Opinions please

nicole_louise7

Hi all,
I wanted to ask your opinion on my weight loss, seeing as so many of you have done so well with your own.
Although I’ve been using the myfitnesspal app on my phone for some time, I have only really become serious about it now.
I want to make sure I am doing the right things (based on your experiences) from the get go.

I am 27. 84kg (185lb). 178cm (5’10). I have selected sedentary and a .5kg per week weight loss. I would like to lose at least 10kg.

Myfitnesspal has given me 1520 calories a day. Therefore if I burn 200 calories, I should eat 1720 that day, correct?

Does 1520 calories a day sound correct to you? I get a little confused because some of you eat more than this and are still losing weight, on the other side I have people who are telling me I should only eat 1200 calories to lose weight even though I have read a lot of your posts saying that you only lost weight once you upped your calories.

After reading all your opinions on exercise, I have decided that I will concentrate more on weights rather than cardio. I plan to exercise 3 times a week, 30 min weights, 10 - 20 min cardio.
Is it correct that I should really only see the cardio aspect as a way to allow myself more food on that day (and of course the health benefits and becoming more fit) but that it is actually the weight training that will really help me mould my body and loose the fat whilst gaining muscle?

I basically just need some reassurance that I am on the right track. There is a lot of info and it all becomes a little overwhelming.

Thanks so much.

itsscottwilder

If you're working out 3 times a week, I would go with Lightly Active instead of Sedentary.

I know you don't want to over eat. But you also don't want to starve yourself.

Yes you should eat back whatever calories you burn through working out so your net calories is 1520

1200 calories is really low for many of the people who are massively overweight. I also think 1200 calories tends to work better for younger people whose bodies are more resilient.

Figure out your BMR. That's the amount of calories you burn in a day doing nothing. That's a good calorie goal to shoot for IMO.

Cardio (burning calories) will obviously allow you to eat more. But don't overlook the benefits to having a healthy ticker. Especially if heart issues run in your family.

Calorie Deficit is how you'll reduce fat.

Weights are how you're going to sculpt your body into whatever you deem is the perfect shape.

nicole_louise7

Thanks Scott,
I used an online BMR calculator and according to that my BMR is 1661. If I change to Lightly Active instead of Sedentary MFP gives me 1690 calories, does this sound like a better number?

itsscottwilder

1661 to 1690 sound really good for your stats.

Now find an online TDEE calculator to estimate how many calories you actually burn in a day and you'll have a rough estimate of how fast you could potentially lose weight.

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

hint: 3500 calories=1 pound of fat.

nicole_louise7

Hi again,
The number I get is 2275. But I don't really understand what that means?

itsscottwilder

so in a typical day, you burn about 2275 calories.

for the sake of easy numbers, let's assume you net about 1700 calories a day through eating and exercise.

2275-1700=575 calories

575 x 7 day = 4025 per week

So that's over a pound of fat you could be losing every week.

nicole_louise7

Wow, that sounds great. Thanks for the advice, I will stick to your suggestion of about 1661 - 1700 per day and see what happens, thanks so much!

TamaraKat

Myfitnesspal has given me 1520 calories a day. Therefore if I burn 200 calories, I should eat 1720 that day, correct?

Does 1520 calories a day sound correct to you? I get a little confused because some of you eat more than this and are still losing weight, on the other side I have people who are telling me I should only eat 1200 calories to lose weight even though I have read a lot of your posts saying that you only lost weight once you upped your calories.

---

You stated that your goal is to lose weight so my train of thought is to have an intake between 1500 - 1600 or to have a sort of HEALTHY deficit going. (1000 calories is NOT healthy at all! :noway: ) The deficit will help (or should help) you reduce fat.

After reading all your opinions on exercise, I have decided that I will concentrate more on weights rather than cardio. I plan to exercise 3 times a week, 30 min weights, 10 - 20 min cardio.
Is it correct that I should really only see the cardio aspect as a way to allow myself more food on that day (and of course the health benefits and becoming more fit) but that it is actually the weight training that will really help me mould my body and loose the fat whilst gaining muscle?

---

Weight training will help you build muscle, this is the way I did my intial training though I wouldn't disregard a little cardio training either. See it as an aid to weight loss.

