Dumb it down for me

trudijoy

if it confuses you, go the TDEE route. I eat consistently so I don't have to work out how much extra I 'can have'.

http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

eat 20% lower than the second number, as long as it's higher than the first number, and don't eat back excercise cals. Much simpler.

interesting, so it factors in how many calories you should be eating based on how active you say you are?

Yep. i undersell - I tell it i'm lightly active when really i'm moderately active, then if i skip a day or something it's no big deal. Doing it this way I eat 1750 daily vs about 1250 on MFP, and my intake is consistent which is vital for me as I have a metabolic disorder (hypothyroidism) I lost about 8kg the MFP way and then stalled, switched to TDEE and never looked back

I too have hypothyrodism. I have looked at different calculators and BMR/TDEE and still confused or curious if that really works. I started out eating 1200 calories. Not eating exercises calories back(just got a HRM) lost some but for such a small amount of calories would have expected more. I have upped my calories to 1400 this week. I weigh again Monday. Hoping the scale goes down.
As last week I exercised 5 days about 1200 per day and only lost 1/2 pound.

hypo has never affected my weightloss hugely. meds right? levels stable? then it operates pretty normally. It can be hard to push past the lethargy barrier to start with but that's about it. I understand it's diff for diff people but I got my doc to adjust my meds up and never looked back. He was content to leave me on the bottom of the normal scale - I asked to take an extra 300 mcg a week to function in the middle of the scale and it made a world of difference

MyChocolateDiet

Where it says "Remaining", try to get that to as close to zero as reasonably possible.

Repeat daily for months and/or years.

Done.

How come nobody quoted this? And how come OP ignored it? She asked for "dumb down" and to my eye this is IT! It is THE single most to the point no nonsense answer here.

(Said another way OP. MFP is letting you input your workouts to estimate how many cals you burned to factor that into your daily goal. IF you did more, you burned more and need more cals. THAT"S why you try to get that number as close to zero as possible on a daily basis. I used to just try to get within 100 cals over or under.)

shscruggs82

Where it says "Remaining", try to get that to as close to zero as reasonably possible.

Repeat daily for months and/or years.

Done.

How come nobody quoted this? And how come OP ignored it? She asked for "dumb down" and to my eye this is IT! It is THE single most to the point no nonsense answer here.

(Said another way OP. MFP is letting you input your workouts to estimate how many cals you burned to factor that into your daily goal. IF you did more, you burned more and need more cals. THAT"S why you try to get that number as close to zero as possible on a daily basis. I used to just try to get within 100 cals over or under.)

it was definitely helpful and to the point I just thought I was talking to much haha

liamfnb1

I'm wondering is there a different way I should be thinking of this as I'm just starting off from a high weight. Even with the 1000 cal deficit built in, MFP says I need nearly 2700 cals a day, I then burn off 500 cals on a static bike leaving me with nearly 3200 cals for the day.
Tbh, I can't eat that many cals from healthy food (which was my original plan) without feeling stuffed at each meal.
While I can understand that as my weight falls (and it will!!) my target cals will decrease, does it make sense me "over-eating" to hit this goal?
In the future I may be grateful for getting my exercise cals back but at the moment it doesn't quite seem the right thing to do.
Any suggestions would be appreciated as I have a long way to go to change the habits of a lifetime.

PMCGL

"switched to TDEE and never looked back". So what is TDEE. Oops my newness is showing.

liamfnb1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

This seems to suggest that the eating of exercise calories is more important the closer you get to your target weight and seems to make sense to me in my position.
I'm consistantly eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day before exercise

joyfuljoy65

I lost almost 5 stone (always sounds more than 69lb!) by eating whatever the number was for the day - including any exercise I logged. It really was as simple as that. Try not to overthink and second guess - just enjoy the fact that you don't have to starve yourself, you don't have to feel guilty about eating a snack, and that you don't feel like you are on a diet, but on a path to a new way of eating.

After 33 years of trying to lose weight on other plans (a lot of them!) and only ending up putting more weight on, after 16mths doing MFP I can honestly say its been the best discovery in my life - a free easy to follow plan that WORKS.

Now on maintenance - and that is a whole new challenge!

trudijoy

"switched to TDEE and never looked back". So what is TDEE. Oops my newness is showing.

TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Basically you work out your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and your TDEE, then subtract 20% from your TDEE number to give you your calorie intake goal. Then you eat the same amount every day, regardless of your exercise. TDEE method takes into account your height, weight, activity level and age, and works out what you should be taking in to lose weight with your lifestyle.

I use http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx to work out my numbers, but there are about a million calculators online....

Edited to add: your calorie intake must always be over your BMR because your BMR is what your body burns regardless, ie if you were in a coma you'd still burn this much just by being alive.

