Anyone like to guess my maintenance cals?

Pastaprincess1978

Hi all - I've lost about 6kg fairly quickly (approx 11 weeks) and have another 5 to go. I'm normally quite sedentary (counsellor, light exercise 3 or so times a week) but right now I am able to do light exercise every day for about an hour total and slightly less sedentary. In June that'll all change again to maybe 3 light sessions a week (walking, light weights etc), and back to more sedentary counselling job.

I"m 169cm or 5' 6.5" with a very slight build (narrow hip and shoulder bones, tiny wrists - regardless of fat on top of course) and currently just over 64kg - aiming for 59-60ish.

Food and exercise diary is open. I am curious to know how many cals people think I could eat to maintain 60kg in a sedentary lifestyle with a few walks a week and maybe a couple of light weights sessions?

40 year old female.

heybales

Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

2034 based on the current busy schedule, lack of info for time of workouts for the rest.

After all, there is a difference between 30 min daily and 60 min daily.

10% deficit option for now with so little to go.
And make the weights NOT light - actually transform the body with something difficult.

Pastaprincess1978

wow thanks - re: lack of info for time of workouts for rest, can I go with 45mins 3 times per week light exercise?

Pastaprincess1978

I tried to edit the spreadsheet but can't

heybales

You have to follow the instructions in red - or your edits would mess up everyone else that had it already, and then their changes would mess yours up.
Can never change master copy.

1931 with that time estimate.

PokeyBug

heybales wrote: »

Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

2034 based on the current busy schedule, lack of info for time of workouts for the rest.

After all, there is a difference between 30 min daily and 60 min daily.

10% deficit option for now with so little to go.
And make the weights NOT light - actually transform the body with something difficult.

YOU'RE THE GUY! I downloaded this spreadsheet ages ago, and it has helped me so much! I have always wanted to thank you, but I couldn't remember your name. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. You rock!

heybales

You are welcome - just wanted something with a little finer detail without going too overboard.

sijomial

My guess is your total number of calories eaten over the last four weeks, then add 7,700 calories for each KG lost, then divide the total by 28 to get your current average TDEE.



ETA - An advantage of this method is basing it on your own numbers means that logging errors get corrected to a large degree.

CarvedTones

sijomial wrote: »

My guess is your total number of calories eaten over the last four weeks, then add 7,700 calories for each KG lost, then divide the total by 28 to get your current average TDEE.



ETA - An advantage of this method is basing it on your own numbers means that logging errors get corrected to a large degree.

Should you add a caveat that one of those 4 weeks can't be your first week because of that big water weight drop? Or does that come back and average out?

sijomial

CarvedTones wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

My guess is your total number of calories eaten over the last four weeks, then add 7,700 calories for each KG lost, then divide the total by 28 to get your current average TDEE.



ETA - An advantage of this method is basing it on your own numbers means that logging errors get corrected to a large degree.

Should you add a caveat that one of those 4 weeks can't be your first week because of that big water weight drop? Or does that come back and average out?

It was more for the OP who has been dieting for 11 weeks or anyone approaching maintenance but yes, you are correct, the first week or so's data is suspect as some loss may be less food in your system or water weight.

Any retrospective estimate is also subject to real changes in TDEE as it's not a constant.
Weather is warmer and so activity goes up is an example that springs to mind....

LivingtheLeanDream

To keep things simple: you've lost just over 1lb a week in those 11 weeks so its looking like maintenance will be around 500 calories more than you currently are eating per day.

TavistockToad

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

To keep things simple: you've lost just over 1lb a week in those 11 weeks so its looking like maintenance will be around 500 calories more than you currently are eating per day.

this

heybales

OP - just to be clear that math and recommendation is what would apply in June - when your schedule again matches what you were doing that led to the loss the math is based on.

Your current schedule that is a big increase in activity does not follow that math of course.

Even June may not follow the same, since it's June compared to winter months - you may find yourself more activte merely for longer days and warmer weather.

Pastaprincess1978

heybales wrote: »

OP - just to be clear that math and recommendation is what would apply in June - when your schedule again matches what you were doing that led to the loss the math is based on.

Your current schedule that is a big increase in activity does not follow that math of course.

Even June may not follow the same, since it's June compared to winter months - you may find yourself more activte merely for longer days and warmer weather.

Thanks I managed to download and use your spreadsheet. June is actually winter in Australia where I am headed But I get a TDEE of about 1600 when I consider the likely lifestyle I will have then.

projectsix

Pastaprincess1978 wrote: »

Hi all - I've lost about 6kg fairly quickly (approx 11 weeks) and have another 5 to go. I'm normally quite sedentary (counsellor, light exercise 3 or so times a week) but right now I am able to do light exercise every day for about an hour total and slightly less sedentary. In June that'll all change again to maybe 3 light sessions a week (walking, light weights etc), and back to more sedentary counselling job.

