Can someone check my math?

elleelise
elleelise Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

Just wondering if someone can please check my math re: my calories? I'm a newbie to tracking.

I am female, 27 years old, between 5'8-9 (I said 5'8" just to air on the side of caution), goal weight is around 190 at the moment. As of two months ago I started to really amp up exercise for fun and to get stronger. I do something everyday and have a weekly routine of 2x pilates, 2x yoga, 3x strength training, and 5000-10000 steps a day (or jogging, walking, biking, tennis, the elliptical, etc). I marked "lightly active" in the calorie counter and I calculated my TDEE- 20% at 1748 calories.

I do not plan to eat my workout calories back for a number of reasons, plus I just haven't been hungry for them. I am already down around 8 pounds since April, but wasn't focusing too heavily on tracking like I am now.

Should 1748 lead to a weekly loss? I've been so brainwashed by the old adage of "1200 calorie diets" that I feel skeptical of such a high number, even though according to the math it should yield results. Theoretically, what kind of loss should I expect each week at that number, and at what weight should I recalculate my TDEE?

Thanks in advance to those who respond!

-D

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    The good thing is, with the TDEE method, your exercise is already included so you don't need to eat them back.

    I'm 5'6" and 191, and following MFP's goal I regularly eat 1800-2100 a day (goal of 1480 plus Fitbit calories) to lose a pound a week. And that's about what you're losing, so good job, you've got it! Recalculate every 5-10 pounds as you lose.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    I'm not sure how much you weigh now, so I can't really say whether you chose a good goal for your height/age/weight/activity level. It sounds like you're pretty active, so I'd think 1748 should give you a loss. Try it for a few weeks and see how it goes. You can adjust your intake if you feel like you're losing too fast or not fast enough.

    Be sure to log everything as accurately as possible. Do you have a food scale?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    edited June 2015
    Haha yeah I'm all set to run the numbers, and then I was like, wait, I don't know what she weighs now. I can assume goal weight plus weight left on her ticker, but that could be high...

    Edit: Assuming current weight is goal weight plus weight left according to ticker, Plugging in your stats in MFP I get about 2 lbs per week. For this calculation, I assumed exercise would burn an average of 300 cals per day, and of course your food log would have to be spot on perfect
  • elleelise
    elleelise Posts: 33 Member
    Doh! I am 235. That is an important bit of info. no? Ha. And yes, I own a scale and intend to track as accurately as possible. :)

    Thanks for the responses!

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    Should 1748 lead to a weekly loss?

    Yes, you will lose weight at that intake.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    I marked "lightly active" in the calorie counter and I calculated my TDEE- 20% at 1748 calories.

    -D

    So you used a different calculator, not the one on MFP (which calculates non-exercise daily calorie needs), to get your TDEE -20%?

    Assuming you gave the TDEE calculator accurate information about yourself (and thus that 1748 really is your TDEE - 20%), you should lose close to a pound a week if you stick to that goal (and don't eat back exercise calories--they're already included in TDEE).

    Here's the arithmetic: If your TDEE - 20% is 1748, then 1748 is 80% of your TDEE. 100/80, or 125%, or 1748 is 2185. 2185 - 1748 = 437 (that's your daily calorie deficit, and it's a bit less than the 500 calorie daily deficit that's roughly equal to a pound a week weight loss, on average)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Yes you will lose weight at that level

    I'm 5'8 and I did ...possibly slightly above actually

    Good job on removing the brainwashing
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    Doh! I am 235. That is an important bit of info. no? Ha. And yes, I own a scale and intend to track as accurately as possible. :)

    Thanks for the responses!

    Sweet! Plugging those stats into MFP I'm still at over 1.5 lbs per week, closer to 2. That's with your weight, height, age and gender, plus again assuming an average of 300 cals per day through exercise (hopefully conservative for how much you plan on exercising), and sedentary activity outside of intentional exercise (again conservative).

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