EFF NET CALORIES--check out my math

focuseddiva

Okay. I have been on MFP for 13 days as of today. The net cals confuses me. I averaged my calories eaten for the past 13 days. I averaged my calories burned through exercise for the past 13 days. Here are the numbers:

Avg cals eaten: 1553
Avg cals burned through exercise: 358 (includes rest days averaged in there)

I'm EXCLUDING net cals b/c I just find it throws me off and allows me ways to rationalize to myself that I have a calorie allowance I can eat back -- even if I'm not hungry.


My BMR is roughly 1556.

So, theoretically, if I am eating my BMR in calories, and moving around through daily life (sedentary job, but I still get up and walk here and there). AND I factor in my avg exrecise cals each day ... I SHOULD have a calorie deficit of somewhere around 900 on average per day.

900 calorie deficit x 13 days = 11,700 calorie deficit

If 3,500 cal deficit is a one pound loss, I should have lost 3.3 pounds in the last 13 days (11,700 calories/3,500)

RIGHT? Or am I completely nuts and a big fail when it comes to math and logic?

rie_q

I follow your logic, but that's just not really... How did you come to 900? That seems very high.

bellevie86

Well to figure out how much your daily deficit is you first need to figure out your TDEE, because if your BMR is what you're eating but subtracting the burned cals through exercise then you're guesstimating what the rest of that deficit is. So that is going to depend on a lot of things, including how active you are outside of intentional exercise!

focuseddiva

Well, I take my avg cals burned per day through exercise and ADD the cals above and beyond my BMR (1556) that I would use just walking around, doing chores, going up and down the stairs, chasing the dog, walking kids to the bus, etc.

I estimated. I guessed. But this was my thinking:

358 cals thru exercise
PLUS
appx 600 cals used/expended above by BMR per day going about life ( I semi-based this on the TDEE thing, which tells me that mine is around 2100 to maintain)

That gives me about 900 cals a day of deficit.

2100 TDEE (i put in light exercise)
Eating 1500 cals each day
That's a deficit of 600 cals right there ...
And then added my 358 avg cals burned with exercise to that for a ballpark of 900 cals.

DOes that even sound plausible or is this fuzzy math? Maybe I should run for Senate.

bellevie86

Net cals using your averages would be around 1200 a day, times that by 7, gives you 8,400. Now once you get that TDEE times that by 7 and subtract the 8, 400 from it THEN divide that difference. That will give you a better idea. Are you asking this because your not losing the weight you thought you would?

_HeartsOnFire_

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=short+sweet+<span class=

Read that. See if that helps.

bellevie86

Well then yes, if that's what they day (keep in mind to try more than just one, and maybe take an average cause some are quite high?) then your math should be right.

focuseddiva

Or ... crap, does the TDEE using light exercise account for the intentional exercise already?

If it does, it's more like 600 cals a day of deficit. Which puts me at a little over 2 pounds of loss after 13 days.

Dang it. I weigh in Saturday. That will tell the tale. And it's not down, I will then officially hate math and all laws of logic and reason. And I'll probably stare longingly at a pizza.

bellevie86

Just did the math, your TDEE per week is 14700-8400= 6300. Which equals not quite 2 pounds....

bellevie86

Or ... crap, does the TDEE using light exercise account for the intentional exercise already?

If it does, it's more like 600 cals a day of deficit. Which puts me at a little over 2 pounds of loss after 13 days.

Dang it. I weigh in Saturday. That will tell the tale. And it's not down, I will then officially hate math and all laws of logic and reason. And I'll probably stare longingly at a pizza.

Yep, TDEE takes into account your activity level!

cafeaulait7

Or ... crap, does the TDEE using light exercise account for the intentional exercise already?

If it does, it's more like 600 cals a day of deficit. Which puts me at a little over 2 pounds of loss after 13 days.

Dang it. I weigh in Saturday. That will tell the tale. And it's not down, I will then officially hate math and all laws of logic and reason. And I'll probably stare longingly at a pizza.

This was exactly what I was going to say You have to work out 3x a week to get that TDEE, and then you don't eat back any exercise calories. It's just TDEE-chosen% every day that you eat.

auntiebabs

Also age makes a BIG difference. Make sure you use a calculator that accounts for age when figuring out your TDEE.

I basically never adjusted my eating habit for my age and slowly put on 50 lbs in the 30 years since H.S.

focuseddiva

Got it. Thanks to you all ...

I did go on the fat2fit link and calculated everything. I used lightly active ... though I am guessing it's more like moderately, but just to be conservative.

2145 is my TDEE
1560 is my BMR

I'm 41, female, 5'8", 180 lbs.

I hate math!

ScottH_200

Even if you follow everything to a tee regarding TDEE, calorie burn deficits, etc., there's still no guarantee you will achieve the same results every single week, week after week. Just watch that show Biggest Loser some time. Those folks exercise for hours every day and eat a strict doctor supervised diet and yet at times lose no weight or minimal weight at best on any given week.

