under calories - lost weight........hit mfp target calories

sarahavery

Hi everyone
just after some advice. so this week i have done what mfp has told me and stuck to my calorie target near enough (around 1700) - and maintained my weight, yet the week before i used about 1500 of these not eating back my exercise cals and lost 3 lb!!

anyone care to explain?

MayhemModels

I only eat back about 70% of my burned calories because the exercise charts on here are higher than what you actually burn

s_a_ramey

I am in the same boat right now. No clue, hoping someone else knows the answer.

sarahavery

I only eat back about 70% of my burned calories because the exercise charts on here are higher than what you actually burn

ive used a HRM so i know my exercise is accurate

sarahavery

Maybe mfp is telling me 1700, yet my bosy only needs1400/1500????

ladyhawk00

Weight loss is rarely predictable or linear. One week you may lose a lot, then next...not so much. And when you change things, it can take weeks for the body to adjust. You have to be patient.

Are you accurate with your intake and burns? Are you weighing/measuring food? Using an HRM for burns? The exercise database can be fairly inaccurate for some, for a lot of reasons (exercise intensity, which is subjective, resistence, etc). But mostly when you're starting out, it usually comes down to a couple of things - lack of water and too much sodium, both of which lead to water retention. Starting a new exercise program will also cause water retention. As will other things.

The best thing to do is be as accurate and realistic with your logging (intake and burns) as possible, and give it time to work. Make sure your settings are appropriate. Use measurements in addition to the scale - cause the scale often lies.

May help to read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/160943-why-the-scale-lies

MayhemModels

It depends on what you put as your level of activity and how much weight you want to lose per week, alot of females are eating the minimum 1200 calories per day and the men are eating 1500 minimum

ladyhawk00

Maybe mfp is telling me 1700, yet my bosy only needs1400/1500????

What is your loss per week goal set at?

sarahavery

2lb loss a week.

withchaco

If you have a lot to lose, generally you can afford to have a huge calorie deficit without hurting your health. When you get closer to the "ideal" weight, you'll probably have to up your net calories and slow down your weight loss.

ladyhawk00

2lb loss a week.

That's what I figured, but wanted to make sure.

With it set at 2 lbs per week, that means you automatically have a built in deficit of 1000 cals per day. So, particularly if you use an HRM, there are only a couple of reasons for no loss.

First, is inaccuracy in food logs. But if you're honest and make even a reasonable attempt at logging accurately, it's doubtful you're off by 1000 cals per day.

Second is water retention - read the post I linked before. Lots of things can cause water retention.

Third is inaccurate info. As long as you were fairly accurate in setting up your profile, the only "variable" would be BMR and activity level. BMR can be slightly off for some people who are outside the curve or who have medical conditions that alter metabolic rates (ie thyroid issues, PCOS, etc), but not by 1000 cals per day. Activity level is subjective, but again, even if you were off by one level, it won't be a difference of 1000 cals per day.

So, pretty much the logical assumption is water retention (or possibly a combination of these issues, but that would mean a whole lot of inaccuracies on your part.) So, I wouldn't worry too much. You have a lot to lose, but that doesn't mean it will be predictable every week. Some people lose in "spurts" - 4 lbs this week, none for 2 wks, 5 lbs next week, etc. Do your best to track everything accurately and it WILL work.