A different way to set up MFP goals - that WORKS!

em9371

I am confused too, MFP calorie allowance puts me below BMR, it seems to be working at the min, 13lb lost in 6 weeks, but will this affect my loss in future? I still have around 90lb to lose.

I have set goals to lose 1LB week which gives me 1730 cals - i try to eat 1930 on exercise days / 1530 on non exercise days so i never net below 1200. I dont eat back my exercise calories (approx 700-800 4x per week) which gives me a 2nd lb loss.

BMR is 1824, my maintenance on MFP is 2220 - if i eat to BMR only 2772 deficit so wouldnt even lose1lb?

I think what you're doing is great, and if it's working for you then keep going! I think when you have more to lose, your body won't freak out if you eat under your BMR, and you can reach a 1000 calorie deficit fairly easily. When you have less to lose it becomes trickier because your body starts to preserve itself if it doesn't receive enough calories. And for people who workout a lot and need a rest day, it's really hard to limit yourself to 1200, especially when it's below your BMR. I would keep doing what you're doing until you get closer to your goal. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

thats good to know!
I was set to lose 2lb a week initially but the idea of eating only 1230 cals on some days and spending 2 hours in the gym just to eat my exercise cals back seemed really odd to me, so I changed to 1lb a week and not eat exercise cals but am still losing same amount per week. your way i would eat a bit more but also have to exercise a bit more, they are all the same cals overall but just a different way of getting there!

CricketKate

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Awake_Alive

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juliapurpletoes

Bumpity!

westcoastSW

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BerylX

Bump to print & read. Thanks for the info - very interesting for future reference!

kimmyj74

this is what i do, i set my goals to loose .5lbs a week and i dont eat back my exercise calories this seems to be working for me right

This is basically what this method is for me and easier to understand. Thanks

rhodesar

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Gee45

My BMR is 1295. Multiply that by 1.3 = 1683.5.
I should eat 1295 and not eat back exercise calories except if I burn more than 295 so that I don't net lower than 1000.

Basically, I should eat 1295 a day. If I exercise, I should not worry about 295 calories of the burn but if I burn more, I eat that surplus back. I would say my average daily calorie burn would be 500 which means that I would eat back 205( 500 exercise burn minus 295 cals I don't need to worry about). Since I work out six days a week, I"ll be eating 1500 those days and 1295 on my rest day.

Right now my MFP calorie goal is as low as it can go....1200 to lose .8 lb a week and I eat back exercise calories. That has me eating anywhere from 1300 to 1800(most days 1730 around) usually. And this is why I"m not losing? I'm doing p90x and insanity. If I didn't eat back all my exercise calories, I would be losing?

MsBrwnSugga

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mindyj0911

I'm very interested in this but super confused. Can someone help me my BMR is 1896 and I weigh 240! Right now MFP says my calorie goal is 1417 .

Gee45

this is what i do, i set my goals to loose .5lbs a week and i dont eat back my exercise calories this seems to be working for me right

This is basically what this method is for me and easier to understand. Thanks

I suppose depending on how much a person has to lose..they can adjust their goal. For someone that is close to their goal, they could have it set to maintain and just not count their exercise calories. Let the work out be the way they lose fat. Or have a small goal of .5 lbs a week and not eat back 250 calories of their exercise burn numbers for a total of 1 lb per week of loss.

cardbucfan

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SlimBananas

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luvs_choc8

bump!!!

jend114

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futiledevices

I've lost 5 or 6 pounds so far.. total I want to actually lose now is only around 25-30. Depends on how I look after that. Right now, I'm eating 1300 per day. Sometimes I eat back my exercise calories, sometimes just some of them, and sometimes I don't. I work on my feet 5 days a week, usually around 5 hours each. I don't know how much that burns, but I do know my body is definitely used to it. When I go to the gym about 3 days a week, I burn around 250-300 each time. My BMR is 1359 according to MFP and I weigh 145. Care to help? I'd definitely be worried about upping my calorie intake because I don't want to gain weight.

mhotch

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jenny95662

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scapez

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Tigermad

Well I started this today and I am a little bit scared. Previously I have been mainly sticking to 1200 (what MFP gave me and upped no higher than 1500 rarely if I fancied a treat).

I am now on 1505 cals per day before exercise and fear I will not lose weight on this. I will give it a week or so and see how I get on. I stil have around 47 lbs to lose to reach my first goal of 140lbs (5ft 4" large frame). I want to take it steady and only lose up to 2 lbs per week hoping for my skin not to sag too much. (unlikely since I am nearly 40!).

I will be very happy if I still lose on 1500 cals since I think I will have more energy now when i go to the gym.

nmg8

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Alexagetsfit

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rosied915

I started this today and am hoping for the best from it. I'm in no hurry to "get anywhere" and REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don't want to do ANYthing to lose the weight that I'm not willing to keep up with forever~ and that's that!!

