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

shrinkinginQualicum

Basic rule with any good weight loss program is that if you plateau you're metabolism has slowed and you need to make it ramp back up. It can slow because you are eating too little, or exercising too much without eating the calories back. Either way, the thing to do is increase your intake back to your maintenance calories for a few days, then drop back down. This has your body relax because it sees it's getting enough nutrition, so your metabolism increases again. Then, keep eating back any exercise calories, to keep it up. You will plateau occasionally anyway, that's normal if you are eating ess than maintenance calories. Just keep the cycle going -- eat more for a few days, then go back to your weight loss intake.
Exercise is also almost essential to keeping your metabolism high. But if you don't eat back your calories you will stop losing weight, because again, your body will worry it's not getting enough and slow down your metabolism.
So EAT, EAT...it's okay.

saintsfanatik

I'm confused actually. MFP says my calorie intake goal to go with my sedentary job is 1600. I thought it was already calculating what I should eat to lose weight. If I don't eat all those calories it says I'm not eating enough.

Can someone clarify?

You're correct. When you first entered your weight goals, remember it asked you how much weight you wanted to gain/lose (e.g., 1/2 pound a week, 1 pound a week, etc.)? That's the deduction it makes from your BMR. So, the calorie goal that MFP automagically calculates for you is what you need to consume IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. Exercise knocks off any calories consumed. You then have a choice to (a) "eat back" those calories (yay...more food--within reason!!), or (b) "bank" that as additional weight loss (again, within reason, or bank it for a day you may go over your allotted calories in a week).

tinamina78

I got some info from a previous poster and I wanted to share because I think it's helpful. It seems to me that there are MANY ways to do this weight loss / get healthy thing and that the majority of them are just fine. It all boils down to what works best for you; It's a personal preference. I think we should all try and be more tolerant of other people's ways of trying to get it done (I'm not condoning clearly unhealthy things, of course). Anyhoo... here's what they said. Take it how you will; it broadened my horizons a little and that makes me happy :happy:

The quote is below, anything in [ ... ] is something I added for clarification. This is opinion from another poster, not my personal opinion, and I do not know where they got the info from.

"[in my opinion] as long as you're maintaining a healthy deficit relative to your overall TDEE that BMR doesn't really matter.

BMR, of course, is your basal metabolic rate.

[Each one of these acronyms is a different way to create a calorie deficit:]

EAT = Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (what you burn through exercise)
NEAT=Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis (what you burn other than exercise through movement)
DIT=Diet Induced Thermogenesis (also called Thermic Effect of Food, TEF)
EPOC=Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (20-30 calories at most)

If you are sedentary, a safe deficit may take you below BMR because EAT and EPOC might be 0 and NEAT might be very small.

If you do exercise a lot, then it's going to move your safe deficit level above your BMR. However, I don't see that the body differentiates between calories burned in each of those processes."

cressievargo

Hmmmm it's still not happening for me. My sedentary BMR of 1766, less the 500 = 1266. My calorie intake is between 1200 & 1300 per day and my carb, protein and fat ratios fall roughly in line with the pie chart recommendations. I've been using the app for 4 weeks and not lost so much as an ounce.
Obviously, I'm going wrong somewhere but don't know where/how?
Any suggestions
:grumble:

You need to eat at least your BMR

cressievargo

Hello all!

I am fairly new to MFP (20 days in) but my daughter has been on for almost a year. We were talking about how we are losing inches but not pounds so my daughter started doing some research. She found quite a few posts on what to do but this following post makes it all so clear! Looking back at my diary, I was leaving 500-800 calories per day not eaten and I was not eating back the exercise calories either. On top of that, I was not at my correct caloric intake. No wonder I was not losing the weight! So, my fellow friends in need; I want to share this golden information with you! Feel free to add me as a friend as well!! Good luck my friends! I know you can do it...I believe in YOU!! :flowerforyou:

POSTED BY TIGERSWORD:

BMR is the amount of calories needed to survive in a coma. Maintenance calories are BMR x activity level. Based on the BMR you gave:

Sedentary: BMR x 1.2 = 1766 calories

Lightly Active: BMR x 1.375 = 2024 calories

Moderately Active: BMR x 1.55 = 2282 calories

Vigorously Active: BMR x 1.725 = 2539 calories

Extremely Active: BMR x 1.9 = 2797 calories

So, based on your daily activity level, which depends mostly on your job, you would be at any of those calorie levels. Take that number, subtract 500, and that's your calorie goal. If you burn extra calories by exercising, you add those to your goal.

Example, sedentary = 1766 maintenance. To lose a pound a week, you eat 1266 a day. If you burn 200 calories exercising that day, you eat 1466, which maintains that 500 calorie deficit. 1766+200=1966 maintenance calorie needs for that day. 1966-500=1466. That's why you eat exercise calories back, because your maintenance need increases when you exercise, and you need to account for that to ensure proper nutrition.

The easy part of all of this, is MFP automatically does this for you, as long as you set the goals accurately.
Edited by tigersword on Thu 03/01/12 03:28 PM


This is my equation: EXAMPLE: 1890x1.375=2598.75BMR-500=2098.75+276(burned calories) =2374.75

I will need to eat 2374.75 calories to loose weight. Eat what you want, just eat healthy as well! :drinker:


To change your BMR go to: settingsupdate file/fitness programchange to whichever BMR best suits your activity level.)

This is not entirely accurate. You shouldn't eat below your BMR. You would burn your BMR if you were in a coma...so adding any activity is an automatic deficit from that...which is why as the activity level goes up so do the baseline calories.

kadins_momma07

Glad you said that...Same thing going on here. I'm a little confused too.

cressievargo

A lot of people seem to be posting that you should not eat below your BMR. They provide no real source for this information. I see no reason that your BMR even matters except as part of the equation for TDEE. A calorie burned for BMR is no different than a calorie burned for Exercise Associated Thermogenesis or the other components. TDEE=EAT+NEAT+BMR+EPOC+DIT

BMR are calories you would burn IN A COMA. So if you eat below your BMR you are not giving your body enough fuel for even the most basic functions.

kadins_momma07

Hi everyone....I haven't been through all of the 6 or so pages of replies to this post, but I've looked at about 2 pages and am still slightly confused! The calories that MFP says I have available, should I be eating all of that or what?

My BMR is 1,613
My TDEE is 2,782

Soooo, how many calories should I be eating per day? I try to exercise at least 40 minutes most days of the week. My diary is public in case anyone wants to take a look. Any help/advice is welcomed!! Also, are people getting the 1.2 that they are multiplying their BMR?

Thanks.

billcastro123

Bump! Bump! Bump! It works like a champ!

anitasongs

How amazing is this ! I too am eating more calories than I have ever on a Diet and I am losing and feeling satisfied. Go figure.
Eat more and exericise more and lose weight... So eating carrots which I love is not the only way.
An Ahhaaaa moment. Wish I had learned this 30 years ago. I can do this this time.
Eat to lose weight and not starve myself.
23 lbs down and 200 to go

Anita

giggitygoo

saving for later.

missjoci

bump for later.

luvmycoffee

Bump!

MAponte73

I'm confused actually. MFP says my calorie intake goal to go with my sedentary job is 1600. I thought it was already calculating what I should eat to lose weight. If I don't eat all those calories it says I'm not eating enough.

Can someone clarify?

I am a bit confused with this aswell.

MAponte73

What does "BUMP" mean?

RoughDiamondUK

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.

skinnyb450

Bump

Helloitsdan

I smell tigerblood!
#winning

taffgirl

Sometimes I struggle to eat my exercise calories, especially if I do a long run like 500-600 calories. However, I am not as strict at dieting on weekends, it is OK to "save" exercise calories for the weekend?

Smudjie

bump