I"m 169cm or 5' 6.5" with a very slight build (narrow hip and shoulder bones, tiny wrists - regardless of fat on top of course) and currently just over 64kg - aiming for 59-60ish.

Food and exercise diary is open. I am curious to know how many cals people think I could eat to maintain 60kg in a sedentary lifestyle with a few walks a week and maybe a couple of light weights sessions?

40 year old female.

This is a good calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Pastaprincess1978

Thanks - 1400 or so kj

heybales

projectbradley wrote: »

Pastaprincess1978 wrote: »

Hi all - I've lost about 6kg fairly quickly (approx 11 weeks) and have another 5 to go. I'm normally quite sedentary (counsellor, light exercise 3 or so times a week) but right now I am able to do light exercise every day for about an hour total and slightly less sedentary. In June that'll all change again to maybe 3 light sessions a week (walking, light weights etc), and back to more sedentary counselling job.

I"m 169cm or 5' 6.5" with a very slight build (narrow hip and shoulder bones, tiny wrists - regardless of fat on top of course) and currently just over 64kg - aiming for 59-60ish.

Food and exercise diary is open. I am curious to know how many cals people think I could eat to maintain 60kg in a sedentary lifestyle with a few walks a week and maybe a couple of light weights sessions?

40 year old female.

This is a good calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

The only difficulty with calc's like that using the same Harris 1919 study - is they don't account for differences in daily activity - only exercise.

Take 2 guys with same physical stats, and same workout schedule of 4 hrs weekly.

Run them through the calc.

But one is a desk jockey with no family that lives in an apartment and plays video games most the night outside of exercise.
One is a mail carrier for 6 hrs walking his route, 2 kids, in a house during spring lawn care time.

They would be given the same TDEE - and that obviously isn't true by a long shot.

Obviously it's a place to start, and then after 30 days adjust as needed. Then wait another 30, .....

Or use a better tool and not have to wait 30 days to adjust potentially as badly.

Azercord

@heybales I have to admit I'm really impressed with that spreadsheet. Out of curiosity I plugged in my stats and when comparied to what 3 years of maintenance has taught me your spreadsheet was about 100 calories off and that is pretty increadable. No doubt a great place to start, this would have saved me a lot of guess work in the beginning when I was walking in my calorie tagret. Good job on that thing.

Pastaprincess1978

heybales wrote: »

OP - just to be clear that math and recommendation is what would apply in June - when your schedule again matches what you were doing that led to the loss the math is based on.

Your current schedule that is a big increase in activity does not follow that math of course.

Even June may not follow the same, since it's June compared to winter months - you may find yourself more activte merely for longer days and warmer weather.

Sorry I'm new at this and playing with the spreadsheet. To be totally clear: TDEE is what I would need to eat to maintain weight (ie not gain or lose, but for me particularly, to not re-gain) based on the exercise and lifestyle options I put in? Is that correct? For a really sedentary lifestyle, I tried not checking any boxes or adding exercise mintues.

WilmaValley

What a great discussion, gonna check out the info, thanks!

heybales

Pastaprincess1978 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

OP - just to be clear that math and recommendation is what would apply in June - when your schedule again matches what you were doing that led to the loss the math is based on.

Your current schedule that is a big increase in activity does not follow that math of course.

Even June may not follow the same, since it's June compared to winter months - you may find yourself more activte merely for longer days and warmer weather.

Sorry I'm new at this and playing with the spreadsheet. To be totally clear: TDEE is what I would need to eat to maintain weight (ie not gain or lose, but for me particularly, to not re-gain) based on the exercise and lifestyle options I put in? Is that correct? For a really sedentary lifestyle, I tried not checking any boxes or adding exercise mintues.

That is indeed what TDEE is. Maintenance estimate.

From your description of planned activity, it's not really sedentary. But that would be correct if you were.

You could set it that way, eat that much, and then all your activity and light exercise creates a deficit.

That works if true isn't that far removed from estimated - otherwise extreme deficits backfire in many ways for many reasons.

Pastaprincess1978

thanks

That is indeed what TDEE is. Maintenance estimate.

From your description of planned activity, it's not really sedentary. But that would be correct if you were.

You could set it that way, eat that much, and then all your activity and light exercise creates a deficit.

That works if true isn't that far removed from estimated - otherwise extreme deficits backfire in many ways for many reasons.[/quote]