huh? 992 cals a day

Lindzpnc

ok so I calculated my TDEE according to my weigh/age/activity and according to the calculator if I want to lose 2 lbs a week I should be consuming 992 calories a day in order to have a deficit large enough to lose those 2 lbs.


I log everything I eat and have a scale at work/home and try not to eat out at places where I am unfamiliar with their menu or its difficult to log/determine calories we will not eat there.


so if I add exercise.. I can obviously eat more than the 992 right and should start to lose closer to 2 lbs a week

sorry if I sound like an airhead.. I assure you Im not this dumb but I haven't been sleeping well since the little one is teething.

this whole post may not make sense

fromaquasar09

If you calculated your TDEE you should also know your BMR (base metabolic rate) this is the amount of calories you would need / day to keep you alive if you were in a coma. They are just used to make your heart beat etc. I dont know your stats but I would expect your BMR to be above 900 cals (mines 1300). Netting below your BMR is unsustainable and unhealthy, if you have to eat so little to hit your target you're more likely to lose 2 pounds, then go crazy refeeding the next week.

What is your TDEE? you should be creating a deficit between 15 - 20% lower, is that giving you 992 cals? That would make your TDEE like 1200 which doesn't sound right.

Especially as you should really have your exercised factored into your TDEE as as well... In which case you wouldn't eat back your exercise cals. Although some people don't and just eat back all their exercise cals.

I would recommend slowing down your weight loss. If you don't have a lot to lose then losing 1 pound a week is plenty and will be more sustainable for you.

Also would recommend taking your measurements and some before photos to measure yourself on more than just the number on the scales.

Good luck
x

mr_mitch

What's your height and weight? You may have made a mistake somewhere, that seems low...

GothyFaery

I don't know how much you are wanting to lose but you obviosly do not need to lose enough to lose 2 pounds per week. I'm guessing probably closer to 1 or even .5 pounds per week.

If you are extreamly overweight you can lose weight at a quicker pace. The less you have to lose, the slower you need to do it.

MelodyandBarbells

Okay. Now tell it 1 lb per week

Also which calculator are you using? Myfitnesspal or...? Some calculators have exercise built in. MFP default method assumes you will record your exercise separately and eat back those calories.

Lindzpnc

If you calculated your TDEE you should also know your BMR (base metabolic rate) this is the amount of calories you would need / day to keep you alive if you were in a coma. They are just used to make your heart beat etc. I dont know your stats but I would expect your BMR to be above 900 cals (mines 1300). Netting below your BMR is unsustainable and unhealthy, if you have to eat so little to hit your target you're more likely to lose 2 pounds, then go crazy refeeding the next week.

What is your TDEE? you should be creating a deficit between 15 - 20% lower, is that giving you 992 cals? That would make your TDEE like 1200 which doesn't sound right.

Especially as you should really have your exercised factored into your TDEE as as well... In which case you wouldn't eat back your exercise cals. Although some people don't and just eat back all their exercise cals.

I would recommend slowing down your weight loss. If you don't have a lot to lose then losing 1 pound a week is plenty and will be more sustainable for you.

Also would recommend taking your measurements and some before photos to measure yourself on more than just the number on the scales.

Good luck
x

oh crap... you are right I didn't subtract the 15-20% I just multiplied my TDEE by 7 for a weekly average and subtracted 7k calories and figured Id divide the leftovers over 7 days

ay- I knew my brain wasn't working today.

I can only workout on weekends and that now always so on those days I tend to eat up as close to my allotment as I can- im mostly over 2-3 days of the week. but for the most part try to stay out of the red

hill8570

So post the numbers you fed in to the calculator, otherwise it's all guesswork.

My GUESS is that you're way too small to be losing 2 pounds a week without ridiculously undereating. Without the numbers, 'tho, that's just a GUESS.

