Feedback for 57 YO female trying to lose weight

jmweiner1

As of today I am 144 lb with 39% body fat. I am 5'4". According to the scale I was on, my calories just for maintenance are 1,217. Yikes.

I am a SAHM so lightly active with housework and errands. I do Crossfit about 3X per week and yoga 1 day.

So I guess in order to lose I need to be at about 1,000 calories per day - about 50% protein and the other split with fats and carbs.

Thoughts?

rsclause

I say stick with 1200 and increase activity. I think something is wrong with the math that 1200 would be for maintaining.

toxikon

I plugged your stats into my favourite BMR/TDEE calc: http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

Sedentary TDEE: 1468
Slightly Active TDEE: 1682
Lightly Active TDEE: 1743

I'd definitely recommend eating at least 1200 calories! 1000 is too low for your height.

kommodevaran

That sounds dreadful. Luckily, you don't need any of that to lose weight, and what the scale told you, except for your weight, is all wrong.

At 144 pounds and 5'4", you are normal weight. Your body is not carrying 56 pounds of fat, I can almost certainly guarantee you that.

A woman your weight and height and age, has a maintenance level of around 1550-2000 calories, depending on activity level. To lose weight, if you want to, you should eat 300-400 calories less.

MFP's default macro split reflects most normal human diets. There is no reason for you to tweak it even before you have set your calorie goal. Try logging your food intake and hitting your calorie goal first. Maybe you don't even have to track macros.

heybales

The scale has no idea of your activity level to give maintenance calories - does it?

Learn to question and answer things that don't sound right that you are unfamiliar with.

Use MFP correctly - set to Lightly-Active since you easily are for daily life.
Log that Crossfit as Aerobics even though it's easily more calorie burn than that.
If calm stretching type Yoga - don't worry about logging 1 x weekly.

Since not actually much weight to lose, but more fat desired, set weight loss to 1 lb weekly for a month - then switch to 1/2 lb weekly for another month - then to maintenance - and let the Crossfit workouts improve from eating more then.

You need great workouts that are asking the body to improve by tapping out your existing muscle - and then growing more.

That won't happen if eating too little - so use the program correctly.

At some point that logging Crossfit as Aerobics being under-estimated won't be good - probably have to switch to logging as Circuit Training, which is a tad closer.

RedSierra

jmweiner1 wrote: »

As of today I am 144 lb with 39% body fat. I am 5'4". According to the scale I was on, my calories just for maintenance are 1,217. Yikes.

Something is way off here. Where did you get these figures? As someone else said, you're a normal weight for your height -- close to overweight, but still normal.

Where did the 39% body fat come from? I believe 30% and above is obese, so I don't understand how you can be a normal weight and have that body fat percent.

jmweiner1

[/quote]

Something is way off here. Where did you get these figures? As someone else said, you're a normal weight for your height -- close to overweight, but still normal.

Where did the 39% body fat come from? I believe 30% and above is obese, so I don't understand how you can be a normal weight and have that body fat percent.
[/quote]

@RedSierra My Crossfit has a scale that measures bf, hydration, visceral fat and bone density.

heybales

jmweiner1 wrote: »

My Crossfit has a scale that measures bf, hydration, visceral fat and bone density.

Ya - it measures impedance to an electrical signal.

That can give a rough estimate of bodyfat%.

Then math to give non-fat %.

Everything else is based on tables for averages using perhaps your age and height and gender if you even entered it.

And the BF% has great chance of being off by 10% - even if you could present the same hydrated body to it for measuring.

Some scales may be inaccurate - but at least be consistent so you can see a trend - if you present the same hydrated body to it.

Best valid time to minimize known water weight fluctuations:
First thing in morning after a rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

Was your measurement valid?

kimny72

jmweiner1 wrote: »

My Crossfit has a scale that measures bf, hydration, visceral fat and bone density.

Those scales are notoriously bad at measuring anything other than your weight.
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week, get a kitchen scale and use it for all solid foods, log your exercise and eat some of those calories back. Macro % are personal preference, but 50% protein is very high!

So eat at a calorie deficit to lose fat, and keep up the workouts to retain muscle and help you look better once the weight comes off. Good luck!

Lillymoo01

Firstly, no way are your maintenance calories that low unless you have serious problems with your metabolism. I am shorter than you at 4'11", lighter than you at 100 pounds and every online calculator gives me a range between 1350-1400 for sedentary.

Secondly, with your stats I highly doubt that your body fat is 39%. Scales can be very inaccurate with measurements.

Thirdly, 50% is much more protein than anyone needs. Just stick with the ratios that are given here. They work for most people.

My suggestion. Have your food intake as 1200 and then include your exercise calories on days that you work out. Eat back at least half of your exercise calories. Keep the macros as they are unless you find you are hungry all the time. If so drop carbs a little and increase fat and protein slightly and see if that makes a difference. Maybe a 40/30/30 split with carbs, fat and protein.

DebLaBounty

I'm 57 years old and 5' 6" tall. MFP's lowest setting, for health reasons, is 1200 calories a day. I've had success eating at that level plus eating most of the exercise calories I log every day, which tends to bring me up to 1400 to 1500 a day. I've found that to feel full and not deprived, I incorporate not only lots of vegetables but also lean protein and "healthy" fats like avocados and a small portion of nuts. Weigh everything on a food scale so you know how many ounces that portion of lean meat is, you'll get a much more accurate reading than just eyeballing it. Good luck!

Old_Cat_Lady

the body fat reader on those scales are always so, so wrong.