MFP Method of Use
SierraFatToSkinny
Posts: 463 Member
Okay! Here's my plan and I would appreciate help tweaking it.
(Btw, I'm 5'8" and 275)
I have my calorie goal set to 450 right now. (Not actually going to restrict myself to 450!)
I plan to exercise to increase my calorie intake. Since I'm so heavy I burn quite a lot of calories!
Apparently a 1 hour cycling class burns about 1000 calories. I then take a walk and end up with 1400.
1400+450= 1850
And that's the max I have to eat.
I realize this isn't perfect, but I'm a fan of eating and I've never been able to stick to 1200 calories....
Main concerns about weight loss: nutrient deficits! I don't want to lose my hair or go sallow.
I've also upped my intake of water to a gallon a day and that hasn't been that difficult... makes me think I might need more than a gallon a day. Seems like everyone else who has made that switch has trouble reaching the gallon goal initially. Maybe I need more water?
(Btw, I'm 5'8" and 275)
I have my calorie goal set to 450 right now. (Not actually going to restrict myself to 450!)
I plan to exercise to increase my calorie intake. Since I'm so heavy I burn quite a lot of calories!
Apparently a 1 hour cycling class burns about 1000 calories. I then take a walk and end up with 1400.
1400+450= 1850
And that's the max I have to eat.
I realize this isn't perfect, but I'm a fan of eating and I've never been able to stick to 1200 calories....
Main concerns about weight loss: nutrient deficits! I don't want to lose my hair or go sallow.
I've also upped my intake of water to a gallon a day and that hasn't been that difficult... makes me think I might need more than a gallon a day. Seems like everyone else who has made that switch has trouble reaching the gallon goal initially. Maybe I need more water?
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Replies
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Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?1
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Please read the whole post. Including the sentence after that.TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »
Please read the whole post. Including the sentence after that.TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
I did, you're going to net 450 cals... not in any way healthy.
Net 1200 at least3 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least2 -
i think you may be better suited by plugging your numbers into MFP and setting a 2 lb per week rate of loss if you have over 50 lbs to lose and then letting mfp calculate the calories. You can still use exercise to increase your allowed calories if you don't think it's enough, just be conservative when logging the burn because sometimes it over estimates.
4 -
Your base of 450 is too low. Unless you are extremely small it should be no lower than 1200. Your exercise calories should be added on top of the 1200.
So in your example it would be 1200 (base) + 1400 (exercise) for a total of 2600.1 -
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jessiferrrb wrote: »i think you may be better suited by plugging your numbers into MFP and setting a 2 lb per week rate of loss if you have over 50 lbs to lose and then letting mfp calculate the calories. You can still use exercise to increase your allowed calories if you don't think it's enough, just be conservative when logging the burn because sometimes it over estimates.
That has me at about 2,200 calories on the "active" setting.
I think since I'm so heavy right now I can reasonably lose 3 pounds a week.
I want to input my exercises and not have a huge calorie excess. Hence lowering my goal to 450.0 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »i think you may be better suited by plugging your numbers into MFP and setting a 2 lb per week rate of loss if you have over 50 lbs to lose and then letting mfp calculate the calories. You can still use exercise to increase your allowed calories if you don't think it's enough, just be conservative when logging the burn because sometimes it over estimates.
This. I would also add that 1000 calories/hour for a cycling class is an estimate that likely applies to someone who's in good enough shape to go all out during that hour. I don't know your current level of fitness, but it's safe to say that it will be very difficult to sustain a 1400 calorie burn from exercise for 7 days/week. Given that, it'd be a much better idea to let MFP set your calorie goal based on losing up to 2 lbs/week (depending on how much you have to lose). You should also keep in mind that calorie burn estimates are generally inaccurate. Food weighing/logging inaccuracies also happen, because we're human. This is why many people here only eat back 50-70% of their exercise calories - doing so provides a buffer that helps compensate for the inaccuracies I mentioned above. I believe you need to re-think your plan.3 -
If you want advice it would be helpful if you gave us your stats...age...height...weight.0
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TavistockToad wrote: »
Probably but I was using her example so that she could compare the difference.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »jessiferrrb wrote: »i think you may be better suited by plugging your numbers into MFP and setting a 2 lb per week rate of loss if you have over 50 lbs to lose and then letting mfp calculate the calories. You can still use exercise to increase your allowed calories if you don't think it's enough, just be conservative when logging the burn because sometimes it over estimates.
That has me at about 2,200 calories on the "active" setting.
