How long should I wait before cutting calories?

daniip_la

It has been 4 weeks since I started using a Fitbit to calculate my calories burned. In those 4 weeks, I've only lost 5lbs versus the 11lbs I should have lost based off of the Fitbit's burn calculations. I've included a spreadsheet I made of all the information, any input would be appreciated.

It's not close to the time for my period, so that's not affecting my loss. Except for a few days (you can see from the numbers), I only ate back 50% to 75% of my exercise calories earned, trying to account for overestimation. My diary is open. I weigh everything solid that I eat to the gram and measure liquids when applicable. I use USDA entries when possible, and the information on packages if something is prepackaged (while weighing them to have accurate calorie counts). On the rare occasions I eat at a restaurant, I grossly overestimate just to be sure. I have an accurate physician's scale to track my weight.

WBB55

Way to go with your losses so far! With your BF%, I'd guess you could tolerate a higher deficit for now. There's a good chance the FitBit is overestimating your TDEE (it does mine, too. So I've knocked down my height a few inches so it matches my results a bit better).

Are you hungry at all? Urges to binge? If you're not feeling hunger or cravings, try not eating back any exercise. Or simply eating a flat 2000 every day for a while.

Congratulations on taking steps towards health. Right now, the biggest mistake you can make is not sticking with it. Whether you eat 1800 or 2200 calories per day isn't really worth stressing out about at this stage of your weight loss.

laur357

Lots of fun data! I assume that my Fitbit gives me greater numbers of calories burned than I actually burn each day and for the most part only eat back half of my exercise calories. Maybe try taking 5-10% off of the Fitbit's daily calorie estimate for a few weeks to see if that puts you where you think you should be? Then in increments of 5% until you hit your theoretical loss (if that's the amount you're striving for)?

Either way, you've lost 5 pounds in a month, so that's a great start!

daniip_la

WBB55 wrote: »

Way to go with your losses so far! With your BF%, I'd guess you could tolerate a higher deficit for now. There's a good chance the FitBit is overestimating your TDEE (it does mine, too. So I've knocked down my height a few inches so it matches my results a bit better).

Are you hungry at all? Urges to binge? If you're not feeling hunger or cravings, try not eating back any exercise. Or simply eating a flat 2000 every day for a while.

Congratulations on taking steps towards health. Right now, the biggest mistake you can make is not sticking with it. Whether you eat 1800 or 2200 calories per day isn't really worth stressing out about at this stage of your weight loss.

I actually lowered my height by 2 inches this morning, thinking it might help. I'll lower it more if I need to.

I don't feel deprived or anxious to binge, the only times I feel really hungry are the mornings after an activity-heavy day. I'm not having any trouble sticking with it, just slightly discouraged that my weight loss for the month was only half that it should have been with the amount of walking I've been doing.

I can definitely handle a bigger deficit. I didn't want to risk hair loss or other problems, which is why I was trying to keep my deficit reasonable. But obviously my deficit isn't as big as I thought since the numbers don't match up.

Thanks for your help! I'm going to adjust things accordingly.

daniip_la

laur357 wrote: »

Lots of fun data! I assume that my Fitbit gives me greater numbers of calories burned than I actually burn each day and for the most part only eat back half of my exercise calories. Maybe try taking 5-10% off of the Fitbit's daily calorie estimate for a few weeks to see if that puts you where you think you should be? Then in increments of 5% until you hit your theoretical loss (if that's the amount you're striving for)?

Either way, you've lost 5 pounds in a month, so that's a great start!

I'm a chemist, data and excel are life!

I've been only eating between 50% to 75% of my exercise calories back, but based on the numbers with my current activity, it seems like I shouldn't eat them back at all. I'm going to adjust and see the results after another month.

Thanks for your help!

WBB55

daniip_la wrote: »

WBB55 wrote: »

Way to go with your losses so far! With your BF%, I'd guess you could tolerate a higher deficit for now. There's a good chance the FitBit is overestimating your TDEE (it does mine, too. So I've knocked down my height a few inches so it matches my results a bit better).

Are you hungry at all? Urges to binge? If you're not feeling hunger or cravings, try not eating back any exercise. Or simply eating a flat 2000 every day for a while.

Congratulations on taking steps towards health. Right now, the biggest mistake you can make is not sticking with it. Whether you eat 1800 or 2200 calories per day isn't really worth stressing out about at this stage of your weight loss.

