December 9
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Mrs_Hoffer
Posts: 5,194 Member
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes?
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day?
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank?
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day?
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank?
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Replies
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Calorie Budget
I thought it might be interesting to discuss one of the 3 UAC pillars, "Being within your calorie budget".
For the purposes of UAC this is intended to be determined by each participant, with a brief breakdown as follows:- "Being within" - Could mean anything under a specific number. Or perhaps within a specific range. Or even theoretically over a certain number although I don't think anyone here is doing that (I could be wrong). The number might even be variable from day to day based on your goals or methods.
- "your" - As in YOU decide the goal. YOU decide if you met the goal or not. Nobody else here is setting any expectations of how your calorie goals are managed, only that you report your progress against your goals. If you believe you made it, report as such. If you didn't, don't be afraid to report that. Nobody is judging anyone here. The purpose is simply to serve as a daily mechanism to keep you going, whether a yes or no. Nobody is perfect, and everyone has struggles, sometimes for a day or two, sometimes much longer. Just reporting an off day with a mind towards improving that the next day is way better FOR YOU than hiding away and being completely unaccountable TO YOURSELF for however long you let that needless shame remain (there is no shame to be found here). We support you. The magic is learning to support yourself the way you support others. It's a hard lesson for some reason because we all are naturally so hard on ourselves, but UAC wants to help turn that around. YOU are WORTH IT!
- "calorie budget" - The magic number or range that you decide upon. Which brings me to today's question:
There are no wrong answers, I just thought it would be neat to hear how most do it, what various methods drive such determinations, if there are exceptions, etc. Perhaps it's very simple, or perhaps it's very complicated. I'm just curious to learn how everyone here does it!
I'll start. (Spoiler, of course)My calorie budget is my estimated daily TDEE based on my current lowest (recent) recorded weight (221.2 pounds) and set at my activity level without exercise (sedentary, desk job). For anyone looking for an explanation of TDEE click here.
That's it! My goal is to come in very close to that number (within 0 to 100, preferably below). Any exercise I do (or calorie adjustments from steps) results in a caloric deficit and I lose weight according to the deficit. If I don't exercise I should stay at roughly the same weight.
However, I do start eating back calories to keep the deficit capped at a 1000-1200 calorie deficit if necessary, which hasn't been necessary for a couple months now due to reduced exercise from those levels to deal with surgery and to assist healing a case of plantar fasciitis. I have that cap to avoid hunger. I have found that going just a few days at deficits over 1200 from this number results in disastrous hunger cravings and I spend a few days eating everything in sight, then seeking out more when that runs out!
Why do I do it this way? I have also found that I get similarly hungry if I try to eat for a long period below that TDEE. For me I can manage myself rather well so long as I eat my TDEE calories and simply burn off calories through exercise to create the deficit for weight loss. It is simply a method that works for me.
FYI - Prior to using that TDEE calculation I was using MFP's targets for no weight loss at similar activity and no exercise when setting up my goals. The reason I stopped using the MFP number was because the number MFP started giving me was too low and I wound up accidentally eating around 1400-1500 calories under TDEE for a couple weeks resulting in me craving some things that ultimately spiraled into a binge. I asked here for advice and got a lot of great replies, it was a suggestion from @SummerSkier to check my intake against my TDEE that showed me the gap. So now I use TDEE to set my MFP calorie goal with each new recorded "low weight".4 -
Great question!
I focus on my 10K steps & tracking everything to the gram EVERY DAY. I focus on protein, fiber, sodium, and sat fat.
THEN I focus on calories.
I find I gain if my avg monthly calories are > 2,200. I definitely lose if they are under 1,950 (but that is difficult for me to sustain).This is counting EVERYTHING I consume to the gram (with no inexact restaurant or take out meals.)
Since Oct, to lose 2-3 lbs that crept on) I set a monthly goal < 2,000 calories & if I am up one day, I find I naturally eat less the next. (And as many wrote about recently, extra exercise effects my hunger - decreasing it- but then I’m slightly hungrier the next day.)
