Double Check My Numbers

MartinWardPhoto

I've been using the MFP app for a few weeks now, I just used the numbers that it gave me, the only adjustments I made were to the macros to 40p / 30c / 30f

Based on a 2lb per week loss it's allocating me 1760cals per day and I'm not sure if this is too low after looking at some other calculators. I've lost 8 lbs in the passed month a fair bit of water weight I'd imagine as the first thing I cut out was full fat coke, but just want to have my numbers checked as I don't want to set myself up for failure.

I'm a photographer so I'm lightly active throughout the day, I lift heavy at the gym 3x per week (stronglifts at the moment) and sometimes jog once or twice a week, although this isn't something I'm as habitual about as the lifting.

At this moment in time my stats are;
weight - 218 (15st8) (started at 16st2)
Age - 31
Male
5ft9

Thanks in advance!!

heybales

Now where did you find Coke with fat in it!?

I'm guessing you mean regular, not diet, Coke, is what you gave up.

Got over 50-60 lbs to lose for that 2 lb weekly to be reasonable?

Also be aware that MFP eating goal is on NON-exercise days.
MFP estimated your daily burn by your selection of non-exercise activity level, so hopefully honest there (did you select Lightly Active in MFP?). And your BMR.
Deficit taken from that for rest days.

But on days you burn more, to keep the same deficit, you should eat more. Hence the reason MFP works by you logging exercise when actually done - daily burn goes up, deficit taken off, eating goal goes up.

So do you log your weight lifting?
It's in the cardio section under Strength Training, and it may seem low compared to equal time running, but that is true.
You log the running when done too? Honest with speed and time?

Jams009

Your calories sound just a tad on the low side, but not by much, I have similar numbers but I'm shorter. I'd stick with it for a few weeks and see what happens; if you think you are losing too quickly or too slowly just adjust by 100cal and watch the scale for another couple of weeks, keep monitoring and adjusting until you find a rate you are happy with.

Don't trust the mfp exercise calorie burn estimates; they overestimate quite a lot. IMO it's better to use an external calculator and include your regular exercise to work out your average TDEE, and take 300 or so calories off that, or just use the method I mentioned above; then you don't need to log exercise because it is already being accounted for.

MartinWardPhoto

I meant regular coke yes haha..

I can't decide on a goal at the moment my first goal is to get back to my weight 3 years ago before I blew out my ACL followed by rotator cuff, so that was 188lbs (13st4) which equates to circa 30lbs. Afterwards I don't know if I want to or should drop further?!?!

I logo the strength training under the cardio tab but the burn is only 180-200 calls per session, that's roughly 35-40mins at the moment (I'm still finding some weight light) so will take longer heavier it gets.

I'm honest with the running too, because of the ACL issues I'm actually not much of a runner but like to alternate jog and walking in an interval style workout (similar to c25k) and log the exact speeds and times for each ( I use a treadmill).

I selected lightly active in MFP, I questioned that to be honest, I exercise between 3-5 days per week, I have weddings most weekends where I am on my feet for 12-13 hours at least once per week, I have studio portraits on other days but I find myself parked in front a of a computer editing for a good few hours most days, if log my activity as sedentary I'm allocated just over 1400 cals (@ 2lbs per week) which seems far far far too low, even adding back exercise calories. Have I taken a wrong turn here?

I know that I need to adjust calories as weight comes off, but, do I need to adjust my activity level? Am I being too aggressive at 2lbs per week just now??

heybales

Well, remember what those MFP Activity levels are - daily life with NO exercise included.

So you are easily Lightly Active for that, if not actually Active I'd suggest with that long weekend on feet, and regular work week not actually being a total sedentary desk job either. Good few hours behind desk is not the same as 8 hrs x 5 days desk job with mere bathroom and lunch walk-around breaks.

2lbs weekly is not reasonable at this point, hence indeed the low calorie suggestion.
Take the 1.5 lb weekly until at 25 lbs, then go to 1 lb weekly. At 10 left, go to 0.5 weekly.

And with you being exact on your running, you can use the database entries, if you are between levels, round down.
The walking and running entries are more accurate than HRM, and exact same formula as other sites would give for same speeds.
Lifting is indeed that low for burn.

Doesn't mean it takes longer - means you don't get to eat as much since you didn't burn as much.

Exercise is not needed for weight loss, eating less than you burn is. Strictly speaking.

Exercise in relation to diet merely lets you eat more since you burn more doing it - that may help adherence.
But it will sure help the body transform better.

sunman00

hi Martin

I started at 215, I'm 5'10", a bit older than you but we're similar in all else,

I ate average 1765 calories per day for just about a year & lost 52lb, you get holidays, birthdays, Xmas etc so I figured I was losing 1.25lb weekly on an evened out basis

like you I entered lightly active, the only difference I can see is that I was 40c 30p 30f

TDEE is a personal thing, and you can only really calculate it over time, so start somewhere around there, log absolutely everything, don't eat back exercise calories & see how your weight loss goes for a month, you'll get your own TDEE and can adjust your deficit accordingly, good luck!!