Frantic about adhering to the "right" calorie intake? Read t

babyblues4

Yes, I am currently 149 lbs. I mis-typed, but meant to say I am at 1300 calories/day, and have been at that about 2 1/2 weeks. However, it's been surprisingly tough, after being at 1500/day for a few months before that.

I track everything I eat in MFP, but do not have a digital scale. I use measuring cups when eating at home, but often eat on the go. When possible, I go to national chains that have posted nutritional info. I know what you say about people, even nutritionists, under-reporting, and I try to be conscious of that.

Watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

This morning I decided to weigh my Peanut butter instead of my normal way Eyeballing ... I couldn't believe I was eating a tablespoon MORE then I thought I was!! Funny that I came accross your post here just after this!
I'm weighing my food from now on.

Thanks for all your great advice steve!

FITnFIRM4LIFE

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Lizzie2As

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Enginette

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themedalist

bump

stroutman81

Yes, I am currently 149 lbs. I mis-typed, but meant to say I am at 1300 calories/day, and have been at that about 2 1/2 weeks. However, it's been surprisingly tough, after being at 1500/day for a few months before that.

I track everything I eat in MFP, but do not have a digital scale. I use measuring cups when eating at home, but often eat on the go. When possible, I go to national chains that have posted nutritional info. I know what you say about people, even nutritionists, under-reporting, and I try to be conscious of that.

Watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

This morning I decided to weigh my Peanut butter instead of my normal way Eyeballing ... I couldn't believe I was eating a tablespoon MORE then I thought I was!! Funny that I came accross your post here just after this!
I'm weighing my food from now on.

Thanks for all your great advice steve!

Man alive, if only more people would understand this! Glad you figured it out.

ksmorck

Bump

myofibril

Bump for new members...

chrisdavey

Bump for new members...

Respect

MeowserKitty

First let me express how much I respect you. Alright
My issue is that I lost the weight (Near 13-15 lbs, so not too much) but my expenditure and intake was very erratic. Sometimes way undersonsuming sometimes over. Now I have tried to adjust things because I really wish to maintain, but it has been hell.. I'm newly 18 (so age is on my side), was once a XC runner and exercise around 3x a week for like half an hour or so (I do a bit of weights also) I am a uni student but this is my confusion. I am not sure my activity level. During the week I walk to classes, sit in quite a few, stand in a few, then go to rehearsals which are standing around, light dancing, easy stuff. I also walk to dining hall, up and down floors on occassion, down halls to the bathroom.... but I also sit a decent amount. (studyyy) Right now I think I am averaging 1400 on my intake, not sure if I am gaining or losing or staying. I just had TOM (went up to 119) but before my workout today I was down to around 115 again. (I was around 112 for a bit, so I may have gained some. That I'm fine with, I just don't want to gain more)

I'm 5'4.5
115 approx.
Sigh.

nyctraveler

Bump

Steel6981

Bump

luvmybaby333

I'm just subbing so I can read through the entire thread later. Great post!

Oishii

I think the 5 steps in the OP are essential. The way I tweaked my calories with mfp was, when I found I was losing too fast and then failing to stabilise on maintenance, I upped my mfp activity levels in the settings, and when I'd run out of levels I added calories manually until I found my normal, pre exercise, calorie requirements are between 2000-2400 a day, something no calculator would ever predict for me (5'5", 125 lb).

Now I think the ideal way to use mfp would be to try to maintain first, so that you know your true maintenance calories, and calculate your deficit from there. As your maintenance calories would reduce, if weight loss stalled, you could do a spell of 'maintenance practice', before working out a deficit again.

I worry that the low calories suggested by mfp make it hard for many to switch to maintenance, and while I Iove mfp for many reasons, I do worry that constantly staying under a number chosen without any basis in reality, messes with people's minds.

myofibril

Now I think the ideal way to use mfp would be to try to maintain first, so that you know your true maintenance calories, and calculate your deficit from there. As your maintenance calories would reduce, if weight loss stalled, you could do a spell of 'maintenance practice', before working out a deficit again.