BTW, I decided that if my body is genuinely hungry, I will feed it. I spread my food out over the day. I think that is why I can eat so many calories: daily exercise & no “uh oh alert starvation” messages to my body. It’s working well.
65 yo
5’8”
~160.2 currently Down from HW of 238 in 2010 & My usual adult weight of ~228 @ 5’9”
Normal BMI now-down 10 BMI !!!!
Maintenance Range 155-160 (almost back there.)
PS Studies show even well intentioned calorie tracking is often off by 10-20%. I saw this one year. I tracked everything & exercised & scale moved up with fewer calories than another year when I ate more.
ie it’s not a perfect system which is why I track my body weight,too.
The other reason I track body weight is I realized all my doctors do. 🤷♀️
I asked & all they care about weight-wise is BMI < 24.9.
They are much more interested in health markers: bp, CHOL (high fiber, low sat fat), resting HR, exercise, water, protein low due to kidney, etc.
Health First 💃🕺🏽😃
PS This was all very different when I was losing weight in 2016-2018. I began with 1,400 & gradually as I lost fat I naturally increased it to 1,600 & then to 1,800. Then in maintenance up to ~2,100. I don’t do hungry well at all LOL3 -
Great topic and really timely for me. Just yesterday I recorded a pass day even though if I’d added back my exercise calories it would have been fine.
This is a work in progress for me. For a long time I used a “sedentary” setting and added back exercise calories. The trouble is that on those days I’d burn 2,000 calories on a long bike ride, despite knowing I need to fuel my body, it became an excuse to overeat. I’d be at the end of the day, realize I was 700 calories under and then scavenge the kitchen for food whether or not I was hungry.
So recently I switched to an “active” setting and don’t typically add back exercise calories. Particularly for this time of year, I think it’s better. I do allow a little flexibility. I’ve had days where I’ve gone on a 5 mile walk and 17 mile bike ride and will add back a couple hundred calories to account for that. We’ve had really mild weather so far though. If winter ever actually shows up, those long walks and bike rides will disappear.
I’ve learned that if I hit “starvation” mode, I’m doomed because then I start eating everything in sight so it’s best to take it slow.
I’m also not so rigid that going 10 - 50 calories over results in a pass day. Honestly I ask my conscience how honest I’ve been tracking. If I’ve been loosey goosey then I’m more likely to call it a pass day.
And this is part of the beauty of sticking with the UAC. We can adjust our own personal plan as we see what works for each of us. And what works may change as time goes on.4 -
Another great question for the day since I've used two pass days over the last two days for going over calories. I have my profile set for "sedentary", which I truly am, and trying to lose 1 pound a week. MFP sets me at 1200 calories/day. I generally do an hour of jazzercise class, of which I record just the cardio portion on my watch. That gives me another 250 - 300 extra calories per day. On what I consider my good days, I'll eat about 1250 - 1350 calories. On my so-so days, I'll eat 1350-1400 calories. On my bad days, I'll have consumed between 1450 - 1600 calories and would consider myself not meeting my UAC goals. That last category is almost always due to eating junk for half the calories and not pre-logging.
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I haven't checked in for a few days, so catching up:
Tues Dec 7
Exercise - MommaStrong and half hour walking
Tracking - Planned the day, followed the plan
Calories - Under
Weds Dec 8
Woke up feeling sick. Laid low. Got a COVID test. No exercise. Ate when I was hungry, so did not follow the pre-planned day, but didn't go crazy.
Pass Day 3
Thurs Dec 9
Woke up feeling better but not 100% better
Exercise - Stretching and half hour walking
Tracking - Planned my day just before lunch (usually I do it the day before). The calories of the things I wanted to eat added up to more than they're supposed to, by 100 or so. I looked at it and didn't want to cut anything. I might actually eat extra if I am hungry. I think I need the calories for recovery.
