sedentary" and then add in your activity calories -- those are added into the TOP number.

The BURN meter BOTTOM number shows how many calories you have burned at the moment you are looking at the meter. This number starts at 0 at midnight, reflects all the calories you burned throughout the night while sleeping, all the calories you burn just by living, and calories normally expended at your listed activity level. When (If) you add in activity minutes -- it will also reflect that added to the total.

If you stay up til midnight you can see both meters switch over to 0

In order to lose one pound in a week you must EAT an average of 500 calories LESS than you BURN each day.

If you have any questions, just ask :) It DOES get easier to understand, I promise :)

MCDerin,
Volunteer Moderator

Good lord. I didn't even realize I burned that many calories by doing nothing. Why even bother dieting?! Haha. Kidding.

Thanks - that makes sense now! :)

Is there any truth to the fact that you HAVE to eat the exact amount of calories as your BMR -- i.e. if your BMR is 1500, then you should not go BELOW 1500 because this sends your body into starvation mode? What happens then if you want to lose weight? And you shave 500 off of the BMR...that only leaves you with a 1000 calorie a day diet and almost everyone on the website says that 1200 is the minimum amount of calories to be consumed by women everyday.

I've just tried to make sure that I burn at least 500 more than the total calories I eat. So if I eat all of my 1400 a day, I try to make sure my burn meter goes up to 1900. It usually goes up to about 1600 on its own so I try to work out to burn an extra few hundred calories.

 I dunno if that makes sense. Sorry!

Original Post by mcderin:

The EAT meter TOP number shows the number of calories you have selected as your target goal (in your account settings -- you can change it)

The EAT meter BOTTOM number reflects the calories you are logging into your food log.

The BURN meter TOP number is the total estimated calories you burn based on your age, height, current weight, gender, and activity level -- if you set yourself as "sedentary" and then add in your activity calories -- those are added into the TOP number.

The BURN meter BOTTOM number shows how many calories you have burned at the moment you are looking at the meter. This number starts at 0 at midnight, reflects all the calories you burned throughout the night while sleeping, all the calories you burn just by living, and calories normally expended at your listed activity level. When (If) you add in activity minutes -- it will also reflect that added to the total.

If you stay up til midnight you can see both meters switch over to 0

In order to lose one pound in a week you must EAT an average of 500 calories LESS than you BURN each day.

If you have any questions, just ask :) It DOES get easier to understand, I promise :)

MCDerin,
Volunteer Moderator

 

I too didn't fully understand the figures but have now reset my Eat meter to the 1200 cals recomended but my burn meter is showing 2520 and my setting shows that my required number is 1900 do I have to rest the TOP number here and if so how?

I am also new here, and I wanted to know if you could explain the Burn Meter. Why when I log an activity and I my settings are set for Sedatary, does it add that activity to my Top Burn Meter number?

If it assumes I am losing weight, should that Top Burn Meter number be going down, because I don't burn as much?

I am confused. Could you please help me or point me in the right direction?

 

Thanks,
dmhoneybunny

@dmhoneybunny:  Yes, any activities you log are added to the burn meter (both the top and bottom).  It does not add the total amount, because it subtracts out the amount you would have burned if for instance you were sitting on the couch.  So maybe you burn 400 calories and log it but your burn meter only says 300 more. 

As your weight changes, you should log your weight.  As your weight changes the top number in your burn meter goes down -- but only if you've logged your new weight. 

ok! and now i think i understand the meters

 

thanks :)

I am a newbie here and I am so glad I came across this post..I too was confused by the burn meter and now I think I get it...I have been stuck at a plataue and I think it is because my body went into starvation mode..my calories weren't anywhere close to what I was burning. I have been eating about 1400 calories a day and my burn meter says somewhere around 2800..so that leaves me with a deficit of 1400 calories a day??? Could that be right? I am 5'4" 125 pounds now down 5 pounds since starting diet and exercise 8 weeks ago. I do 5 days cardio and 3 days weight training less cardio on my weight days and more on the days I skip my weights..am I doing this right? I have not lost any weight or inches in about 3 weeks now.