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

EmRobo

good info

Brinasacat

Save for later

beckajw

Hmm, so, my BMR (calculated by MFP) is 1,275... I have a desk job (programming) so that is sedentary... 1,275 x 1.2 = 1,530. Subtract 500 and that gives me 1030 calories a day.

I have the same problem. If you subtract 500 from my TDEE it's 1000 or less (depending on the BMR calculation).

Stop subtracting 500. Its not just about getting rid of 3500 cals a week its a matter of getting rid of the proper amount of calories for you contingent on your age, height, weight, body fat% and goal.
Sometimes 500 isnt enough and sometimes its wayyyyyy too much.

I believe OP is trying to show that taking a certain % from TDEE is more substantial than just cutting 500, 1000, 3500 etc...
It's custom.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map <---read the instructions. I lay everything out to help you have a true fat burning diet.

First, don't tell me what to do.

Second, I don't subtract 500 from my TDEE. I was only commenting that if I did, it would be under 1200.

ironanimal

Hmm, so, my BMR (calculated by MFP) is 1,275... I have a desk job (programming) so that is sedentary... 1,275 x 1.2 = 1,530. Subtract 500 and that gives me 1030 calories a day.

I have the same problem. If you subtract 500 from my TDEE it's 1000 or less (depending on the BMR calculation).

Stop subtracting 500. Its not just about getting rid of 3500 cals a week its a matter of getting rid of the proper amount of calories for you contingent on your age, height, weight, body fat% and goal.
Sometimes 500 isnt enough and sometimes its wayyyyyy too much.

I believe OP is trying to show that taking a certain % from TDEE is more substantial than just cutting 500, 1000, 3500 etc...
It's custom.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map <---read the instructions. I lay everything out to help you have a true fat burning diet.

First, don't tell me what to do.

Second, I don't subtract 500 from my TDEE. I was only commenting that if I did, it would be under 1200.

The poster was trying to help you. Don't bite their head off because it's not what you want to hear. 500 calories a day may well be too much for you and you would probably be better off tailoring your weight loss to yourself rather than following the generic 1lb/week loss.

Angelhurt

bump

LFDBabs

bump

good info

mandie0378

Wow! That means I'm falling about 300 calories short even before I workout. Would explain why I've only lost 5lbs in over 2 months. Thank you for the information.

XtyAnn17

Bump

awidener86

This makes complete sense!!!! I'm gonna have to try it out!

everinm

That's what I having been during the last 6 months. I wish have this information before, at least I was able to figure it out.

Thanks for the post, great explanation of how to calculate the right calorie income to loose weight.

Don't give up guys,it really works.

melanieparker13

BUMP

thamre

bump to read later

moniqueonline

Great advice! I really needed to understand this ...thanks a lot!

willing2try

Another great article! It just makes sense.

lindrusso

I'm a bit confused on this now. Someone please explain.

So if I'm understanding this right, using my BMR x 1.2 = 1690, then I need a 500 daily deficit to lose 1 lb weekly so my daily Cal goal is now 1190? I always thought that NO ONE should go below 1200 per day???

And if I workout then I can re-add those burned calories so as not to fall even further below 1190? right? help.

Why is there not a "confused" smiley in the Add Smiley options?

My BMR is about the same as yours. I think that MFP automatically adjusts it up to 1200 (which is what they have me set to), even if your own personal BMR calculates out lower than 1200.

All I know is I'm not using anything lower than 1200 - 1200 is hard enough!

rhogar00

bump

kimi72

@ 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

wtf? YOU are a mother of 3 teenagers and have grandbabies???????? You look SO YOUNG in your profile pic, I thought you were younger than me, and I'm 28. DAMN!

LOL Thanks I will be 40 this year... I am American Indian and we age very gracefully!

Jbradbury1964

:noway:

I've been quoted...

I want to add a few things to clarify stuff. The "chart" that I posted originally that was quoted was using example numbers of a specific person's BMR. You need to know your BMR for it to work. Conveniently, MFP has a BMR calculator (it's under the Tools tab.) There are also lots of different sites around the internet that have calculators using different formulas, my personal favorite is the Katch-McArdle formula, as that takes individual muscle mass into consideration. Of course, if you don't know your body fat percentage, just stick with the MFP number, it's gonna be close enough.

