The "Olivia Method" - the cool new way to set up your MFP go

Rockin33

Thanks

owls4eva

*bump* is this worth doing if you don't exercise that much??

Soon2BeMrsThomson

Help!!

I know my targets etc are set up all wrong and this is why I'm not losing just maintaining which is not good as I have a long way to go to my target (168lbs) - I'm 5'7 and weigh 264lbs - MBR is 1984 and I do 3 x sessions a week earning 500 cals a time. What should I set my targets at to lose 2lbs per week?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks

Donna x

kimmyj74

bump

Dave198lbs

bump

firedragon064

I need to keep track of my macros so Olivia method would not work for me.

joclougherty

I can't believe I'm posting about a method named after myself, but it really was the easiest way for people to recognize it - and it's kind of cool

So this is a special thread stemming from the impromptu popularity of something discussed here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/406319-a-different-way-to-set-up-mfp-goals-that-works

I started doing this after a meeting with a sports nutritionist. I found a way to set up MFP so I could see my daily deficit each day, and I could maximize my calorie burn on heavy workout days, and not have to eat like a bird on my non workout days.

This is mostly appropriate for people who's maintenance calories before exercise are less than 2200. At 2200 or above, you can safely create a 1000 calorie deficit without exercise - so if you set up MFP to lose 2 pounds a week it would set your calories to 1200. You would then eat all your exercise calories and keep your 1000 calorie deficit, making noticeable progress quite achievable.

When you have less to lose, your options are to decrease your deficit by eating more, or eat less and run the danger of a weight loss plateau because your body isn't getting the nutrients it needs for basic functioning. Well we can all agree that eating less (under your BMR) is not a good way to go. We could try setting to .5 lb a week weight loss, but there's not a lot of wiggle room with 250 calories, and a few off calculations with exercise and food and you could find yourself gaining, not losing.

With this method, you can reach whatever deficit you want day by day, and you will know that you are safely keeping your deficit under 1000 (2 lbs a week loss). Rather than force feed yourself on high calorie burn workout days,, you can use those great workouts to maximize your weight loss - which, let's face it, is probably one of the main reasons why we workout to begin with.

If you'd like to try this method or need help figuring out how to set up your MFP goals, feel free to post your info: weight and BMR and I or someone will help you out.

So here are the guidelines:

Step 1: Figure out your BMR - this is your body's calorie requirements for basic functioning. You would burn this if you just stayed in bed all day. There is a BMR calculator on this site under TOOLS. This is going to be your minimum number. You will be aiming to eat at least this much, or about 100 calories higher per day, whether you workout or not.

Step 2: Figure out your Maintenance calories before exercise. You can use MFP's calculations based on your activity level. My nutritionist used an easy calculation of BMR x 1.3 (for light activity). This is the number you're going to set your MFP calorie goal to. You're not going to eat this number, but it will be a marker for how much of a deficit you are creating.

Step 3: Figure out how many exercise calories it will take to reach a 1000 calorie deficit (the maximum). Do this by adding 1000 to your BMR, and then subtract your maintenance calories (the number you found in step 2). This number will let you know how many calories you can burn through exercise without eating them back. If you burn more than this number, you will HAVE to eat the surplus calories at least to keep your safe 1000 calorie deficit.

I'll use myself as an example for the calculations:

Step 1: BMR = 1480
Step 2: BMR x 1.3 (1480 x1.3) = 1924
Step 3: (BMR + 1000) - maintenance/ 1480 + 1000 - 1924 = 556.

So I set my MFP calorie goal to 1924.
I aim to eat at least 1500 - 1600 calories per day, regardless of exercise, but definitely no less than 1480.
If I burn more than 556 through exercise on a given day, I should eat at least the surplus calories. So if I burn 800 calories through exercise, I would want to eat at least 244 calories above my goal of 1500 - so at least 1744.