That being said, I had the BEST tuna sandwich today on REAL bread (high fiber too) with a piece of Alpine Lace Swiss NOT the Laughing Cow spread (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Olivia, would you mind checking my numbers and giving your opinion?

BMR~ 1405
Maint~1760
Current Weight~ 191
Height~ 5 ft
Age 51

Prev. MFP Calorie Goal~ 1200 then 1260
NEW MFP Calorie Goal~ 1450 (using the "Olivia Method")

Exercise Cals~ Hoping to burn at least 300 cals/4 days week.

Thanks for posting this and starting the newest trend here on MFP!! I'm excited to see the results!

eta: Did I mention how much ENERGY I had today from NOT STARVING~ freakin' AMAZING!!

erica714

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cluvenit

Bump :-)

olivia3263

My BMR is 1295. Multiply that by 1.3 = 1683.5.
I should eat 1295 and not eat back exercise calories except if I burn more than 295 so that I don't net lower than 1000.

Basically, I should eat 1295 a day. If I exercise, I should not worry about 295 calories of the burn but if I burn more, I eat that surplus back. I would say my average daily calorie burn would be 500 which means that I would eat back 205( 500 exercise burn minus 295 cals I don't need to worry about). Since I work out six days a week, I"ll be eating 1500 those days and 1295 on my rest day.

Right now my MFP calorie goal is as low as it can go....1200 to lose .8 lb a week and I eat back exercise calories. That has me eating anywhere from 1300 to 1800(most days 1730 around) usually. And this is why I"m not losing? I'm doing p90x and insanity. If I didn't eat back all my exercise calories, I would be losing?

Actually, you could eat 1295, burn up to 611 calories from working out, and if you didn't eat them back you would have a 1000 calorie deficit. if you burn anything over 611 you would HAVE to eat them back to make sure you don't have too large of a deficit. If you burn under 611, your deficit decreases (less than 2 pounds a week) but burning your average 500, sticking with 1295 you would still have an 889 deficit. If you were hungry, you could eat more but your deficit would decrease. The only way though for you to reach the maximum 1000 calorie deficit would be to increase your workout to burn at least 611, and not eat the calories back - just stick to the 1295.

olivia3263

I'm very interested in this but super confused. Can someone help me my BMR is 1896 and I weigh 240! Right now MFP says my calorie goal is 1417 .

So I think this works better if you are closer to your goal, but you could certainly give it a shot. You can achieve a 1000 calorie deficit safely without exercise (hence MFP giving you 1417 to lose weight). When you get closer to your goal, like I am - a 1000 calorie deficit puts you in dangerous territory (below 1200 calories, which no woman should ever go below). If I were you, I would stick with 1417 goal, and eat your exercise calories to keep your 1000 calorie deficit. But, I like math so here ya go

Set MFP calorie goal to 2464 (what you could eat to maintain your weight with no exercise).
Aim to eat around 1896. If you work out and burn 432, you will create a 1000 calorie deficit. If you burn more in a single day, eat the surplus back - but again, your body won't freak out if you have a deficit larger than 1000.

I would advise you to stick with the MFP way until you get closer to your goal. Good Luck!!!

olivia3263

I've lost 5 or 6 pounds so far.. total I want to actually lose now is only around 25-30. Depends on how I look after that. Right now, I'm eating 1300 per day. Sometimes I eat back my exercise calories, sometimes just some of them, and sometimes I don't. I work on my feet 5 days a week, usually around 5 hours each. I don't know how much that burns, but I do know my body is definitely used to it. When I go to the gym about 3 days a week, I burn around 250-300 each time. My BMR is 1359 according to MFP and I weigh 145. Care to help? I'd definitely be worried about upping my calorie intake because I don't want to gain weight.

Ok, so for you (since you work on your feet) I'll multiply your BMR by 1.5 (not 1.3) to account for the extra calories you burn during your job.

Daily MFP calorie goal: 2,038 - what you could eat to maintain your weight without working out.
Actual calorie goal: 1400 - eat AT LEAST this amount every day, whether you workout our not.
If you burn more than 362 calories when you workout, eat the surplus calories.

Don't be afraid to eat more. Before I found this, I took a 2 week maintenance break and ate at my maintenance calories for 2 weeks. It was amazing how much I ate and didn't gain! It really helps to open your eyes and not freak out if you eat more one day. It also does wonders for the metabolizing hormones in your body. But at the very least, I would definitely eat at least 1400. Give it at least 2 weeks to kick in - I've made that mistake before, trying something out but not giving it the proper time to see if it's working or not. Good luck and let me know if it works out

laurensohn22

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