New...can you answer my question? Please and TY!

kaygold

Hi all!

I've been on MFP for a while now. I lurk the threads a lot lol but this is my first post. I have done a ton of research and decided to go the eat more wiegh less route. I want to lose about 20 lbs.

You guys really know your stuff, so I was hoping someone would take a quick minute to help me out and answer a few questions I have? Please?!

I entered my info into the scooby calculator (there are a ton of calcs out there, but alot of you talk about this one....)

Female
5 feet 7 inches
157 pounds
25 years old
light excercise
15% cut

Based on this I came up with :

BMR: 1529
TDEE: 2102
CUT: 1787

So my questions are:

1) So based on this, I should eat 1787 a day right? And should NOT eat excercise calories right?

2) I have a desk job, but I do jillian michaels 30 day shred 3 times a week. Given ths, did I pick the right activity level of light?

3) Should I have done a 20% cut instead of 15%? Eat more to weigh less website says not to go higher than 15% but a lot of MFP members are at a 20%...

Thank you in advance!

Mokey41

1) Right

2) Not sure, 30 minutes 3 times a week is really light, close to sedentary.

3) Losing 20 lbs shouldn't be a 20% cut or even 15%, probably more like 10% but then you may be a bit high on your TDEE by taking lightly active. Maybe do sedentary then eat back some of your exercise on the days you actually do it.

I_Will_End_You

The numbers you calculated look about right to me, just based on height and weight. You are correct that you do NOT eat back exercise calories with this method, you stick with the 1787. I think that light activity sounds accurate, but I'm no expert.

kaygold

Thanks so much for the answers so far!

Hmmm I am now wondering if I should have gone with sedentary. I just liked the idea of being consistent everyday vs eating back exercise calories...no matter the brand I am always leery over HRM stats

Then someone told me that sedentary is if you literally stay in bed all day...nice idea lol but I def don't have that luxury.

Ah! I dunnoooooo

bajoyba

I think your plan sounds good.

"Lightly active" sounds like the right activity setting for you. You can always give it a few weeks and adjust as needed.

I_Will_End_You

Then someone told me that sedentary is if you literally stay in bed all day...nice idea lol but I def don't have that luxury.

Yes, you basically have to do nothing to be considered sedentary. I was under the impression that "light activity" was working out or being active 1-3 times a week. If you aren't totally comfortable with that, you can add a 4th day of 30DS into your week.

raingirl21

I am a little shorter than you, but had the same amount of weight to lose. I also have a desk job but work out about 5 days a week for a hour or so, weights and cardio. I choose "sedentary" but manually changed my calories to 1400. That has worked for me. I'm not hungry but I do eat back about half of my excersice so that usually puts me at 1550 or so. On the days I'm not at the gym I eat at the 1400. So far I've had success, it's been slow but steady. Everyone is different though, so you may have to just see what works for you.

kaygold

Wow! Thank you all for taking the time to help me out! I have a history of yo-yo dieting, and I think a lot of that has to do with depriving myself via low calorie intake. So this time I hope I can stick with this method, not feel so miserably hungry all the time, and look and feel good again!

I have to say, I was pretty nervous asking for help here. Sometimes people get really...passionate on certain threads lol so I'm overly thankful you have all been so nice!

Mokey41

Sedentary is someone with a desk job. It also assumes you travel to and from work, do some basic personal care and household chores, spend a few hours a day having leisure time, prepare your meals, etc. It doesn't mean lay in bed all day, that's your BMR which is just basic body functions. Your activity level is mostly based on your job status. Desk worker is sedentary, lightly active is a store clerk, active is someone who is on the move all day. I have no idea why sedentary conjures up such a bad image that no one wants to admit that's their average day. It doesn't mean you're a sloth, it means like a good percentage of the population you are stuck in an office all day with little chance for activity 8 hours a day.

kaygold

Sedentary is someone with a desk job. It also assumes you travel to and from work, do some basic personal care and household chores, spend a few hours a day having leisure time, prepare your meals, etc. It doesn't mean lay in bed all day, that's your BMR which is just basic body functions. Your activity level is mostly based on your job status. Desk worker is sedentary, lightly active is a store clerk, active is someone who is on the move all day. I have no idea why sedentary conjures up such a bad image that no one wants to admit that's their average day. It doesn't mean you're a sloth, it means like a good percentage of the population you are stuck in an office all day with little chance for activity 8 hours a day.

Hmmm, Ok I can see that; your description is logical. Scooby calculator gave me hours exercised to determine my activity level which is why I chose light (it says 1-3 hours a week = light). Using your description is there a way I could be consistent vs eating back my calories at a sedentary activity level? Sorry to be difficult, but I really just don't trust HRM's to be accurate, and I'm a lil paranoid about over indulging in exercise calories.

VioletNightshade

Sedentary is someone with a desk job. It also assumes you travel to and from work, do some basic personal care and household chores, spend a few hours a day having leisure time, prepare your meals, etc. It doesn't mean lay in bed all day, that's your BMR which is just basic body functions. Your activity level is mostly based on your job status. Desk worker is sedentary, lightly active is a store clerk, active is someone who is on the move all day. I have no idea why sedentary conjures up such a bad image that no one wants to admit that's their average day. It doesn't mean you're a sloth, it means like a good percentage of the population you are stuck in an office all day with little chance for activity 8 hours a day.

Becasue when people say "sedentary" colloquially, they mean "He who is one with the couch." It's (incorrectly) used as a synonym for "lazy."

Mokey41

Sedentary is someone with a desk job. It also assumes you travel to and from work, do some basic personal care and household chores, spend a few hours a day having leisure time, prepare your meals, etc. It doesn't mean lay in bed all day, that's your BMR which is just basic body functions. Your activity level is mostly based on your job status. Desk worker is sedentary, lightly active is a store clerk, active is someone who is on the move all day. I have no idea why sedentary conjures up such a bad image that no one wants to admit that's their average day. It doesn't mean you're a sloth, it means like a good percentage of the population you are stuck in an office all day with little chance for activity 8 hours a day.

Hmmm, Ok I can see that; your description is logical. Scooby calculator gave me hours exercised to determine my activity level which is why I chose light (it says 1-3 hours a week = light). Using your description is there a way I could be consistent vs eating back my calories at a sedentary activity level? Sorry to be difficult, but I really just don't trust HRM's to be accurate, and I'm a lil paranoid about over indulging in exercise calories.

A HRM will be the most accurate measurement of calorie burn that you'll get if it's a reputable brand with a chest strap. Far more accurate than assuming something from an online calculator. It also covers whether you do the exercise or not. It's also suggested not to eat back all of your exercise calories because most of us are not 100% accurate on food logging so leaving a few calories on the plate never hurts. I actually wouldn't even eat back calories for something like 30 Day Shred. The burn is so minimal it really isn't necessary.