when to switch to 0.5lbs/week

melsinct

I was in a similar situation, and I went to 0.5 lbs/wk and actually lost weight more quickly.

Me too! I bounced around the same 3 pounds (158-161) for three months until I changed my settings.

armaretta

But with the number from this site,

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

You should NOT eat extra for exercise right?

my caloric needs from that site looks like this

Caloric Need:
Estimated Base BMR: 1342 Calories.
Estimated TDEE: 2081 Calories.
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1581 Calories.

I think it means I should strive to NET the last number of 1581. So If I burn 500 exercising, I should eat a total of 2081/day. So instead of 1200 NET, I should work more towards a 1581 NET. I was worried when I started MFP that I was underestimating my activity levels, but paranoia made me picture the worst case scenario for myself. I had already lost some before starting, but was looking for a diary tool and just went crazy from there. I'm really looking forward to breaking out some of the regular calorie foods again! I don't care what anyone says, I love cheese!

Rae6503

What confuses me about that site is that I'm telling it I work out 6 days a week which makes me think it's already giving me calories for those workouts. MFP's maintenance level for me without exercise is 2000 net. This one says TDEE is 2500.

armaretta

I think what robin52077 was saying earlier was that MFP underestimated your BMR and TDEE. That's probably why there's a difference.

mathlete99

Bump

sarah307

because with that site - it is not talking about 'eat back your exercise calories' because it already calculates the exercise calories estimated. but for MFP .. you always eat back your exercise cals. it's just a different way of calculating the same thing

airycha

I actually found that website semi depressing....

Estimated Base BMR: 1279 Calories
stimated TDEE: 1531 Calories
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1031 Calories

sarah307

I actually found that website semi depressing....

Estimated Base BMR: 1279 Calories
stimated TDEE: 1531 Calories
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1031 Calories

edit:
sounds like you are just starting out!!

armaretta

I actually found that website semi depressing....

Estimated Base BMR: 1279 Calories
stimated TDEE: 1531 Calories
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1031 Calories

Looks like that is a breakdown for sedentary. Are you including exercise into your activity?

airycha

I actually found that website semi depressing....

Estimated Base BMR: 1279 Calories
stimated TDEE: 1531 Calories
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1031 Calories

Looks like that is a breakdown for sedentary. Are you including exercise into your activity?

When I can, which isnt very often. I am a full time nursing student and I work. Between that and all the stuff i have to do at home working out once a week is good for me. When that happens i can figure in the 300-400 calories in myself. Otherwise i do a lot of sitting (long commute, desk job, studying/class).

Yes, i am just starting and right now i do have a very sedentary lifestyle.

tikkamasala

thanks everyone for the good advice (and to the person who started this discussion). I'm relatively new to this site and have been sticking to the 1200 net calorie goal, but haven't lost any weight yet. I'm only trying to lose 10-15 lbs and, according to the calculator that was recommended, I should be eating MORE! It seems a little counter-intuitive (and I must admit that I'm nervous about ADDING calories) but I'm really hoping it works!! Please feel free to add me as a friend-- I could use support from people like you! Good luck to all.

robin52077

I actually found that website semi depressing....

Estimated Base BMR: 1279 Calories
stimated TDEE: 1531 Calories
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1031 Calories

Looks like that is a breakdown for sedentary. Are you including exercise into your activity?

When I can, which isnt very often. I am a full time nursing student and I work. Between that and all the stuff i have to do at home working out once a week is good for me. When that happens i can figure in the 300-400 calories in myself. Otherwise i do a lot of sitting (long commute, desk job, studying/class).

Yes, i am just starting and right now i do have a very sedentary lifestyle.

you're not sedentary.

that word is grossly misused. Sedentary is "I lay on the couch all day EVERY day and only move to go pee or to the fridge".
You are a full time nursing student (getting to and from classes, some of which is standing during clinical and labs, right?) and you work too.....as soon as you add something like that into your life it becomes active.

I don't know your stats but your ticker says you want to lose 73 lbs so that right there tells me you cannot have a TDEE that low. You'd have to be like 5 feet tall and 100 lbs and sedentary for real.

Rae6503

because with that site - it is not talking about 'eat back your exercise calories' because it already calculates the exercise calories estimated. but for MFP .. you always eat back your exercise cals. it's just a different way of calculating the same thing

That makes sense. THanks.

Tangerine302

I wanted to lose 5 pounds when I found mfp. It doesn't seem like much, but when you are small framed it really makes a difference in how your clothes fit or don't. I have jeans for one weight and some for when I'm 5 pounds lighter. I believe all of the weight is in that area as I'm pear shaped.
When I signed up I put it at 1 pound per week. No matter what I did or didn't do the scale stayed the same. Excercise, tons of water, eating less sweets and the number stayed the same for months. I was doing everything like I should and nothing moved. I then switched to .5 a week and would you know I went down 4 pounds. I'm happy with this weight and will probably just stay at this weight. Would like to tone more though.
So I believe when you are close to your goal things must get harder to acheive and you need to eat more. I love looking at the before and after pictures. It still amazes me how someone can drop so much weight when I couldn't even lose 1 pound! hahaha

GreenGettingLean

Hello! I'm debating with myself on when to switch from 1 lbs/week loss to 0.5lbs/week loss. I'm currently 136 stark naked, first thing in the morning, after I've peed (heehee :laugh: ). I'm 5'2" and I think i'm between 26-27% BF (according to tape measure method here http://www.linear-software.com/online.html and my clumsy attempts with my husband at using calipers, the two methods agree sorta so it's probably close?). I want to get down to about 18-20%. I think that's going to be another 10-15 lbs. or so, assuming I lose a little muscle, but hopefully I won't lose any.