Calories - Over
Pass Day 4
I am back to my Thanksgiving morning weight after a long time of indulgence after Thanksgiving and just a week of trying (and mostly failing) to get back on track. So, glad that I didn't do too much damage there. I am still hopeful to get all the way back on track once I am feeling all the way better.3 -
9 Dec
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? yesGreat topic and so glad I was able to help you @WhatMeRunning (ps I always laugh at your name because I have to say it What?!!! ***ME***** running???)
One of the reasons I hang out even though I am in maintenance is that I hope to contribute to other's success. If just one little thing I happen to mention - be it prelogging or TDEE or eating back exercise calories then I really am pleased.
And the beauty of the UAC is that is makes us accountable to our own program. Not what MFPs says or some random person on the net. And even during the month you can change what your requirement is. Maintenance is not some steady state where the plan is always the same. How boring would that be? Maintenance is FUN and sometimes a little scary but mostly always a TON better than having to lose.
I have never used the eat back calories method although I have watched it on MFP before. Like Maddie I believe that the burn #s and our logging #s are never going to be completely accurate. When I was losing back in 2017 I picked a reasonable cal # and stuck with it until I was done. Than I gradually increased my cals for several weeks and kept an eye on things. That plan went bonkers when I got the flu a few months later but it all turned out ok. I was using the TDEE spreadsheet the entire time but I did not totally trust it because it told me I could eat a LOT. Well it turns out it was right.
The biggest change in my perspective over the past few years (2 or so) is that it is much easier and healthy to eat more than it is to be overly stingy with the cals. Since I have a binge type background, the MORE cals I allow myself within reason the less likely I am to feel like I am missing out or hungry and the less likely I am to cause a lot more damage. Even if I am off a couple hundred a DAY here and there, it's much better than yo yo ing the cals and have some 2K orgy because I felt deprived. My weight gains are typically from the out and out binges vs the daily slow creep some folks have.
And I have also learned like Maddie that HEALTH and energy is actually a much bigger Motivator than the scale. Blood work / blood pressure etc once you hit maintenance and fitness are ALL about WHAT you eat vs how much. I agree that losing weight can in many cases HELP with the health and energy #s but to stair step improve you may have to look inside the calorie #.
All this to say that I picked my calorie allowance based on TDEE to begin with my now I just keep increasing it every now and then to see if I can.
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Since I have had to heal my metabolism, I know I should not eat below 1650 (my BMR) calories a day at my current weight and my TDEE for maintenance with no work out is around 2000. With activity and workouts I can eat much more. I recalculate my BMR every 10 to 20 pounds, just to make sure I am still in the sweet spot to keep losing weight. I also take frequent diet breaks so I practice maintenance before getting there. So right now I am having to deal with some wrenches in my plan so I am happy to eat in a range between 1700 and 2000 cals. Once I heal from next weeks surgery my eating plan will change up again with a change in my activity. Hopefully with the tumor being gone and the pressure it puts on my stomach is gone I will be able to learn my early signals of hunger instead waiting til my body swings into a gotta have it mode. I hope to eat intuitively for the first time in years. Tracking is what I have been living by for almost 10 years. My weightloss has been slow and methodical. Livable changes in my life style. I truly know that this is a marathon.4
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3 yesses today continued cleaning of my kitchen up and down a step ladder
How do I determine my calorie budget -- THAT is a work in progress, At the moment (not intentionally ) my calories are falling at about 1100 a day ... This is not a deliberate action I should be eating at about 1700 but I am constantly feeling bloated, uncomfortable and full, so I have decided for the time being to eat where my body tells me to eat ..
The problem seems to be more about the amount of food I eat rather than the calorific value thou so if I eat mainly veg and lean meats I struggle to get in the calories but if I add say nuts or nut butters then I manage just fine ... finding a balance is where I am at at the moment
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Loved your posts @Caroline_slowandsteady &. @SummerSkier
Maintenance certainly is a “long game” & what we eat is much more important than how much once in maintenance
Well said
Glad to be on this journey with you all!
🌸Maddie
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DEC 9 - Pass day
Exercise ❎1 -
✅ - Exercise 20+ Minutes: 86 minutes, walking/dancing/flex
✅ - Calories within budget
✅ - Tracked everything
2️⃣ Pass Days left
My calorie budget is the number which seems to allow me to stay within my maintenance range. I prelog for the day and balance my macros/micros, then add a few little treats using a small proportion of my exercise categories.