I actually lowered my height by 2 inches this morning, thinking it might help. I'll lower it more if I need to.

I don't feel deprived or anxious to binge, the only times I feel really hungry are the mornings after an activity-heavy day. I'm not having any trouble sticking with it, just slightly discouraged that my weight loss for the month was only half that it should have been with the amount of walking I've been doing.

I can definitely handle a bigger deficit. I didn't want to risk hair loss or other problems, which is why I was trying to keep my deficit reasonable. But obviously my deficit isn't as big as I thought since the numbers don't match up.

Thanks for your help! I'm going to adjust things accordingly.

Take a multivitamin (helps prevent weird micronutrient deficiencies), keep walking (keeps bones strong), lift some weights with your big muscle groups when you're able (preserve the muscle you have now), and make sure you get enough protein and fat (hunger satisfaction and hormone balance).

Machka9

daniip_la wrote: »

laur357 wrote: »

Lots of fun data! I assume that my Fitbit gives me greater numbers of calories burned than I actually burn each day and for the most part only eat back half of my exercise calories. Maybe try taking 5-10% off of the Fitbit's daily calorie estimate for a few weeks to see if that puts you where you think you should be? Then in increments of 5% until you hit your theoretical loss (if that's the amount you're striving for)?

Either way, you've lost 5 pounds in a month, so that's a great start!

I'm a chemist, data and excel are life!

I've been only eating between 50% to 75% of my exercise calories back, but based on the numbers with my current activity, it seems like I shouldn't eat them back at all. I'm going to adjust and see the results after another month.

Thanks for your help!

On the days when you're doing 1-2 mile walks, I wouldn't bother eating the calories back, or maybe just go for 25% or so.

On the day when you did the 7 mile walk, that's the day I'd eat 75% of my calories back.


I'm a cyclist, and I find that if I go for a short ride, I can eat a small amount of my calories back and feel all right. But if I go for a long ride, I need to eat more of my calories back or I am ravenous the next day.

catsdogsh

Don't eat back exercise calories usually results in more loss.

sllm1

I was also thinking about not going over 2,000 per day to see where that takes you.

Mystical64

The information is great. Are you getting your heart rate up to a fat burn mode? I try not to eat back any of my calories. Because I feel like my fitbit is a little high when it tells me my calories burned. I mean it looks great, but doesn't help with the losing.

Also what is the amount of calories you are trying to stay within on a daily basis? That is what I aim for.

sllm1

The fitbit numbers seem high to me. Have you calculated your TDEE to see what numbers that gives for comparison? I use Excel to compare MFP/Fitbit with Scooby and IIFYM TDEE. I generally try to go with the average of the three.

Mystical64

I don't see where you have macro set. I would watch the carbs. I know the Knorr side dishes has an extremely high amount of carbs and more than likely sodium.

daniip_la

sllm1 wrote: »

I was also thinking about not going over 2,000 per day to see where that takes you.

sllm1 wrote: »

The fitbit numbers seem high to me. Have you calculated your TDEE to see what numbers that gives for comparison? I use Excel to compare MFP/Fitbit with Scooby and IIFYM TDEE. I generally try to go with the average of the three.

I'm thinking about sticking to 2,000 a day for my active days. It seems like a good start.

I've calculated my TDEE before, but decided to stick with MFP and Fitbit to see where it landed me.

daniip_la

Mystical64 wrote: »

The information is great. Are you getting your heart rate up to a fat burn mode? I try not to eat back any of my calories. Because I feel like my fitbit is a little high when it tells me my calories burned. I mean it looks great, but doesn't help with the losing.

Also what is the amount of calories you are trying to stay within on a daily basis? That is what I aim for.

Mystical64 wrote: »

I don't see where you have macro set. I would watch the carbs. I know the Knorr side dishes has an extremely high amount of carbs and more than likely sodium.

I'm not sure how much my heart rate it getting up to, I don't measure it. I just thought I should eat back some of the exercise calories since adding 5 or 6 miles of walking on top of (what should be) a 1,000kcal deficit seemed like a formula for problems.

I didn't have a set calorie goal, just tried to aim for a 1,000kcal to 1,500kcal deficit.

As far as carbs go, I don't watch them. I know that as long as I'm getting decent protein and fat, and stay within my calories, they don't matter. A few days of having a serving of Knorr rice won't hinder my weight loss. Though I do agree that the sodium could cause water retention, so I tend to drink extra water to make up for it.

daniip_la

Machka9 wrote: »

On the days when you're doing 1-2 mile walks, I wouldn't bother eating the calories back, or maybe just go for 25% or so.