I think since I'm so heavy right now I can reasonably lose 3 pounds a week.
I want to input my exercises and not have a huge calorie excess. Hence lowering my goal to 450.
You're not 'so heavy' so 2lb a week is a reasonable and healthy amount to lose.
If you set yourself to active, you don't eat back exercise cals.
If you want to add exercise, set yourself to sedentary and net your goal.1 -
Here are my concerns: Exercise burns are notoriously off in calculations. Machine burns (elliptical, treadmill, bike, etc) are usually way off, and advertised fitness class burns are as well because they want to get people in the door. Even the MFP exercise database isn't going to be correct - most of the numbers are overestimated.
Setting a floor of 450 calories and then estimating huge calorie burns would potentially put you in the category of undereating, and that isn't good. It's bad for your nutrition and underfueling your workouts can lead to injury.
Since you are a fan of eating, have you considered the TDEE method? It's different from MFP. With MFP, you calorie goal is before exercise, expecting you to eat back a portion of your calories. With TDEE, your exercise is built into your estimate, giving you a standard number. For example, MFP might have me at 1400-1600 calories to lose a pound per week, before exercise, but my TDEE number is 1800. They come out to be roughly the same in the end, but TDEE was easier for me because I didn't have to worry about exercise calorie burns.
Here's a calorie calculator to help you find your TDEE number: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Just enter your stats, activity level (I would focus more on the hours it has listed than the level of intensity), and how much you want to lose per week to get your number. You could start there, and then tweak as necessary depending on how your actual loss compares to the calorie goal.1 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?
No, because you're not burning as many calories as you think. Around 600 would be a reasonable burn for an hours class. So you get to eat 1800 that day.1 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »jessiferrrb wrote: »i think you may be better suited by plugging your numbers into MFP and setting a 2 lb per week rate of loss if you have over 50 lbs to lose and then letting mfp calculate the calories. You can still use exercise to increase your allowed calories if you don't think it's enough, just be conservative when logging the burn because sometimes it over estimates.
That has me at about 2,200 calories on the "active" setting.
I think since I'm so heavy right now I can reasonably lose 3 pounds a week.
I want to input my exercises and not have a huge calorie excess. Hence lowering my goal to 450.
the activity settings on mfp are used to determine your base level of activity before intentional exercise. so if you have a desk job and spend most of the day sitting, it doesn't matter that you spin after work, because you add those calories separately. you didn't mention your job, but the active setting is really for someone who is active on their feet all day at work, someone like a nurse in a hospital or a server in a restaurant or doing manual labor.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?
No, because you're not burning as many calories as you think. Around 600 would be a reasonable burn for an hours class. So you get to eat 1800 that day.
... did you really read my post? I ended up with 1850 as my calorie ceiling.0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?
No, because you're not burning as many calories as you think. Around 600 would be a reasonable burn for an hours class. So you get to eat 1800 that day.
... did you really read my post? I ended up with 1850 as my calorie ceiling.
Are you reading my posts?!
3 -
Ok... I'm embarrassed to admit I'm having trouble understanding what's going on in that page. I keep getting warnings and I've ended up with 5000 calorie goals and such.Since you are a fan of eating, have you considered the TDEE method? It's different from MFP. With MFP, you calorie goal is before exercise, expecting you to eat back a portion of your calories. With TDEE, your exercise is built into your estimate, giving you a standard number. For example, MFP might have me at 1400-1600 calories to lose a pound per week, before exercise, but my TDEE number is 1800. They come out to be roughly the same in the end, but TDEE was easier for me because I didn't have to worry about exercise calorie burns.
Here's a calorie calculator to help you find your TDEE number: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Just enter your stats, activity level (I would focus more on the hours it has listed than the level of intensity), and how much you want to lose per week to get your number. You could start there, and then tweak as necessary depending on how your actual loss compares to the calorie goal.
I'm going to try again... haha.0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »... did you really read my post? I ended up with 1850 as my calorie ceiling.
Yes, we all read your post. And what we're trying to tell you is that your proposed 1850 calorie ceiling is based on an inaccurate (and likely grossly overestimated) calorie burn from exercise.1 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?
No, because you're not burning as many calories as you think. Around 600 would be a reasonable burn for an hours class. So you get to eat 1800 that day.
... did you really read my post? I ended up with 1850 as my calorie ceiling.
