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

olivia3263

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!!

Haha, "the Olivia Method" - I think I like the sound of that

Ok, so I think your new MFP calorie goal of 1450 is great, but you want this to be your actual calorie goal. If you want to see what your daily deficit is, put your MFP calorie goal at 1760 (your maintenance before exercise). Try to eat around 1450 each day, regardless of whether you workout or not. If you normally burn 300 calories when you workout, you will create a deficit of 610. If you have this deficit 4 days a week, and the other 3 you have a deficit of 310, you would have an average deficit of 481 - just under a pound a week.

Because you have a little more to lose, you could get away with going slightly under 1400 here or there if you wanted to create a larger deficit - or you could workout more (better option). If you happen to burn more than 690, make sure to eat the surplus calories.

And yes, it's amazing how good you'll feel when you feed your body properly! Before I came to MFP I was on Weight Watchers, and when I came here I quickly realized how little fat I was eating. I started incorporating more healthy fats and I suddenly had this burst of energy that just sort of stayed with me. It's funny how the things we're all afraid of - calories, fat, even sugar - is all good for us and necessary. We just can't have TOO much of these good things Good luck!

chrisdavey

Totally off topic but I hadn't read your screen name & thought you were the guy in the fluro shirt in the pic this whole time Sorry.

olivia3263

Totally off topic but I hadn't read your screen name & thought you were the guy in the fluro shirt in the pic this whole time Sorry.

Haha, that's funny! The pic is from my first half marathon I did in October. It was the only picture that I didn't look weird, or had my eyes looking all funky. They also got some good shots of me eating during the run. Next time I will have to be ready for the cameras

ACEgirl1

Bumping. Thank you, and congrats!

pinkita

Bump for future reference, thanks!

Tigermad

Hello. Would you mind checking my figures.
My bmr is 1504. So if I use the times 1.3 method that gives me a total of 1955.

So I should never eat below 1504 and exercise days, if I burn over 504 cals I should eat the amount over 504 cals back. So I don't have a deficit of over 1000 cals

Is that right?

The 1955 is the 1.3 method but mfp says my maintenance is 1880. Will the difference of 75 cals matter?

Everything is right. I don't think the difference of 75 calories matters too much. You probably have it set to sedentary to get the 1880? I think sedentary is multiplied by 1.2, so if you think you're more sedentary before exercise, then go with 1880. I think 1.3 is actually a little low for my daily activity, but I'll give it another couple weeks to make sure.

I think something is slightly wrong here. I have my calories set for 1880 but I only eat 1500. So I have a 380 deficit. If I workout and burn 800 calories my deficit is now 1180. So I would need to eat 180 back so I don't go below 1000 deficit. So that means I can burn 620 calories before I need to eat any back, is that right? But then I would only be netting 880 cals.

foster59803

Bump to read later

olivia3263

Hello. Would you mind checking my figures.
My bmr is 1504. So if I use the times 1.3 method that gives me a total of 1955.

So I should never eat below 1504 and exercise days, if I burn over 504 cals I should eat the amount over 504 cals back. So I don't have a deficit of over 1000 cals

Is that right?

The 1955 is the 1.3 method but mfp says my maintenance is 1880. Will the difference of 75 cals matter?

Everything is right. I don't think the difference of 75 calories matters too much. You probably have it set to sedentary to get the 1880? I think sedentary is multiplied by 1.2, so if you think you're more sedentary before exercise, then go with 1880. I think 1.3 is actually a little low for my daily activity, but I'll give it another couple weeks to make sure.

I think something is slightly wrong here. I have my calories set for 1880 but I only eat 1500. So I have a 380 deficit. If I workout and burn 800 calories my deficit is now 1180. So I would need to eat 180 back so I don't go below 1000 deficit. So that means I can burn 620 calories before I need to eat any back, is that right? But then I would only be netting 880 cals.

You have it exactly right. I, too, was concerned with netting below 1200, but when I asked my nutritionist about this, she said it's ok as long as I'm eating at least my BMR - it's about getting your body enough energy to function. She told me to save the 1000 calorie deficits for my big workout days. You might find, if you have less to lose, that too many days at a 1000 calorie deficit will leave you feeling weaker. She told me to gauge how I feel - if I need more, have a small snack with a combination of carbs and protein and see if that makes me feel better. She said NOT to deny myself if I'm hungry. Remember, 1000 calorie deficit is the maximum - there's nothing wrong with a 500 calorie deficit, or something in between, or even 250. Play around with it. My BMR is 1500, but my calorie limit is 1580 (weight x 10) - this is what she suggested for me and I find it more manageable. Like today, I burned 700 in exercise, ate 1680, have a 990 deficit, and it shows I'm netting 980. I've met all my nutrient goals (mainly making sure to get enough protein - I got 110 grams today), and I feel very satisfied. I've been eating this way for over a week and I'm doing well with my workouts (enough energy). When I first started I was confused and was eating under my BMR to create the 1000 calorie deficit and I really felt it in my energy and during my workouts. This feels much better. I guess just experiment and see what works for you - I think you're close. If your body feels good, go with it. If you feel you need more, add 100 -200 calories and see if that helps.