It’s working so well at the minute that I have been able to lowered my maintenance range. It has meant that I can have some small seasonal treats without my usual December bump up in my weight.
Happy Days! 😂4 -
yyy2
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Thank you for the very wise insights @MadisonMolly2017 I know my weight loss has not always matched expectations from logging, but it's within the ballpark typically. Also thinking "bigger picture" than macros, calories, etc. It's a very valid point that outside of suggesting being at a healthy weight and exercising that the medical community is concerned with other numbers, and we should be mindful of that too. I technically started on this health journey when I decided to get a physical after I turned 35, and only because of those "other" numbers like cholesterol and A1C. My weight was the best determinator of how my health would progress over the next 10 years provided I also worked to start controlling those other numbers.
On a side note, this came to mind when thinking how it is unfortunate how I (and many others) only start trying to "catch up" with health a bit late in the game. Spolered for being a pity party.Truly one of the biggest regrets, likely a fair "biggest overall", is not simply doing these things when it was so easy and I was young, and could have so quickly and easily built up all sorts of benefits to leverage when I was older. The sad truth is after a certain point you can only play catch up to your younger self, and my younger self was always in the lower tiers of health and activity. I realized the total truth of that by my placement at the back of countless races at my peak fitness while running so many marathons and training so diligently to get faster. I got faster, for a brand new runner in their mid 40's who really never ran in their youth. I found the peak I earned, and of course it's a bit downhill from there with more ageAll that said though, I feel so much better being healthier now. It's worth it, no doubt.
Hopefully nobody reads this drivel, I shouldn't post it but in an off chance someone with some youth left gets anything out of it, I will happily leave it.4 -
My calorie budget pretty much stays the same every day but when things very sluggish or the weight stays the same or creeps up I adjust. I try to keep my carbs under control and increase my protein other then that I eat.
My exercise was shoveling today, 11,267 steps so far and increased my water intake.4 -
I definitely understand the "work in progress" part @biketheworld I suspect everyone here is. I identify with so much of what you posted, I've been through those big burn days (a few years ago though) and trying to catch up eating so many calories. It was almost comical sometimes, and usually required extra calories the next day too.
@enlightenme3 I definitely struggle on days I don't eat right, it's like the body requires proper nourishing, and when you feed it sub-par food you have no choice but to eventually overeat to get to the proper level of nourishment.
Congrats on maintaining your weight through Thanksgiving @Caroline_slowandsteady that is a BIG WIN!!!3 -
Thank you for continuing with UAC and sharing your insights @SummerSkier I really wish I had found a community like this all those years ago. I started with "strict, unusual for me diet and lose 100 pounds within 1 year" as my literal goal 15 years ago. And thanks to the internet I can go back and read (and recall) that very mindset and see how ridiculous that was. I know so much more now, but could have sped it up by as much as 15 years had I found this first! 😂 Insights like yours and others here could have helped me so much. But I have always "learned the hard way".3
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@tahm42 I truly hope you get that relief after the surgery. You have come so far and learned so much, I can only imagine you will really be able to rock it once you're healed up! Looking forward to it! 😎
@Slimpossible007 that's so true about having trouble hitting daily cals on a veggie heavy and lean protein diet! I suspect you're feeling great though with all that healthy eating though! Way to go!
Excellent accountability today @oh_jackie
@TerriRichardson112 your steadfast and learned approach is an inspiration for sure!
Congrats on all 3 today @ForLangston3 -
Another very awesome day @snowshoe072 way to get it done (yet again) 😎1
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✅ Exercise - 1 hour of Jazzercise
✅ Calories -
✅ Tracking -
Closed all my Apple watch rings today
3 Pass days used
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December 9
✅✅✅
0 pass days used
Today's exercise was a 45 minute walk
Time got away from me today and I missed my strength workout this afternoon. Hoping that doesn't become a new thing.2
