An easier way to setup goal calories - eating for who you wi

thesarahsundae

Could you take a look at mine? I just wanted to make sure it looks "good".

Female
Age: 36
Weight: 140 pounds
Height 66 inches

12 hours rest (I get at least 8-9 hours of sleep during week), 8 hours very light, 3 hours very light and .50 for moderate and .50 for heavy. I may change my workouts in the future but for now I'm doing an half an hour of cardio and half an hour weights. I also sit at a desk for almost 9 hours a day and don't move around too much. I may be off a little on the 8 hours of light (meaning it may be less), but for now I'll go with that.

It tells me my BMR is 1399 and my calories from activity are 787 so my calories should be 2186. Does that sound right?

funkycamper

Oops. Double post.

heybales

bmr 1260
activicty 551
total 1811...
i plan to change my weight in mfp to 1811.. (i've been eating that pretty much now)... i'm wondering when will i see the weight drop.. thanks!!!!!

Not to throw a curve ball at you, but since you are so close to goal weight, you might benefit from either taking your bodyfat% if you know it and using the same site, but change height to bodyfat% and get more accurate BMR and maintenance calories using the Katch formula.

For getting decent BF%, you can use this site - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

If you don't want to do that, the BMR calc MFP uses is about 5% more accurate within the healthy range, where you are now.
So you may take MFP's BMR calc and add the activity cal's in for total.

May end up being a meaningless amount less, but figured while you are setting it up and so close already, might as well.

heybales

Female
Age: 36
Weight: 140 pounds
Height 66 inches

12 hours rest (I get at least 8-9 hours of sleep during week), 8 hours very light, 3 hours very light and .50 for moderate and .50 for heavy. I may change my workouts in the future but for now I'm doing an half an hour of cardio and half an hour weights. I also sit at a desk for almost 9 hours a day and don't move around too much. I may be off a little on the 8 hours of light (meaning it may be less), but for now I'll go with that.

It tells me my BMR is 1399 and my calories from activity are 787 so my calories should be 2186. Does that sound right?

Excellent loss already, you've been doing some things right obviously!

To the figures! You did mention Very Light twice for 8 and 3. And then 8 for Light. So not sure what was being intended there.
What I'm seeing:

Rest - sleep and TV 12 daily
Heavy - cardio 0.5 x 5 = 2.5 / 7 = 0.4 daily (unless you really do it 7 days a week, in which case 0.5)
Moderate - weights 0.5 x 5 = 2.5 / 7 = 0.4 daily (same as cardio, if every day, 0.5)
Light - 4.8 daily (this is some good moving around, walk 3mph, chase kids, clean, waitress, ect, really 8 hrs avg daily?)
Very Light - work/commute 9 x 5 = 45 / 7 = 6.4 daily

Some corrections to my figures perhaps, like if you really work out every single day with same routine.
The Light is probably over estimated at 8 hrs, and you may be thinking work there. But not desk work.
Unless you really do some big hours on a lot of moving around, perhaps major on weekend that avgs out daily to that high level.
So after putting work under Very Light, what was left was 4.8, and I put that under Light in case you really do almost 5 hrs of moving around each and every day. But you may want to look at what those level mean, and you'll probably find adjustment on Light to Very Light. Like you didn't even include MFP time!

So with my figures, and I bet Light needs to be shortened to just house chores and store shopping for the week / 7.

BMR indeed 1399.
Future maintenance as current calorie goal - 2238

I could easily see the workout days burning 600-800 cal, which in true net gets you down to 1638-1438, plus the other activity if Light is accurate, would push you down to or slightly below BMR 5 days a week. Weekends for recovery.

mammacano

Bump

becjerami

Ok, so I'm only on my third day of following this method and I've lost 0.4lbs. That may not sound like much but it's on track for the 1lb a week that I'm aiming for, and I've been hovering around the same weight for a while now. Fingers crossed this continues, slow and steady! I can't believe I can eat over 2000 calories a day and still lose weight, I feel like I'm literally stuffing my face!

If this really does work, Heybales, you're my hero!

pickulz76

Im starting today as well! fingers crossed.

Heybales: Any advice on how many gms of protein or carbs I should aim for? Or is it just calories that we have calculated?

Many thanks!

heybales

Im starting today as well! fingers crossed.

Heybales: Any advice on how many gms of protein or carbs I should aim for? Or is it just calories that we have calculated?

Many thanks!

