I am sedentary. I work an office job where I sit all day long on my caboose. I like what I do, I am a web developer but with that it requires lots of sitting and study time (also sitting). I recently started exercising more but I still consider myself sedentary.

When I first started my weight loss journey I was counting my calories then my little fitness / food application would automatically deduct the calories I burned so I thought — oh good I can eat more. I don’t know if I am special because of my sedentary lifestyle or that I am an endomorph or that I am getting old or because I am female but those calories burned were a joke. It would even steven me and I was not losing weight. I still struggle to lose a pound every two weeks not even counting those calories!

Ok, so my best guess is try a month using the calories burned caloric intake amount. This will let you gauge if using that number is realistic for you. It did nothing for me my body laughed at it. I am not patient enough to stick with something for a month if I am seeing zero results, even a week drives me nuts. Typically I assess each week. This week am closing in on zero loss again. And mind you I don’t count the calories burned but I want to note I also was averaging around 1200-1300 calories a day and the calorie calculator at tdeecalorie.net says I should be around 1150 to lose. I am going to focus in on bringing my calories in a little bit more and try to be consistent about it.

Another reason why I think using the calories burned is trash, is because I don’t think its accurate. I think that number is much higher than the reality of the calories burned. That its a sales pitch to first keep using their tool and second to keep you JUST fat enough of that you need their tool.

When counting calories do you use the calories burned or ignore them?