I GET IT NOW!
olivia3263
Posts: 263 Member
Ok, so this is really starting to make sense. I got some clarification from my nutritionist that I thought I would share.
So losing weight is all about creating a deficit, right? The greater the deficit, the larger the loss - but it gets complicated when we have less to lose, because we don't want to go too low in calories because then our body won't get the proper nutrition it needs to function. So it is safe to keep your deficit 1000 calories or less per day. Anymore and that would be unhealthy.
The clincher here, is that exercise allows you to create a larger deficit. So for me, I am 5'8 and around 160 lbs. For me to maintain my weight, without working out, I need to consume 1970 calories. So taking exercise out of the equation for now, I need to create a deficit to lose weight. My nutritionist said for me (at my height) to not go under 1600. So on non workout days I can only achieve a 370 calorie deficit safely. When I workout, I can increase that deficit, always making sure not to go under 1600. So for instance, say I burn 300 calories working out - that brings my maintenance TDEE to 2270 (1970 + 300). If I stick with the 1600 calorie rule, I can create a deficit of 670 (2270 - 1600). Now on my heavy workout days (I'm a runner, so for me that's a long run day) I can burn over 1200 calories easy. So let's say I burn 1200 calories. That brings my TDEE to 3170. If I only eat 1600 calories - that puts my deficit at 1570 - which is too much (I want to keep my deficit at 1000 or less). So to figure a safe deficit I take my TDEE (3170) and subtract 1000 (3170 - 1000) = 2170. So if I want to achieve a 1000 calorie deficit, I need to burn at least 630. If I burn more than 630, I need to increase my calories above 1600 accordingly.
So what does this look like in a non-psycho way?
Here is just an example of what my week might look like:
Monday: exercise burn - 500; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (870)
Tuesday: exercise burn - 700; total calories eaten - 1670; deficit (1000)
Wednesday: exercise burn - 500; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (870)
Thursday; exercise burn - 700; total calories eaten - 1670; deficit (1000)
Friday; exercise burn - 0; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (370)
Saturday; exercise burn - 300; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (670)
Sunday; exercise burn - 1300; total calories eaten - 2270; deficit (1000)
Average deficit of the week: 825 - so I should lose slightly over 1.5 pounds a week doing this.
It's kind of like zig zagging but I'm doing it with the deficit, not by eating drastically different each day. I think the key is to figuring out what your safety numbers are.
You need to know what your maintenance number is, and what your safety number is (for me it's 1600. For someone shorter it might be a little lower. I think how she found 1600 was multiplying my weight times 10 (bmr?). So if you weigh 140, your safety number would be 1400.
How this is different from what I was doing before. So before, I was trying to stick to half a pound weight loss on all days, eating back my exercise calories - so I was really digging into the calories on my long run days. Now, I can take advantage of those long run days to achieve a greater deficit.
Trying to set this up in MFP was a little tricky, but basically what I did was set it up for my maintenance calorie level (1970). That's my "goal" each day. Basically, I want to make sure when I add in my exercise calories, that my net doesn't go under 970 (more than 1000 calorie deficit) and that my total calories don't go under 1600 - ever. My calories remaining should show my total deficit for the day - which is nice to see.
I hope this makes sense - I really think this makes a lot of sense and I can see it working in the future. I'll keep ya posted
So losing weight is all about creating a deficit, right? The greater the deficit, the larger the loss - but it gets complicated when we have less to lose, because we don't want to go too low in calories because then our body won't get the proper nutrition it needs to function. So it is safe to keep your deficit 1000 calories or less per day. Anymore and that would be unhealthy.
The clincher here, is that exercise allows you to create a larger deficit. So for me, I am 5'8 and around 160 lbs. For me to maintain my weight, without working out, I need to consume 1970 calories. So taking exercise out of the equation for now, I need to create a deficit to lose weight. My nutritionist said for me (at my height) to not go under 1600. So on non workout days I can only achieve a 370 calorie deficit safely. When I workout, I can increase that deficit, always making sure not to go under 1600. So for instance, say I burn 300 calories working out - that brings my maintenance TDEE to 2270 (1970 + 300). If I stick with the 1600 calorie rule, I can create a deficit of 670 (2270 - 1600). Now on my heavy workout days (I'm a runner, so for me that's a long run day) I can burn over 1200 calories easy. So let's say I burn 1200 calories. That brings my TDEE to 3170. If I only eat 1600 calories - that puts my deficit at 1570 - which is too much (I want to keep my deficit at 1000 or less). So to figure a safe deficit I take my TDEE (3170) and subtract 1000 (3170 - 1000) = 2170. So if I want to achieve a 1000 calorie deficit, I need to burn at least 630. If I burn more than 630, I need to increase my calories above 1600 accordingly.
So what does this look like in a non-psycho way?
