Want to use MFP correctly.
mrt6581
Posts: 7
Hello,
I'm a 32 year old male from Orlando, Fl. I am fairly overweight and have been using MFP for about a month now and I was losing weight at first but stalled out recently. I've been updating everyday and even inputting meals in advance to make things a little easier. My meals have been relatively healthy with lots of veggies and protein and I've been working out 5 times a week for about 30 - 45 minutes each session (I burn around 500 exercise calories according to MFP). MFP says my calorie goal is 3132 but even with all the food I consume my calorie intake is usually within the 1100 range excluding exercise calories burned. I've been reading on the forums about net calories and how they should be at least 1200 calories a day otherwise it hurts your metabolism. I've upped my calorie intake recently to an average of 1800 - 1900 and my net calories are around 1100. I want to lose 2lbs a week and was hoping someone could tell me if I'm on the right track or if there are things I need to adjust to reach my goals. Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
I'm a 32 year old male from Orlando, Fl. I am fairly overweight and have been using MFP for about a month now and I was losing weight at first but stalled out recently. I've been updating everyday and even inputting meals in advance to make things a little easier. My meals have been relatively healthy with lots of veggies and protein and I've been working out 5 times a week for about 30 - 45 minutes each session (I burn around 500 exercise calories according to MFP). MFP says my calorie goal is 3132 but even with all the food I consume my calorie intake is usually within the 1100 range excluding exercise calories burned. I've been reading on the forums about net calories and how they should be at least 1200 calories a day otherwise it hurts your metabolism. I've upped my calorie intake recently to an average of 1800 - 1900 and my net calories are around 1100. I want to lose 2lbs a week and was hoping someone could tell me if I'm on the right track or if there are things I need to adjust to reach my goals. Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
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Replies
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You have 169lbs left to lose.
You say you want to use MFP correctly, but you're not.
1200 is too little
1800 is too little
2500-3000 is about right0 -
Are you getting your water in?0
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Are you weighing all of your food? If not you are probably eating more than you think.
Also, you are a male, the minimum number of calories for a male is 1800, a female is 1200.
Read these links, they should help you:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.0
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Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.
Ah, so 1100 calories isn't too little?0 -
@ HerkMeOff: I wasn't ignoring your post, I was looking at my meal plans to see how I could increase my calorie intake to meet your suggestions. Thank you for the advice.
@Sarges: I just recently bought a food scale and have been weighing all of my food and using measuring cups to measure my fluids (milk, juice, etc.) I was sick for a week during my first month so that may have played a role in me not losing weight as well. I'm following the Men's Health "Belly Off" guide 2014 as my exercise program. I originally lost 8 pounds in my first month but gained back two. At first, I thought they might have been muscle instead of fat but I am weighing myself twice a week to keep up with fluctuations.0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.
Ah, so 1100 calories isn't too little?
I agree with Herk, for a male with 169lbs to lose that is far too little.0 -
How tall are you and what do you weigh right now?0
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Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.
So having a 3000 calorie deficit should be fine right now - but somehow inaccurate food logging could be overcoming that 3000 calorie deficit causing him to eat at maintenance.0 -
Hello,
I'm a 32 year old male from Orlando, Fl. I am fairly overweight and have been using MFP for about a month now and I was losing weight at first but stalled out recently. I've been updating everyday and even inputting meals in advance to make things a little easier. My meals have been relatively healthy with lots of veggies and protein and I've been working out 5 times a week for about 30 - 45 minutes each session (I burn around 500 exercise calories according to MFP). MFP says my calorie goal is 3132 but even with all the food I consume my calorie intake is usually within the 1100 range excluding exercise calories burned. I've been reading on the forums about net calories and how they should be at least 1200 calories a day otherwise it hurts your metabolism. I've upped my calorie intake recently to an average of 1800 - 1900 and my net calories are around 1100. I want to lose 2lbs a week and was hoping someone could tell me if I'm on the right track or if there are things I need to adjust to reach my goals. Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
It is indeed all about using tools correctly.
Some tools used wrong may have some positive effect, usually have no usefulness, and sometimes can hurt the user.
Go back to your settings and don't try to do it yourself if you have no knowledge and experience. Which if thinking 1100 is good outside direct Dr or lab observation, you don't have that yet.