Lindzpnc

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

Lindzpnc

oh yah im 29

Faye_Anderson

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

It depends on what you class as sedentary? You already said you exercise a couple of days a week, throw into that housework etc that already bumps you up to at least lightly active. There's not really a need to lose at 2lb per week, set your goal to lose 1lb a week, some weeks you might notice you lose a bit more than that anyway :flowerforyou:
ETA: I'm a similar weight to you (2 inches taller) I don't exercise at all and I've been losing up to 2lb per week eating 1650 cals, I'm also 5 years older than you. Try it and see, you can adjust from there rather than starting off too low

Lindzpnc

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

It depends on what you class as sedentary? You already said you exercise a couple of days a week, throw into that housework etc that already bumps you up to at least lightly active. There's not really a need to lose at 2lb per week, set your goal to lose 1lb a week, some weeks you might notice you lose a bit more than that anyway :flowerforyou:

yah I do only get to work out on weekends if my schedule allows and I said sedentary because I sit all day in an office job- trust me I hate sitting but its what I do now

hill8570

I'd think that eating at your BMR would be far more practical (and still very aggressive, given your size). Exercising three days a week would put you around 2200 average TDEE, which works out to about a pound and a quarter a week. Shooting for 2 pounds a week would require dropping to about 1200 calories a day, which is just a recipe for feeling like crap, binging, etc.

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

Lindzpnc

I'd think that eating at your BMR would be far more practical (and still very aggressive, given your size). Exercising three days a week would put you around 2200 average TDEE, which works out to about a pound and a quarter a week. Shooting for 2 pounds a week would require dropping to about 1200 calories a day, which is just a recipe for feeling like crap, binging, etc.

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

im currently eating that 1200 per day and I don't feel horrible... but im also not loosing close to 2 lbs per week prob about .08 lb per week if im extremely strict then I can make the whole pound.

all of this stuff confuses me

some say its simple - CALORIES IN vs CALORIES OUT

but Im obviously missing something. I constantly hear youre not eating enough/ youre eating too much.

someone just tell me the magic number please and that I can do!

ravenmiss

Open your diary?

How long have you been eating at 1200?

Lindzpnc

Open your diary?

How long have you been eating at 1200?

done

ryantrimble12

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

just fyi-I put your stats in and says your daily calorie allotment is 1590

Lindzpnc

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

just fyi-I put your stats in and says your daily calorie allotment is 1590

to lose 2 lbs a week??

mrsmoulton

I think maybe you aren't eating enough. I would bump the calories up to at least 1350 or 1400 per day for a week and see if that makes a difference. Whenever I go too low I always stop losing. If you are working out that day add in another small snack. The only other thing I can think of is that your food log shows a fair amount of processed foods that tend to be higher in sugar and sodium. You could maybe increase lean protein and decrease processed carbs and see if that makes the scale move. Good luck to you. I know this is confusing but you will figure it out and do awesome!

ryantrimble12

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

just fyi-I put your stats in and says your daily calorie allotment is 1590

to lose 2 lbs a week??

that number was from doing TDEE-20%, which is about 1 pound/week. It could be possible that you're just not big enough to lose 2 pounds/week and still be nutritionally satisfied with enough energy to keep up with your family and workouts. Try to remember that it is not a race. I think its MUCH better/easier to lose a little slower while having energy and rarely being hungry vs. being hangry, low energy, obsessing about how little food you have to eat. In the end, we are doing this to be happy and healthy, aren't we? I know very few people that are happy when they're hungry...

ryantrimble12

also remember that you'll have to re-calculate your calorie intake with every 5-10 pounds you lose. If you start with calories too low you won't have any lower to go after you've lost some weight (does that make sense?)

Lindzpnc

also remember that you'll have to re-calculate your calorie intake with every 5-10 pounds you lose. If you start with calories too low you won't have any lower to go after you've lost some weight (does that make sense?)

yep... thanks for the guidance...

and yes I have been a little more grouchy lately.. ok much more grouchy

I don't feel hungry as much as im just used to eating whatever I want .. while I was BF it seemed like NOTHING would make me gain weight so it was hard to go from that too 1200 cals

hopefully this will all click and I become comfortable with loosing slower..

lemurcat12

im in the obese category

5'3
195 lbs
super sedentary life
BMR= 1600

so I CANT lose 2lbs per week?

Probably not safely if you want to stay sedentary. (Although see what happens--you might not be as sedentary as you think.) But I'm 5'3, 169, and am still losing 1.5-2 lbs most weeks while eating 1400-1500 calories per day many days (sometimes I do eat 1200 or so, when it's a rest day), because of exercise. And I'm 15 years older than you, which means my metabolism should be slower.

