Doing it right - calories and starting the original Power 90

Smuterella

Hello all

Yeah, yeah, I know, another damned calorie question. I keep thinking that I know what I'm doing then I read another post and get confused again so lets see if someone can help me ensure I'm getting the most out of this.

So - me:

Weight 132lbs, height 5'5'', age 33, approx 10lbs to lose
Estimated body fat around 28%
My AMR/TDEE is 1630
My BMR (according to this site) is 1305
My MFP goal is set at 0.5lb a week, calorie level 1380
I'm currently exercising and eating back the cals (as calculated by MFP so probably too high) but not losing.

On Saturday I am starting Power 90 and I will also start using an HRM to correctly monitor calorie burn.

Whilst doing the programme, if I want to lose fat and, hopefully, gain muscle, what is the best way to go about it?

I was thinking of continuing with the current plan of a 250 cal deficit for the first 30 days, eating back my more accurately calculated calories using my HRM. I'm assuming this would be a weight loss phase.

Would I then move into a muscle building phase by eating at maintenance or above?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Smuterella

shamelessly bumping my own thread in the hope someone will respond. :-P

Cathygal

I do not know that this will help.. but I bought a bodybugg, it is a device you wear on your upper arm each day and it calculates your TOTAL calorie burn for the whole day.. midnight to midnight. MFP says I burn an average of 1700 or so calories a day just being inactive.. my bodybugg tells me that I burn about 1300 being inactive (I have a very inactive lifestyle do to my sit down job) I exercise.. do p90x AND an hour of walking a day JUST to get my calorie burn up to 2000. I eat around 12-1400 calories a day. I can tell how much of a deficit I am truly getting with the bodybugg and it helps me majorly. I know if I creat a 500 calorie defit, according to the BB each day I ALWAYS lose 1 pound on that week, if I create a 1000 cal deficit.. 2 pounds. (see what I mean)
Well I guess what I am trying to say is MFP is way off as far as the calorie burn for me. Once you get you HRM I am sure you will find you are having better luck.

Mike523

I would say you're on the right track. You just have to be super-careful with your food measurement and tracking, since you're only operating in a 250 calorie deficit - a couple of missed measurements could easily eat up most of that deficit and you could be unknowingly eating at maintenance. Also, the HRM will give you a more accurate estimate of your burned calories, so that should help your numbers too. Keep in mind, even an HRM is not 100% accurate for calorie burn because it only measures heart rate, but it should be more accurate than the MFP exercise database estimates. You may even want to back out your TDEE calories from the number the HRM gives you for the duration of your exercise, so you don't overestimate your burn. You would have burned those TDEE calories even if you hadn't worked out for the day.

Hope this helps!

Mike523

Oh also, I would recommend you stay in the "fat loss" phase (keep the calorie deficit) until you reach or get close to your fat loss goal. Then move into muscle building when you're ready by eating at a surplus. The 30 days of deficit you mention is only going to give you about a 2 pound fat loss at half a pound per week, so you may want to extend that further if your goal is 10 lbs. of fat loss.

Smuterella

thanks! So to back out my TDEE calories I'd do

TDEE/(24x60) = TDEE per minute

then multiply by the minutes i'd exercised and deduct from my total HRM burn?

Mike523

thanks! So to back out my TDEE calories I'd do

TDEE/(24x60) = TDEE per minute

then multiply by the minutes i'd exercised and deduct from my total HRM burn?

Exactly... TDEE / 1440

Smuterella

Thank you. Nice to know my brain is actually working today! :-)

Smuterella

Dammit, I was so excited but my HRM got lost in the post. I think I'll still start but eat 75% of MFP's recommended exercise cals.