Have I been netting too few calories? If so, fix me!

epadmeister
epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all :)

I've got some good and no so good news about my weight loss... I think I've been doing it wrong and don't know how to fix myself!

The good news is that, over the last 10 weeks, I have lost about 22lbs through calorie restriction and 4 cardio sessions a week (burning about 500 a time). I'm type 2 diabetic and recently got my blood test results back: if I continue to look after myself for the next 6 months they will consider taking me off medication!

The bad news is that I think it's too much weight to lose in one go. I've read a bit about fat / water / muscle loss and think a lot of the weight was muscle. Don't get me wrong, I love fitting into my old jeans, but the last thing I want to do is put it all back on once I start "maintaining".

Could I ask some of you lovely people to look through my food diary and tell me what to do next - be as harsh as you want (within reason) :)

Many thanks in advance, and sorry if this has been asked a million times before. I'm new to this.

P.S. I am halfway through Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred - that's the only strength training I've done, and I only started it recently!
P.P.S I've been taking Metformin as my medication for 2 years (I'm type 2 diabetic) but only recently started logging it into MFP.
Current Body Fat %: 35.2
BMI. 24.1
«1

Replies

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Ht? Wt?

    You state you do a "ton of cardio", do you enter that into MFP? I see your daily goal is usually around 1500. IMHO, that's probably low for your age, especially with "a ton of cardio" on top of it.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Well I don't know your weight, but your calorie goal before you add exercise is set to 1250 calories which is definitely low. You want to try to keep weight loss to a max of 1% body weight loss per week. If you are losing weight faster than that, then a higher percentage than you want of that weight loss is going to be muscle. Your protein goal is 94 grams which seems ok, but again it's hard to tell without knowing your weight. 30 day shred isn't really a strength training program, it's more cardio. If you truly want to preserve as much muscle as possible while you lose weight, then you need to start a strength training program that incorporates progressive overload, you need to eat a sufficient amount of protein on a daily basis, and you need to keep your calorie deficit moderate, not aggressive like you have it now.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Hi epadmeister.

    Sounds to me like you have the right attitude so I'd be happy to try to help. I took a look at your diary and it looks like your goal calories is set to 1200 but you at least attempt to eat back your exercise calories (although you often undershoot, not sure if that is intentional or not). To be able to help though need to be able to calculate your TDEE and to do so I need some more info.

    Going to need your age, your weight and your height as well as exactly what you are doing to exercise and what your lifestyle is like outside of exercise (nurse, teacher, waitress, desk job? etc)
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Hiya, thanks for the quick reply.
    I've edited my original post with the amount of cardio I do a week: I aim for 4 sessions a week, burning around 500 a time.

    Height: 161cm (5.3)
    Weight: 62kg (137lbs)
    Age: 23

    I'm a primary class teacher :)
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    I think your calorie goal is too low.

    I started at 246lbs and 1200 calories. After losing 25lbs I knew I couldn't keep that up...I was hungry. I have lost 67lbs and eat 1500 calories...sometimes more if I have had a very active day. I have range of 1500-1740 depending on the intensity of my day.

    As far as what you are eating and your macros I would suggest talking to your doctor or dietician since you are diabetic. There are some diabetic groups on MFP that might be able to give you some advice and tips.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Do you know your BF% before you lost the 22 pounds?
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    you need to keep your calorie deficit moderate, not aggressive like you have it now.

    Wow, I had no idea it was that aggressive! It's only just clicked for me that 1200 / 1250 is a small amount of calories. Over the last week or so I have been trying to eat more than this.

    I've posted my height / weight / bmi / age on the post now :) Thanks again everyone for your replies.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Hiya, thanks for the quick reply.
    I've edited my original post with the amount of cardio I do a week: I aim for 4 sessions a week, burning around 500 a time.

    Height: 161cm (5.3)
    Weight: 62kg (137lbs)
    Age: 23

    I'm a primary class teacher :)

    Thanks. Okay as a primary class teacher I imagine you are on your feet most of the day and walking back and forth, that actually is enough to say you are NOT sedentary you are more in the lightly active category which alone means that 1200 cal a day goal is probably low. But lets calculate.

    For this I am using the following calculator:
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    I am putting that you are 23, 161cm and 62kg. I am saying you rest for 12 hours, very light for 8.5, light for 3 and heavy for 0.5. (feel free to change that if you want)

    That gives me an estimated TDEE of 2,133 calories per day with a BMR of 1430. With what you have left to lose being not that much you'd probably want to aim for 10%-15% under your TDEE which is in the 1800-1900 calorie range. I note in your diary that sometimes you have that as your goal but you never attain it.

    I'd say that you probably are undereating but not so drastically that you have caused yourself any real harm. You may have lost some muscle and it might be in your interest to up your calories or at least treat your MFP goal as an actual GOAL and not undershoot. I would not eat under your BMR so you should be getting at least 1400 calories a day.

    I would add that if you are at 35% bodyfat but only weight 137 pounds your lean mass is quite low which would suggest you have a low amount of muscle. With that in mind adding some strength training (weight lifting or resistance training) plus upping your calories to an average of 1800 range per day.
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Yep, on my scales it said at the start that I was 39.3%. I'm not sure how accurate that is as I know nothing about the rate of BF loss... does the amount of fat lost sound like too much / not enough?
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Hiya, thanks for the quick reply.
    I've edited my original post with the amount of cardio I do a week: I aim for 4 sessions a week, burning around 500 a time.

    Height: 161cm (5.3)
    Weight: 62kg (137lbs)
    Age: 23

    I'm a primary class teacher :)

    After seeing this...you are definitely not eating enough. At 23 you have a higher BMR than I do (at 61).

    I still have 25-35lbs to lose. My goals are set to 1lb a week. I think that might be pushing it a little. With as little as you have to lose a half pound a week would be a better option for you. Hopefully you set your activity level to at least lightly active or probably more accurate...moderately active.
  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
    Hi

    Are you sure about your bodyfat?
    Seems too high, although you BMI is fine.
    Try to eat more calories, but not too much on carbs and instead of 4x cardio try 2x cardio and 2x weight lifting.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Your BMR is ~1440 and I imagine you're lightly active or active in your job. (I imagine you're on your feet more than sitting down.) So perhaps 1875-2100 TDEE before exercise? You don't have a large # of pounds left to lose so a maximum calorie deficit would be 500 a day for 1 pound per week goal. So eating 1375-1600 (depending on where you feel your activity lies) plus eating back at least some of your exercise calories.

    Congrats on your progress thus far.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Yep, on my scales it said at the start that I was 39.3%. I'm not sure how accurate that is as I know nothing about the rate of BF loss... does the amount of fat lost sound like too much / not enough?

    Scales are total bullsh*t when it comes to predicting bodyfat. I highly doubt that you were that high in bodyfat given your weight.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    So based on your stats, your calculated BMR is 1350 calories. This is the number of calories your body burns every day from non-movement functions (brain function, organ function, respiration, etc). Basically the number of calories your body would burn every day if you were in a coma. Even if you were completely sedentary and didn't do any exercises and had a desk job where you barely moved, which you are not, and you don't, you'd burn over 1650 calories a day. Moral of the story: you're not eating enough...
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Your BMR is ~1440 and I imagine you're lightly active or active in your job. (I imagine you're on your feet more than sitting down.) So perhaps 1875-2100 TDEE before exercise?

    What? I don't think you understand what TDEE is...
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Hi
    Are you sure about your bodyfat?
    Seems too high, although you BMI is fine.

    I wish I knew how accurate / inaccurate my scales are! All I can say to this is that my body is quite jiggly... especially around the tummy area :laugh: (sorry everyone, TMI!)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    So based on your stats, your calculated BMR is 1350 calories. This is the number of calories your body burns every day from non-movement functions (brain function, organ function, respiration, etc). Basically the number of calories your body would burn every day if you were in a coma. Even if you were completely sedentary and didn't do any exercises and had a desk job where you barely moved, you'd burn over 1650 calories a day. Moral of the story: you're not eating enough...

    ....yeah and she is a teacher at a primary school which that plus the fact she also does cardio makes her far from sedentary.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Your BMR is ~1440 and I imagine you're lightly active or active in your job. (I imagine you're on your feet more than sitting down.) So perhaps 1875-2100 TDEE before exercise?

    What? I don't think you understand what TDEE is...

    She means NEAT.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Yep, on my scales it said at the start that I was 39.3%. I'm not sure how accurate that is as I know nothing about the rate of BF loss... does the amount of fat lost sound like too much / not enough?

    Something seems off about that. I am 5'6, 179lbs and my BMI calculates out to 28.9%. I know these are just estimates but I don't understand that big of a difference.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Hi
    Are you sure about your bodyfat?
    Seems too high, although you BMI is fine.

    I wish I knew how accurate / inaccurate my scales are! All I can say to this is that my body is quite jiggly... especially around the tummy area :laugh: (sorry everyone, TMI!)

