MFP way or Katch-McArdle daily cals

nyspotlight

Hi All,

So, I was reading through some threads and now I have a dilemma.

I am 5'6'' (which may or may not matter) and 165 pounds. I do intense power yoga 4 times a week, 90 mins each time (although 15 minutes is stretching, so really 75 mins). MFP tells me I should eat 1390 daily for 1lb/week loss. Then, you know, add in calories. I tend to rate cals on how kick-*kitten* the class was. A slower class burn about 400, a faster one about 600. (and do not tell me yoga is not a workout unless you try the LA power yoga version. Sweat-dripping *kitten*-kicking)

Anyway. I am sort-of losing. I mean, I've lost 20 lbs. Which is awesome. But in the last few weeks my weight loss has stalled. (I just didn't update my profile about a loss last month until recently)

What are your opinions on using the same cals daily as long as weekly exercise is consistent? Katch-McArdle version (with estimated lean body mass of 111 lbs using measurements and weight and height). It tells me to eat 1750 daily for a 3500 weekly deficit.

Overall the difference in these formulas is 11,730 (MFP) weekly vs. 12,250. Not a huge difference, right? But I don't usually eat all the cals back MFP recommends either.

All opinions appreciated. And I won't be making my diary public - it would just make me a nervous wreck. I wouldn't eat at all. I'm serious. But I am a vegetarian who eats a lot of vegetables. Not so many fruits in the winter. And I have juicer-juiced green juice a few times a week (yes, I add those cals).

K

nyspotlight

Bump?

thatsnumberwang

It probably wouldn't hurt to try it, at least for a few weeks. If you start gaining weight, you can always switch back to the MFP method.

Twitchy109

You need to shock your body. Calorie wise. It gets used to receiving so many calories that the deficit won't affect it any more. Try dropping it by 100 for a week and see what happens.

hottottie11

I'm doing the exactly what you are proposing now. I have higher than average lean mass for my height. I'm set at 1795 now. I hope it works. This is my first week

cmriverside

What was the question?

nyspotlight

Nutshell: Should I eat one amount daily (same amount), with weekly exercise already factored in? Or continue MFP where on exercise days you eat more, while you eat less on rest days.
?

cmriverside

I don't think it really makes that much difference if you are a consistent exercise person.

MFP calculations work best for people whose exercise patterns are all over the map.

If you have a plan, the Katch-McArdle system is easier.

Myself, I have my Food Goals set to a number, and I don't add in exercise calories anymore. I'm only about 12 pounds from goal (AGAIN!) so my maintenence calories and my weight loss calories are only a couple hundred difference. I only get about 300 cals of exercise at a time, 4-5 times a week. But I'm consistent. So I don't bother with all the extra calculations.

Since you are at about 20 pounds away from goal, you could easily do the same thing.

Pebble321

Nutshell: Should I eat one amount daily (same amount), with weekly exercise already factored in? Or continue MFP where on exercise days you eat more, while you eat less on rest days.
?

Truly?? It doesn't matter.
Pick one system and try it for a month. If you aren't losing weight at the rate you expect (assuming that is realistic, you aren't going to drop 5 pounds a week no matter how much you want it!) then it's time to change your cals up or down.
Remember, that all these calculations are estimates - so are all the food and exercise you enter into your diary. Try it out and if its not working, change it.

gp79

If you've got a good estimation of your body fat the Katch McArdle method of determining BMR will be more accurate. Determining BMR is the easy part. Determining TDEE and essentially, your personal maintenance is the difficult part. Once you have that figure, then your weight management will be much easier.