On the day when you did the 7 mile walk, that's the day I'd eat 75% of my calories back.


I'm a cyclist, and I find that if I go for a short ride, I can eat a small amount of my calories back and feel all right. But if I go for a long ride, I need to eat more of my calories back or I am ravenous the next day.

I generally don't eat back any calories on the days where I only walk 1 or 2 miles, I don't consider those my active days. My active days are usually at least 3.5 miles.

Mystical64

my nutritionist has me at 30% carbs 40% protein and 30% fats. I eat roughly 1400 calories a day. I make sure at least 3 to 4 days a week, my heart rate is in peak for 20 mins and fat burn for the rest of the time. I do cardio the 3 to 4 times a week for about 45 to 50 mins.

Hope this helps so far I'm down 30 some pounds and have 7 more to go until I'm at my goal weight with 21% body fat.

chrisssiex23x

For me i never ate back any excerise calories. Maybe try lowering that.

Drinking plenty water?

Eating the right food and portions too.

Jacqadactle

First, hooray for spreadsheets/science! I'm a food scientist, but my degree is dietetics.

I'd organize the spreadsheet in a week-by-week basis. That way, you can more clearly see where your deficits are lacking (ex: for me, it's on the weekends lol).

I think the fitbit is overestimating your calories. I try not to eat back exercise calories, unless I'm really hungry (my stomach is actually growling for something). But, I do include 1 cheat meal every week, so mentally I can look forward to having whatever I want. I would try for just keeping up with 2000kcals/day, paying attention to that rather than the supposed deficit. If it works, I think you can confidently say that the deficit was overestimated.

I know for me personally, macros make a huge difference. I lose faster when I count my carbohydrates at 40% for the day, spaced evenly over 3 meals and 2 snacks. Part of my weight gain was insulin resistance, and counting steadies my blood sugar, helping my body to utilize the carbohydrates better. Also, I FEEL so much better! And the result is that I'm more passively active throughout the day (ie I may get up out of my chair more often, or take the stairs, etc. and feel good about it, without really thinking about it).

I looked through your diary a little bit, and my best advice is that I don't see nearly enough fruits and vegetables. try getting either a fruit or vegetable in at every meal. The micro nutrients they provide, along with the fiber, really do make a big difference.

daniip_la

Jacqadactle wrote: »

I know for me personally, macros make a huge difference. I lose faster when I count my carbohydrates at 40% for the day, spaced evenly over 3 meals and 2 snacks. Part of my weight gain was insulin resistance, and counting steadies my blood sugar, helping my body to utilize the carbohydrates better. Also, I FEEL so much better! And the result is that I'm more passively active throughout the day (ie I may get up out of my chair more often, or take the stairs, etc. and feel good about it, without really thinking about it).

I've actually recently been tested for insulin resistance, as my general practitioner thought I might have it. Tests came back negative, and not watching my carbs didn't hinder my weight loss previous to getting the Fitbit, so I'm assuming they're not a problem for me. I'm pretty active throughout the day, and set aside at least two hours for dedicated walking 6 days a week.

daniip_la

After general consensus, I'm going to eat no more than 2,000kcal a day. I'll report back in a few weeks and see how it affected my losses. I know my Fitbit has to be overestimating my burns, as the numbers simply don't add up.

Thanks everyone for your help!

ashtree42

Part of the reason for the discrepancy is the over estimation of calories burned, especially from extra exercise. As you say you are eating back 50-75% of exercise calories to compensate for the over estimation. However, that isn't reflected in the theoretical deficit you are calculating. You are adjusting your 'calories eaten' input, but not your 'calories burned' input.
Say your fitbit says you burned 500 extra calories from exercise, and you eat back 300 calories (because you know that's closer to what you really burned). That is still adding 200 calories to your calculated 'theoretical deficit' that are not in your 'true deficit'. Add each day of exercise over a month, and that would account for a few pounds of you gap between theoretical and observed weight loss.
But really the point is to eat at a deficit to lose weight, which you are doing a great job at! Congrats on sticking with it for a month already! If you want the number to match up closer (I'm a scientist too, so I get the urge to track, plot, and understand the data) that idea of lowering your height in the fitbit so it gives calorie burns closer to the true value sounds like a good way to factor in overestimation.