[tmilam]

I have been tinkering around with my diet for a few months now varying my caloric intake, macronutrient proportions and have hit a plateau of no longer being able to lose bodyfat. I would like to find the best methods for determining my daily caloric needs. The answers from "calorie calculators" that I've visited while online have given me a wide range of numbers. So, I thought I would come here where the wisdom is at AM.

[Nightwanderer]

you may wand to look in to hydrostatic weight testing, to get the most accurate bodyfat measurement if you haven't already. I'm not sure what the most accurate way to measure caloric needs are, but with the hydrostatic weight testing you'll have a more accurate estimate vs. calipers or scales.

[Boyders]

I was thinking about wearing my gf's heart rate monitor for 24 hours and reading my calorie loss. Are those accurate enough to do that?

[rick055]

I have asked basically the same question as I am in the same spot (and those last 10 are TOUGH), and I was told to journal you calories and find what's right for you.

Start with a good idea of your bodyweight/bf% and determine your BMR & exercise.

Pick what should be a defecit of at least 500 kcal/day and evaluate in a couple weeks.

Every formula I found for BMR was different, every energy expenditure for exercise was different, and nothing helped. Even if you go to the trouble of an exact hydrostatic bf calcultion, it's still only giving you an approximate BMR. Your thyroid is your thyroid, you perform exercise the way you perform exercise, etc... Way too many variables to know, "from the jump" where to exactly start. That's why you approximate.

I was 180 when I started this and, based on my bf and activity level, calculated 2850 as my maintenance calories. I have been journaling to keep myself at about 2100 kcal/week (didn't want to start too low and shut down thyroid) and I have been losing about a pound a week. I'm fine with that because I was stagnant for a month.

[EasyEJL]

there is a V02 test they can do that gives you an accurate BMR, and then for the most part using your resting heart rate the calculators to figure out exercise calorie burned are fairly close.

[rick055]

Originally Posted by EasyEJL

there is a V02 test they can do that gives you an accurate BMR, and then for the most part using your resting heart rate the calculators to figure out exercise calorie burned are fairly close.

Got a link on using the heart rate method?

[Steveoph]

Personally I think the best way is to log exactly what you eat for 1 or 2 weeks, and try and stick to a set amount of calories and see how your weight changes. There is about 200 calories that are "flexible" in your everyday expenditure.

For an approximation though, a reasonably accurate way would be to use your Lean Body Mass and then plug that into one of the many formulas out there.

[EasyEJL]

Originally Posted by rick055

Got a link on using the heart rate method?

ah no, actually I used a heart rate monitor for that I have a nike one that uses resting heart rate + activity rate over the day to calculate it

[rick055]

Originally Posted by EasyEJL

ah no, actually I used a heart rate monitor for that I have a nike one that uses resting heart rate + activity rate over the day to calculate it

ahh. where can one buy such a device, obi-wan?

[EasyEJL]

ebay worked for me you'll have to look for the models that particularly have that function, the calculating caloric output using base heart rate.