Here's why you're not losing weight! Follow this equation!

stephaneb74

OK MFP has me confused.... I got the part were you should not eat below your BMR.... mine calculated here and on fat2fit and averaged for the 3 different equations should be : 2454 cals per day.
my TDEE factor is 1.2 as I am mostly sitting at a desk during the day so : 2944.8 I have/want to lose about 100 lbs so I figured 2lbs a week was a good rate to start.... hence 1000 cals deficit..... 1944.8 cal (close to MFP recommendation).... with eating back most calories from exercise. great, so far it has worked good for me... now my concern is at 1944 cla/day, I am about 500 cals under my BMR.... so should I be concern at the moment ? What do you guys think ?

(for the record, I drink plenty of water, I am losing weight regularly, I stay within my dietary proportions except maybe for cholesterol and sodium wich is hard to control for me at the moment.... and I exercise every day with more or less intensity, usually low impact like walking etc...)

Chrissy979

OK, someone help me, I have read several forums all to do with the same thing and I am still confused.

If my BMR shows as 1631( I used the fitness frog site) , and my activity level is Sedentary ( I sit at a desk all day), am I calculating my equations correctly?

1631 X 1.2 = 1957.2 = TDEE
1957.2 - 500 = 1457.2 = Calorie Goal

I would like to lose 1.5 to 2lbs per week, I have 50-60 lbs to lose. I have been trying to stay within 1200 calories, including my excersising as that is what MFP stated. Should I actually be eating closer to 1400 calories?

deksgrl

. now my concern is at 1944 cla/day, I am about 500 cals under my BMR.... so should I be concern at the moment ? What do you guys think ?

With 100 pounds to lose, you should be okay. Reevaluate every so often as you lose weight.

Editing to add: You should run it by your doctor.

deksgrl

OK, someone help me, I have read several forums all to do with the same thing and I am still confused.

If my BMR shows as 1631( I used the fitness frog site) , and my activity level is Sedentary ( I sit at a desk all day), am I calculating my equations correctly?

1631 X 1.2 = 1957.2 = TDEE
1957.2 - 500 = 1457.2 = Calorie Goal

I would like to lose 1.5 to 2lbs per week, I have 50-60 lbs to lose. I have been trying to stay within 1200 calories, including my excersising as that is what MFP stated. Should I actually be eating closer to 1400 calories?

If you haven't been losing anything for 3 weeks or so, I would try upping your calories.

missfancy1980

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

tinamina78

@ Tinamina78.. Thanks.. Sometimes I exercise sometimes I don't. I am a single mom of 3 teenagers and have 2 grandbabies so my evenings are taken. I do try and take the stroller and walk fo 30 mins but it doesn't happen often. I will really try to start getting closer to my cal. Thanks for the advice

My pleasure! We are all here to support each other

tinamina78

OK, someone help me, I have read several forums all to do with the same thing and I am still confused.

If my BMR shows as 1631( I used the fitness frog site) , and my activity level is Sedentary ( I sit at a desk all day), am I calculating my equations correctly?

1631 X 1.2 = 1957.2 = TDEE
1957.2 - 500 = 1457.2 = Calorie Goal

I would like to lose 1.5 to 2lbs per week, I have 50-60 lbs to lose. I have been trying to stay within 1200 calories, including my excersising as that is what MFP stated. Should I actually be eating closer to 1400 calories?

Your calculations look good (based on my experience... I am NOT a doctor or dietician)! I would suggest upping your calorie goal to 1450 (eat back any exercise too). Make sure your additional calories are made up of lean proteins and good fats (chicken, fish, nuts, dairy, etc.). And DON'T despair after one week where you may or may not lose (possibly even gain that first week). Your metabolism needs some time to adjust and consistency (plus patience) are all you need. You can do it!!!

deksgrl

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

Protein = meats, fish, eggs & dairy, beans, nuts & seeds.

tinamina78

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

I Googled "low fat, high protein" and found this link with a list of "easy low-carb, higher protein snacks."

Hope this helps! :flowerforyou:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/snacks.htm

missfancy1980

Thanks a lot, it does help I don't eat meat however, and little fish

slim4son2012

Brill topic Hun please add me I need all friends I can get I am 19 st 11 andnso want to lose the healthy way instead of fad diets xxx

OpenHeaven

bump

nml2011

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

It doesn't necessarily have to be fresh... frozen veg and berries are cheap around £1 a packet;

Not eating meat will make things difficult but not impossible.

You can have:

Eggs - Omlettes with cheese & veg are particularly awesome, boiled eggs, scrambled & poached too
Whole Milk
Cheese
Cottage Cheese - I mostly blend this into other stuff, great in low carb pancakes!
Try and up your fish intake a bit, tinned tuna, smoked mackeral, frozen cod and haddock and salmon is quite cheap.
Last resort is to supplement with whey which per serving isn't too expensive.

ladyluch99

BUMP

mtcHavingItAll

Great post! Thank you so much for sharing this important information! Knowledge is power!

JamCubeChi

Bumping for later.

tinamina78

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

It doesn't necessarily have to be fresh... frozen veg and berries are cheap around £1 a packet;

Not eating meat will make things difficult but not impossible.

You can have:

Eggs - Omlettes with cheese & veg are particularly awesome, boiled eggs, scrambled & poached too
Whole Milk
Cheese
Cottage Cheese - I mostly blend this into other stuff, great in low carb pancakes!
Try and up your fish intake a bit, tinned tuna, smoked mackeral, frozen cod and haddock and salmon is quite cheap.
Last resort is to supplement with whey which per serving isn't too expensive.

I agree, cottage cheese is a GREAT source of protein and you can add frozen fruits to it for added benefits and it's delicious. Tuna is good tossed into salads (and maybe then you can't taste it as much). I've also read that Edamame (a vegetable) is a good source of soy proteins (see link: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9873/2). Eggs are good and lots of nuts. Almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts... make a big mix of them and portion them into baggies. Easy to grab and go.

Maybe try adding one of these per week and see if that helps. You've got this. Sometimes, it's just getting over the mental blocks and being willing to TRY things you think you don't like... Best wishes!

missfancy1980

Thanks for the replies to my questions... didn't mean to derail the post lol, sorry OP :flowerforyou: I will try all the suggestions. PS I love cottage cheese anyway x

Justacoffeenut

bump for later when can read it all

Lauren8239

Thanks for posting this and the responses..........I have been having a heck of a time eating enough calories. I never realized how important it was. After my workouts, my calories left have been more than the 1200 allotted me. After reading through this thread I will try to eat more. For example, I'm allotted 1200 calories, but I burn usually between 500-1000 cals after a workout. A lot of the information here has helped me see what I'm doing wrong.