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.

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

Great, thanks! Not too bad.. only 100 more than I'm eating now, so I don't see it causing a gain.

LavenderLace741

bump

afym

BUMP

Kelsey_Renee

Bump. I love it.

Samsara9

Bump

Kelsey_Renee

I tried to do this on my own. Let's see how this works.

So I got my BMR which is around 1500.
To calculate my maintenance I did the x1.3 which equals = 1850
So on non workout days I would get a 350 burn.
So i could exercise 650 calories for a 1,000 cal deficit.
But let's say I burn 750, I would have to eat back 100 back.


Does that sound right?

debstanley4

bump

ctmom1

bump

olivia3263

I tried to do this on my own. Let's see how this works.

So I got my BMR which is around 1500.
To calculate my maintenance I did the x1.3 which equals = 1850
So on non workout days I would get a 350 burn.
So i could exercise 650 calories for a 1,000 cal deficit.
But let's say I burn 750, I would have to eat back 100 back.


Does that sound right?

Yes, except 1500 x 1.3 = 1950, not 1850

Kelsey_Renee

I tried to do this on my own. Let's see how this works.

So I got my BMR which is around 1500.
To calculate my maintenance I did the x1.3 which equals = 1850
So on non workout days I would get a 350 burn.
So i could exercise 650 calories for a 1,000 cal deficit.
But let's say I burn 750, I would have to eat back 100 back.


Does that sound right?

Yes, except 1500 x 1.3 = 1950, not 1850

Haha, Whoops! I actually had that the first time but I'm going to blame it on the late night thing. lol

hibiscus89

bump

melissasarahx

Okay so im not fully understanding this, a little help with the numbers would help.
I noticed that my BMR and Maintence is close to a few posts above but i usually burn about 700 to 1000 calories a day, so if i did how many calories am i eating? And how do i set this up to make sense on mfp diary?

Weight- 170
BMR- 1503

Please & Thank You!

KriscoOil

bump...gotta figure this out when i can concentrate

pinkita

My goodness Olivia, have we made you regret posting this topic yet? You're so patient! I think I'm understanding this...

MFP estimates my BMR as 1544. So...

1. I should never eat below that amount.
2. If I work out, I should only eat back exercise calories if I've burned more than 600 calories.

Correct?

Also, were these calculations only intended for runners?

Thanks, you rock!

gg24

Bump! Great post. Thanks!

westcoastSW

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 agree with these folks. Basically, when you get close to your goal (only 10-20 pounds left to lose, for example), you need to create less of a deficit (no more 2 lb/week business), which clearly will give you more calories to play with per day. You should be eating closer to maintenance, since soon you will switch to maintenance and it wouldn't be a good idea to go from 1200 cals/day to 1900 cals/day (or whatever your maintenance mode might be).

Personally, I prefer to aim for whatever goal is on my MFP page, rather than aiming for a lower goal every day depending on exercise. So I have manually set my goals to be around 0.5 lb/week loss (although slightly more, like 0.6 because it works out to be slightly higher than my BMR). Right now I'm not doing a lot of exercise since it gets dark at 4:30 pm and I'm in graduate school in finals season. But someday when I get back to running, I plan to eat most of my exercise calories back, but not all because I don't have a HRM and I'm unsure of the accuracy of my calories burned.

If what you're doing is working, then keep doing it! If not, then play around with the numbers some, and don't be afraid to try increasing your calorie intake for a week or two if you're at a plateau and closing in on your goal weight. Good luck to all!

B3Streeter

I love the concept of this, but my problem is my BMR is 1207 and I like food too much to stay at that everyday! But congrats on your success!

How many calories can you have to maintain?

To maintain MFP says 1620. RIght now I have my calorie goal at 1500

Awake_Alive

BMR is 1922
1922 x 1.3 = 2499
Non workout days I would get a 577 burn.

Average workout day is around 750 burn, so on a workout day, I would eat 2249 (1922+327 excess exercise calories), leaving a calorie deficit of 1000 (maintenance 2499+750 burn=3249)

I thought I had it all figured out...until I tried to figure it out! Does this look right?

THANK YOU OLIVIA!!! :flowerforyou:

Rachiepie6

bump

BettyMargaret

I have to save this for when I can make myself understand it. Thanks for posting!

aquarianpixi

bump to try later

nursenelson

very interesting - bumpity bump bump for later