Welcome! The Rules

olivia3263

Hey everyone! A detailed description of this method can be found here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/408674-the-olivia-method-the-cool-new-way-to-set-up-your-mfp-go

Here are the steps to set up MFP the Olivia Method way.

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.

And when in doubt, just aim to keep that green number under "calories remaining" under 1000. Remember, an average deficit of 1000 calories = 2 pounds a week lost. 750 = 1.5 lbs lost. 500 = 1 lb lost. 250 = .5lb lost.

And don't forget to modify your settings as you lose weight to make sure the deficit you're creating is accurate.

Have fun, and good luck to all

FaithHopeBELIEVE

THANKYOUUUUU!!! Love to just have my goal set the same everyday! I was constantly changing it to zigzag. This is soooooo much easier!

KaeChelle

I know you said this works best if your maintenance calories are under 2200, but I am still going to try it out just to see if I like seeing the deficit each day in the green. It will take some self-control to see the green numbers at the bottom and not eat all those calories, but I like this concept. Currently my BMR is 1915 and my maintenance calories are 2390.

melinda6569

ok let me see if i have this right

BMR is 1414
1414 x 1.3 = 1838.2
1414 + 1000= 2414
2414- 1838 = 576

so i can burn up to 576 calories a day and eat no more than 1515. which is 100 more than my BMR? I set my MFP at maintain and it only goes to 1770 so that is what i will start with. burn up to 576 a day and stick around 1400 and 1500 calories..Am i right? Am i still adding my exercise to MFP?

olivia3263

ok let me see if i have this right

BMR is 1414
1414 x 1.3 = 1838.2
1414 + 1000= 2414
2414- 1838 = 576

so i can burn up to 576 calories a day and eat no more than 1515. which is 100 more than my BMR? I set my MFP at maintain and it only goes to 1770 so that is what i will start with. burn up to 576 a day and stick around 1400 and 1500 calories..Am i right? Am i still adding my exercise to MFP?

Yes, add your exercise in so your green number (deficit number) is accurate. And feel free to bur more than 576, just make sure to eat enough to make that green number 1000 or under

Everything else looks good though!

olivia3263

I know you said this works best if your maintenance calories are under 2200, but I am still going to try it out just to see if I like seeing the deficit each day in the green. It will take some self-control to see the green numbers at the bottom and not eat all those calories, but I like this concept. Currently my BMR is 1915 and my maintenance calories are 2390.

It'll still work for you - and now you won't have to eat so low on non workout days, verses workout days. And I gotta say, I'm addicted to that green number now - LOVE it!! Enjoy

Ssocrrbabe

Thank you so much for posting this! This totally makes sense and I feel like it gives you more control since some days I don't workout only get to eat 1200 then hard workout days I'mab stuffing my face made no sense to me. This seems to e a lot more controll

melinda6569

ok let me see if i have this right

BMR is 1414
1414 x 1.3 = 1838.2
1414 + 1000= 2414
2414- 1838 = 576

so i can burn up to 576 calories a day and eat no more than 1515. which is 100 more than my BMR? I set my MFP at maintain and it only goes to 1770 so that is what i will start with. burn up to 576 a day and stick around 1400 and 1500 calories..Am i right? Am i still adding my exercise to MFP?

Yes, add your exercise in so your green number (deficit number) is accurate. And feel free to bur more than 576, just make sure to eat enough to make that green number 1000 or under

Everything else looks good though!

And if i don't exercise what should the green number be?

_tiifyjo_

Thanks so much for creating this group!! I have been using this method this week and I feel less hungry, which equals less grouchy! LOL But I have lost 1.5 pounds on it. So yay!

melinda6569

YAY..This is good to hear

pinkita

Question: if my activity level during the day is sedentary, what should I multiply my BMR by? I exercise but at work I'm mostly sitting.