Here is just an example of what my week might look like:
Monday: exercise burn - 500; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (870)
Tuesday: exercise burn - 700; total calories eaten - 1670; deficit (1000)
Wednesday: exercise burn - 500; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (870)
Thursday; exercise burn - 700; total calories eaten - 1670; deficit (1000)
Friday; exercise burn - 0; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (370)
Saturday; exercise burn - 300; total calories eaten - 1600; deficit (670)
Sunday; exercise burn - 1300; total calories eaten - 2270; deficit (1000)
Average deficit of the week: 825 - so I should lose slightly over 1.5 pounds a week doing this.
It's kind of like zig zagging but I'm doing it with the deficit, not by eating drastically different each day. I think the key is to figuring out what your safety numbers are.
You need to know what your maintenance number is, and what your safety number is (for me it's 1600. For someone shorter it might be a little lower. I think how she found 1600 was multiplying my weight times 10 (bmr?). So if you weigh 140, your safety number would be 1400.
How this is different from what I was doing before. So before, I was trying to stick to half a pound weight loss on all days, eating back my exercise calories - so I was really digging into the calories on my long run days. Now, I can take advantage of those long run days to achieve a greater deficit.
Trying to set this up in MFP was a little tricky, but basically what I did was set it up for my maintenance calorie level (1970). That's my "goal" each day. Basically, I want to make sure when I add in my exercise calories, that my net doesn't go under 970 (more than 1000 calorie deficit) and that my total calories don't go under 1600 - ever. My calories remaining should show my total deficit for the day - which is nice to see.
I hope this makes sense - I really think this makes a lot of sense and I can see it working in the future. I'll keep ya posted
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Replies
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Thanks for the post. I'm trying a really similar tactic at the moment and your blog posts have definitely helped me work out how to apply it to MFP!
After ages on a plateau and not a lot of progress from upping my calories, I'm trying to stick to a 500 cal deficit from food so that puts my calorie target (ignoring exercise) at about 1250. Then, like you, I tend to have quite a high level of calories burned each day (between 500-1200) so I'm trying out using those extra calories to creat a maximum of 1000 per day total deficit, but never eating below 1250. On days with 1000 calories of exercise this means that I can eat 1750 or more.
I also want to avoid being hungry/tired/grumpy as a result of not getting enough energy to fuel my exercise so on the few days that I have done this so far I seem to be most comfortable with a total deficit of about 800 rather than the full 1000.
Keep us posted on how you get on and I'll do the same!0 -
I am glad you posted this - REAL LIFE RESULTS is what I'm interested in reading about.
I, too, have upped my calories in the last 10 days. And, I've switched to (more) strength-training from (less) cardio-training. I am expecting this to "shake-up" my body, but I also know the number on the scale may not be an accurate reflection of my "health" in this regard.
We shall see!0 -
Thanks so much for sharing this with us Olivia! I am getting more and more convinced I should be eating more calories - it will make me less grumpy too!
Thanks again. Keep us posted if you achieve the weight loss of 1.5 pounds a week.0 -
Oh this makes a ton of sense and sounds more manageable to log on here!!!! THANKYOU for posting this and knowing it is coming from a nutrionist!0
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all this math you are doing is sending me into anaphylaxis!
i dont get this deficit stuff and i dont know what TDEE is.0 -
all this math you are doing is sending me into anaphylaxis!
i dont get this deficit stuff and i dont know what TDEE is.
Haha - I know. The math is a little much, but I've been at a plateau for a couple of months and have tried nearly everything to get off it - finally went to a nutritionist recently, and it's all starting to click into place.
Basically, TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure - how many calories you burn in the day. There are three things which contribute to your TDEE:
1) BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - which is a simple calculation based on your age, gender and weight. This is the number of calories you would burn if you were bed ridden (in a coma) - what your body requires for basic organ functioning.
2) Daily Activity - this is how active you are, not including exercise. Usually it's your BMR multiplied by 1.2 (for Sedentary) all the way up to 1.9 (for very very active)
3) Purposeful exercise - the calories you burn working out.
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit (eat less than your TDEE). For me, my BMR is 1515, Daily Activity level for light activity (multiply by 1.3) = 1970. Add in daily exercise for TDEE - today I ran 8 miles and walked my dog for 3 miles (I burned 1123 calories doing those 2 things).
So...BMR x activity level (1.3) + exercise calories = TDEE
1515 x 1.3 + 1123 = 3,093. If I ate 3,093 calories I would maintain my weight. If I want a 1000 calorie deficit for today I need to eat 2,093 calories. If I created a 1000 calorie deficit for 7 days in a row, I would lose 2 pounds.0 -
all this math you are doing is sending me into anaphylaxis!
i dont get this deficit stuff and i dont know what TDEE is.
Haha - I know. The math is a little much, but I've been at a plateau for a couple of months and have tried nearly everything to get off it - finally went to a nutritionist recently, and it's all starting to click into place.
Basically, TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure - how many calories you burn in the day. There are three things which contribute to your TDEE:
1) BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - which is a simple calculation based on your age, gender and weight. This is the number of calories you would burn if you were bed ridden (in a coma) - what your body requires for basic organ functioning.
2) Daily Activity - this is how active you are, not including exercise. Usually it's your BMR multiplied by 1.2 (for Sedentary) all the way up to 1.9 (for very very active)
3) Purposeful exercise - the calories you burn working out.
