I’m confused about calories.

darlyd

I’m a big lady 271lbs and 38 years old. I’m also 5 foot 6/7 (depending on time of day).

I need to lose weight so badly. For my health of course. I’m really struggling to do things. I’m suffering with depression as well which isn’t helping.

I don’t know how many cals I burn a day? My Fitbit has it down as an average 2500 cals I burn on an average day (I don’t move much, I’m unable too.).

But I watched a video by Rh fitness (on Facebook) and he said sesh sally who weighed 250lbs would burn 4000 cals a day as she’s so big. It’s confused the hell out of me. 🙈.

I’ve set mfp at 1800 cals? That’s what my friend similar weight to me suggested me to do. As I would probably struggle on less? But some days I will be lower would that be ok?

I would like to drop 4 stone before I join a gym. As my body can’t handle to much at the moment. I suffer with arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I’ve had enough now. I want to get better.

And also. What if we have an event coming up? Alcohol and bbq kind of thing. Can you have a high cal day and low cal days in the same week? Anybody do their calories weekly? Because if I feel I’ve messed up I will binge and it takes weeks for me to get Bk into it. Hence why I’ve got so big.

Hope I make sense. 😭

NovusDies

What is your activity level?

I do weekly calories and have done it that way for over a year. It makes absolutely no difference. I lose weight as expected just like people who manage themselves daily.

Teabythesea_

The number of calories one burns in a day differs from person to person. Your best best is to input your stats into MFP and eat to the number of calories it tells you to while tracking your weight trends. By looking at your weight loss over the course of a few months alongside your accurate calorie tracking, you can pretty closely determine what your TDEE is. As far as having high and low calorie days, just be honest with yourself. Log everything as best you can, even if you go over your calorie allotment. Try your best to make choices in social settings that wont hinder your progress. Lastly, do not over restrict as that is what will typically lead to binges. If there is a social event, enjoy it. If theres a food you want, eat it. Doing so may require some changes such as smaller portions or low calorie alternatives, but it makes the process more sustainable, making it much easier to lose weight and maintain your loss long term.

Best of luck!

onepebble

Don’t overthink this - pick a calorie level (I suggest use the MFP goal to start with) and start logging what you eat. Aim for that number, plus extra when you exercise and see how things go after a few weeks. Then you can start tweaking things if you need to.
And yes, you can eat more on one day if there is an event and a bit less the next day.
Don’t let confusion get in your way, just start logging what you eat and take it from there.

Jackie9003

Hi, I'm your height and I've been your weight (and more) and successfully lost on here by counting calories and not a lot of exercise - all you need is to create a deficit. I've lost 4st over the last 2 years or so and I'm on with my next 4st now, so I'm sure you can do it too.

I put my stats into the app, said I was sedentary (office job meant I barely did 2000 steps per day) and wanted to lose 1lb per week, my allowance was something like 1750 so at 1800 you'll be fine.
I eat whatever I fancy - including pizza, chocolate and alcohol but I keep a strict eye on the portions - and that is where the hard work comes in and why it is important to use a food scale and a diary.
I (and others I know) stagger calories over a week and save up for a social event so no problem there, it's all about the planning.
I have an open diary and log in daily, feel free to send me a friend request if you think that will help

NovusDies

I should have read your first post a little more closely. I am assuming you are sedentary. You should weight just fine at 1800. It should be about 1.5 pounds per week to start. You will need to adjust your calories down about every 10 pounds.

It would be easier to just let MFP manage it for you.

I suggest reading this:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Dilvish

According to your stats, you will lose weight consuming 1800 calories per day assuming you have a sedentary activity level, which you did confirm.

Getting active will help both weight loss and your other conditions. I recommend getting to a swimming pool and do water walking or water calisthenics. It is great for overweight people and because you are virtually weightless in waist of chest high water... you can go longer each session.

As far as diet, just try to focus on cutting out the crap. Avoid refined sugar in all it's forms. Avoid simple carbs like crackers, bread, pasta and rice. Stay away from snack foods and fast food as well as soda pop and fruit juice.