Most in the game awhile recommend .75 to 1 gram per lb of lean body mass depending on activity level, from sedentary to intense training. But while on a diet, and protein can be more filling, towards the 1.
Which means you need to estimate your bodyfat% to get that.
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

So once you have your grams, you adjust the percentages in the MFP Goals which you already saw, until the number is close, and then adjust carbs/fat % where you want them. Even carbs, higher, lower, or make the fat match.

I personally do better when carbs is slightly below protein, which makes fat higher than some may want to see. I do 30 / 30 / 40 for Carb / Protein / Fat, but aim for more protein than carbs.

When I'm not sick anyway. Don't look at diary lately!

BeautyFromPain

bump

joclougherty

Sorry to keep on but I'm still getting my head around it! What is the difference between doing this and just setting my daily cals to 1600 and adding my exercise? I know it means that I don't have to eat all my exercise cals on the day I've done the exercise but I don't really do that anyway. I usually eat a bit more when I run but not all cals for the day but I do eat more at the weekend and drink wine one night per week. So, in effect I'm really looking at cal consumption for the whole week. I put in my food for the whole week (or just quick add cals eg 500 lunch, 600 dinner etc) so that I can then look at the iphone app and it tells me how many left over for the week so I know I've got some extra if I need them. I wish this website allowed you to look at your weekly cals but it doesn't.

Also, using your method and giving myself 1951 per day (13657 per week) and exercising about 2500-2800 (included in the weekly cals) how much should I expect to lose? I know I will gradually drift down to my goal weight because I will be eating the correct number of calories for that weight, but is it going to take a really long time?

You are correct, if you have no complaints about the MFP total method of exercise calories seperate, and you are indeed correctly eating back, and that means you are staying above your BMR (unless you let your weekly goal be too aggressive and MFP went under by a lot), then you will probably have nothing to benefit from here.
You appeared to have a 750-1000 cal deficit on workout days easy. So in the range of 1.5-2 lbs week. The non-workout days would probably bring that back to 1-1.5 lbs.

This routine does several things.
1 - Keeps daily calories the same. I saw many complaints of folks having difficulty eating exercise calories (or very inaccurate estimates) back the day of exercise. And no desire to do it the next day. Because it looked bad on the diary numbers.
2 - Keeps the rate loss at safe levels. Saw many goals too aggressive for the goal being so close. The more you have to lose, the faster you can do it, but as you get closer, the rate attempted should be less. So this allows bigger deficit the farther from goal weight you are. Smaller deficits as you get close.
3 - Keeps the deficit from constantly going under the BMR by decent sized amounts. This was usually just not understood, until someone stalled, and took advice to eat more. After a potential short gain as BMR recovered. Why not just start with everything burning at full steam.
4 - Causes you to examine daily routine. This is good side effect. Manually adding up TV, games, sleep, compared to gentle walking, specific exercise, ect, can be a real motivator to add in just a bit more.
5 - Weekly balance for extra exercise added but not needing to be recorded. Not as many complaints about this, except back to eating the calories back if that was appreciated.
6 - Calorie cycling. The idea that if you are going to run your net daily calories near or under your BMR, you should have recovery days to keep it up. This does it automatically if you do not exercise and have the exact same activity every single day.
7 - Others I'll add if I remember, within the hour at least.

#

Me again! Right, so I think I worry about not adding exercise cals because for example I was ill on Wednesday so didn't run so that's probably 800 cal burn that is still in my figures for the week but I didn't actually do. That doesn't happen very often but I'm worried about not tracking. So, if I go back to the working out website and put same details but put resting at 10 and very light at 14, it gives me 1766 at my goal weight. Am I right in thinking that's what the goal me should eat every day with no exercise, so if I use that number in MFP and add exercise when I do it, it should still work? Mind you, that's only giving me 185 cals per day less than when I worked it out including running, and yet I probably burn 330ish per day with running so I will end up eating more..... should I reduce my new me cals from my original calculation (including heavy of half an hour per day) of 1951 per day to 1650 maybe and then add exercise as I do it? I just don't feel happy including exercise in my daily calories when I haven't actually done it! What do you think? I really just want you to tell me how many to eat so that I lose 1lb per week without putting it down to 1410 per day which is what MFP gives me at lightly active setting.

digitalmayhap

okay so from what I've gathered

BMR at goal weight + activity = 2188
BMR now now is 2157

Change goal calories a day to 2188.

Seems simple enough to me.

granolagrl85

If I had to drop to maitnance calories for the weight I want to be...I'd eat less than 1200.

becjerami

If I had to drop to maitnance calories for the weight I want to be...I'd eat less than 1200.