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit (eat less than your TDEE). For me, my BMR is 1515, Daily Activity level for light activity (multiply by 1.3) = 1970. Add in daily exercise for TDEE - today I ran 8 miles and walked my dog for 3 miles (I burned 1123 calories doing those 2 things).
So...BMR x activity level (1.3) + exercise calories = TDEE
1515 x 1.3 + 1123 = 3,093. If I ate 3,093 calories I would maintain my weight. If I want a 1000 calorie deficit for today I need to eat 2,093 calories. If I created a 1000 calorie deficit for 7 days in a row, I would lose 2 pounds.
DID I DO IT RIGHT?
ok so i did the tool for the BMR and got 1361 i also am light activity so 1.3 and then i burned 1008 calories today. i ate 1394 so my deficit is 1383? and thats too high?
1361 x 1.3 + 1008 = 2777 - 1394 = 1383
normally i eat a little more and exercise a little less then today. i was really lazy all week with exercise so i was trying to catch up. and fri night to sat night is my fast day0 -
all this math you are doing is sending me into anaphylaxis!
i dont get this deficit stuff and i dont know what TDEE is.
Haha - I know. The math is a little much, but I've been at a plateau for a couple of months and have tried nearly everything to get off it - finally went to a nutritionist recently, and it's all starting to click into place.
Basically, TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure - how many calories you burn in the day. There are three things which contribute to your TDEE:
1) BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - which is a simple calculation based on your age, gender and weight. This is the number of calories you would burn if you were bed ridden (in a coma) - what your body requires for basic organ functioning.
2) Daily Activity - this is how active you are, not including exercise. Usually it's your BMR multiplied by 1.2 (for Sedentary) all the way up to 1.9 (for very very active)
3) Purposeful exercise - the calories you burn working out.
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit (eat less than your TDEE). For me, my BMR is 1515, Daily Activity level for light activity (multiply by 1.3) = 1970. Add in daily exercise for TDEE - today I ran 8 miles and walked my dog for 3 miles (I burned 1123 calories doing those 2 things).
So...BMR x activity level (1.3) + exercise calories = TDEE
1515 x 1.3 + 1123 = 3,093. If I ate 3,093 calories I would maintain my weight. If I want a 1000 calorie deficit for today I need to eat 2,093 calories. If I created a 1000 calorie deficit for 7 days in a row, I would lose 2 pounds.
DID I DO IT RIGHT?
ok so i did the tool for the BMR and got 1361 i also am light activity so 1.3 and then i burned 1008 calories today. i ate 1394 so my deficit is 1383? and thats too high?
1361 x 1.3 + 1008 = 2777 - 1394 = 1383
normally i eat a little more and exercise a little less then today. i was really lazy all week with exercise so i was trying to catch up. and fri night to sat night is my fast day
Yes, that's right! The most you want to go is 1000 calorie deficit (safely). If you were to do a 1000 calorie deficit you would eat 1777. I ate a little under my number for 3 days last week before I got the info from my nutritionist and I'm still alive, so I think you're ok with eating less for a day or two. But to avoid a plateau (in theory) you would want to stay within those guidelines - 1000 calorie deficit or less, and always eat at least 1361
Another thing I am discovering (and this may be different for other people) is that I do tend to get hungrier the more I exercise. I can achieve a 1000 calorie deficit burning 600 calories or more with exercise - in fact, that will be the same for everyone - 600 calories is the minimum for a 1000 calorie deficit. If I run 6 miles, that's 600 calories and I'm pretty happy eating my 1600 calories. But if I run 10 miles, bumping up my calorie minimum to 2000, I find that I want to eat more than 2000 because my appetite is bigger. I think, while I'm losing weight, I'm going to try to stick close to that 600 calorie range for my workout burns to keep my hunger in check.
Good luck! I'm weighing in tomorrow - it will have been a week since I started eating by these guidelines, so we shall see. According to my calculations, I had an average deficit of 892. So I should lose about 1.75 pounds. I think I did well this week, so I'm excited 0 -
It worked! I was down 3 pounds this morning (down 4 from last sunday). Now, to be fair, I'm now down to where I used to be, but I haven't seen this number in a couple weeks. I was down to 158, but over the last 3 weeks I seemed to creep up to 162 - don't know why or how (I was eating more and having more than my share of cheat days I guess), but the scale wasn't dipping below 160 for over a week, so I changed my weight tracker back to 162 (which is what I weighed last sunday). I'm always a range, and I think I was probably in the 160-162 range. So at the least I dropped 2 pounds because I was 158.0 this morning. The real test will be next week to see if it keeps working, but I'm sooo happy to see the 150's again!!! And over thanksgiving too!!
I think there might be something to this strategy...0 -
Awesome news!
I'm saving my weigh in for Tuesday morning so fingers crossed I'll have some similar progress!0 -
i promised my self i would wait 2 weeks for a weigh in. i sneaked a peak... so far so good, but we will see on judgment day next sun...0
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