Only because you are eating all of your supposed burnt calories. Your base calories should be 1200 before exercise, not 4501 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »
Ok... I'm embarrassed to admit I'm having trouble understanding what's going on in that page. I keep getting warnings and I've ended up with 5000 calorie goals and such.Since you are a fan of eating, have you considered the TDEE method? It's different from MFP. With MFP, you calorie goal is before exercise, expecting you to eat back a portion of your calories. With TDEE, your exercise is built into your estimate, giving you a standard number. For example, MFP might have me at 1400-1600 calories to lose a pound per week, before exercise, but my TDEE number is 1800. They come out to be roughly the same in the end, but TDEE was easier for me because I didn't have to worry about exercise calorie burns.
Here's a calorie calculator to help you find your TDEE number: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Just enter your stats, activity level (I would focus more on the hours it has listed than the level of intensity), and how much you want to lose per week to get your number. You could start there, and then tweak as necessary depending on how your actual loss compares to the calorie goal.
I'm going to try again... haha.
if you want, pm me your stats and i'll plug them in for you and let you know your options.1 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »Okay! Here's my plan and I would appreciate help tweaking it.
(Btw, I'm 5'8" and 275)
I have my calorie goal set to 450 right now. (Not actually going to restrict myself to 450!)
I plan to exercise to increase my calorie intake. Since I'm so heavy I burn quite a lot of calories!
Apparently a 1 hour cycling class burns about 1000 calories. I then take a walk and end up with 1400.
1400+450= 1850
And that's the max I have to eat.
I realize this isn't perfect, but I'm a fan of eating and I've never been able to stick to 1200 calories....
Main concerns about weight loss: nutrient deficits! I don't want to lose my hair or go sallow.
I've also upped my intake of water to a gallon a day and that hasn't been that difficult... makes me think I might need more than a gallon a day. Seems like everyone else who has made that switch has trouble reaching the gallon goal initially. Maybe I need more water?
Doing this, you would net 450 calories which isn't good...this would mean that you're essentially providing your body with only 450 calories because the 1,400 has been expended on activities outside of existing and your day to day...
The 1200 calorie target would be your goal before exercise...so you would start with 1200 and eat back calories to account for additional exercise activity.1 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Why would you ever think that eating 450 calories was a good idea?
Also... instead of questions like that, perhaps add advice?
I did... net 1200 cals at least
Okay.
You're saying eat 3000 calories on days that I take a cycling class?
No, because you're not burning as many calories as you think. Around 600 would be a reasonable burn for an hours class. So you get to eat 1800 that day.
... did you really read my post? I ended up with 1850 as my calorie ceiling.
That is your total calories, yes...but you'd be netting 450...it would be the exact same thing as doing zero exercise and just eating 450 calories.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »Okay! Here's my plan and I would appreciate help tweaking it.
(Btw, I'm 5'8" and 275)
I have my calorie goal set to 450 right now. (Not actually going to restrict myself to 450!)
I plan to exercise to increase my calorie intake. Since I'm so heavy I burn quite a lot of calories!
Apparently a 1 hour cycling class burns about 1000 calories. I then take a walk and end up with 1400.
1400+450= 1850
And that's the max I have to eat.
I realize this isn't perfect, but I'm a fan of eating and I've never been able to stick to 1200 calories....
Main concerns about weight loss: nutrient deficits! I don't want to lose my hair or go sallow.
I've also upped my intake of water to a gallon a day and that hasn't been that difficult... makes me think I might need more than a gallon a day. Seems like everyone else who has made that switch has trouble reaching the gallon goal initially. Maybe I need more water?
Doing this, you would net 450 calories which isn't good...this would mean that you're essentially providing your body with only 450 calories because the 1,400 has been expended on activities outside of existing and your day to day...
The 1200 calorie target would be your goal before exercise...so you would start with 1200 and eat back calories to account for additional exercise activity.
Though 1400 seems like quite a large overestimation of calorie burn but I do agree net at least 12000 -
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OP, you are really making this too complicated. Enter your stats, 2 lbs/week loss, and pick your level of activity based on how you spend your day other than exercise (very few people qualify as "active"). Use that number. Eat back about 1/2 of your exercise calories. Do this for a month, tweak as needed.
3 -
Your activity level isn't sedentary if you're going to the gym?1
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OP, you are really making this too complicated. Enter your stats, 2 lbs/week loss, and pick your level of activity based on how you spend your day other than exercise (very few people qualify as "active"). Use that number. Eat back about 1/2 of your exercise calories. Do this for a month, tweak as needed.
I picked the "active" because of my exercise plans.
I'll tweak again and bring those numbers back.0
This discussion has been closed.
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