The full formula I was referring to is "BMR x Activity Factor = TDEE"
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which is the total number of calories you burn on a normal day. BMR is the total number of calories you would burn if you were in a coma, in other words, just enough to maintain vital organ function and maintenance. The real goal is to find your BMR, then use that to calculate your TDEE (be honest with your activity level, the only person you hurt lying about it is you,) then NET somewhere between those 2 numbers and you will lose weight.

What does NET mean? It means "Food Eaten - Exercise Calories Burned." This is an important distinction, as most people just pick BMR and decide to just eat that. But, when you burn calories while exercising, you are essentially erasing those calories from your diet for the day. So, if your BMR is 1400, and you choose to eat 1400, and then you exercise and burn 800 calories on a nice long run, then you've only netted 600 calories. Most people will agree that if you eat 600 calories a day without exercising, it's not healthy. Well, netting 600 calories a day is equally unhealthy, as the body doesn't recognize a difference between the too. Either way, it only has 600 calories to run and maintain your vital organs with (when you exercise, your body uses that energy as it happens, it doesn't think about whether it should save some to keep your heart beating, as far as the body is concerned, you aren't on a treadmill, you're running from a tiger, and if the tiger catches you, well, it won't need to worry about keeping your heart beating, anyway.)

So, recap. Use the BMR calculator, and then figure out your TDEE from there. Pick a number between them, and NET it consistently. Lose weight. Enjoy life. :drinker:

I quoted Tigersword because it made sense to me. I didn't clear out the calorie results from the calculations that were made...sorry for that.

I just could not understand why I stalled in my weight loss and why all previous diets failed. When I saw this in print (I'm a visual learner) it just seemed like a light bulb went off! I made the changes and lost 3 lbs in 9 days! I have read many other posts and try to learn as much as possible.

I just thought others would like to read Tigersword's post because it worked for me! I am 48, 5'8 3/4, 238lbs (now) work in an office and I am not very active on the weekends. However, I walk 15-20 mins, 2x a day during the week on my breaks. My metabolism was non-existant and now that I know how many calories I need (yes I eat my exercise calories as well) I feel more self assured doing this life changing event of losing weight to be healthy.

Thank you Tigersword for helping me see what I was doing wrong. I know MFP has a different calculation but I have tweaked it to work for me.

Several people have already quoted the way to success: Figure out your caloric intake, eat them, eat your exercise calories and eat a healthy diet. We are all different and lose weight differently, that's a given. However, knowing HOW to lose weight is pretty equal across the board.

Good luck to all and remember: BE PATIENT AND PERSISTANT! Don't worry how much you will lose in a month but how much you will lose in a year from now.

Goofygoose

Great info!

TitanGM

Good reference!

linda768

bump

Larry0445

BUMP!!!!!

Larry0445

:happy:

n048

bump !!!

Pauline3290

Bump

sans5souci

I've been trying to make sense of eating back exercise calories and calorie deficits for a while now and none of it has really made much sense. This equation is the only one that hasn't seemed as confusing.

According to the equation, my calculations are as follows:

My bmr is 1434.
My TDEE is 1434 * 1.375= 1971
1971-500= 1471
1471+ 800 calories burned= 2271

So, then, does this mean that if I want to continue to burn 800 cals/day I need to consume a total of 2271 calories?

And on days that I don't work out, do I only have to consume 1471 calories?
How many net calories should I aim for?

jennbeaudry

bump

04ward

Bump

HealthyLeeLee

Bump

silverpeach37

There is a slightly different BMR equation for females. It goes as follows:

655+(4.35 X weight in pounds) + (4.7 X height in inches) - (4.7 X age)


Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) is another formula that can be used according to level of daily activity.

The physical activity factors to plug into the equation are:

Sedentary ( daily living) - (men and women) 1.0

Low activity( 30-60 min. moderate activity) - 1.11(men), 1.12 (women)

Active( at least 60 min. moderate activity) - 1.25 (men), 1.27 (women)

Highly active ( 60 min. vigorous activity or 120 min. of moderate activity) - 1.48 (men), 1.45 (women)


For men 19 years old and up:

EER= [662-(9.53X age)] + physical activity X [(15.91 X weight lbs. ) + ( 539.6 X height inches)]

For women 19 and up:

EER= [354 - (6.91 X age) ] + physical activity X [ (9.36 X weight in lbs.) + (726 X height inches) ]

When you use these formulas, remember to figure everything in the parenthesis ( ) first, then combine that with other numbers in the brackets [ ] , before multiplying and then adding.

Hope this helps. :happy: