Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Has anyone used it with success? I'm interested in it because i eat so litte, but still I'm satisfied. That's why I'd like to know how much kcals i really burn. kcals calculators on the internet estimates that i need around 2800 kcal, but i think that's BS.

http://sensewear.bodymedia.com/SW-Learn-More/Product-Overview

flag	asked Jul 18 2011 at 12:07 Paul 613●1●3●9

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this thing is nuts. don't buy it; if you've already purchased it, toss it away now. – ben61820 Jul 18 2011 at 12:13

I would be interested in such a product if I knew it was 100% accurate. I know we don't have to keep track of calories, but I still want to be scientific for personal curiosity. – Carl_Stawicki Jul 18 2011 at 12:49

I use a step counter to keep track of everyday basic movement. I like that. It also tells me calories burned, but I don't pay attention to that. I like to see how many steps I have made in a day, though. And if I feel like I need to move more, I go for a walk in the evening. Maybe a step counter will do the trick for you. It will give you some measurement of daily movement, and even good brands are cheap. Step counters from Omron are good quality (omron-healthcare.com/en/product/step_counters). – Andreas Jul 19 2011 at 5:55

Kati · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-18 16:26:32Z UTC

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I have the Exerspy (By the same company - Body Media... http://rippedusa.dotfit.com/exerspy-pid-1619.html). I love it. It tracks your calorie burn, activity level, sleep patterns and number of steps. I use it to monitor my non-workout activity...to make sure I'm staying active throughout the day. And based on my very unscientific observation in my own experience it seems pretty accurate.

answered Jul 18 2011 at 16:26

Kati
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	Cool. I'm interested to see what a day of home stuff, walking, picking up he kids, etc is reported to burn. Anything you could offer? – ben61820 Jul 18 2011 at 16:29
	I started using the SenseWear a couple of weeks ago, not to track calories-in-calories-out, but like Kati, to monitor my activity level and sleep. So far, this data has been quite helpful, especially regarding sleep: I discovered my sleep was very fitful, but when I add magnesium back in, it is more restful. Another example, I play guitar for about 90-120 minutes on Sundays and had assumed this was a fair workout: apparently, I've adapted and it's not much at all. These two things make it worth the price (and possible ridicule from those who believe it is a waste of money). – Laura Jul 18 2011 at 16:34

cliff · Answer 2 · 2011-07-18 12:24:35Z UTC

I wouldn't waste your cash unless you are desperately trying to lose/gain weight.

Remember that protein is very satiating so if you eat a lot you might feel more full then you actually are and you could be slightly undereating. Unless your losing weight or trying to gain I wouldn't worry about it too much though.

Andreas · Answer 3 · 2011-07-18 12:42:09Z UTC

That thing is probably not very accurate.

How do you measure calories burned after all?

I'm not sure it can be done accurately enough to be useful. And I don't think this machine is worth the bother.

As Gary Taubes argues, eating by balancing calories is impossible. You would have to balance input/output by less than 1 percentage per day to avoid getting fat. If you overeat by one percentage a day for ten or twenty years, you will get fat.

Obviously, this is not how the system works. Our body does not count calories. Alas, counting calories does not help you.

Regulation of body mass is a lot more complex than the input/output theory suggests. Luckily, the solution is simple:

Eat real (paleo) foods and trust your hunger.

What you are experiencing is probably just a good example of how inaccurate calorie counting is as a guide for eating.

So, yes, that online calculator is BS. And so is that device. Don't buy :-)

SenseWear anyone?

3 Answers