Net calories, need advice :)

zheother

Hello good people,

I've been losing and maintaining weight for the past 10 months, and CiCo all the way

Now that I've lost 20+ kg I came to a point where maintaining a 500 kcal deficit is a bit more challenging. according to TDEE it comes to around 1900 kcal. I like eating, so to up that number I reintroduced breakfast to my diet and daily walks.

The past 2 weeks I stalled at 104 kilos going up and down by half a kilo even though I'm at a deficit so at this point I'm wondering if I should say only eat half of the calories I expend on my walks.

What do you guys / gals think ?

cmriverside

Here's what people will ask:

How tall are you?
What do you do for activity outside your walks?
Is 104 kilos about 20-30 pounds above your healthy BMI weight?


How are you getting the calories for exercise? (Fitbit? Some device?) You are logging 700-900 calories a day for exercise, so we need to know where that comes from?

cmriverside

Activity level? Meaning (for activity) what do you do all day? School? Desk job? Stay at home? Construction? Food service?

If you're using a device, how are you set up in Myfitnesspal for "Activity Level?"


Those exercise calories may or may not be high, depending on your answers to my questions. How many minutes would you say you walk and how far is the walk?

zheother

I use my phone to track steps / kilometers then till now I mostly entered the kcal manually via calculators but I connected MFP with Google Fit today.

This is last weeks report



Today I walked 14k steps or roughly 6,2 miles

I'm 180 cm or 5.9 feet

Outside walking I work an office job, and ye 104 is 230 lbs but I'm not sure what the exact BMI delta is

zheother

On average for the past week I walk 1:30 hrs a day

cmriverside

Thanks.

Are you guesstimating on those grams on your food?

I don't use Google Fit so I'm not able to translate your screen shot, maybe someone will be able to help there.

I'm about your same height and I walk too - have you gone to any online walking calculators to pick up your pace/distance? That would help with your exercise calculation. I walk four miles a day, I'm just a little over 10 stone (140 pounds) I'm a lot older than you and female, retired. I'm just about your height, though. Are you getting those numbers as part of your over-all activity or is it just sending over the exercise you do (not just your daily walking around the house and office.)


I eat 1900-2300 NET calories most days.


I think you can eat a lot more than I do.

If you've already lost weight on a specific calorie amount you should be able to backtrack and figure out your numbers. I wouldn't use more than 300-400 for that amount of walking.

zheother

No problem, thanks for taking the time to read.

I would take the steps, and plug in a steps to calorie converter, the screenshot isn't from Google Fit tho. The app logs basically only when the phone moves, and I leave the house 2 to 3 times a day for walks.

When you say use more than 300-400 for that amount of walking what exactly do you mean ?

zheother

Oh, regarding the food, I weigh everything on a scale in grams.

cmriverside

zheother wrote: »

No problem, thanks for taking the time to read.

I would take the steps, and plug in a steps to calorie converter, the screenshot isn't from Google Fit tho. The app logs basically only when the phone moves, and I leave the house 2 to 3 times a day for walks.

When you say use more than 300-400 for that amount of walking what exactly do you mean ?

No, I would NOT use more than 300-400 for 6 miles of intentional walking.


I've just always used between 200-300 for an hour of walking, BUT I weigh quite a bit less than you. I use that variable between 200 and 300 to allow for the difference between a flat surface or hills on my walk.

I think you could use 300-400 for your six miles if you're going at a good pace - there are online calculators where you enter your stats and it will give you a number. Walking is pretty easy to calculate.


So take the calories you used to use for losing and just add 300-ish for that walk and you should be good. I definitely wouldn't use 700-900 like your last two days of your diary says.

It's always a bit of a juggling act.

I really don't understand how your device is working, I can't read that language and I've always just used my food diary and then add my exercise and I've always eaten all the calories - but your device is reading something - and I don't know what, but 900 is too many!

cmriverside

So, long way to say....yes. Use half your exercise calories.

zheother

For today I basically ate none of my exercise calories, but the numbers I was entering were consistent with multiple formulas I found though Google Fit gave a lower number than the app I usually use.

According to this chart (I'm actually 230 pounds atm) today was more or less consistent to what the app said, I walk 4.3 miles a day on average with my highest around 6.2 miles and lowest at 3.1 miles.



But I guess I'll just lower my breakfast calorie intake and eat half of my exercise

Thanks for your time and advice

cmriverside

What do you have your ACTIVITY LEVEL set to on Myfitnesspal?

I would suggest "Lightly Active." Not sedentary. You didn't answer me in my first post, so I thought I'd add that.


Are you also set at, "Lose 1 pound per week?"


Get those two things right and it will help a lot.


What happens is that the initial weight is easy. Then it gets a little tougher...usually the problem becomes not eating enough after that initial euphoric first few weeks at two-pounds-a-week success. Two pounds a week is not sustainable.




Again though - you should be able to back out your past calories vs loss rate and be close enough.

zheother

My activity level in MFP is sedentary because for some reason I like to see it as a baseline, if it was lightly active I assume it would up my calorie goal number, my thought process is if I keep it baseline and manually log my exercise I would be more accurate

I've kept my deficit at 500 kcal which is 1 pound a week of loss and readjusting the calories according to my current weight, 1900+500 is around my current maintenance level at sedentary activity.

cmriverside

See, I'm going to disagree with that "method."

If it's difficult to stay at a lower calorie level it's because you've set it too low - artificially.


I don't think anyone who goes to any job is sedentary.


One pound a week is good, though. You've got it figured out, and the way forward is to keep readjusting.


Why did you ask about eating half the exercise calories if you feel you need them all? I would say, because you should be set at Lightly Active and yes, that would give you 250 more calories. OR do it your way, eat all the exercise calories and leave it at Sedentary.


It all depends on your own data collection and your own ability to adjust and to read your body.

zheother

I work an office job from home so ye, sedentary is pretty applicable.

Thing about eating half of my exercise calories is because I am unsure in the accuracy of my calorie loss. the numbers I'm getting are consistent with online calculators, so assuming they are correct by not eating those calories I might go into too big of a net deficit and I don't want to lose what little of my muscle mass is left

These 22 kilos I lost were never hard, I never felt hungry physically...I just like to eat and now at these levels, its kind of hard to fit in the snacks I like.

cmriverside

But you should be getting MORE calories now that you've added exercise.


Just pick one. Either eat all or part of them. Keep good records for a month and then make changes if it isn't working out.


We can't predict the future! There are a lot of variables. Good luck.

zheother

Thank you have a nice day