MelodyandBarbells

Okay. The online TDEE calculators take your exercise into account, but you do just a couple times a week so it won't change the MFP numbers much. The difference between MFP and those calculators is they ask how much you exercise and recommend a flat calorie amount you should eat per day, regardless of exercise. With default MFP you are given a calorie amount to eat and it is assumed you will add in exercise calories separately. So basically long story short it's six of one a half dozen of the other, depending on your preference

So plugging in your stats, to lose one lb per week you can eat 1450 calories PLUS exercise. 1.5 lb, 1200. For 2 lbs MFP will also give you 1200 because this is the lowest number it will give you.

How long have you been eating at 1200 calories? If it has been less than about six or so weeks, try to keep it up and see what happens. Weight loss is not linear - you won't always lose at the same pace every week. Sometimes you will even show a gain but you want to look at the over all trend

One issue with 1200 calorie diets (or lower) or highly restrictive diets is that sometimes the user will comply religiously for days or weeks and then go off the rails for a day or two. Do you have any splurge days where you don't necessarily record all your foods consumed? Remember you have to take the whole eating into account, and determine if on the average you're eating at maintenance or a surplus. Some people can do the 1200 calorie thing, but others prefer to take a few more calories per day, and "spend" some of those either on additional whole foods, or even on planned and unplanned treats from time to time. So basically you accept a lower speed of loss but it is realistic to your lifestyle and you actually achieve it. This can be what some people who have told you that you're eating too little meant. Just because you've gained weight it doesn't need to be a punishment that you must eat as little as possible :flowerforyou: Some even clearly state to eat as much as you possibly can and still lose weight, rather than as little

MelodyandBarbells

Looking at the diary, let's just get some of the links about logging out of the way. Read these:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

Looking back the last few days I can see pretty much no skipped days in the last couple weeks. But just skimming the diary since May 1 you definitely have skipped days. Maybe you ate like normal, maybe you didn't. The question about missing days is were those days a huge surplus that wiped out your daily 750 calorie deficit from previous days.

I see a lot of measurements in cups or small/medium fruit. If you don't use a food scale - read the links - you absolutely should. Your serving size in cups or eye balling a fruit can be very different than what the weight of the fruit tells you

Using an entry like fried eggs, I would wonder if you weighed/measured the ingredient (oil? Butter?) used for the egg to determine this total calories? If the fried egg is not your recipe , you may wish to list the added ingredient separately because oil can be very calorie dense at 120 cals per tablespoon.

Same comment with other recipes in your diary. Do not use generic entries from the database for fully cooked meals. Instead either list all your ingredients, or use the MFP recipe function to add up your own ingredients for your personal recipes.

Lindzpnc

Looking at the diary, let's just get some of the links about logging out of the way. Read these:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

Looking back the last few days I can see pretty much no skipped days in the last couple weeks. But just skimming the diary since May 1 you definitely have skipped days. Maybe you ate like normal, maybe you didn't. The question about missing days is were those days a huge surplus that wiped out your daily 750 calorie deficit from previous days.

I see a lot of measurements in cups or small/medium fruit. If you don't use a food scale - read the links - you absolutely should. Your serving size in cups or eye balling a fruit can be very different than what the weight of the fruit tells you

Using an entry like fried eggs, I would wonder if you weighed/measured the ingredient (oil? Butter?) used for the egg to determine this total calories? If the fried egg is not your recipe , you may wish to list the added ingredient separately because oil can be very calorie dense at 120 cals per tablespoon.

Same comment with other recipes in your diary. Do not use generic entries from the database for fully cooked meals. Instead either list all your ingredients, or use the MFP recipe function to add up your own ingredients for your personal recipes.

i read those links and have since then... about June started trying to measure in grams...

from what i read on those links if I am selecting something and it has several confirmations it was green light to use....i use pam to fry my egg which is why its 92 cals since a large egg is 78 alone i tend to pick the highest calorie value when i am choosing "generic things

also i was confused.... i read not to use the entries with asterisk but on some items there is ONLY *entries with asterisk

i havent used entries for fully cooked meals that i am aware of unless they are from a restaurant and i verified online and there was a few maybe three exceptions

im trying to do this right.... i want to succeed and i just remember it wasnt this hard last time. i was way more flexible and would lax way more- maybe 1200 is too restricted I dunno

thank you soooooooooo much for your input thus far... def gives me things to think about and work on to get this right

fromaquasar09

My only other thing thinking and looking at this is if you are maybe consuming more calories than you realise. i.e. you think you're at 1200 but not seeing the loss, maybe you are unknowingly eating a little more.