    Scales that supposedly measure bodyfat are very VERY innacurate. You are better off with a tapemeasurer honestly. Just measure around your abdomen and hips and use this and see what it says. Not saying this is 100% accurate either but its better than a scale.

    http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/training/body_fat/body_fat_percentage.html
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I ran your numbers (keep in mind that BF scales are notoriously inaccurate and are affected by a wide variety of factors, such as hydration)...

    159lbs @ 39.3%BF = 62.5lbs BF, 96.5lbs LBM
    137lbs @ 35.2%BF = 48.2lbs BF, 88.8lbs LBM

    So, of that 22 pounds, you lost 14.3lbs of fat and 7.7lbs of LBM (this includes water weight as well as any muscle, etc.).
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I ran your numbers (keep in mind that BF scales are notoriously inaccurate and are affected by a wide variety of factors, such as hydration)...

    159lbs @ 39.3%BF = 62.5lbs BF, 96.5lbs LBM
    137lbs @ 35.2%BF = 48.2lbs BF, 88.8lbs LBM

    So, of that 22 pounds, you lost 14.3lbs of fat and 7.7lbs of LBM (this includes water weight as well as any muscle, etc.).

    This is good info OP. If you ever want to know if you are losing LBM (lean body mass) this is how you do it. Trick is you need an accurate bodyfat measure and I really doubt you have that with a scale.
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    So, of that 22 pounds, you lost 14.3lbs of fat and 7.7lbs of LBM (this includes water weight as well as any muscle, etc.).

    This is going to sound like the dumbest question ever BUT is that a good thing?

    Thank you for taking the time to calculate everything. Can you tell I'm new to this whole weight loss thing? :P

    ALSO, thought I'd post my measurements up on here incase they help - I want to be as helpful as possible!
    Chest: 36.5
    Waist: 28
    Hips: 36.5

    Aaron, I'm just going to go onto the website you've posted... bear with me!
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    <img>http://tinypic.com/r/nvz0ix/8</img&gt;

    Oh my good God that's slightly different to 36%... is that right?!
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Right, I've not yet mastered how to upload photos onto MFP... bloody genius that I am. How am I a teacher?!

    Anyway, it says on Aaron's website that my body fat percentage is at 26.3%... that seems REALLY low, way lower than I've ever been told by the people who work at my gym... of course, they use the same scales as me there. That's how they measure body fat. :ohwell:

    Does my body fat percentage change the amount of calories I should be eating or am I just looking for an excuse to eat more?! :bigsmile:
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Right, I've not yet mastered how to upload photos onto MFP... bloody genius that I am. How am I a teacher?!

    Anyway, it says on Aaron's website that my body fat percentage is at 26.3%... that seems REALLY low, way lower than I've ever been told by the people who work at my gym... of course, they use the same scales as me there. That's how they measure body fat. ohwell

    Yea, don't trust the electric impedance scales when it comes to body fat percentage. Measurements are going to give you a more accurate percentage.
  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
    I even doubt, that a measuring tape and math is always sooo accurate.
    I tried to run my figures on one of the pages recommended here on mfp.
    There were two figures. 28.8 % and the other one was 32.4%

    Aarons link seems more like it.


    Just try to up your calories on proteins, not on carbs and try some weight lifting. :-)
    Will help the flabby tummy to be less flabby ;-)
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Okay, I have now changed my target calorie settings. I've upped them up to 1450 for days when I am NOT exercising.
    On days I exercise I will eat back half the exercise calories consumed.
    My average weekly loss will now be 0.4kg (1lb) as opposed to 0.7kg before. (1.7/8lb)
    AND I'm off to the gym now to talk to the instructors about putting in some strength training into my exercise routine.

    I don't know what to say to everyone apart from THANK YOU for your amazing replies and advice.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Yeah at 137 pounds and 5'3 I think 26% bodyfat is a much more likely number than 33%. Bodyfat scales are bullsh*t, they go off electrical impedance which is completely thrown off based on how much water you are retaining versus sodium levels.

    I'm 99% sure that you aren't as bad off as you thought you were based on that scale taking a guess at your bodyfat %.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Okay, I have now changed my target calorie settings. I've upped them up to 1450 for days when I am NOT exercising.
    On days I exercise I will eat back half the exercise calories consumed.
    My average weekly loss will now be 0.4kg (1lb) as opposed to 0.7kg before. (1.7/8lb)
    AND I'm off to the gym now to talk to the instructors about putting in some strength training into my exercise routine.

    I don't know what to say to everyone apart from THANK YOU for your amazing replies and advice.

    If you go to a gym that has personal trainers you might look into having one of them give you a bodyfat reading with skinfold calipers. They will probably charge for it but you might find it worth it. Calipers aren't 100% accurate either but my guess is the number you will get is going to be closer to 26% than 36%.

Categories