Setup your non-exercise activity level honestly - you really a 45 hr a week desk job/commute?
Select 2 lb weight loss goal, confirm final goal weight and starting weight and gender are correct.
Now log your exercise, and eat back 90% of the reported calories burned.
Go in to your MFP Home - Goals - Custom (you've already been here, haven't you).
Note the protein grams given.
Lower the carb % until that protein grams is double, leave fat % where it's at.
Now meet your daily goal.
And if you think it's impossible to meet, rethink what "healthy" has to mean, and go for sustainable. Because you aren't going to get to eat this much again.
Full fat items are just fine, especially if they have protein. Ice cream is fine - if you can stick to 2 servings. Later you'll only get 1.
A beer is fine.
You start limiting the food you think is allowed, you'll likely fail. There are obvious ones that you can leave out when you have much less calories, or if they make you hungry.
But eating too little will also make you not hungry - but because hormones are screwed up, not because your body doesn't want the fuel.
As you lose 10 lbs, MFP will ask to adjust your eating goal, of course say yes.
That is using MFP correctly.
When you get to 40 lbs left to lose - select 1.5 lbs weekly.
To 20 lbs - 1 lb weekly.
To 10 lbs - 1/2 lb weekly.0 -
@heybales: Thank you for the detailed info. It's helped me understand this better.
@awesomeguy: I'm 5'11 and my last weigh in put me at 368.6lbs.0 -
@awesomeguy: I'm 5'11 and my last weigh in put me at 368.6lbs.MFP says my calorie goal is 3132
I came up with closer to that 3100 being your sedentary energy expenditure.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator
The above link calculates BMR, which is what you burn basically if you were in a coma. MFP uses a multiplier of 1.25 for sedentary. I got 3169 to be exact.
Subtract 500 calories from it to lose 1 pound per week or 1000 calories for 2 pounds.
To lose 2 pounds per week eat about 2169 calories a day.
If you exercise, then you can log it and eat back at least 50% back. (Because it has overestimates)
For every 10 pounds you lose, you will want to adjust your calories.0 -
First of all Remember, everything counts, even a little bite of this or that. I had a tiny bite of my boys' banana and realised that its like 5 calories for that bite.
Especially when you are cooking don't forget to add all the oil and spices added to it. Spices don't add up to too much but oil definitely does
2nd, eating too little will get you stopping losing weight very quickly and you will be plateauing quite early. Especially if you are a big guy, you really do need to eat according to your weight and as you shrink you reassess your calorie intake.
I was eating really low and exercising like crazy and plateaued. Hope that helped a little.0 -
opening your diary would help...0
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Thank you all for the help.
@Tavis: I changed my settings to Public so everyone can see what I'm inputting (right or wrong).
@Awesome Guy: I've adjusted my calorie intake to your suggestion. I've also gone through my Food diary to make sure what I have listed is as accurate as possible going forward.
I weighed myself this morning and I'm now down to 365.2 since my last weigh in.0 -
i would consider not logging food prep and cleaning if its part of your normal daily routine.0
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i would consider not logging food prep and cleaning if its part of your normal daily routine.
Done. That was going to be my next question so thanks for the heads up. Looking ahead, I know my meal plans are probably going to be over my sodium and sugar goals. I already drink tons of water and pre-wash all my meats (chicken, turkey, etc). Does anyone have any ideas for low sodium/sugar meals or snacks I could try going forward?0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.
Ah, so 1100 calories isn't too little?
You are correct. 1100 calories is to little. I meant he is not eating just 1100 calories, inaccurate counting. If he was he would have lost more then 6 lbs. Although how he could be off by that much is beyond me. You guys are much more knowledgeable about this then I so I will leave it to you now :happy:0 -
Man you should do your own research and find what works for you!!!0
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I looked at your diary and you seem to be logging accurately. That's important, especially to log everything including all water. The others know alot more about how much you should eat to lose weight healthily. Wishing you all the best, and don't give up.
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Hey! I miss Orlando!!! Left about 5 years ago and was surprised how much I miss her.
Anyway, what are you doing for exercise? I see some pretty high calorie burns in there so how different is it from before you tried losing weight? Eating that low is dangerous, you can cause your body to fight your goal like that - if it thinks it is starving it's going shift to protect itself and add in high exercise and your body is going to add glycogen and hold on to every drop of water it can keep.