Now for the fun part. When you look at your numbers in your tracker, the green number under the word REMAINING will show your total deficit for the day. The smaller that number, the closer you are to maintaining your weight. If that number is near 500 and you kept it like that for a week you would lose 1 pound. If that number is near 1000, you would lose 2 pounds. I usually aim to keep that number between 500 - 1000. I personally LOVE being able to see my deficit for the day. It really makes me feel in control of my weight loss. I have a small deficit on my days off from working out, and I have a larger deficit on my long run days (big calorie burns).

One more thing - don't forget to readjust your numbers as you lose weight!!

Good luck and happy deficit creating!

Hi Olivia, I've set mine up now. Just wondering, did you use the BMR calculation on here or from another site? Mine is 1403 on here and 1488 elsewhere. I know there's not a lot in it, but it's more food at the end of the day!

Rachiepie6

Help!!

I know my targets etc are set up all wrong and this is why I'm not losing just maintaining which is not good as I have a long way to go to my target (168lbs) - I'm 5'7 and weigh 264lbs - MBR is 1984 and I do 3 x sessions a week earning 500 cals a time. What should I set my targets at to lose 2lbs per week?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks

Donna x

If you set your target to maintaining, you don't actually eat up to the target, it is just so you can see your deficit. Eat a minimum of your BMR and have a maximum deficit of 1000.

taramaureen

I'm going to try this and hope it works. I've been told I may be under eating while trying to lose so here's hoping. This makes sense to me as well so YAY. I'm going to bookmark this thread LOL

sycarroll

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olivia3263

Hi Olivia, I've set mine up now. Just wondering, did you use the BMR calculation on here or from another site? Mine is 1403 on here and 1488 elsewhere. I know there's not a lot in it, but it's more food at the end of the day!

Well my bmr according to this site is 1480. When I went to the nutritionist she came up with 1500. But she suggested a minimum of 1580 for me (weight x 10). I could probably go down to 1480, but I like having the little cushion, and I feel better with a few more calories in me. As long as you can create a moderate deficit on your days off (250 - 500 less than your maintenance) I think you're good.

olivia3263

OK. I've been thinking about this all day and here's what I've come up with:

I weigh 155 lbs and my BMR is 1435 cals. Maintenance is 1790. So I set my goal to maintenance and my activity level to sedentary. My goal will be to eat around 1435 leaving me a deficit of 355 on non-workout days. If I burn more than 645 cals in exercise I need to eat more, but this is where I'm stuck.

Two questions:
1. How in the world are you people burning 600 calories or more in exercise per day? I never burn that much (that I know of - I don't have a HRM).
2. So say I burn 700 cals in exercise, how many cals do I need to eat at that point?

This is a super interesting method! I'm excited

I run 6 days a week, and do chaLean strength training videos 3 times a week. I log the ChaLean videos as circuit training, and for 30 minutes that gives me 300 - 400 calories. Running is a pretty standard measure (I DON'T use MFP's calculations). It's a standard figure based on weight and distance. For me (at 158 lbs) it's 108 calories per mile. I then subtract 1 calorie per minute of exercise (what I would've burned just sitting around). So if I run 8 miles, that's 864. Say it took me 80 minutes to run that - I would subtract 80 and get 784.

Can you tell I was almost a math major in school? haha

melbhall

Nice to see in black and white and super interesting! Thanks!

olivia3263

Okay I need help figuring this out. My weight now is 177 and my BMR is 1345. I am a 53 year old female. I am 5'1". MFP has me at 1480 calories a day. I am a waitress. I don't excersise a whole lot during the winter. (during warm times of year I walk 3 miles a day, 3 or 4 days a week) I have bought an elliptical lately and a cardio fit machine, but so far I can only do about 2 to 5 minutes a day on the cardio fit and about 2 to 5 minutes on the elliptical. I hope to go longer on these machines as soon as I can. Please help me figure this out.
Thank you in advance!
Doris

I would put your MFP goal at 1748, aim for 1400 calories per day. You'll lose slowly (between .5 - 1 lb a week) during the winter months if you don't exercise, and then in the spring you can use your exercise to create a larger deficit. That's what I would do.

taramaureen

OK. I've been thinking about this all day and here's what I've come up with:

I weigh 155 lbs and my BMR is 1435 cals. Maintenance is 1790. So I set my goal to maintenance and my activity level to sedentary. My goal will be to eat around 1435 leaving me a deficit of 355 on non-workout days. If I burn more than 645 cals in exercise I need to eat more, but this is where I'm stuck.