Thanks!

rosied915

Bumping and saying HI!:flowerforyou:

fitnessmonthly

12/1- My weight is 192lbs BMR is 1450
Maintence is- 1740 exercised today got 250 cals.
So I am allowed 1990 cals today,hopefully I will see things in green.
Aim not to eat more than 1450 cals so I have 540 cals in green.

smilingrn

ok gonna give thing a try, not sure it will work for me as i have a lot of weight to loose and my maintenance calories is 2602! thats a lot of calories and as of now i eat that many calories in 2 days.......

DoubleE615312

I am going to try this to lose the 2 lbs per week. With the MFP method, I cannot possibly lose 2 lbs per week, even when I have my goal set to it. The closest MFP has me losing is 1.7 lbs per week with netting 1200 calories.

aspen1377

I adjusted my settings a couple days ago and am enoying looking at the green number. I've been off from the gym for a little bit and start back up Monday morning (due to some obligations the next couple days). I plan to post my weight on here Monday, and then we'll see how it goes. I am down to the last 6-10 pounds or so, so I will be pleased with 1.4 pounds a week (I'd say 1.5 but may scale weighs in even increments!) Acutally even 1 pound a week for the next 6 weeks would be great. This method really makes sense to me and I think it will be a huge motivator for everyone participating to MOVE more. Seeing the green "remaining" at 400 for example and knowing that a quick walk or jog or even 15 more minutes of activity can make that number bigger will be a big motivator for people who like to push themselves. Thanks O!

Aspen

sunnydays33

I saw this post a few days ago and after reading it (ummm, a few times) I think it makes tons of sense!! I really like the part where I feel more 'in control' of my weight loss, it's empowering!

Now, I'm not running or burning a 1k calories a day and have about 35 lbs to go...we'll see how it goes for a month or so. I sure do LOVE that green number now! It's addicting!

Let's see if I have this right:

BMR: 1496
Maint: 1496 x 1.2=1795 (I work a desk job or am driving pretty much all day...I shoot to burn about 300-500 cal/day in excercise)
1496+1000-1795=701

So, I set my Goal to 1795, however try to stay at 1500...then anything over 701 calories burned, I eat the difference. Right?

Thanks so much for taking the time to help so many people out! I know I am learning a LOT from you and MFP, so muchas gracias!!

~Heidi

rosied915

Happy Friday Everyone!

So far, so good but got some bad news last night: my husband's company is shutting down in March and he will either lose his job or at the minimum, have a period of unemployment if they do a "fire/ re-hire".

The scary part for us is my medications for MS~ I take a needle each night that costs about $4500 per month~ of course with insurance, we don't pay that, but without insurance...........oy.........

In the meantime, I should be doiing everything I can aside from medications to give myself the best MS experience possible, right?
So that's what I'll keep doing!

Everyone have a good day and take a moment to be grateful for what you have.......we did last night.......

shydaisi

I think I am going to try this out for the week and see how it goes.

I have set my daily goal to 1940 as this is my maintenance caloric goal.
I plan to eat about 1540 which is my BMR, but no less than 1200.
I will not eat more than the 1540 until I have burned more than 600 calories.
This should give me a weight loss of 1.0 to 1.5 pounds per week without exercise (because of the 400 to 740 deficit), but more if I do (but no more than 2.0 pounds as I will cap at a deficit of 1000).

Does that sound right?

olivia3263

I think I am going to try this out for the week and see how it goes.

I have set my daily goal to 1940 as this is my maintenance caloric goal.
I plan to eat about 1540 which is my BMR, but no less than 1200.
I will not eat more than the 1540 until I have burned more than 600 calories.
This should give me a weight loss of 1.0 to 1.5 pounds per week without exercise (because of the 400 to 740 deficit), but more if I do (but no more than 2.0 pounds as I will cap at a deficit of 1000).

Does that sound right?

Not quite - you never want to eat less than your BMR, so you shouldn't be consuming anywhere near 1200 calories. 1540 is your absolute minimum for any day, whether you exercise or not. If you burn more than 600, then you have to eat more than 1540 (so if you burn 800, you need to eat at least 1740).