Most packaged food not only contains too much sugar or fat but it also can contain large amounts of sodium which increases blood pressure and makes a person (men and women) retain water. Try to consume no more than 1600 - 2300 mg of sodium per day. It can make a big difference.

Lastly, weigh yourself weekly not daily as your weight can fluctuate wildly from day to day due to water retention.

darlyd

Thank you all so very much.

Mfp said 1840 to lose 1lb a week. Of course I want to lose it all like yesterday. But will stick with 1800 see how I go. Am sure most days I will be 1400-1600 but having 1800 reassures me.

I’m to big for my swimming costume at the moment. But I’m sure a stone down it will fit me and I shall go twice a week.

Yes Jackie I will add you. Need all the help I can get.

I’m still confused by the video Rh fitness said regarding sesh sally burning 4000 cals Cus she weighed 250lbs. No way do I burn that. I am down as an office job as well. I need to do more. But my depression and pain holds me back. Me and my husband have just discussed a deep clean tomorow which will make me feel better mentally so hopefully I can move on and keep on top of things.

Thanks again.

Teabythesea_

Dilvish wrote: »

Avoid refined sugar in all it's forms. Avoid simple carbs like crackers, bread, pasta and rice. Stay away from snack foods and fast food as well as soda pop and fruit juice.

Most packaged food not only contains too much sugar or fat but it also can contain large amounts of sodium which increases blood pressure and makes a person (men and women) retain water. Try to consume no more than 1600 - 2300 mg of sodium per day. It can make a big difference.

Lastly, weigh yourself weekly not daily as your weight can fluctuate wildly from day to day due to water retention.

You were doing well until this part... there is no reason OP needs to avoid refined sugar and simple carbs or watch sodium levels unless they have a medical reason to do so. There is nothing inherently bad about any of the foods you listed, and they can all be enjoyed in moderation while losing weight. Over restricting is a good way to end up in a nasty restrict and binge cycle that is not condusive to healthy, sustainable weight loss.

Also, such fluctuations in weight are even more of a reason to weigh daily as it allows you to establish a trend. Weighing weekly can leave someone under the impression that they have not lost or even gained weight. In all actuality, in the 6 days they didn't weigh, their weight very well could have been down 1 lbs, up 2, down 3, up 2, down 1, up 1, etc... creating a downward trend even though they're starting and finishing at the same number.

cmriverside

Well, that lady on the video may indeed have required 4000 calories per day to maintain her weight, especially if she did much moving around. The larger someone is, the higher their calorie needs to maintain that weight: i.e. "what she's burning." To lose weight at your weight, you can set it at 1800. You have lots of body fat for your body to use as fuel. Try to work on good nutrition, read and learn all you can.

Stick with your 1800, that's a good number. The deficits and numbers get a little skewed out on the margins of obesity, like you are in right now.

1800, log your food, learn how to log accurately and stay the course. When you get hungry, find ways to eat low-calorie snacks like vegetables, there is a lot to learn. Don't obsess over a video. She isn't you, right?

Here's a guide about logging food:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

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Terytha

According to the reading I've been doing, not only do people drastically underestimate how many calories they take in per day, they usually drastically overestimate how much they burn.

There are a couple different calculators out there. One told me I burn over 4000 calories a day. The one I trust a bit more says closer to 2500. The first one used a rule of thumb that was something like weight times 9 to 12 to get a range. The other took all my stats and spit out a number.

I'll tell you what, ~3000 calories a day was probably my maintenance for 275 pounds, since that's roughly what I was eating and I was stuck at 275 for the last few years. I'm also a 5'6 lady. So. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt and figure out what's true for you.

tinkerbellang83

Set your calorie goal using MFP, read the Sexypants and Accurate Logging threads, stick with it for 4-6 weeks and adjust as necessary based on real world results, can't get simpler than that.

