Are your maintenance calories about what you predicted?

heybales

Here's a better TDEE calculator than the rough 5 level ones that don't even include increased daily activity in the estimate, only undefined exercise. (is a mailman and desk jockey of equal BMR going to have the same TDEE if one does 4 hrs of lifting and one does 4 hrs of running weekly?)

Just follow instructions in top right to make your own copy.

Real figures of loss trump this of course, well, unless it included muscle mass loss from too fast.

Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

jolive7

143353326 wrote: »

I’m 32 years old, 6’2, 189 pounds, and about 7% body fat. My BMR should be about 2,100 calories per day. That’s how much energy my body should burn every day, excluding any physical activity. Is it enough?

7% was a typo right

memickee

@heybales Thanks for the spreadsheet.

maxit

My maintenance level turned out to be higher when I was weight training regularly (because fit bit under estimated my calorie burn). Not weight training it turns out to be pretty much what MFP said it would be.

powered85

heybales wrote: »

Here's a better TDEE calculator than the rough 5 level ones that don't even include increased daily activity in the estimate, only undefined exercise. (is a mailman and desk jockey of equal BMR going to have the same TDEE if one does 4 hrs of lifting and one does 4 hrs of running weekly?)

Just follow instructions in top right to make your own copy.

Real figures of loss trump this of course, well, unless it included muscle mass loss from too fast.

Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

Nice spreadsheet! I wonder if it can be tweaked to use the Katch-McArdle formula for BMR if you know your rough bf%?

heybales

Try this one then if more accuracy desired (I have seen 150-200 cal BMR differences based on BF%, so decent amount that should be accounted for).
Stay on Simple Setup and Progress tabs.
Review sample data in yellow cells, then delete all that data in yellow cells - use your stats where you have them. You may not have all, especially in Body Fat Calc area.
Just confirm you enter a value into the BF% field. Either from calc, or your own measurement method.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

swim777

fiddletime wrote: »

I went from 1200 to 1350 calories in maintenance. I'm 61 and 5'2". I was pretty disappointed with that, but if I ate more, I gained. I lasted 2 months on maintenance but slipped and am out of maintenance now.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger! I struggle, too. I quickly gained back the 3-4 lbs after losing 80, but I have trouble keeping it I that higher range too. I still exercise regularly and try to keep it down by weighing regularly and eating at a deficit several days banking calories for others. I WILL get this!

suziecue20

I'm 68 and 5ft and my MFP losing calories were 1200 and my maintenance 1340 but I often go over that and so far have totally maintained my 51lb loss, even though it's only been 4 months. For the first month I stuck rigidly to the 1340 but found I was still losing a teeny bit so that's why I don't fret if I go over by a couple of hundred some days.

girlgroves

I'm 45, 140lbs and 5ft 6" and have been gradually increasing my maintenance calories since I hit my goal weight in the summer. It's all been a bit of an experiment really - not made easier by the fact that I tend not to eat a consistent number of calories every day (I eat much more on weekends for example) and can gain back anything from 150 to 450 calories per day through exercise depending on what I do (I usually eat back all my exercise calories!). A quick calculation of my average daily net calories since the beginning of this month though (I can't believe I haven't thought to do this before!?) and I'm perfectly maintaining on an average of 1,835 net per day. MFP puts my maintenance calories at 1,820/day with my activity level set at lightly active. I have a desk job, but am quite active outside of that - so yes - spot on really! Even if I hadn't realised it until now!

cwolfman13

I would say my maintenance calories are generally higher than I initially predicted. When I upped my calories my energy went up...I actually started training harder than I was able to in a deficit...training harder and longer meant my maintenance calories went up even further.

That said, it's really a moving target...maintenance is basically a range of calories, not a specific number...and it's going to be variable depending on what you're doing. My maintenance calories tend to be lower in the winter because my training drops off a bit...basically I'm not on the bike as much. My maintenance calories go back up in the spring when I start training for the cycling season...my maintenance range can increase significantly depending on the mileage I'm putting in.

maxit wrote: »

My maintenance level turned out to be higher when I was weight training regularly (because fit bit under estimated my calorie burn). Not weight training it turns out to be pretty much what MFP said it would be.

You need to keep in mind that it is pretty normal to put on scale weight when you're upping calories...people freak out about this and forget that they're eating more...thus there will be more inherent waste in your system...you are also going to hold onto more water and replenish depleted glycogen...all of that shows up on the scale...the number on the scale isn't just fat.

gothchiq

lower. blegh. I get a whole entire 1400. >:( And my friends wonder why I work out as much as I can stand to. In order to be able to eat!

robininfl

I didn't lose weight but came on here to measure what I was eating and yes.

I figured I was an average sized person mass-wise since I'm tallish and thinnish, and it's always 2,000 in the nutrition facts on the back of packaged foods, and yep, I was eating right around 2,000 to maintain. More on a very active day and less if I lay around for a few days, but it's close. I have a lot of active days though, somewhere around 2,000 to 2,500 feels most natural to eat for me, but it's an average, there are hungry days and days when I just feel full all day without eating much at all.

But anyway, I measured for quite a few weeks and it takes me about what I thought to maintain a healthy mass.

Need2Exerc1se

Yes, but I maintained a healthy weight for most of my adult life so I knew what it would be.

intangiblemango

My maintenance calories were much higher than anticipated-- was expecting around 2000 and maintain at around 2800 (at 5'6" 125 lbs). HOWEVER, that is only because I am much more active than I have ever been.

I was also within the healthy BMI range at my heaviest.

karl317

2200/day maintenance (46yo 6'3") - dead on for me, but my exercise calories are a wash (around 1000 a day). If I eat into those significantly, I start to gain so I stay out of those.

tomteboda

Yes, but it's significantly lower than the calculators predict for a person of my activity, height and weight. This does not surprise me, I've known I gain weight easily for a very long time.

KareninLux

fiddletime wrote: »

I went from 1200 to 1350 calories in maintenance. I'm 61 and 5'2". I was pretty disappointed with that, but if I ate more, I gained. I lasted 2 months on maintenance but slipped and am out of maintenance now.

Oh, la. Me too. Am 50 and 5'6" and am now up 4 lbs - ish and looking at the holidays!! Am back in a deficit to get back to my range weight. Woah.