I basically just need some reassurance that I am on the right track. There is a lot of info and it all becomes a little overwhelming.
----It does become overwhelming but this support group online DOES help alot :drinker: Remember to just keep at it even when you hit plateaus!

Thanks so much.

serendipity57

Some great advice you have been given there????????

nicole_louise7

Thank you so much =D

tootoop224

Sounds like Scott nailed it. Now stop reading this thread before someone comes on and starts arguing. lol. Good luck!

Nicolee_2014

It can be all very confusing. You got some very good advice. Good luck with it :flowerforyou:

Sjenny5891

I went with Sedentary because my activity varies widely from day to day. I would rather add my exercise in as I go..... or don't go when I'm sick.

I went with the "Lose 2lb a week option and ate back all my exercise calories. I do tend to add .5 servings to my food that isn't pre-measured to make sure I don't underestimate my calories.

As I got closer to my weight goal... at 20lb to go I changed it to "Lose 1lb a week"..... at 10lb I changed it to "lose .5lb a week"..... then to maintain when I got where I wanted to be.

Exercise wise.... I started 2 months after I had my son, so the only thing I did over the winter was walking. I didn't add the Zumba until I hit my weight goal.

It sounds like you have a good plan. Stick with it for about a month and see how you are doing with your loss- then reevaluate what you may need to change to achieve your goals.

nicole_louise7

Thanks Sjenny,
Sounds like you have done so well!! Congrats. Thanks for the input. I will definitely see how I am going in a months time and if its not working will change it up a little.

nicole_louise7

Hi again, thought it would best to post in this thread rather than be annoying and start a new one!
What are peoples thoughts on protein shakes after a work out? Required or not really?

joshdann

not really required. If you're wanting to gain muscle mass quickly (i.e. bodybuilding) there can be some benefits to taking a proper protein/glutamine shake post workout, but only if you've really pushed it hard in the gym that day. As with all things on the MFP boards, there are some who will vehemently argue both sides... but you can find good scientific research out there to help you decide.

nicole_louise7

Thanks joshdann,

Another question for you lovely people....

MFP has me at 1690 a day which is pretty much my BMR. Im currently going to the gym for about 50 mins 3 times a week going 15 min cardio and about 30 min weights.
I log my 15 mins of cardio, but the weights obviously don’t show up any calories burn on MFP so I don’t even enter them.
So I eat back my 15 mins of cardio, but what should I be doing about the weights part of my work out? Im not sure that I am eating enough calories on my workout days?

joshdann

what MFP gives you is just an estimate. If you're not seeing the results you want, reduce your calories or up your exercise. As far as "not eating enough", you're probably fine. There is not a real minimum number of calories you need to eat per day, just minimums for macros and even then you have some flexibility. Protein is the most important, then some fats and carbs. The "eat more to lose" thing is mostly a myth that has been disproved time and again, but people still preach it here. Log all of your food and exercise, for sure, but don't think you have to eat back 50 calories worth of exercise. Don't sweat the precision until you're down to the last few BF% you want to lose. Your calculations are probably off by at least a couple hundred calories anyway (that's true for pretty much everyone).

Your progress in your measurements and on your scale is *far* better at determining how much you should eat than some faulty online calculator. If you're not losing at the rate you'd like, eat less and/or move more. Calories in versus calories out...

zorbaru

i always thought the daily activity bit was what you do in an average day not including any workouts. if you select lightly active AND log your workouts, then you are double counting your work out calories. only use lightly active if your job involves moving around. if you are at a desk all day then sedentary it is.

zorbaru

So I eat back my 15 mins of cardio, but what should I be doing about the weights part of my work out? Im not sure that I am eating enough calories on my workout days?

there is a "weight training" under cardio. so use this for entering the weight work.

joshdann

try 5 different estimates for weight training calories burned (or cardio, for that matter) and they will all be different, usually by significant margins. It's nice to see the numbers on your screen, but there is virtually no way to know how many calories you actually burn in any activity, without some precision medical equipment. Using a heart rate monitor is pretty much the most accurate way most people can estimate, but even they are susceptible to all sorts of fault-causing issues like temperature and human error. Hit your macros and exercise enough to achieve the results you want. the rest is just window dressing.