Sarauk2sf

MFP method, you eat back those exercise calories because the number MFP gives you already has a deficit in it before exercise. When you exercise you create a larger deficit which is why MFP gives you calories back to eat so that you can stay within a healthy deficit. Too much of anything is not good, including too much of a deficit.

^^this.

With one caveat - be conservative with your exercise calorie estimates as if you overestimate them you can end up wiping out, or significantly cutting into your deficit.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

thats great, Im doing the lower calories just for the first 30 days in order to jumpstart a loss, then Im going to up my calories to what is better for me, I come up to about 1800 a day which seems like a lot..and thats with one lower activity then I actually am...1-3 days instead of 3-5 where I actually am at.

You have quite a bit of weight to lose, so set your goals to "Lose 2 pounds per week" for now. That will give you a fairly low number of calories to eat.

Add in your Exercise and eat back those calories. That is how this tool is designed to be used. When you are prompted to update your Goals, do so. When you get within 40 pounds of your ultimate Goal, switch to "Lose 1 pound per week:"

If you get stuck, come back and ask more questions.

Be cautious with taking advice from just anyone (like people who are new here themselves.) This site works differently than almost any other calculator you will find. Just use the tool. It will work.

my advice is valid. I'm on day 328 on MFP and i've lost 27kg. What part of that makes me not worth listening to?

I could be wrong but I think she was referring to the newer person who said not to eat them back. Many new members don't realize that the deficit is built in so they go for a "undershoot the goal as much as possible" method.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants


OP you're making this too complicated. Log accurately (weigh and measure your food, log everything), eat to your calorie goal, don't sweat the stuff that doesn't matter (like meal timing).

MFP does tend to overestimate calories burned for many people (for me it seems to be pretty close) so if it makes you feel better only eat back 3/4 of them and leave yourself a margin of error. But don't fall in the trap of thinking the lower your calories are, the better.

Llamedos1960

OP, I started off really well at the beginning of this year. I lost over 20 lbs in January and February. I did this by simply following the advice to keep the calories left as close to 0 as possible.

Then I got sidetracked into looking at TDEE, should I / shouldn't I eat exercise back, what exercise should I do, cardio vs lifting, etc.

All this confusion caused me to totally lose my way and, despite trying desperately, I've put most of it back on.

I've now created this new account and am starting again.

I don't intend getting sucked into taking any notice of all these competing views. Everyone thinks that THEIR way is the only way that works.

Don't get distracted from your primary goal. Just find what works for you and stick with it. Personally, I would take all "advice" with a pinch of salt (unless you're over on your sodium macro lol ).

Best of Luck!!!

shscruggs82

thanks everyone for your help! I read around, but I seem to get so confused, so I decided I needed someone to just tell me in 1+1=2 what I need to do. Yesterday I did end up eating back my exercise calories mostly, and I'm comfortable with that. I think once I get in the swing of things it will come naturally, I've been the kind of person that tracked everything...except...except the handful of chips I ate, and the 3 cookies I ate and the few chocolate covered raisins...so this is the first time I've tracked everything, I appreciate all the help so much. I see so much success on myfitnesspal and so I know in here somewhere, something works. I know I cant trust everyone, but I think I can usually pick out false information.

I think I have it worked out in my head. Eat as close to 0 as possible, and if I go over or under a day here and there, it averages out and its not that big of a deal, dont eat just to pig out but if Im hungry its ok to eat something if I have the calories for it.

I wish I could get my friends to get this, I have a friend who posts on facebook "I ate a donut now I have to go to the gym to work it off" I think thats when it gets tricky, because eating and working out becomes a punishment and I dont think thats the way it should be looked at.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

thanks everyone for your help! I read around, but I seem to get so confused, so I decided I needed someone to just tell me in 1+1=2 what I need to do. Yesterday I did end up eating back my exercise calories mostly, and I'm comfortable with that. I think once I get in the swing of things it will come naturally, I've been the kind of person that tracked everything...except...except the handful of chips I ate, and the 3 cookies I ate and the few chocolate covered raisins...so this is the first time I've tracked everything, I appreciate all the help so much. I see so much success on myfitnesspal and so I know in here somewhere, something works. I know I cant trust everyone, but I think I can usually pick out false information.

I think I have it worked out in my head. Eat as close to 0 as possible, and if I go over or under a day here and there, it averages out and its not that big of a deal, dont eat just to pig out but if Im hungry its ok to eat something if I have the calories for it.

I wish I could get my friends to get this, I have a friend who posts on facebook "I ate a donut now I have to go to the gym to work it off" I think thats when it gets tricky, because eating and working out becomes a punishment and I dont think thats the way it should be looked at.

It sounds like you are on the right track.