I worry that the low calories suggested by mfp make it hard for many to switch to maintenance, and while I Iove mfp for many reasons, I do worry that constantly staying under a number chosen without any basis in reality, messes with people's minds.

Absolutely agreed.

alphabettie

I worry that the low calories suggested by mfp make it hard for many to switch to maintenance, and while I Iove mfp for many reasons, I do worry that constantly staying under a number chosen without any basis in reality, messes with people's minds.

This is EXACTLY why I've been messing around with goals for the past couple of days, because I wasn't sure exactly where I should be. I think I might actually try what you suggested.

rachaelgarcia

I find your info very helpful and useful! Thank you for posting

stroutman81

First let me express how much I respect you. Alright
My issue is that I lost the weight (Near 13-15 lbs, so not too much) but my expenditure and intake was very erratic. Sometimes way undersonsuming sometimes over. Now I have tried to adjust things because I really wish to maintain, but it has been hell.. I'm newly 18 (so age is on my side), was once a XC runner and exercise around 3x a week for like half an hour or so (I do a bit of weights also) I am a uni student but this is my confusion. I am not sure my activity level. During the week I walk to classes, sit in quite a few, stand in a few, then go to rehearsals which are standing around, light dancing, easy stuff. I also walk to dining hall, up and down floors on occassion, down halls to the bathroom.... but I also sit a decent amount. (studyyy) Right now I think I am averaging 1400 on my intake, not sure if I am gaining or losing or staying. I just had TOM (went up to 119) but before my workout today I was down to around 115 again. (I was around 112 for a bit, so I may have gained some. That I'm fine with, I just don't want to gain more)

I'm 5'4.5
115 approx.
Sigh.

I'm not quite sure what you're asking to be honest.

Is this what you're asking?

You have a crazy variable energy expenditure and you don't know how to match your calorie intake to that in order to maintain your current weight?

If so, here's all that I can say. It's not so much this very day that matters... it's that your calorie intake balances out to your calorie expenditure over the longer term. So if your average weekly calorie expenditure is roughly 9800 (which is 1400 x 7), then your average weekly energy intake needs to be around 9800. If some days are less and others more, that's fine, just as long as things average out.

Plus, there should be some foundational stuff that remains unchanged if optimal results are going to be had in terms of physique and health... I'm referring to to sufficient intake of things like protein, essential fats, fibrous veggies and fruits, etc.

The only way to know if you're maintaining is to... well... maintain. If you find that over the longer term... I'm talking weeks, not days... your weight is constant... then great, assuming you're happy with your current physique and want to maintain it. If it's heading in an undesirable direction... up or down... then simply adjust accordingly.

It's really that simple.

stroutman81

I think the 5 steps in the OP are essential. The way I tweaked my calories with mfp was, when I found I was losing too fast and then failing to stabilise on maintenance, I upped my mfp activity levels in the settings, and when I'd run out of levels I added calories manually until I found my normal, pre exercise, calorie requirements are between 2000-2400 a day, something no calculator would ever predict for me (5'5", 125 lb).

Now I think the ideal way to use mfp would be to try to maintain first, so that you know your true maintenance calories, and calculate your deficit from there. As your maintenance calories would reduce, if weight loss stalled, you could do a spell of 'maintenance practice', before working out a deficit again.

I worry that the low calories suggested by mfp make it hard for many to switch to maintenance, and while I Iove mfp for many reasons, I do worry that constantly staying under a number chosen without any basis in reality, messes with people's minds.

Couldn't agree more

stroutman81

I find your info very helpful and useful! Thank you for posting

I'm glad. Thanks and you're welcome!

ozycat

Really, really helpful! Thanks!

stroutman81

You're welcome

Sidesteal

Up you go.


Ladies and gents, Steve Troutman knows his stuff.


In an environment where you never know whether or not you're getting quality information or a bunch of useless crap, I think it's critical to find RELIABLE resources for no-BS info.

I'd suggest you get to his site for good reading material:

http://body-improvements.com/

lemonadem

Up you go.


Ladies and gents, Steve Troutman knows his stuff.


In an environment where you never know whether or not you're getting quality information or a bunch of useless crap, I think it's critical to find RELIABLE resources for no-BS info.

