seasoned MFP's: Could you answer a question for me please?

2run2ski

I have read and read on this site about Net calories, Exercise calories, BMR, and TDEE. I still have questions, though, which I'm sure have been asked a million times. But would someone help me out, please?

After reading many threads, I feel comfortable with the idea that in order to lose weight effectively (and safely) it is accepted that a deficit of 10 - 20% off ones TDEE will work. My personal TDEE (of course I realize there's a margin of error): 2759 My BMR is 1780. From what I think I understand, I can eat roughly 2200 calories per day and still lose weight by the end of the week (roughly a pound). Am I right?

So, if I wanted to lose 2lbs a week, I would need to go slightly below my BMR, which I guess is a no-no. So, perhaps I can come close to 2 by eating at my BMR. But is this healthy?

Why would MFP say my calorie goal is 1240 if they have access to the same information we do about BMR? Why would they tell me to eat below my BMR? I must be missing something.

Also, I've seen that many people agree that the exercise calories MFP estimates is very high. I think I recall a lot of folks saying they'll eat back 1/3 of the calories but no more. Because my weight is so high, my exercise calorie numbers are really high. I'm not sure how to approach eating back my calories.

And one last thing. I'm working at not over-indulging in food. Today, I've eaten really well (a lot of really good food). And, I even splurged on a delish dessert while staying within my calorie goal. But, I still ended up below my BMR. I was not hungry after dessert, but I didn't want to stay below my BMR, so I popped some popcorn and then I made goal (BMR). I feel kind of cruddy for "forcing" myself to eat. It's counter-intuitive to what I'm working towards . Has anyone experienced this and worked out a good solution?

So, quite a few questions. I'd appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks!

FYI: I'm 5' 11'' SW 238 CW 229 GW#1 188

MickeyCastello

Consider this:

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx

Be sure to read the instructions and view the video, because it's not intuitive.

wheird

Well, what did you set your activity level and intended loss per week at? If you put sedentary and 2lbs per week, it -may- explain the low number.

However, MFP numbers are notoriously off, so I'd give your personal calculations a month or two and then adjust as needed.

2run2ski

Before I download it, could you tell me in layman english what the heck it does? :happy:

2run2ski

I put moderately active. Although, originally, I put down 5 days of exercise and I've been doing 7. I don't think that's sustainable, honestly. I'm just at the beginning of a long journey so the enthusiasm is still brimming... So should I just leave it alone?

veganbaum

MFP does not use an individual's BMR as a floor, it uses the ubiquitous 1200 as a floor. BMR is the number your body needs to function when there is no activity - a lot of people will say "as though your body is in a coma." This is why many use it as a floor, they want to at least give their body the very least it is estimated to need without any daily activities. Then, they add in more to fuel their body for daily activities and exercise, while leaving a healthy deficit to lose weight without depriving their body of needed nutrition.

If you use the TDEE method, exercise is already calculated into the equation, so you don't eat exercise calories you log via MFP. You can still enter your exercise to track it, but log it as "1" calorie. If your exercise is not consistent, TDEE can be a little more problematic and you may have to adjust calories on your own if you didn't exercise as much as you thought you would.

Most people will tell you to eat your macros, and then eat what you want after that to meet your calorie goal. You could also do things like have a slightly larger breakfast or add more calorie and nutritionally dense food. That way, you don't feel like you're "forcing" yourself to eat after dinner.

neandermagnon

MFP calorie numbers underestimate my TDEE by a lot, MFP gives me 1500 cals/day for maintenance... reality is i maintain on 2100 cals/day and lose on 1800 cals/day.

I think MFP sets their numbers low because you're supposed to log and eat back your exercise calories. The TDEE - x% method already has exercise factored in, i.e. with that method you don't log or eat back exercise calories. So that accounts for most of the difference.

Also, calculators vary, They're all estimates and you need to adjust your numbers based on real world results. All the calculators underestimate my calories, just some underestimate more than others. I'd say the main reason is that I have a higher than average lean body mass for my height. MFP uses a formula that underestimates my TDEE by a lot. I use the TDEE - x% method so I just reprogram my calories and don't log exercise. (if you want to log exercise for the purpose of keeping track of it or just because it helps you stick with it, then log it as 1 calorie each time, this way your calorie goal stays the same but you still have a record of your exercise)

Why do you want to lose more than 1lb a week? Weight loss isn't a race. The long term goal should be to reach goal weight and stay there for life. Getting there faster doesn't increase your chances of doing that, it actually decreases them. If you have around 50lb+ to lose then losing faster won't do you any harm so your plan to eat your BMR calories is probably okay so long as you feel satisfied and aren't getting tempted to binge. (sorry you didn't put a goal weight in and I don't know how much you're aiming to lose - also it's a good idea where possible to base your goals on body fat percentage, not height alone). If you only have a little left to lose then go with a higher number.

Go with the number you've picked. Try it for 2 weeks. See what happens to your weight. If you're steadily losing, then stick with that number. If you're not losing, then subtract 200 calories and see what happens over the next 2 weeks. Make sure you're weighing your food accurately. It might seem time consuming to do this but it really helps you fine tune the numbers so you lose weight slowly and steadily and still eat plenty of food.

cordianet

I'm sure other will chime in here, but a couple of things stand out to me:

1. What are you using to estimate your BMR? 1780 seems high for a 45 yo female. Your typical online calculator tends to overestimate BMR for very overweight or obese people because they assume a more normal ratio of muscle to fat than you have. What I mean is that fat is more metabolically inert than lean mass, so these sorts of calculators tend to overestimate your BMR. A better solution would be to get your BMR tested, or short of that, find out your % body fat and use a calculation that takes that into account.

In lieu of one of those options, I feel a better way than just taking the straight online calculation based on your current weight would be to calculate your ideal weight first and use that number in the calculator instead of your current weight. Yes, it's going to spit out a number that's likely even lower than your real BMR right now, but as you lose, you won't have to worry about recalculating this all the time. After all, doesn't it make more sense to eat like the size person you'd like to become, than the one you currently are? (By the way, doing it that way would put your BMR closer to 1400 than 1800 and that's a lot closer to the 1240 MFP told to to eat, but I digress...)

2. Regardless of what some people on here like to claim, there is nothing magical about BMR that makes it bad for you to eat less than that number, especially for someone with as much to lose as you. Yes, if you only had 10-15 lbs to lose, I'd say don't eat below youre BMR, but I'd also say using the calculations that MFP uses, you'd need to select .5 lbs a week and thus it would have you eating over your BMR anyway, so it's sort of a moot point.

In the end, personally I'd say start out about 1500 to 1600 and adjust up or down from there depending on how you feel and how the fat loss is going. I think that's a solid number for someone your size.

Best of luck!