_jayciemarie_

Trust me...other things factor in as well. I weigh in tomorrow. I have been under my calories and exercised 5x which should equate to roughly 1.5-2lbs loss this week. If today was my weigh in day I would have gained a pound. So, tomorrow when I weigh myself and say it is a pound heavier, do I really believe I ate 3500 calories over my TDEE? Heck no! It all balances out. This is why people end up giving up. Because they expect the weight to reflect their eating every single day. For me--it can take my body 2 weeks before it reflects what I'm doing. So, if I go up or stay at my current weight this week, I will probably drop 3-4lbs next week or the week after. Don't give up, but don't expect immediate gratification. It will happen.

GothyFaery

Or ... crap, does the TDEE using light exercise account for the intentional exercise already?

If it does, it's more like 600 cals a day of deficit. Which puts me at a little over 2 pounds of loss after 13 days.

Dang it. I weigh in Saturday. That will tell the tale. And it's not down, I will then officially hate math and all laws of logic and reason. And I'll probably stare longingly at a pizza.

If you use the TDEE method you can either enter seditary and eat back your exorcise calories or you can enter your average exercise/week and not eat them back.

Personally, I think it is better to calculate your TDEE with no exercise because who says how many calories it is taking into consideration when you say you work out a few hours a week? You could only be burning 500 calories and it is assuming 1500 or vice versa. You get a more accurate account if you track your own exercise calories day by day. Also don't get too upset if you don't see exactly 2 pounds. This is all guessing anyways. There's not ticker in your body going "well that's 3500 calories. Quick drop a pound!" Just doesn't work that way. There are so many other factors to account for.

focuseddiva

I totally agree and understand. I'm not expecting exact science... just want to see if I should theoretically be on track here.

Also, I'm probably sabotaging myself, but I wanted to see if I could basically do 5 days of 1300 calories eaten and 2 days of more like 2200-2400 calories eaten and still produce a loss. In the past, when I have tried to stick to 1300-1400 cals each and every day, seems like I kind of hit a wall after 3-4 days and then eat like I am going to the electric chair, outdoing all of my hard work the prior three days. So, it's like I am accounting for some moderate eating -- and looking forward to it -- versus thinking I have this vast, endless future of 1300 calories every day.

We'll see if this works. If it doesn't, I'll be forever hangry. Not fun.

GothyFaery

I hate math!

MATH IS YOUR FRIEND!

cafeaulait7

Got it. Thanks to you all ...

I did go on the fat2fit link and calculated everything. I used lightly active ... though I am guessing it's more like moderately, but just to be conservative.

2145 is my TDEE
1560 is my BMR

I'm 41, female, 5'8", 180 lbs.

I hate math!

This calculator lets you choose lots of options and tells the average pounds lost per year for your choice:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Just divide by 52 to see average weekly loss (predicted) and by 12 for a month's. It's all on average, though, so it only goes so far

focuseddiva

Ha! Total right-brainer here. If math is my friend, then I am the loner in the basement, playing Xbox so I don't have to talk to girls.
Wait, I am a girl. See? No social -- or math -- skills.

vwbug86

If you have just started exercising from a mostly sedentary lifestyle then what you may be experiencing is your muscles holding on to water.

I would give it a few more weeks.

GothyFaery

I totally agree and understand. I'm not expecting exact science... just want to see if I should theoretically be on track here.

Also, I'm probably sabotaging myself, but I wanted to see if I could basically do 5 days of 1300 calories eaten and 2 days of more like 2200-2400 calories eaten and still produce a loss. In the past, when I have tried to stick to 1300-1400 cals each and every day, seems like I kind of hit a wall after 3-4 days and then eat like I am going to the electric chair, outdoing all of my hard work the prior three days. So, it's like I am accounting for some moderate eating -- and looking forward to it -- versus thinking I have this vast, endless future of 1300 calories every day.

We'll see if this works. If it doesn't, I'll be forever hangry. Not fun.

When I punch your info in to this calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ It comes up to 1681cals/day (assuming no exercise and a healthy weight loss of 20%) There's a lot of room to enjoy in there!

LiftAllThePizzas

When you first start there is also water weight that gets dropped and other things that can confound your result. You need to stick with something consistently for more than 2 weeks to know if it's going to keep doing that in the long term, because your goal is presumably fat loss.

You can lose on a smaller deficit. (IOW eating more calories than you are now.) Ultimately if you can't stick to something in the longer term then it's not going to help. Find a number that is sustainable for you.

focuseddiva

I've been exercising forever. seriously forever. I exercised when I was heavy. I exercised (crazily so) when I was at my goal weight. No matter what, I exercise. So that's not it. Could be perimenopause (thank you, hormones). COuld be my body rebelling. Or, I could actually have lost weight in the past two weeks. Saturday is my official weigh in day and I might actually look at the scale for once instead of weighing in backwards and not being told what the number is. I should assemble my spine and do that, right?