Just monitor your results and four weeks from now if you're not losing then consider eating less of them back. Remember that all the calculators are estimates anyway so the best thing to do is pick something, stick with it awhile, and then evaluate your progress and adjust as needed.

cmriverside

thanks everyone for your help! I read around, but I seem to get so confused, so I decided I needed someone to just tell me in 1+1=2 what I need to do. Yesterday I did end up eating back my exercise calories mostly, and I'm comfortable with that. I think once I get in the swing of things it will come naturally, I've been the kind of person that tracked everything...except...except the handful of chips I ate, and the 3 cookies I ate and the few chocolate covered raisins...so this is the first time I've tracked everything, I appreciate all the help so much. I see so much success on myfitnesspal and so I know in here somewhere, something works. I know I cant trust everyone, but I think I can usually pick out false information.

I think I have it worked out in my head. Eat as close to 0 as possible, and if I go over or under a day here and there, it averages out and its not that big of a deal, dont eat just to pig out but if Im hungry its ok to eat something if I have the calories for it.

I wish I could get my friends to get this, I have a friend who posts on facebook "I ate a donut now I have to go to the gym to work it off" I think thats when it gets tricky, because eating and working out becomes a punishment and I dont think thats the way it should be looked at.

It sounds like you are on the right track.

Just monitor your results and four weeks from now if you're not losing then consider eating less of them back. Remember that all the calculators are estimates anyway so the best thing to do is pick something, stick with it awhile, and then evaluate your progress and adjust as needed.

This is all really good.

The best thing you can do is keep accurate, consistent records. With a large amount of weight to lose you can create a larger deficit safely, so eat as much as you can within your goals. The better records you keep, the more data you have to refer to if and when it stops working for you. The best tools I had to help me lose weight were an accurate Food Diary, a digital food scale, and my weigh-ins.

Really, with the amount of weight you have to lose, it should just melt off with the site's recommended numbers. It will only become more difficult as you approach your goal weight.

shscruggs82

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I just wanted to post an update, I did end up going to the eat your exercise calories back, because that made the most sense to me, and I am now someone who I wouldnt say likes to work out, but I see the benefits in it, namely..if I choose to run and do my dvd that day then I can eat more calories! as someone who likes to eat, I definitely see that as a benefit, if I cant/dont run then I have to eat less calories and Ive grown accustomed to the 1800 calories or whatever it ends up being after I do the working out. and its working, slowly but surely..Ive lost 12 lbs, since I started, less then that since I started using my fitness pal, but Im happy with my progress...Ive only been running and working out consistantly for a few weeks so im starting to see the progress from that now.

Tigg_er

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I just wanted to post an update, I did end up going to the eat your exercise calories back, because that made the most sense to me, and I am now someone who I wouldnt say likes to work out, but I see the benefits in it, namely..if I choose to run and do my dvd that day then I can eat more calories! as someone who likes to eat, I definitely see that as a benefit, if I cant/dont run then I have to eat less calories and Ive grown accustomed to the 1800 calories or whatever it ends up being after I do the working out. and its working, slowly but surely..Ive lost 12 lbs, since I started, less then that since I started using my fitness pal, but Im happy with my progress...Ive only been running and working out consistantly for a few weeks so im starting to see the progress from that now.

Thanks for the up-date its nice to see them after a while to see that things are working. Sounds like you are on the right path and congrats for your efforts and progress.

cmriverside

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I just wanted to post an update, I did end up going to the eat your exercise calories back, because that made the most sense to me, and I am now someone who I wouldnt say likes to work out, but I see the benefits in it, namely..if I choose to run and do my dvd that day then I can eat more calories! as someone who likes to eat, I definitely see that as a benefit, if I cant/dont run then I have to eat less calories and Ive grown accustomed to the 1800 calories or whatever it ends up being after I do the working out. and its working, slowly but surely..Ive lost 12 lbs, since I started, less then that since I started using my fitness pal, but Im happy with my progress...Ive only been running and working out consistantly for a few weeks so im starting to see the progress from that now.

If you are happy, we are happy. Thanks for the update. You may be overestimating your exercise calories if you aren't losing your one and a half to two pounds per week. Just a thought, it's a common issue. But as long as you are logging with accuracy, you know where to adjust. That's the key.

Good luck, keep us posted.

turtledove773

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I just wanted to post an update, I did end up going to the eat your exercise calories back, because that made the most sense to me, and I am now someone who I wouldnt say likes to work out, but I see the benefits in it, namely..if I choose to run and do my dvd that day then I can eat more calories! as someone who likes to eat, I definitely see that as a benefit, if I cant/dont run then I have to eat less calories and Ive grown accustomed to the 1800 calories or whatever it ends up being after I do the working out. and its working, slowly but surely..Ive lost 12 lbs, since I started, less then that since I started using my fitness pal, but Im happy with my progress...Ive only been running and working out consistantly for a few weeks so im starting to see the progress from that now.

Awesome news.. 12 pounds is a great start! Keep at it, you'll get there!

MagJam2004

Asked for information, received a few different opinions, distilled info to what works for you, updated the post with how it went...

I'm thinking this is how it is meant to be; very cool.