This is such a common problem, most people under estimate their calories. Do you weigh your food? sounds pedantic but sometimes guessimations can be way off (you should see what I was guestimating to be 20g of peanut butter butter - it was heart breaking!)

MelodyandBarbells

I thought I noticed things tightening up a little there in the more recent days I would agree you're definitely on your way. If you're weighing yourself, try to do it under similar conditions every time. Like first thing in morning after bathroom to control for some fluctuations. Some. Others can be out of our control.

Thing about hunting down all these entries, once you get them the first time, you should then be able to copy them to future meals or easily find them from your recent list. You're actually doing better than me on the fried egg. I would have just logged the one large egg and not the Pam, but we all have our individual ways of over estimating a bit here and there, which helps control for unknown cases where we might under estimate, I think

Re: only asterisk items being available, hopefully someone who uses the website can comment. In the interest of full disclosure, though I weigh just about everything I almost 100% use the app to log. The scan feature can make things really easy sometimes (just have to verify that the calorie info coming up matches the scanned food label, as it can be wrong occasionally - even then I just do some math and adjust the serving size to get the calorie count correct). With the app you don't see the asterisks but you can see calorie info on all the entries without clicking into them. So if I search for "banana raw usda" and see eight entries showing 89 calories for 100g, I pick one of those entries because I'm looking for "an" entry with the correct calories, not necessarily "the" one true entry. Also "Recent" items seem a bit easier to me with the app. Just start typing your food name and the list shrinks down automatically. I say all these to say, you could maybe simplify things a bit if you used the app

I don't know why weight loss can be progressively more difficult. Maybe our lifestyles evolve over time to consume more food / calories. I too remember wanting to drop a few lbs before, wake up at 5:30 am, do the turbo jam video for 45 mins to an hour for a few months, boom weight gone. Oh well

hill8570

In some respects I'm in the same boat as you -- I'm 195, and though I'm male and 6 foot tall (higher metabolism), I'm also an old fart (lower metabolism). I set my goals to eat at least my BMR (currently 1774), plus eat back about 50% of my (600+ calories or more) big burns. Smaller burns are just my buffer against overeating -- I'd rather do a 30 minute TV workout or go for an hour walk than hassle with weighing food (although I will occasionally weigh calorie-dense stuff, like ribeye steak, just to keep my eyeballs calibrated). I average a smidge over 1 pound a week loss (some weeks almost nothing; some weeks almost two...it takes patience). Feel free to look at my diary...it's always open (and I'm always open to suggestions).

Good luck on your journey!

i read those links and have since then... about June started trying to measure in grams...

from what i read on those links if I am selecting something and it has several confirmations it was green light to use....i use pam to fry my egg which is why its 92 cals since a large egg is 78 alone i tend to pick the highest calorie value when i am choosing "generic things

also i was confused.... i read not to use the entries with asterisk but on some items there is ONLY *entries with asterisk

i havent used entries for fully cooked meals that i am aware of unless they are from a restaurant and i verified online and there was a few maybe three exceptions

im trying to do this right.... i want to succeed and i just remember it wasnt this hard last time. i was way more flexible and would lax way more- maybe 1200 is too restricted I dunno

thank you soooooooooo much for your input thus far... def gives me things to think about and work on to get this right

socalkay

Maybe try parking at the far end of the parking lot when grocery shopping and take stairs instead of elevators when possible for a little added exercise. My friend who works in an office walks on her lunch break.

jakichan

Netting below your BMR is unsustainable and unhealthy

People keep saying that and I'm not sure it's true. You might want to have your doctor keep an eye on you, but what's the risk you're concerned about?

deksgrl

Never mind the "how many pounds a week". You need to eat in a way that you can do for the rest of your life. Trying to lose fast is not the way to do that.