It looks like you are good on logging. Keep your intake reasonable and give time for your body to adjust. With only a month in, give it more time, unfortunately change won't happen fast. Good luck!0 -
Yes, I'm drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
Hers in the one post you acknowledge?
How can you not see that you're eating too little?
There is no way he is eating to little, not at this point anyway. He is big enough that more then 6 lbs should have come off.
OP, are you weighing and measuring your food? This is a very important part of weight loss.
Ah, so 1100 calories isn't too little?
You are correct. 1100 calories is to little. I meant he is not eating just 1100 calories, inaccurate counting. If he was he would have lost more then 6 lbs. Although how he could be off by that much is beyond me. You guys are much more knowledgeable about this then I so I will leave it to you now :happy:
He's logging "MFP's exercise burns" so those are too high. If he's inaccurate logging food + adding too many exercise calories then he's not losing because he's not in a deficit.0 -
:flowerforyou: Mfp usually over estimate calorie burns from excercise. I only eat back half of my excercise calories and some days I don't even log in excercise. Good luck to ya!0
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Exactly MFP calories burned is way too high. For instance I rode my recumbent bike which has a HRM and tell calories burned. For the one hour program I did, the bike's computer showed 306 calories (it varies for this program depending on my intensity sometimes I get as much as 330). MFP showed 529 calories for a one hour low intensity stationary bike. Now I was pretty tired after the ride so most people would probably have logged it as at least moderate, bumping the calories up even more.
I see my friends logged huge calorie burns for things I know couldn't possibly burn that much.
MFP needs to get real on their calories burn estimates.0 -
He's logging "MFP's exercise burns" so those are too high. If he's inaccurate logging food + adding too many exercise calories then he's not losing because he's not in a deficit.
Without knowing what he's logging as exercise, flat out saying they are inflated is flat out wrong.
He's logging walking - one of the most accurate ones if he's really doing that pace the entire time.
Formula for walking calorie burn are more accurate than HRM actually.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is
And strength training, if correctly applied to lifting weights is based on good studies of the same and pretty accurate.
The only problem is logging the daily activities like cleaning and such, but is so small a burn it's not wiping out the deficit that would have been there.
It's the application of the database entry that most get wrong, just like logging food. Did you really walk 3 mph the whole 40 min for instance, or did you time a 1/4 mile section on city block, or that's what the treadmill eventually got up to, ect?
Or was weight lifting really vigorous the whole 20 min, or was there 5 min of distracted talking?
I've seen more people with correctly calibrated HRM's (not cheap Polars) comment the database entries are right on or low in comparison.0 -
You had mentioned watching your sodium and sugar levels. I am often over my sodium levels, too, but I try not to stress on that macro too much. I do try to watch and not go crazy over the level allotted, but I also just try to get at least 8 glasses if not more of water in a day to help balance that out!0
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Hey! I miss Orlando!!! Left about 5 years ago and was surprised how much I miss her.
Anyway, what are you doing for exercise? I see some pretty high calorie burns in there so how different is it from before you tried losing weight? Eating that low is dangerous, you can cause your body to fight your goal like that - if it thinks it is starving it's going shift to protect itself and add in high exercise and your body is going to add glycogen and hold on to every drop of water it can keep.
It looks like you are good on logging. Keep your intake reasonable and give time for your body to adjust. With only a month in, give it more time, unfortunately change won't happen fast. Good luck!
I do the Men's Fitness "Belly Off" Guide. It's a 5 day combo of strength training and core/cardio exercises that work all the muscle groups at once rather than split groups. It works pretty well for me but unfortunately MFP doesn't seem to count "strength training" in detail so I'm only able to log minutes as opposed to actual workouts. I've been trying to find something online that would tell me what I'm burning in each specific exercise but no luck so far.0 -
You want to be drinking 1/2 your body weight in oz.....of water per day.....so I weigh 220 lbs right now (approximately....last weight in lol) - I should be consuming 110 fl. oz. of water daily....which is basically just under a gallon per day.......
Now I don't know where I've gotten this from, it was either Mens Health, or webMD a couple years back......one source I just found was http://www.watercure.com/faq.html0
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