Calculating burned calories?

 Just wondering the best way to calculate an approximate number of calories burned during a workout? I use myfitnesspal to log food and any walking and today, for example, I did 3 miles in about an hour. Slow pace, just 3mph, but lots of hills in my neighborhood. Anyway, I put it in on myfitnesspal and it says I burned 473 but that seems so high to me. Is there a way to measure it with height and weight or anything? If so, I'm 5'10 ish and about 316 lbs. 

On a side note, I think I'm eating too fast, I really do. It's like I can't control it because I just zone out. I'm positive that's why I'm getting myself sick. I think slowing down is the hardest part for me now that I realize I'm not going as slowly as I thought. It's like when I quit smoking, for the first two weeks or so I still reached for a cigarette every time I got in my truck. It was just a physical thing. I just finished dinner as I was typing this and it's taken about 40 minutes to eat 6 shrimp, so I think that's good and my belly seems ok. Is this just something you have to keep focusing on until it just fades and becomes a new habit (like when I quit smoking)? I hope that's why I've been throwing up, I got sick again this morning with my lunch meat and that's when I saw myself going too fast. I just don't wanna keep feeling like this. Especially now that the physical pain is gone. :(

Until I retrained myself how long to take I would take a bite put down my fork chew 30 times swallow then say the alphabet in my head and take the next bite when I was done. I did this for a coupleo f weeks and then I no longer needed to do it. You may try reading something in between bites or anything that makes you mindfully wait.. before long it should become second nature.

i actually will set a egg timer and eat a bite every 2 minutes to slow myself down.  i have always been a ble to eat really fast.

try cutting TV off, focusing on eating only, chewing and actually tasting what you are eating.  Eat small bites too.

6 shrimp in 40 minutes is probable way too slow.  just make sure your giving the food time to go down the esophagus


Tamara

Beans,

Go to http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php.  They've got a great online calculator for just about every imaginable activity, movement, exercise you could do.  You put in your weight and it calculates.  But remember, the online calculators are based on averages.  So what you'll get is the average amount of calories someone your  weight burns for that exercise or activity (I'm pretty sure height doesn't factor in on calorie burn).  You personally may be putting in more or less effort.  But it's a great place to start. I just calculated your walk at 316 pounds 3mph in 60 minutes = 473 calories burned.  What really is the bummer, is as you lose weight the same activity will burn less calories.  Lighter folks don't burn as many calories as heavier people...bummer! But conversely, lighter people can go harder and faster, right? 

And yes, I think much of your problems with getting sick is eating too fast.  You really, really have to concentrate when you are first post-op at eating slowly, chewing thoroughly and yes, savoring eat bite.  As you get further and further out, you will develop a slower habit, but your pouch will let you eat faster too (it will be healed and more tolerant of bigger bites and such...well at least for me it has been the case).  So I think I'd suggest don't be on the computer or watching TV or having conversations.  Concentrate on your meal, eating slowly and enjoying and savoring it.  Soon you'll have the habit and then the adventures in weight loss journeys begin!

Good Luck!

 Spark people has a calorie counter for exercise. 

Hello there Beans,

Yes, it takes some time, believe me, to slow down your chewing.  I am at over 3 months and I still have to be mindful of my chewing.  It is still easy to eat fast if I am not careful.  When I do, OMG, just shoot me, ok?? So you are doing great and wow, are you doing great with your walking.  The hard part is by the time I am frigging done chewing, my food is cold.  I  have found myself eating protein that isn't meat.  Don't get me wrong I enjoy certain types but I just cannot gag down chicken unless it's canned and I tend to eat more food dishes that don't have meat in it.  I eat beans, yogurt, cheese, casserole dishes, some fish, soups veggies and fruits.  Plus my protein drink.  But you know what? All this took time to get down and in the beginning it was really difficult at times and frustrating.  If you feel like your pouch needs to eat something easier than meat than find something that has the protein without making you throw up. 
You still read on here about vets being years out and food still will get stuck or set like a rock in their pouch.  Beans, this is all going to be worth it.  I know so many of you are tired of hearing that when things are topsy-turvy right now, but boy what a difference time makes as we go along.  We have to get there in order to say it was all worth it.  We all still have forever to go, because this is a forever lifestyle. 
Keep up the good work!!!!!  Take care, Jane

 Thanks for all the advice about how to make sure I take more time chewing. I'm gonna spend the day tomorrow watching that very closely. I just hate trying to make it thru a day at this point when nothing would settle. But I do realize I'm not going slowly like I thought. :( 

And thanks again, Jane. I also have several cans of chicken that I've been munching on for a while, but I'm one of the people that gets bored quickly. I was doing the refried beans with a bit of cheddar but my calories ended up really high those days, so I've been wary of my beans. :( But I'm gonna try those again soon. I just can't seem to get my protein up with just one shake a day. I'm not tolerating them well anymore, but tomorrow my fiancé and I are going out to try scouting new things that won't totally break the bank. I wish I could get more protein in thru foods. But right now it seems impossible. But what kind of casserole dishes do you eat? 

It has been so hard and I really hope I start seeing or feeling the positive of all this soon. I can't stand feeling so hopeless so often. :(

All of the apps that give information on calories burned during exercise are just an estimate.  The only way you can accurately figure it out is to measure your heart rate during exercise. I have a friend who wears a heart rate monitor watch during spin class so he can figure out his calories burned.

My nutritionist told me to just exercise and not count the calories burned. She said that most people overestimate what they did and what they burned. She suggested I just work out for good health and any calories burned are a bonus.

 Unless you are in serious training for endurance sports or trying to put on massive amounts of muscle your calories burned isn't really something you should worry about.  With standard exercise and a healthy diet you will typically run a deficit on the In versus Out balance sheet  As someone previously stated the only way to know your burn is to know what your body is doing.   All of the readouts on the machines are guesstimates based on an average physical makeup, the online calcs do an ok job of averaging but you could be far above or below this mark.  Last night in my spin class we had people that had burned anywhere from 1200-2000 calories for the same exact workout.  Make exercise part of a healthy lifestyle, find something you enjoy doing and you will stick with it don't worry about your calories until you take on your first Half Marathon or greater.

 

This is just a suggestion, not a rule.

 

To Determine Your Calorie Expenditure Use The Following Formula For Women:

 

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR.

 

Then you have to determine your Activity Level: 

 

-If you are Sedentary: BMR x 20 % (.2)

 

-If you are Lightly Active: BMR x 30 % (.3)

 

-If you are moderately active (You exercise 3 to 4 times per week): BMR x 40 % (.4)

 

-If you are very active (You exercise intensely 5 or more days per week): BMR x 50 % (.5)

 

-If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training, or exercise intensely 5 or more days per week for 3 or more hours per day): BMR x 60 % (.6)

 

Add your Activity Level number to your BMR = Daily Calorie Expenditure.