After completing 1 and 1/2 rounds of power 90, I've been doing Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 6 days/week as well as jogging about 20-30 minutes 6 days/week. According to HRM, I'm burning about 500-600 cals per day. I'm starting to wonder if I've been eating enough. Don't I need to eat more than 1200 net cals, even on rest days, to maintain my new muscles and prevent starvation mode? This 1200 is based upon a sedentary lifestyle, which I have definitely changed since I started. Should I consider myself "active" now?

I try to eat back most of my exercise calories, follow at 40/30/30 ratio pretty close, and eat pretty clean. My weight loss has slowed way down now. I've struggled on one pound the past three weeks. I'm not surprised by this since I'm getting close to my goals, but want to make sure I'm still doing things properly. It doesn't seem right to be eating the same at my best fitness level as I was at my worst. I was a zig zagger, but I was struggling for energy on the lower part of the zag :yawn:

So, should I eat more? Should I change my weekly goals? Should I go back to zig zag?

First, CONGRATS on your progress. you're doing a great job and should be very proud Don't let anyone get you down! To answer your question, I would keep yourself on sedentary, but log all exercise and eat your exercise calories! I would also recommend changing your goal to lose .5 lb a week, which should up your calories by around 200 or so. I was in a very similar situation (5'3, goal weight of 122) and changed my goal to .5 lb once I was 8 lbs away from my goal. This has broken the plateau I was in and increased my energy levels because I'm not starving all the time (went from eating 1200 cals to 1390 cals)! I still have 5-6 lbs to go, but I'm hoping they'll be gone ASAP!

TavistockToad

Hello! I'm debating with myself on when to switch from 1 lbs/week loss to 0.5lbs/week loss. I'm currently 136 stark naked, first thing in the morning, after I've peed (heehee :laugh: ). I'm 5'2" and I think i'm between 26-27% BF (according to tape measure method here http://www.linear-software.com/online.html and my clumsy attempts with my husband at using calipers, the two methods agree sorta so it's probably close?). I want to get down to about 18-20%. I think that's going to be another 10-15 lbs. or so, assuming I lose a little muscle, but hopefully I won't lose any.

After completing 1 and 1/2 rounds of power 90, I've been doing Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 6 days/week as well as jogging about 20-30 minutes 6 days/week. According to HRM, I'm burning about 500-600 cals per day. I'm starting to wonder if I've been eating enough. Don't I need to eat more than 1200 net cals, even on rest days, to maintain my new muscles and prevent starvation mode? This 1200 is based upon a sedentary lifestyle, which I have definitely changed since I started. Should I consider myself "active" now?

I try to eat back most of my exercise calories, follow at 40/30/30 ratio pretty close, and eat pretty clean. My weight loss has slowed way down now. I've struggled on one pound the past three weeks. I'm not surprised by this since I'm getting close to my goals, but want to make sure I'm still doing things properly. It doesn't seem right to be eating the same at my best fitness level as I was at my worst. I was a zig zagger, but I was struggling for energy on the lower part of the zag :yawn:

So, should I eat more? Should I change my weekly goals? Should I go back to zig zag?

i would say you need to make sure you eat ALL your exercise cals back, not just netting 1200. unless 1200 is your calorie goal? (i say that as i have 1370 cals but usually try to net 1200)

if you feel that you dotn have enough energy i would up the cals, this doesnt work exactly the same for everyone, and the settings are very much 'average'. i would cbhange to 0.5lbs for a fortnight and see how u get on.

armaretta

Thanks for all the great responses! Everyone is pretty much confirming my suspicions. I wish they were more descriptive on what each activity level means. Sedentary seems to almost mean comatose now. After some thinking and number crunching last night, I took yesterday as my rest day and made myself eat another 200 calories over my normal NET of 1200. I magically lost one pound last night and I physically feel better overall this morning. Could be water weight, but it's the most action I've had on the scale in a while. The ups and downs are enough to drive you crazy! I plan on slowly increasing my NET to 1500-1600. I had a whole egg this morning instead of just egg whites and I added some fruit and yogurt into my normal breakfast too. Instead of saving calories for dinner, I'm going to start earning my dinner with my exercise :happy:

I was pretty much eating back all my exercise calories to make a net of 1200 (give or take a couple calories here or there), but I think my activity setting was set too low. From a lot of the responses, it seems that many people have their activity levels set too low.

On a side note, I'm glad to see so many other shorties having similar issues coming together to resolve them!

airycha

you're not sedentary.

that word is grossly misused. Sedentary is "I lay on the couch all day EVERY day and only move to go pee or to the fridge".
You are a full time nursing student (getting to and from classes, some of which is standing during clinical and labs, right?) and you work too.....as soon as you add something like that into your life it becomes active.

I don't know your stats but your ticker says you want to lose 73 lbs so that right there tells me you cannot have a TDEE that low. You'd have to be like 5 feet tall and 100 lbs and sedentary for real.

I am 5 feet tall but I weigh 188. I really don't walk that much considering. Maybe 5 minutes at a time. Classes are all in the same room and I only have one per day. Haven't started clinical stuff yet because this is the first semester of real nursing classes that I am about to start so it will start in September. Work is about 7 hours and 45 minutes at a desk and 15 minutes worth of walking. That includes walking to and from my car. This is probably how I got to 188... I was 120's when I went to A&M (working on my second bachelor's degree now).

airycha

I messed around with my goals so we will see how this goes....

armaretta

I messed around with my goals so we will see how this goes....

Good luck! I know how it is being busy and college and feeling like there's no time to exercise, but there's a lot of great 30min/day exercise programs out there! Make sure you get a good balance of nutrients and exercise!