Two questions:
1. How in the world are you people burning 600 calories or more in exercise per day? I never burn that much (that I know of - I don't have a HRM).
2. So say I burn 700 cals in exercise, how many cals do I need to eat at that point?

This is a super interesting method! I'm excited

I run 6 days a week, and do chaLean strength training videos 3 times a week. I log the ChaLean videos as circuit training, and for 30 minutes that gives me 300 - 400 calories. Running is a pretty standard measure (I DON'T use MFP's calculations). It's a standard figure based on weight and distance. For me (at 158 lbs) it's 108 calories per mile. I then subtract 1 calorie per minute of exercise (what I would've burned just sitting around). So if I run 8 miles, that's 864. Say it took me 80 minutes to run that - I would subtract 80 and get 784.

Can you tell I was almost a math major in school? haha

So when you calculate your running do you go by your speed as well or just milage and weight? What if a 190lb person runs 3.5 miles how do you figure that out?

olivia3263

I could use some help myself... I am 5'8 and weigh 311, I have a BMR 2,214. I work at a daycare so I am lightly active. I workout everyday pretty much, and usually burn between 500-1000 calories a day, sometimes more or less...Where do I go from here not sure what my maintenance is and in addition to that I am thoroughly confused...

I would suggest doing the traditional way of MFP for now - set your loss to 2 pounds a week loss and eat all your exercise calories. You should find a loss of 2 pounds a week fairly easy.

olivia3263

Help!!

I know my targets etc are set up all wrong and this is why I'm not losing just maintaining which is not good as I have a long way to go to my target (168lbs) - I'm 5'7 and weigh 264lbs - MBR is 1984 and I do 3 x sessions a week earning 500 cals a time. What should I set my targets at to lose 2lbs per week?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks

Donna x

I would say the same for you as well. If you have more to lose, it's easier to create a 1000 calorie deficit before exercise, so I would stick with the traditional MFP goals, and eat your exercise calories to create that deficit. Just set up MFP to lose 2 pounds a week

NHGirl23

bump

rosied915

Hi Olivia~

Happy First Day of YOUR Thread!!

Yesterday was Day 2 for me and another successful, energy-filled day!

I did mess up a bit when I changed my MFP goal to Maintenance and forgot that I'm supposed to "leave some" (only eat to BMR on a non-exercise day) and only ended up with about 100 cals in the "green" for yesterday! Oh well.....not the first time, won't be the last~ but duly noted!

I still can't believe how good I feel~ MUCH more energy, mental clarity, ambition and an overall feeling that my body is thriving!

Everyone have a great day.....BBL.....

liezelcha

Bump

skinnymeinaz

bump

olivia3263

I run 6 days a week, and do chaLean strength training videos 3 times a week. I log the ChaLean videos as circuit training, and for 30 minutes that gives me 300 - 400 calories. Running is a pretty standard measure (I DON'T use MFP's calculations). It's a standard figure based on weight and distance. For me (at 158 lbs) it's 108 calories per mile. I then subtract 1 calorie per minute of exercise (what I would've burned just sitting around). So if I run 8 miles, that's 864. Say it took me 80 minutes to run that - I would subtract 80 and get 784.

Can you tell I was almost a math major in school? haha

So when you calculate your running do you go by your speed as well or just milage and weight? What if a 190lb person runs 3.5 miles how do you figure that out?
[/quote]

Just mileage and weight. Subtracting the amount of time it takes me takes care of my speed. If I run 5 miles at 50 minutes, I subtract 50. If I run 5 miles in 40 minutes, I would only subtract 40, so I get a few more calories.

