why does my daily energy expenditure seem so big?

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johnna_g
johnna_g Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello fellow dieters! I'd be grateful if people could help me with the following question.

First, my key data...

I am a 49-year old man, height 5'11" (1.80m), with a medium build and a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I am on my way down in weight from 13st 10lb (192lb, 87kg) to my target of 11st 3lb (157lb, 71kg). My current weight is 12st 7 lb (175lb, 79kg), so I am halfway there!

Over the past 7 days, I have eaten 6105 calories (872 per day) and my weight has fallen by 4.79 lb.

I calculated the weight loss figure using exponential smoothing, so it is not significantly affected by daily fluctuations. My rate of weight loss, my calorie consumption, my exercise and lifestyle have been pretty constant for several weeks, so there has been nothing special about the past 7 days.

My question is, why is my indicated total daily energy expenditure so high?

In 7 days, energy expenditure in calories has been 6105 (food) + (4.79 * 3500) (burnt fat) = 22780. Dividing by 7 gives a daily figure of 3267 calories.

Surely that's far too high a figure, given my shape and lifestyle? I would have thought the figure should be around 1950-2200 calories, and certainly no higher than 2500 calories.

So why am I losing weight at such a high rate?

Thanks for any help with this!

Best regards,

John
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Replies

  • uconnwinsnc1
    uconnwinsnc1 Posts: 902 Member
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    You're only eating 872 calories per day?
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    Wait, why are you eating only 872 calories daily? Is that what you meant to say?
  • Iri_2
    Iri_2 Posts: 349 Member
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    Am I getting this right? You've been eating 872 calories per day for the past few weeks?

    If so, you're losing weight at such a fast pace because you're eating less than a toddler. This is not healthy, you need to eat more food.
  • johnna_g
    johnna_g Posts: 11
    edited November 2014
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    That's right, yes. And I seem to be using up 3267, including the 872 I eat. And my lifestyle is sedentary. I can't work out where all that energy is going! :)

    Can you be more specific about why I'm losing weight so fast?
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I think your bigger worry should be how you can eat more.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    Losing weight.....you are doing it wrong.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    You lose weight when you burn more calories than you eat. You're burning WAY more than you eat. It's very unlikely that you'll be able to sustain your diet, first of all. Second, it's very unlikely you're getting the nutrients to keep you healthy while eating so little. Honestly, you need to be eating more. I eat more than 872 calories for dinner on a daily basis!
  • JonathanLepoff
    JonathanLepoff Posts: 46 Member
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    You have a BMR of approximately 1725 calories a day (the number of calories you burn just living)
  • nentecular
    nentecular Posts: 101 Member
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    johnna_g wrote: »
    So why am I losing weight at such a high rate?
    Because you're eating about half the amount you should.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    1 week in....mostly water weight, some fat, some mucle.
  • Iri_2
    Iri_2 Posts: 349 Member
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    Your body is using that energy (burning the fat) to keep you alive. You need calories, and even more important, nutrients, to stay healthy.

    Again, you need to eat more. Way more than what you're eating now.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    *facepalm*

    Say goodbye to muscles.......which your heart is a muscle.

    You need to eat more ASAP!!!!!
  • johnna_g
    johnna_g Posts: 11
    edited November 2014
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    Does anybody here know the answer? Many people on diets eat 900 or fewer calories per day. Is it a known result that their rate of weight loss exceeds what you'd expect from doing the usual calculations
    daily weight loss = (total daily energy expenditure - daily calories consumed )/3500,
    where weight is in lb and energy is in calories
    ?

    If so, has anyone got some links to where I can find out more?
    Thanks!
    John
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    adowe wrote: »
    1 week in....mostly water weight, some fat, some mucle.

    week 2 no water weight, some fat, lots of muscle

    Seriously eat more and with what you have to lose aim for 0.5 to 1.0 lb per week
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Yes - try using the TDEE method to calculate the calories you need. You are way below recommended intake for healthy weight loss (one-half to 1 lb/week). Using the calculator on the site listed below, your daily calories should be around 1550 - 1650. I think 4+ pounds a week loss is dangerous if you aren't under close medical supervision.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    The whole 3500 calories to lose a pound is just a guideline, it's not hard and fast math. Also, you're not burning just fat...you're losing water and fluids and muscle. To actually have a reasonably good idea of your true energy expenditure, you would have to watch the trend over a longer period of time, a week isn't going to tell you anything.

    I also think you should eat more, but really I don't care what you do.
  • johnna_g
    johnna_g Posts: 11
    edited November 2014
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    Thanks adowe, serah87 and chrism8971 for addressing the question.

    I've been doing this for 3 weeks and my rate of weight loss has been constant.

    So you are saying that as well as fat I've also been losing water and muscle, with the rate of water loss going down and the rate of muscle loss increasing.

    Links?

    @cwolfman15 - As I said, what I've been doing has been constant for much longer than a week. It's just that I've counted calories more precisely in the past week.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    Good post to read:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

  • johnna_g
    johnna_g Posts: 11
    edited November 2014
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    Thanks socalkay. The post says losing muscle's bad for "metabolic", "aesthetic" and possibly also "functional" reasons. Which doesn't explain much at all. Metabolism is a function.

    If something's going wrong, what symptoms should I be getting?

    Why can't losing a bit of muscle while eating a low-calorie diet for a few weeks or months be sorted out by doing more exercise? Either after I've reached my target, or starting before?
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    johnna_g wrote: »
    Thanks socalkay. The post says losing muscle's bad for "metabolic", "aesthetic" and possibly also "functional" reasons. Which doesn't explain much at all.

    If something's going wrong, what symptoms should I be getting?

    Why can't losing a bit of muscle while eating a low-calorie diet for a few weeks or months be sorted out by doing more exercise? Either after I've reached my target, or starting before?

    You will lose some muscle while dieting anyway but the ratio of fat to muscle loss depends on a lot of things, including genetics. The amount of muscle loss can at least be reduced by resistance training, increased protein intake and by not having to large a calorie deficit.

    You can address the muscle loss once you reach your goal weight but you might want to look up the term "skinny fat", its not a good look and that's something I can say from experience

    As to links have a good delve around on this site http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

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