You'll already be creating a 400 calorie deficit by eating 1540 without exercise. You could not exercise and lose .75 pounds a week doing this. You could burn 100 calories a day through exercise to reach a 500 calorie deficit (1 pound a week). If you want the full 1000 calorie deficit (2 pounds a week) you need to burn at least 600 calories and not eat them back.

olivia3263

Question: if my activity level during the day is sedentary, what should I multiply my BMR by? I exercise but at work I'm mostly sitting.

Thanks!

1.2

olivia3263

ok let me see if i have this right

BMR is 1414
1414 x 1.3 = 1838.2
1414 + 1000= 2414
2414- 1838 = 576

so i can burn up to 576 calories a day and eat no more than 1515. which is 100 more than my BMR? I set my MFP at maintain and it only goes to 1770 so that is what i will start with. burn up to 576 a day and stick around 1400 and 1500 calories..Am i right? Am i still adding my exercise to MFP?

Yes, add your exercise in so your green number (deficit number) is accurate. And feel free to bur more than 576, just make sure to eat enough to make that green number 1000 or under

Everything else looks good though!

And if i don't exercise what should the green number be?

You're limited to what it can be without exercise. Just take your maintenance and subtract the minimum of what you can eat (your bmr) and there is the maximum deficit you can create on your days off. For you it is 1838 - 1414 = 424. But go by how you feel - it's just a minimum number you can eat. If you feel you need it, eat more. Today is my day off from running and I've been feeling kind of tired lately, so I'm planning on keeping a smaller deficit today (maybe 250 - 300), we'll see how it goes.

olivia3263

I saw this post a few days ago and after reading it (ummm, a few times) I think it makes tons of sense!! I really like the part where I feel more 'in control' of my weight loss, it's empowering!

Now, I'm not running or burning a 1k calories a day and have about 35 lbs to go...we'll see how it goes for a month or so. I sure do LOVE that green number now! It's addicting!

Let's see if I have this right:

BMR: 1496
Maint: 1496 x 1.2=1795 (I work a desk job or am driving pretty much all day...I shoot to burn about 300-500 cal/day in excercise)
1496+1000-1795=701

So, I set my Goal to 1795, however try to stay at 1500...then anything over 701 calories burned, I eat the difference. Right?

Thanks so much for taking the time to help so many people out! I know I am learning a LOT from you and MFP, so muchas gracias!!

~Heidi

That's right. Just keep the green number under 1000 and eat at least 1500.

hormiga_nata

HI. It is my first post see how it goes.

I really would like to try this method because I'm tired of one week I'm up the next I'm down, and never move on for the past months. I would like to figure out how much should I eat. But I'm very confuse with the numbers.

OK, I been yoyo between 122 to 126 lbs. My goal is to be at 117-118 lbs. Right now I'm 123 lb , I'm 5.2, I exercise 6 x a week (insanity) and run btwn 6 to 9 miles a week. and I,m 36 year old female.

I changed my mfp for the BMR to sedentary, no exercise,, to maintain.
BMR 1201
Maintenance 1500

From here I'm lost in how much shoul I be eating back and the defecit of 1000 and I don't think I can eat either my bmr or maintenance I'll get to hungry and binge in three days.

Thank you for your help.

olivia3263

HI. It is my first post see how it goes.

I really would like to try this method because I'm tired of one week I'm up the next I'm down, and never move on for the past months. I would like to figure out how much should I eat. But I'm very confuse with the numbers.

OK, I been yoyo between 122 to 126 lbs. My goal is to be at 117-118 lbs. Right now I'm 123 lb , I'm 5.2, I exercise 6 x a week (insanity) and run btwn 6 to 9 miles a week. and I,m 36 year old female.

I changed my mfp for the BMR to sedentary, no exercise,, to maintain.
BMR 1201
Maintenance 1500

From here I'm lost in how much shoul I be eating back and the defecit of 1000 and I don't think I can eat either my bmr or maintenance I'll get to hungry and binge in three days.

Thank you for your help.