My nutritionist told me (at 160 pounds) I burn around 110 calories a mile (whether running or walking). I've also heard that 100 calories a mile figure is based on a person weighing 150 pounds. So right now I'm 158, so I'm using 108. If I lose 2 more pounds, I'll multiply by 106. I'm not sure if this is accurate though. I would check a running website and test out some numbers. If you use my method, at 190 is 40 above 150, so 140 x mile. So you would burn 490 calories running 3.5 miles. That sounds about right actually. The heavier you are, the more calories you burn working out - one of the few benefits of having more to lose. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Manysongs

bump

Tenar13

sounds good :-)

lniffa

Bump

taramaureen

I run 6 days a week, and do chaLean strength training videos 3 times a week. I log the ChaLean videos as circuit training, and for 30 minutes that gives me 300 - 400 calories. Running is a pretty standard measure (I DON'T use MFP's calculations). It's a standard figure based on weight and distance. For me (at 158 lbs) it's 108 calories per mile. I then subtract 1 calorie per minute of exercise (what I would've burned just sitting around). So if I run 8 miles, that's 864. Say it took me 80 minutes to run that - I would subtract 80 and get 784.

Can you tell I was almost a math major in school? haha

So when you calculate your running do you go by your speed as well or just milage and weight? What if a 190lb person runs 3.5 miles how do you figure that out?

Just mileage and weight. Subtracting the amount of time it takes me takes care of my speed. If I run 5 miles at 50 minutes, I subtract 50. If I run 5 miles in 40 minutes, I would only subtract 40, so I get a few more calories.

My nutritionist told me (at 160 pounds) I burn around 110 calories a mile (whether running or walking). I've also heard that 100 calories a mile figure is based on a person weighing 150 pounds. So right now I'm 158, so I'm using 108. If I lose 2 more pounds, I'll multiply by 106. I'm not sure if this is accurate though. I would check a running website and test out some numbers. If you use my method, at 190 is 40 above 150, so 140 x mile. So you would burn 490 calories running 3.5 miles. That sounds about right actually. The heavier you are, the more calories you burn working out - one of the few benefits of having more to lose. Enjoy it while it lasts!
[/quote]

Thank ya much

karenhs2

bump, although I really don't know where to find it when I bump it. Someone please help me figure this out. Thanks.

In case someone else doesn't answer this...when you reply to a post, it puts it in your "My Topics" list which I think holds 25 threads. So you can find it easily by clicking on My Topics (look just above the posts at the blue links).

karenhs2

I like this approach. I think I am going to stick with the regular MFP way for now as I am losing well on it and keep this in mind for when I get closer to my goal or get stuck in a plateau. Thanks for taking the time to write it out. I did think this version was a little more clear than the first one i read.

aspen1377

Olivia,
Forgive me if you have answered this already in either post as I've been reading back and forth in both....but I am curious how much you've lost since incorporating the "Olivia Method" (love the name btw) into your plan? I remember you mentioning something about losing well originally, then having a bumpy ride down throught the 160's, but wasn't sure on the rest of your story since then. I think you explained it really well! I've gotten my profile all set up and we'll see how it goes! Seems logical, motivating, and quite the healthy way to go. Once people have plugged the info into their settings it seems to be easy from there. You should (if you don't already) maybe think of having a weekly update post for all the people trying it, and they can log how well it's working for them...just a thought...thanks again...
Aspen

graysmom2005

Ok..I love this and I want to try it...I'm HORRIBLE at math..so if you could create a little guidance for my situation. I'm a fitness instructor and this week I'll probably be burning over 1000 calories a day at the gym (crazy week). My maintenance according to this is 1911 calories. So If I burn 1100 calories today...how much could I eat and still create a 500 calorie deficit? Did I mention I SUCK at math? Thanks for your help!!