Don't be tempted by eating below your goal, it might seem like a good idea to lose weight quicker but what generally happens is that you end up getting super-hungry, bingeing on all the food and then restricting to try and compensate and winding up in a circle of yo-yo dieting.

liz0269

At the bottom of the diary page on the app, you can click Nutrition. From there you can view your net calories for the week. A lot of people find weekly tracking easier than daily. I know I eat less during the week and more on weekends.
The goal is to create a sustainable lifestyle. That's how it becomes permanent.

heybales

Sounds like your Fitbit is a good estimator of daily burn given your sedentary activity level right now, and if you start walking more it will remain a good guide.

Enabled Negative Cal adjustments on MFP so on days you are even less than sedentary - you maintain that 500 cal deficit by eating less.

And of course on inspired days when you do move more - eat more as the goal will indeed go up.

Life lesson there regarding weight control.

Once you start getting more steps in, like above 5000 - then the distance from those steps matters more because that determines the estimated calorie burn Fitbit is doing.
At that point a test to confirm stride length for avg daily pace will be useful.

And I'm going against the grain since you said you have a Fitbit in a likely good estimate scenario - don't hard set the calorie goal to 1800 - let it float depending on what you do.

If you start working out like the other gal burning that much - you'll need to adjust properly.
And the Fitbit adjustments from increased walking is better than manually logging on MFP a walking workout.

WinoGelato

heybales wrote: »

Sounds like your Fitbit is a good estimator of daily burn given your sedentary activity level right now, and if you start walking more it will remain a good guide.

Enabled Negative Cal adjustments on MFP so on days you are even less than sedentary - you maintain that 500 cal deficit by eating less.

And of course on inspired days when you do move more - eat more as the goal will indeed go up.

Life lesson there regarding weight control.

Once you start getting more steps in, like above 5000 - then the distance from those steps matters more because that determines the estimated calorie burn Fitbit is doing.
At that point a test to confirm stride length for avg daily pace will be useful.

And I'm going against the grain since you said you have a Fitbit in a likely good estimate scenario - don't hard set the calorie goal to 1800 - let it float depending on what you do.

If you start working out like the other gal burning that much - you'll need to adjust properly.
And the Fitbit adjustments from increased walking is better than manually logging on MFP a walking workout.

I agree with all of this.

I find my FitBit to be a more accurate predictor of what I burn, compared to calculators, someone else of similar stats sharing what they do, etc. I would let MFP set the calorie goal for you, at your current weight you could aim for 1lb, 1.5 lb, or 2 lb/week - but if you're concerned about sustainability go for more conservative rather than more aggressive. By syncing your FitBit and eating back those adjustmens, you'll ensure you have enough calories to support a fluctuating activity level, as you gain confidence and mobility.

kbmnurse1

Why can't you move much? Do you work? You suffer from arthritis, Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Are these diagnosis that an MD confirmed? These are loosely used diagnosis when they can't find anything else wrong with a person. If you have health insurance you may have access to a Registered Dietician call your health plans customer service and ask.

darlyd wrote: »

I’m a big lady 271lbs and 38 years old. I’m also 5 foot 6/7 (depending on time of day).

I need to lose weight so badly. For my health of course. I’m really struggling to do things. I’m suffering with depression as well which isn’t helping.

I don’t know how many cals I burn a day? My Fitbit has it down as an average 2500 cals I burn on an average day (I don’t move much, I’m unable too.).

But I watched a video by Rh fitness (on Facebook) and he said sesh sally who weighed 250lbs would burn 4000 cals a day as she’s so big. It’s confused the hell out of me. 🙈.

I’ve set mfp at 1800 cals? That’s what my friend similar weight to me suggested me to do. As I would probably struggle on less? But some days I will be lower would that be ok?

I would like to drop 4 stone before I join a gym. As my body can’t handle to much at the moment. I suffer with arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I’ve had enough now. I want to get better.

And also. What if we have an event coming up? Alcohol and bbq kind of thing. Can you have a high cal day and low cal days in the same week? Anybody do their calories weekly? Because if I feel I’ve messed up I will binge and it takes weeks for me to get Bk into it. Hence why I’ve got so big.

Hope I make sense. 😭