I find that hard to believe. I think maybe you should check your calculations

qkidney

bump

nicintime

Bump

thesarahsundae

I was probably half asleep when I wrote this last night. I will look again and do it over. But I do sit at a desk all day. Thank you so much. I've been stuck at the same weight for the past few months and I want to reach my goal. At some point. I work out 4-5 days a week now but plan to bump it to 5-6 starting this weekend. I enjoy a good workout. Thanks again for your help.

becjerami

I was probably half asleep when I wrote this last night. I will look again and do it over. But I do sit at a desk all day. Thank you so much. I've been stuck at the same weight for the past few months and I want to reach my goal. At some point. I work out 4-5 days a week now but plan to bump it to 5-6 starting this weekend. I enjoy a good workout. Thanks again for your help.

I sit at a desk all day too, but according to this method I should be eating at least 2,000 per day considering I also work out moderately 4-5 times per week. I had a quick go at putting your details into this site that Heybales recommended:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

I had to guess your height (I put 164cm). If height is correct your BMR at your goal weight (140lbs?) is 1392 so you should at the very least be netting this amount of calories now. You exercise quite a bit so you need to eat more than that to compensate. Best not to aim for more than 1lb weight loss each week.

I'm a similar weight to you (161lbs) with a similar goal (136lbs) so feel free to friend me if you like.

Best of luck

korygilliam

If you are doing a group to test out results, I am in

Determining my calories now. I have noticed I started losing weight again this last month now that I have increase my calories.

I am also one that the more I eat, the hungrier I seem to be.

toffee322

Ok, so I'm only on my third day of following this method and I've lost 0.4lbs. That may not sound like much but it's on track for the 1lb a week that I'm aiming for, and I've been hovering around the same weight for a while now. Fingers crossed this continues, slow and steady! I can't believe I can eat over 2000 calories a day and still lose weight, I feel like I'm literally stuffing my face!

If this really does work, Heybales, you're my hero!

thanks for sharing the progress.. can i look at your diary?? thanks!

sabrinalg

Bump to read later.

toffee322

Not to throw a curve ball at you, but since you are so close to goal weight, you might benefit from either taking your bodyfat% if you know it and using the same site, but change height to bodyfat% and get more accurate BMR and maintenance calories using the Katch formula.

For getting decent BF%, you can use this site - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

If you don't want to do that, the BMR calc MFP uses is about 5% more accurate within the healthy range, where you are now.
So you may take MFP's BMR calc and add the activity cal's in for total.

May end up being a meaningless amount less, but figured while you are setting it up and so close already, might as well.

thanks.. i never check my BF% i will check it out tonight and see what it gives me.. i am not too heavy or overweight to begin with, i'm fairly small but it's just that i have gained that 10 ish lbs in the past 2-3 years.. which i want to get rid off, or at least few lbs.. and seems like a lot of the weight go to the belly and hip.. my arms/shoulders are still fairly good shape.

heybales

Me again! Right, so I think I worry about not adding exercise cals because for example I was ill on Wednesday so didn't run so that's probably 800 cal burn that is still in my figures for the week but I didn't actually do. That doesn't happen very often but I'm worried about not tracking. So, if I go back to the working out website and put same details but put resting at 10 and very light at 14, it gives me 1766 at my goal weight.
Am I right in thinking that's what the goal me should eat every day with no exercise, so if I use that number in MFP and add exercise when I do it, it should still work? Mind you, that's only giving me 185 cals per day less than when I worked it out including running, and yet I probably burn 330ish per day with running so I will end up eating more..... should I reduce my new me cals from my original calculation (including heavy of half an hour per day) of 1951 per day to 1650 maybe and then add exercise as I do it? I just don't feel happy including exercise in my daily calories when I haven't actually done it! What do you think? I really just want you to tell me how many to eat so that I lose 1lb per week without putting it down to 1410 per day which is what MFP gives me at lightly active setting.

Not really catching everything you are asking questions about, and if it is about this future method, or about MFP's current method?

I'll comment that when you are sick, it is not a bad idea to skip the deficit, especially if that deficit pushed you below BMR all the time. Body needs nutrients, sometimes extra energy (gotta produce extra heat if flu) while you are sick.
So the fact a surprise no exercise day means you have less deficit than normal, no big deal.
And in fact, since this future method spreads stuff out through week, missing one day isn't bad either. Make another day extra long, or several days 15 min longer. Add in a different day. The next week with normal routine, add a walk. It'll balance out close enough.