I'd suggest you get to his site for good reading material:

http://body-improvements.com/

+100

snookumss

This was originally posted in my newsletter. I then posted it on my blog. I've been getting an array of questions via email here and in the "relatively lean people getting leaner" thread about this topic, so I figured I'd post it on the forum as well. Hopefully it helps some of you.

*************************************************************

In the last installment we discussed the importance of defining and understanding the difference between calories and macronutrients. If you haven’t read that article yet, I highly suggest you take the time to do so before delving into this installment.

After reading the above-referenced article, some messaged me asking, “The article is great, but how do I go about determining how many calories I personally need?”

Before answering, I’d like to remind you that counting calories isn’t for everyone. That’s not to say some aren’t bound by the laws of energy. It’s just that some find it tedious and obsessive to a degree that detracts from real progress. The only way to find out if you’re a member of this camp is to give it a try. As mentioned in the last article, even if you determine counting calories isn’t for you, it will still provide an invaluable insight as to how quickly calories can add up as well as what serving sizes really look like.

With that said, let’s delve into how one goes about calculating caloric needs.

To summarize from the last edition, caloric expenditure is determined by BMR, TEF, TEA and NEAT which are basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of feeding, thermic effect of activity and non-exercise activity thermogenesis respectively. As these factors rise and fall, so does your caloric expenditure.

Once we determine what we’re approximately expending, we’re able to tailor our intake to match our goal of either gaining, losing or maintaining weight—eat more than we expend to gain, less than we expend to lose and the same as we expend to maintain.

So how do we determine total expenditure?

We could find a lab with a metabolic chamber where they use calorimetry to measure the heat our bodies produce or the levels of gas exchange (oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, etc). You’ll have to live in a small room for a day or two to get an accurate reading. If you’re normal, this method is about as practical as climbing Everest as your form of weekly cardio.

I’m sure some of you have watched the Biggest Loser television show. On there you may have noticed contestants wearing what’s called a Bodybugg. This nifty device estimates caloric expenditure using various factors including movement, heat, electrical conductivity, etc. So you could purchase a similar device to measure energy expenditure.

You could plug some of your statistics into an equation such as the Harris Benedict formula which will spit out an estimation of your basal metabolic rate. These vary based on sex and look like:

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Once you complete the math, you then multiply your answer by an “activity factor” to get your estimated total energy expenditure per day. These factors look like this:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Formulas like the aforementioned are the basis for a lot of the calorie calculators that you see on the Internet. These are very simple to use typically asking you to plug in your age, sex, height and weight and with the click of a button you’ll have an estimated caloric expenditure. I know MFP has one in the tools section.

This isn’t a complete list of methods of calculating caloric expenditure but it is the most popular techniques. Frankly, I don’t use any of them—well I should say I almost never use any of them.

Here’s why.

Caloric needs are very individual and variable.

By individual, I mean two given people with similar body compositions and lifestyles may have varying degrees of variability in energy expenditure due to genetic factors affecting metabolism. It should be noted that this variability isn’t as great as many make it out to be—if you’re of the type that believes you have a “slow metabolism” thus making fat loss impossible without starving yourself, you better think again. But variability does exist and this is something that the above methods are not going to pick up (shy of the metabolic chamber).

By variable I mean caloric expenditure will change from day to day and month to month. For instance, our lifestyles will dictate how much energy we expend. Think about how some are more active during the week than the weekends or think of an off-season compared to in-season schedule for an athlete. Caloric expenditure will change based on your energetic state (or diet if you will)—meaning if you’re continuously eating less energy than your body needs, your body is going to adapt by slowing down your metabolism over time. The simple act of losing weight will reduce your caloric expenditure. You’ll have less tissue to support, less mass to move around, etc.

Beyond the fact that caloric needs are individual and variable, the accuracy of these rudimentary tools (sans calorimetry) tends to diminish as you approach the ends of the spectrum of leanness or obesity.

Hopefully you’re starting to see a) caloric expenditure is not a rigid, consistent thing and b) that unless you’re spending some time in a metabolic chamber the tools you use to estimate caloric expenditure are rudimentary in nature and at best give you an approximation.

