Need your advice

bheimbrock

Totally stalled weight loss and need your advice on my MFP settings. I always get great advice from you guys so here's the details:

Set at 1lb week loss
Sedentary (as I have a desk job) but doing P90X so wondering if I should change this?
MFP gives me 1490 cals a day
BMR is 1592 cals

5'8" and currently weigh 181 - current BMI 27.4
Goal is 164 which just barely puts me into healthy BMI range (24.9)

So MFP is only giving me a loss of 100 cals? That doesn't seem like enough to me.

I'm watching my sodium intake closely as I tend to be someone who retains water like crazy! Probably from meds I take like BC pills and anti-depressant. So, i drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. I'm not a "clean" eater but I do my best to eat as much fresh food as I can. Also, P90X workouts average a burn of 400-600 calories for me depending on the workout. I always try to eat back as much of this as possible.

So thoughts, tips, ideas?

neelia

I'm not quite sure on advice to give, but we are very close in stats! I was 182.2 when I started (I'm 5' 7.5") and am down some but I've creeped back up lately. I'm SO adding you! ;-)

meggonkgonk

BMR= the calories you would burn in a coma- doing no activity whatsoever.

If you go to GOALS page you will see a number marker "Calories burned from Daily activities" This is the number from which MFP calculates your deficit (It's probably 1990). This is how much MFP estimates you burn day-to day without workouts.


Edited to add: If you have a desk job, leave your settings as sedentary and keep logging/eating your exercise calories.

oneIT

Few suggestions
Watch your carb and fat intake.
Eat better foods in general.
Don't eat back those calories unless your workouts are suffering.

From what I have read, you have to have a deficiency of 3,500 calories to loose 1 pound.

Don't listen to MFP, listen to your body and use MFP to track it. I find alot of things surrounding calories is wrong on this site just because each person is different.

kimmerroze

BMR and Maintainence calories are two DIFFERENT THINGS!

BMR is what you would need to survive if you were sleeping all day or in a coma

Maintainence calories are your BMR PLUS any daily activity....

Your maintainence calories are what MFP bases your deficit off of....

you can go to goals change goals, customize goals... and up at the top you will see your daily calorie burn.


As far as what to change.. I would bump up your strength training.. the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will work and the more fat your body will burn.. that is my suggestion. I would not change your calories or your goals on MFP. Just bump up the exercise... if you are strength training I wouldn't count your burned calories... unless you use a heart rate moniter.

meggonkgonk

Don't eat back those calories unless your workouts are suffering.

From what I have read, you have to have a deficiency of 3,500 calories to loose 1 pound.

Don't listen to MFP, listen to your body and use MFP to track it. I find alot of things surrounding calories is wrong on this site just because each person is different.

MFP builds in a deficit. If her settings are 1lb a week and her calorie goal is 1490, this goal is already going to account for a 500 calorie a day deficit (= 1lb per week).

These are estimates, so it's true, you don't have to eat to the calorie exactly what MFP tells you but if she is doing an intense workout like P90X, not eating any of these calories (at least some of them) would be a huge disservice to her body.

bheimbrock

Thanks everyone! Meg, you were totally right, it does say 1990 so now I understand I am at a 500 calorie deficit to equal the 1lb a week goal. That BMR stuff always confuses me!!

BMR= the calories you would burn in a coma- doing no activity whatsoever.

If you go to GOALS page you will see a number marker "Calories burned from Daily activities" This is the number from which MFP calculates your deficit (It's probably 1990). This is how much MFP estimates you burn day-to day without workouts.


Edited to add: If you have a desk job, leave your settings as sedentary and keep logging/eating your exercise calories.

bheimbrock

As far as what to change.. I would bump up your strength training.. the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will work and the more fat your body will burn.. that is my suggestion. I would not change your calories or your goals on MFP. Just bump up the exercise... if you are strength training I wouldn't count your burned calories... unless you use a heart rate moniter.

Thanks! P90X has a TON of strength training so I am certainly doing this often. Also, I do wear a HRM and for strength training days, I only log 60% of what my HRM shows (this is based on reading other posts about HRMs not being accurate with resistance training). Thanks, i will not be changing my settings.

THISisTARRAN

If I were you I would change it to a goal of 2lb/week and then you will start seeing losses. I wasn't having any losses and I had to change mine and now that I did I am losing like crazy. Good luck to you!

bheimbrock

Ok, one more question while I am here

So, I think I want to reset my Carb/Fat/Protein ratio but I'm not sure what I should set it for. Currently, here are my goals in MFP:
Carbs 205
Fat 50
Protein 56

I try to go a bit over in protein each day and I generally stay under fat easily. However, carbs is a whole other issue for me

meggonkgonk

I personally don't see carbs (or even protein or fat) as a real issue or roadblock to my weightloss (I eat what I eat says I!). But it's all in ratio- so maybe do some research as to what ratios have which health benefits and go with one that makes sense to you. Over on protein and under on fat is fine, and if the carbs bug you, you could always look to find lower carb options. But, to me, its a level of dietary obsession that just doesn't fit in with my life (and really doesn't have that much benefit for the sacrifice).

You seem to be losing pretty consistently, and at a good rate so close to your goal. This close to your healthy BMI I would not advise that you change your goal to 2lbs per week- you are just too close to healthy weight to safely lose that much at a time.

oneIT

Ok, one more question while I am here

So, I think I want to reset my Carb/Fat/Protein ratio but I'm not sure what I should set it for. Currently, here are my goals in MFP:
Carbs 205
Fat 50
Protein 56

I try to go a bit over in protein each day and I generally stay under fat easily. However, carbs is a whole other issue for me

Protein should be way higher, Here is what P90x says, i would go with it for the different phases.

The Phases
The P90X diet is divided into three phases that correspond to the three phases of the P90X workout. Phase one is the Fat Shredder phase, designed to help you drop fat while encouraging muscle growth by eating 50 percent protein, 30 percent carbs and 20 percent fat. Phase two is the Energy Booster, designed to give you a little more energy for slightly more intense workouts by eating 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 20 percent fat. Phase three is the Endurance Maximizer, which supports very intense exercise and sets you up for a lifetime of athleticism and healthy eating, by consuming 20 percent protein, 60 percent carbs and 20 percent fat. Regardless of your Nutritional Level, which only determines your calorie allowance, you should follow the three diet phases in order -- each one is intended to last four weeks but can be shortened or extended to suit your particular needs.