Activity levels and rate of loss question

Hansmemling87

Hi all,

I have a question regarding activity level settings. I think I may have mine set too low. I began using MFP five weeks ago, and lost weight quite quickly, (8lbs in the first two weeks) but assumed this was water weight and things would slow down a lot. I'm 33, 5'6 and my starting weight was 168lbs 13/1/2021, and current weight is 152lbs (so 16lbs total loss in under five weeks, 8lbs of those in the last three weeks). This rate of loss seems too fast?

I have MFP set to lose 1lb a week, and was given the goal of 1210 calories. I find that not enough food, so have been adding in long walks, and eating back my exercise calories (so with exercise calories from an hour long walk I eat 1400ish a day.) I am thinking I need to lower my goal to 0.5 lbs a week.

Do I also need to increase my activity setting? I chose sedentary, as though I m a teacher, I teach high school kids and didn't think I was on my feet enough for lightly active?

Thanks for any help!

Lietchi

Your rate of loss is quite steep yes, and since you don't have that much to lose, it's not advisable.
The app (at least my version) specifically states teacher as an example for lightly active
Also, your job isn't the only thing that counts for your activity level. If you are also doing a lot of chores around the house, taking care of children, have an active hobby,... this could also lead to a higher activity level.

Aside from that, MFP uses a formula for estimating your calorie burn, but that formula is just a statistical average. Some people have a faster or slower metabolism than average, so extra adjustments may be necessary.

If those 8lbs lost over 3 weeks are representative, that would indicate you can eat 750 calories extra per day to lose 1lb per week (it's estimated that you need a 3500kcal deficit to lose 1lb). Just increasing your activity level to lightly active is a start, but you might have to increase your calorie intake even more than that to arrive at a weight loss rate that isn't too fast.

sijomial

If you are hungry and consistently losing weight faster than desired then yes increase your calories.
Options to do that are changing your rate of weight loss, changing your activity setting or simply changing your goal calories manually. The basic set up just gives you a start point but your results over an extended period of time are a far more personal guide.

I was easily Lightly Active when I had an exclusively desk job due to building as much movement into my working day and non-working hours (the activity setting isn't just your job, it's all your waking hours but excluding purposeful exercise).

75in2013

sijomial wrote: »

If you are hungry and consistently losing weight faster than desired then yes increase your calories.
Options to do that are changing your rate of weight loss, changing your activity setting or simply changing your goal calories manually. The basic set up just gives you a start point but your results over an extended period of time are a far more personal guide.

This is good advice.

Just do small changes. Add 100kcal to your goal manually, go with it for a few weeks and re-adjust if necessary. Also keep in mind weight loss is not linear.

AnnPT77

Lietchi wrote: »

Your rate of loss is quite steep yes, and since you don't have that much to lose, it's not advisable.
The app (at least my version) specifically states teacher as an example for lightly active
Also, your job isn't the only thing that counts for your activity level. If you are also doing a lot of chores around the house, taking care of children, have an active hobby,... this could also lead to a higher activity level.

Aside from that, MFP uses a formula for estimating your calorie burn, but that formula is just a statistical average. Some people have a faster or slower metabolism than average, so extra adjustments may be necessary.

If those 8lbs lost over 3 weeks are representative, that would indicate you can eat 750 calories extra per day to lose 1lb per week (it's estimated that you need a 3500kcal deficit to lose 1lb). Just increasing your activity level to lightly active is a start, but you might have to increase your calorie intake even more than that to arrive at a weight loss rate that isn't too fast.

I'm endorsing this (and sijomial's) idea of using your own results to estimate your actual calorie needs, then adjusting your calories eaten based on the results.

If there's a big gap - if losing much faster than MFP's estimate would indicate - there's no need to tweak calories upward gradually by tiny amounts. If you're actually 750 calories below what would give you the pound a week loss in actual practice, add back a big slug of that at the start, at least. You can gradually tweak upward after that based on longer-term results if you like, but your current bodyweight isn't excessive enough to merit such fast loss.

MFP significantly underestimates my calorie needs (it's that "statistical average" issue). I lost faster than sensible when I first got to MFP (then at 5'5", around mid-150s pounds). Though I corrected quickly once I realized, and had been feeling energetic/not hungry most of the way, I did hit a wall and get weak and fatigued, before the dust settled. It took a few weeks to recover. No one needs that. I was lucky nothing worse happened.

"Too slow" weight loss can be frustrating. Too fast weight loss increases health risk. I know which direction I'd rather err, personally.

Hansmemling87

Thanks so much for all the advice/points. Since I mean for this to be a longer term change, I will take on board upping calories quite a bit. I will look at the longer term trends. I'm in no hurry so a slower rate is fine.

Hansmemling87

I should also mention I do have a preschool aged child. I didn't factor this in either with activity level

skinnyrev2b

Yeah, that'd be it! Increase your calories and give it 4 weeks or so, then adjust.