Knowing this, it is beyond me why so many get hung up on calculating their total energy expenditure. Invariably I’ll see people at wits end ready to pull their hair out fretting over the option to eat 1850 calories or 1950 calories because they used two online calculators and each spit out a different determination.

They’re missing the forest for the trees.

I put an enormous premium on simplicity. I don’t see much a point in muddying the waters until I reach a point that requires some mud-stirring. Until that point arises, I like to use the K.I.S.S principle.

In doing so, I’ll typically calculate someone’s total energy expenditure by multiplying their bodyweight by 14-16 calories per pound. This calculation pans out for most people assuming they're not overly obese and that they're engaged in exercise most days of the week. And it’s not something to view as a rigid formula.

If you’re more active than most or if you have a hard time gaining weight, lean towards the high end of the spectrum or change it all together. Something like 16-18 calories per pound may be what the doctor ordered in your case.

On the flip side, if you’re more sedentary than most of have a very hard time losing weight, lean towards the low end of the spectrum. Something like 12-14 might be ideal for your situation.

Either way, what you select as your starting point matters little. The entire point is to base your caloric intake on how your body and weight is responding to your initial calculation.

Metabolism (energy expenditure) is not a static measure and therefore neither should your caloric intake be. It’s a process and that’s what most people miss. This process is consistent regardless of what method you use to determine your initial energy expenditure.

The process would look something like:

1. Estimate total energy expenditure.

2. Set your caloric intake at a level above or below the above estimation depending on whether you want to gain or lose weight, respectively.

3. Track your measurements, weight, body fat, pictures, etc every 2-4 weeks.

4. Based on the trend you’re seeing with your tracking, adjust your intake accordingly.

5. Rinse and repeat steps 2-4 until you a) reach your goal or b) your goals change.

Because I enjoy beating dead horses, let’s look at an example. Jane weighs 130 lbs. She is spends about an hour each day exercising and doesn’t feel her metabolism is off-the-charts slow. She calculates her total energy expenditure by multiplying 130 by 14 to give her 1,820 calories. She understands that we’re working with estimates so she drops that number to 1,800 for simplicity's sake.

Her goal is to drop 5 lbs of fat while preserving muscle. She’s not looking to do anything extreme in terms of dieting but she knows she needs to eat less energy than she expends. She reasons that a deficit of 25% would be suitable.

Multiplying 1,800 by 25% gives us 450. To start her “plan” she'll aim for between 1,300 and 1,400 calories per day.

She’ll also figure out her baseline data by weighing herself first thing in the morning after relieving herself. She’ll use a soft tape measure to measure the circumference of her arms, chest, navel, waist, hips and thighs. If she has the available tools, she might measure her body fat percentage. She’ll also take some pictures of herself.

After a handful of weeks eating between 1,300 and 1,400 calories she’ll re-measure the above variables. If they’re heading in the desired direction she’ll stay the course. If she finds that she’s losing weight too quickly, she’ll adjust her intake upward by 10% or so. If she finds that she’s not losing enough, she’ll adjust her intake downward by 10% or so.

And that’s the process. Next time you or someone you care about is frantically searching for the perfect calculation for energy expenditure, stop them and explain the process. Or direct them to this article. If you use the wrong calculation, the process will uncover that fact and you’ll make the necessary adjustments over time to get on track.

Although this article is primarily about how to calculate caloric needs, it’s important to mention that the types of foods that comprise your calories are vitally important as well. That’s beyond the scope of this article however.

Best to you!

Bump!!!

stroutman81

Hey, thanks guys. Seriously.... it's nice to be appreciated.

juleseybaby

bump

bayertablets

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LOVE THIS.

myofibril

Up you go.


Ladies and gents, Steve Troutman knows his stuff.


In an environment where you never know whether or not you're getting quality information or a bunch of useless crap, I think it's critical to find RELIABLE resources for no-BS info.

I'd suggest you get to his site for good reading material:

http://body-improvements.com/

Quoted For Truth.

Maryaly40

bump