I'm one week in.....reflection time...

thrazt

Hello all,

I'm now one week in MFP and I'm really glad to know some people here, really supportive and helpful. I would like to put up my calculations and see if I am doing anything right, and if I'm wrong, well, it's a good time to change!

Bio:

Male
Age: 25
Weight at start: 85kg
Height: 173cm

Activity level: Sedentary (desk job)
25% calorie reduction
BMR: 1925
TDEE: 2310
Calorie based on goal: 1732

MFP cal cap (sedentary): 1200


Exercise schedule:
Monday to Sunday - 30 min +- cardio HIIT, burn about 400-450 cal, based on polar HRM w/ chest strap.
Sunday - Ice hockey 3 period of 20 minutes, burn about 1200+-, based on the same set up as above.


Note:

My MFP cap of 1200 will usually be used by lunch, but with the after work cadio, I'm able to take in a small dinner.
I don't feel sloggy, hungry or jittery or anything, in fact, I feel much better, more energetic everyday.

Am I doing good? Or should I change some stuff?


Thanks!!

clambert1273

Which method are you going to use... TDEE or MFP?

If using TDEE - then you need to account your exercise days in the activity which I believe would put you in the Active category.... then do a 20% reduction...

thrazt

I'm using MFP, I read some other post where people mentioned the scoobysworkshop website, so I got the TDEE from there...

clambert1273

I use the TDEE because it is just easier for me instead of trying to figure out all the calories burned LOL I like simplicity...

thrazt

I see, so it's either I set it at sedentary activity and count my expended cal through exercise and eat back those cals.... or use TDEE and set it at the appropriate level of activity of which is about 3.5hr/week exercise and continue to do what I'm doing and use the new cal cap for my cal intake?

clambert1273

I see, so it's either I set it at sedentary activity and count my expended cal through exercise and eat back those cals.... or use TDEE and set it at the appropriate level of activity of which is about 3.5hr/week exercise and continue to do what I'm doing and use the new cal cap for my cal intake?

You got it!

For me, I eat a level 1700 per day regardless.... that keeps me easy and I workout 3 days a week lifting so its a win win for me lol

Mischievous_Rascal

If you are doing true HIIT, then a HRM isn't going to be accurate for recording calorie burns. They are only good for steady state cardio. And, IMO, you've set your goal too aggressively. You've only been at this one week. Eventually you'll burn out with that little food to fuel those kind of intense workouts. A 10-15% reduction from TDEE would suffice..

PS: I'm a woman almost twice your age who works out way less than you, and I lost most of my body fat eating 2200-2300 a day (my TDEE is around 2450). What modifier did you use on the Scooby site? Anything less than 3-5 hours of moderate exercise would be incorrect, and the 5-6 of strenuous would be more accurate, probably. Try running them again. I think you may have got your TDEE wrong.

Edit: Or maybe you used the "desk job" modifier, which would mean your MFP goal should be set to 1700 plus exercise calories. That number would make way more sense, but again, that would be too big a deficit to sustain those types of workouts long term.

When is your rest day? That is incredibly important, especially if you're doing HIIT.

thrazt

Nice!!

I guess I'll stick to MFP, it keeps me in check when numbers are down to double digits... hahaha...

and I usually overestimate my intake, choosing the option with the higher cal, while my HIIT cardio will have the "afterburner effect" that I hear of, so hopefully my body will BURN those fats away.

Those perspiration to drips to the floor.... are fats being burnt... lol

thrazt

Hi!

Okay, maybe my HIIT isn't the real deal, I would start off for a steady 2 min cardio, burst for 10s, back to steady speed, maintain HR at 160+-, wait for 20-30s, repeat. This will go on for about 15 min. Then the rest is steady speed cardio...

I used the desk job modifier

Since I think my exercise is not really HIIT, I don't need a rest day?

Sorry! Still a noob!!


I'm 1 week in for MFP, but I attend ice training 2-3 times a week for 2 hours each, for the past 10 years. Now I'm down to 1 session a week.

clambert1273

Always need a rest day... I lift 3 x a week and require at least 4 rest days... it is important for recovery... you should have at least 1.

Trying to determine your calories burned is going to be guessing at best. You would be better off setting your goals custom for TDEE - 20% and 40/30/30 macro split. It can be adjusted if it doesn't work and it should be adjusted as you go down in size/weight.

This is just my opinion You will find it much easier to track.... as far as food - don't guess. Get a scale and WEIGH everything - and I mean everything. Use the barcode scanner to scan your food and calculate it out based on what you weighed.

You can see my diary if you like...

jamesryanfletcher

^^ +1 to weighing and the barcode scanner, but don't trust the database. Most of the database is user contributed and typos happen. Also processed foods can really change over time, modifying their calorific and macro values.

thrazt

Okay!! I'll probably schedule monday for rest day... get the blues away.

So if I set my modifier for moderate exercise my numbers would be like:

Below is based on -25%
BMR 1812
TDEE 2809
Goal 2106

-20% would look like:
Goal 2247

Now the hardest part ever:

Measuring food in Asia, it's impossible to measure food in Asia, unless I prepare them myself. When I say impossible, I meant just for lunch time, when I HAVE to eat out with clients and bosses. But saying that, breakfast and dinner is totally alright.

Oh, I love the barcode feature, beep and eat!

Mischievous_Rascal

Okay!! I'll probably schedule monday for rest day... get the blues away.

So if I set my modifier for moderate exercise my numbers would be like:

Below is based on -25%
BMR 1812
TDEE 2809
Goal 2106

-20% would look like:
Goal 2247

Now the hardest part ever:

Measuring food in Asia, it's impossible to measure food in Asia, unless I prepare them myself. When I say impossible, I meant just for lunch time, when I HAVE to eat out with clients and bosses. But saying that, breakfast and dinner is totally alright.

Oh, I love the barcode feature, beep and eat!

That all looks really good! Keep in mind that the TDEE method includes your exercise, so you wouldn't add on to that number. I still record my exercise on here to maintain a record, but change the calories burned to 1.

If you really can't measure your lunch, then may I suggest a spreadsheet for keeping track of what you are recording, accurate for the stuff you have control over and your possibly inaccurate guesses? I record my weight and calories consumed daily. Scoobys calculator is really spot on for me, so if you go with those numbers and track it like that, it will give you a good idea how close you are to being on track for logging, and helps with figuring out your true, personal TDEE. (Sounds a little OCD, but my brain loves numbers and stats, so it works well for me.) And keep in mind that you need to give 3-4 weeks for your body to adapt to changes in your diet, as well.

thrazt

Thank you!! I will listen well and follow what you suggest!

Have a good day!

ReaganP13

I'm in that over-excited newbie stage, myself, and when I dont want to take a "rest day", I just take a longish leisurely walk - that way I can log something and mentally give myself a feeling of accomplishment without putting my body through stress that day.