Do Calories matter?
 

I just started using fitday yesterday and I ate more calories today than yesterday. Does calorie intake matter? I gave my book to a friend about 6 months ago and have not gotten it back yet.

I have never counted calories with atkins but since fitday I see now how many I am eating....

And it shows that I burn almost 3000 calories a day. But where do they get that from.

Also when I go to list my foods they do not give you the option when you use a sugar substitute...
Can someone help me with this stuff?

Thanks Diana

What foods are you wanting to list. Normally the easiest method is to list the ingredients seperately. They have Sweet and Low, but you would have to add splenda as a custom food. For the most part enter in things such as veggies, meat, and eggs raw, or it will add salt and other things for you.

Yes calories matter, but if you are eating only until satisfied, losing weight, and getting enough to eat, then don't worry. Read the Atkins book about the metobolic advantage of a low carb diet. This doesn't mean you can gorge though. Calories still matter, but you can safely consume a higher amount while doing LC then you could doing low fat. On induction you don't need to count calories. Only some people need to count when they get closer to thier goal weight. Much of that is impatience though, or making sure to get enough once appitite goes down. Eating to few calories can stall weight loss.

As for the 3000 it says you are burning, go under the activities link. There it will show how that is broken down. Part of it is your basal metobolic rate. That is how many caloreis you burn at your current weight just staying alive. It is important to eat close to or above your basal rate.

Then it also factors in what ever you stated your "lifestyle" was on the home page. Click the home link anytime to examine that or change it. It takes how active your lifestyle is and assignes a number of calories to what it thinks you would burn in that day.

Of course it isn't exactly accurate. The basal could be affected by your metabolism or medication. You'r lifestyle won't be nearly exact, and when you enter in activities it kind of averages and rounds. Unless you are constantly eating way over your calorie output though, it's not a worry.

Thank you Ladybell, what a great help you have been...

Diana

ladybelle! wait- help!
 

ladybelle, you mentioned entering splenda as a custom food-
fitday won't let me! it says it can't possible have 0.9gr carbs (as karen says to count it) and still have no calories. i dunno how to make it work!

0.9g CHO = 3.6 Calories. The FDA allows anything with <4 Calories per serving to be labelled as 0 Calories. Enter it as 3.6 Calories.

yup..I put 4 calories on mine for splenda