You appeared to comment that current MFP method worked fine for you, you didn't mind adding in accurate exercise calories and eating them back. In which case I thought you just wanted to fine tune the non-exercise daily activity calorie burn.
In which case, as you say, current BMR plus ExRx daily activity calories (not-including exercise, if you don't make it 24 hrs, it still shows estimate for hours input) as your maintenance, but then probably using slightly above BMR for goal net calories, and eating back exercise.

If you are trying to use the future method, just nail your normal routine, and don't sweat a day where you either add or lose a workout, shorten or increase - just mentally keep in mind if missing a bunch days (vacation), eat under the goal by the number calories you know would normally be burned, like 800. But don't eat under your BMR.

If the schedule really changes, and new routine (changed workout, longer, shorter, extra, less) then adjustment time.

joclougherty

Me again! Right, so I think I worry about not adding exercise cals because for example I was ill on Wednesday so didn't run so that's probably 800 cal burn that is still in my figures for the week but I didn't actually do. That doesn't happen very often but I'm worried about not tracking. So, if I go back to the working out website and put same details but put resting at 10 and very light at 14, it gives me 1766 at my goal weight.
Am I right in thinking that's what the goal me should eat every day with no exercise, so if I use that number in MFP and add exercise when I do it, it should still work? Mind you, that's only giving me 185 cals per day less than when I worked it out including running, and yet I probably burn 330ish per day with running so I will end up eating more..... should I reduce my new me cals from my original calculation (including heavy of half an hour per day) of 1951 per day to 1650 maybe and then add exercise as I do it? I just don't feel happy including exercise in my daily calories when I haven't actually done it! What do you think? I really just want you to tell me how many to eat so that I lose 1lb per week without putting it down to 1410 per day which is what MFP gives me at lightly active setting.

Not really catching everything you are asking questions about, and if it is about this future method, or about MFP's current method?

I'll comment that when you are sick, it is not a bad idea to skip the deficit, especially if that deficit pushed you below BMR all the time. Body needs nutrients, sometimes extra energy (gotta produce extra heat if flu) while you are sick.
So the fact a surprise no exercise day means you have less deficit than normal, no big deal.
And in fact, since this future method spreads stuff out through week, missing one day isn't bad either. Make another day extra long, or several days 15 min longer. Add in a different day. The next week with normal routine, add a walk. It'll balance out close enough.

You appeared to comment that current MFP method worked fine for you, you didn't mind adding in accurate exercise calories and eating them back. In which case I thought you just wanted to fine tune the non-exercise daily activity calorie burn.
In which case, as you say, current BMR plus ExRx daily activity calories (not-including exercise, if you don't make it 24 hrs, it still shows estimate for hours input) as your maintenance, but then probably using slightly above BMR for goal net calories, and eating back exercise.

If you are trying to use the future method, just nail your normal routine, and don't sweat a day where you either add or lose a workout, shorten or increase - just mentally keep in mind if missing a bunch days (vacation), eat under the goal by the number calories you know would normally be burned, like 800. But don't eat under your BMR.

If the schedule really changes, and new routine (changed workout, longer, shorter, extra, less) then adjustment time.

Thanks Heybales, sorry for confusion, I'm confusing myself! What I really want to know is what do you think I should net every day whether I excercise or not? MFP was giving me 1410 on lightly active but I'm always hungry but scared to go up too much. I think I need to have the flexibility of eating more if I exercise but there are so many different BMR calculations I'm not sure what is my bottom line cals to net with just normal activity not including my runs...... For example, if I set MFP to 1650 then add exercise, will I still lost? Head is muddled....I'm just thinking if the other site says me at 140lbs should net 1951 with my runs included then if I make MFP 1650, then if I don't run I'm not going over my daily allowance. Thanks for taking the time, I've joined the group.

heybales

Group is finally done.

And yes, the badge is stupid, I can't draw, and no time to look for free clip art.

Please give me something better.

I guess this link is enough to get there. It's open, unless folks that have dealt with groups recommend differently. I haven't been in any here yet.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3088-eating-for-future-you

heybales

Thanks Heybales, sorry for confusion, I'm confusing myself! What I really want to know is what do you think I should net every day whether I excercise or not? MFP was giving me 1410 on lightly active but I'm always hungry but scared to go up too much. I think I need to have the flexibility of eating more if I exercise but there are so many different BMR calculations I'm not sure what is my bottom line cals to net with just normal activity not including my runs...... For example, if I set MFP to 1650 then add exercise, will I still lost? Head is muddled....I'm just thinking if the other site says me at 140lbs should net 1951 with my runs included then if I make MFP 1650, then if I don't run I'm not going over my daily allowance. Thanks for taking the time, I've joined the group.