If you make 1250 your personal calorie goal, you'll have a 250 calorie deficit on your off days of exercise (half a pound a week). If you exercise, this will increase your deficit. If you burn 750 calories, and don't eat any exercise calories, you'll reach a 1000 calorie deficit. This is the maximum you would want to go. If you burned over this amount, you would have to eat back the surplus calories. Of course, this is just a maximum - if you're hungry, eat more. No one's forcing you to have a 1000 calorie deficit, it's just what's recommended as the maximum. You might find aiming for a 500 calorie deficit more reasonable and attainable. It's whatever you're comfortable with.

hormiga_nata

Very good, thank you very much for your time. I'll try it.

rockerbabyy

ok so my bmr according to the calculator here is 1865
with a lightly active setting, it says my maintenance should be 2520.
bmr +1000 = 2865
2865-2520= 345 (right?)

after that i get lost. i want to lose 2 lbs/week, so how much should i eat and what should my green number be each day? is it ok for it to be 1000 every day since i have so much to lose? whats the lowest i would want it to be? i have started weight lifting and kinda would like to keep track of protein/fat/carbs as well.. what should i do about thaT? *brain simmering*

olivia3263

ok so my bmr according to the calculator here is 1865
with a lightly active setting, it says my maintenance should be 2520.
bmr +1000 = 2865
2865-2520= 345 (right?)

after that i get lost. i want to lose 2 lbs/week, so how much should i eat and what should my green number be each day? is it ok for it to be 1000 every day since i have so much to lose? whats the lowest i would want it to be? i have started weight lifting and kinda would like to keep track of protein/fat/carbs as well.. what should i do about thaT? *brain simmering*

Ok, so you can set it up so that 2520 is your MFP calorie goal. If you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you have to have a 1000 calorie deficit every day of the week. For you this is achievable because you have more to lose. On your days off from working out you should aim for 1520. (FYI - if you set it up the MFP way for 2 pounds a week, this is the NET goal MFP would give you and then you would eat all your exercise calories to keep the 1000 calorie deficit. You could continue to do that until your maintenance is below 2200 - then you'd need to really watch the whole BMR thing). If you decide to set things up this way, just add your exercise in, and eat until that green number reaches 1000. For you I would say, don't eat below 1520 (even though this is below your bmr, your body can handle it without freaking out because of the extra weight).

rockerbabyy

Ok, so you can set it up so that 2520 is your MFP calorie goal. If you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you have to have a 1000 calorie deficit every day of the week. For you this is achievable because you have more to lose. On your days off from working out you should aim for 1520. (FYI - if you set it up the MFP way for 2 pounds a week, this is the NET goal MFP would give you and then you would eat all your exercise calories to keep the 1000 calorie deficit. You could continue to do that until your maintenance is below 2200 - then you'd need to really watch the whole BMR thing). If you decide to set things up this way, just add your exercise in, and eat until that green number reaches 1000. For you I would say, don't eat below 1520 (even though this is below your bmr, your body can handle it without freaking out because of the extra weight).

thanks so much! i realize (for now) its not too different from how mfp would set me up, but i think this will be a good way to go for me once i lose some more and the numbers matter a bit more

DoingItNow2012

Cool. I prefer to focus on my exercise vs calories and this helps to do at a glance. This was the first I heard to eat at least bmr. Perfect timing because I've been working on uppin my calories.

According to MFP my bmr is 1308 and my maintenance is 1640. So those are the numbers I will be working with.

Today is good because I only have under 300 to make 1000 deficit with what I plan to eat today. And if I eat more, I can just do a little extra, if i feel like it. Would love to do a weigh in, but joined another group with the goal of not weighing until January first. But with all the planned exercise, can't go wrong. Although I doubt I will have 1000 calorie deficit everyday, but that is fine with me. Plan to start running using c25k in a couple of weeks. Conditioning my body now to build up to it and reduce injury.

Thanks again for the suggestion, helps me keep focus.

Terri813

I am going to give this a try. My exercise calories vary each day so I think this will make things easier.
My BMR is 1363 and MFP says my maintenance is 1840. So I should aim for a 1000 calorie deficit each day to lose 2 pounds per week?