Your current BMR was 1453, so on avg you'll probably net 1500 to be on safe side. Some days will be more, some less, using this method. You had a lot of non-exercise activity calories that will burn stuff up.
As to what you set your actual net calorie goal to - that depends on what you honestly came up with for future maintenance calories.
Last was that 1951 you mention above.
And your workout days easily hit over 500 cal burn just for the exercise, and other activity would push you under BMR. But on avg, that should allow you to be just about netting current BMR, so you should not be slowing it down. Nothing constant is being done to it. Just keeping it guessing.

bnice2every1

Bump

Razia20

I have a question. i am at my goal weight so i would like to maintain my weight. i am 19 years old and 5'3. According to MFP I should be consuming 1700 calories a day. Is this ok. I am very sedentary !

heybales

I have a question. i am at my goal weight so i would like to maintain my weight. i am 19 years old and 5'3. According to MFP I should be consuming 1700 calories a day. Is this ok. I am very sedentary !

Depends if you trust the standard activity selection that has 4 broad levels?

If you nail the calories and nothing bad starts happening one way or another, probably right.

If you would like to feel assured that perhaps the suggested maintenance calories really matches up against what you do all week long, visit these instructions
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/477753-how-do-i-do-activity-level-and-calculator

If the values seem off by 200 or more, then it may be beneficial to change your daily net goal to manual and just enter your own.

BTW, those instructions are for doing a different method that you may or may not be interested in doing.
If you do eat back your few exercise calories and plan to use MFP to log those outside your net goal, then do NOT enter any exercise time into that calculator, only normal daily activity.

joclougherty

Thanks Heybales, sorry for confusion, I'm confusing myself! What I really want to know is what do you think I should net every day whether I excercise or not? MFP was giving me 1410 on lightly active but I'm always hungry but scared to go up too much. I think I need to have the flexibility of eating more if I exercise but there are so many different BMR calculations I'm not sure what is my bottom line cals to net with just normal activity not including my runs...... For example, if I set MFP to 1650 then add exercise, will I still lost? Head is muddled....I'm just thinking if the other site says me at 140lbs should net 1951 with my runs included then if I make MFP 1650, then if I don't run I'm not going over my daily allowance. Thanks for taking the time, I've joined the group.

Your current BMR was 1453, so on avg you'll probably net 1500 to be on safe side. Some days will be more, some less, using this method. You had a lot of non-exercise activity calories that will burn stuff up.
As to what you set your actual net calorie goal to - that depends on what you honestly came up with for future maintenance calories.
Last was that 1951 you mention above.
And your workout days easily hit over 500 cal burn just for the exercise, and other activity would push you under BMR. But on avg, that should allow you to be just about netting current BMR, so you should not be slowing it down. Nothing constant is being done to it. Just keeping it guessing.

Sooooo, what should I set MFP to if I want to use your method but add exercise and eat back? At the moment it's on lightly active, lose 1/2lb per week and gives me 1660 cals per day at my current weight.

becjerami

Ok, so I'm only on my third day of following this method and I've lost 0.4lbs. That may not sound like much but it's on track for the 1lb a week that I'm aiming for, and I've been hovering around the same weight for a while now. Fingers crossed this continues, slow and steady! I can't believe I can eat over 2000 calories a day and still lose weight, I feel like I'm literally stuffing my face!

If this really does work, Heybales, you're my hero!

Just thought I'd provide an update on progress. I have been eating on average just over 2000 calories per day since Wednesday (up from around 1350-1750 per day). I should be eating slightly more according to this method but only by about 100 calories, and 2000 is all I can manage at the moment.

I weighed in this morning to find I have lost a further 1.2lbs! And that was weighing in after breakfast (I have always done this before breakfast in the past). That's a total of 1.6lbs so far, which probably means I should be eating a bit more but also doesn't include my rest day (that's tomorrow) so I think I'm doing ok as far as the calculations go.

Other things I've noticed which may or may not be related (but I suspect they are):

I feel warmer (I have always had bad circulation but am now finding that when others complain about the current cold weather, I realise I actually feel just fine! I went jogging this morning in -4 degrees and didn't bat an eyelid)
I have more energy
I have a more positive mood
I fall asleep much faster and sleep more soundly
My body feels more 'solid'
I am starting to regard my body as my ally rather than my enemy