Sanity Check on my BMR/TDEE/Cal Numbers please

Mom2M_and_O

Hi all --

I've been at this for 6 months now and have lost 20 pounds. When I first joined the site, I read up on BMR and TDEE and decided to custom set my calorie goal to 1500 instead of the 1300 MFP wanted to put me on. I didn't exercise and lost average 2/3 lb each week.

After Christmas, I got an HRM and started regular cardio exercises (5-6x/wk) -- Just Dance, Zumba Wii, Leslie Sansone. Weight loss was still fairly steady if not glamorous -- but that's OK. In it for the long haul, not fast unsustainable loss.

Roughly three weeks ago I started 30 Day Shred and kept up the cardio on the weekends. I definitely feel stronger and I can see some toning happening. But I've not lost any weight -- something I've read is normal for people doing 30 Day Shred regularly.

I have a "cheat" day every Saturday. It's the only day of the week that I drink alcohol or indugle in desserts or extra snacks. But overall, I do not have a restrictve diet. It works for our lifestyle. I drink water regularly during the work week -- not as faithful with it at home on the weekends -- but when I do drink something, it's usually water.

I want to lose another 13 pounds, which would put me at the highest point of "healthy" on the BMI scale so I'm not aiming for utra skinny. I read recently that 1/2 lb loss is best to aim for with fewer than 15 lbs to lose, so with that in mind I need a sanity check on my numbers to find out if I'm on the right track or if things should be shaken up a bit.

5'3" 35yo female, last weigh-in 152.6
My BMR (according to MFP) = 1356
BMR x 1.2 (sedentary desk job) = 1627
Extra exercise burn each day = 240 calories (approx)
Daily calorie intake = 1500

I do not typically eat back my exercise calories since I'm already eating more than my BMR. But after six months of doing this and not seeing as much weight loss as I would have expected given all the regular exercise I've worked in for the last 8-10 weeks, maybe it's time to re-evaluate and shake things up a bit.

It seems like there are so many options for "shaking things up". I could go on maintenance for a couple of weeks and eat back my exercise calories. I could work in some different exercise -- which at this point would be joining the fitness center at work to focus on weight training. Or I could vary my daily calories but keep my weekly intake steady. Or I could just keep doing what I'm doing. The array of choices is dizzying.

Any suggestions for which to try first?

katy4399

I am interested in this as well. Good Luck Mom2M_andO

tabi26

Do you use a heart rate monitor? Do you weigh your food? If you don't, these two things alone could could move the scale.

Definitely add weights! I'm a firm believer in weights. And not just weights, but HEAVY weights. This will help you lose inches, and will probably shake things up enough to get that scale moving in the right direction. Good luck!

graysmom2005

I find that this really works well. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Your BMR may be wrong, first of all. MFP says mine is 1400 something, but I got some metabolic testing done and it's 1607. You aren't sedentary. You work out most days! So if you do a good workout, take your 1356 and multiply it by 1.5 I think it is. Subract the 250 (.5 a pound) from that number and that is what you eat. That would be 1784 on a good workout day. If you don't workout eat 1627. HTH!

Phrak

Hi all --

I've been at this for 6 months now and have lost 20 pounds. When I first joined the site, I read up on BMR and TDEE and decided to custom set my calorie goal to 1500 instead of the 1300 MFP wanted to put me on. I didn't exercise and lost average 2/3 lb each week.

After Christmas, I got an HRM and started regular cardio exercises (5-6x/wk) -- Just Dance, Zumba Wii, Leslie Sansone. Weight loss was still fairly steady if not glamorous -- but that's OK. In it for the long haul, not fast unsustainable loss.

Roughly three weeks ago I started 30 Day Shred and kept up the cardio on the weekends. I definitely feel stronger and I can see some toning happening. But I've not lost any weight -- something I've read is normal for people doing 30 Day Shred regularly.

I have a "cheat" day every Saturday. It's the only day of the week that I drink alcohol or indugle in desserts or extra snacks. But overall, I do not have a restrictve diet. It works for our lifestyle. I drink water regularly during the work week -- not as faithful with it at home on the weekends -- but when I do drink something, it's usually water.

I want to lose another 13 pounds, which would put me at the highest point of "healthy" on the BMI scale so I'm not aiming for utra skinny. I read recently that 1/2 lb loss is best to aim for with fewer than 15 lbs to lose, so with that in mind I need a sanity check on my numbers to find out if I'm on the right track or if things should be shaken up a bit.

5'3" 35yo female, last weigh-in 152.6
My BMR (according to MFP) = 1356
BMR x 1.2 (sedentary desk job) = 1627
Extra exercise burn each day = 240 calories (approx)
Daily calorie intake = 1500

I do not typically eat back my exercise calories since I'm already eating more than my BMR. But after six months of doing this and not seeing as much weight loss as I would have expected given all the regular exercise I've worked in for the last 8-10 weeks, maybe it's time to re-evaluate and shake things up a bit.

It seems like there are so many options for "shaking things up". I could go on maintenance for a couple of weeks and eat back my exercise calories. I could work in some different exercise -- which at this point would be joining the fitness center at work to focus on weight training. Or I could vary my daily calories but keep my weekly intake steady. Or I could just keep doing what I'm doing. The array of choices is dizzying.

Any suggestions for which to try first?

Typically if you are using an activity factor to calculate your TDEE you would not eat your exercise cals back as they have been accounted for already. If you are in the gym 1-3 times a week your factor would be closer to 1.3 not 1.2.

I also like the idea of diet breaks, every 12 weeks take a 2 week break to eat at your newly calculated maintenance. Soft reset the body's horomones, and get a bit of a mental vacation from the diet.

Mom2M_and_O

Do you use a heart rate monitor? Do you weigh your food? If you don't, these two things alone could could move the scale.

Definitely add weights! I'm a firm believer in weights. And not just weights, but HEAVY weights. This will help you lose inches, and will probably shake things up enough to get that scale moving in the right direction. Good luck!

Yes, I love my HRM! I know they aren't 100% accurate but it has really motivated my exercise in a way that nothing has ever done before. I'm religious about weighing and measuring, although I know there's going to be a margin of error in there somewhere, particularly since I do eat out for lunch or dinner a few times a week and am not so anal that I carry my food scale with me! :laugh:

ArroganceInStep

What Phrak said, also check this post: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

While there are a tremendous amount of options available to you, it really doesn't have to be that complicated.

1) Figure out your max caloric intake to achieve the weight loss you desire (remember that whatever calculation you use is just an estimate, you'll need to adjust as needed to get the results you want)
2) Get adequate protein
3) Get adequate dietary fat
4) Do some kind of resistance training
5) Do some kind of cardio (it's debatable on if this is helpful, but I read on The Rapid Fat loss Handbook that cardio may be necessary for women to lose the last bit of weight. Additionally it's just good for you so I've always added it in even though I'm not a women nor am I on my last few pounds of loss)

At the end of the day, the only thing that REALLY matters is (1), but to lose weight 'well' the other 4 points can be useful.

Mom2M_and_O

Hi all --

I've been at this for 6 months now and have lost 20 pounds. When I first joined the site, I read up on BMR and TDEE and decided to custom set my calorie goal to 1500 instead of the 1300 MFP wanted to put me on. I didn't exercise and lost average 2/3 lb each week.

After Christmas, I got an HRM and started regular cardio exercises (5-6x/wk) -- Just Dance, Zumba Wii, Leslie Sansone. Weight loss was still fairly steady if not glamorous -- but that's OK. In it for the long haul, not fast unsustainable loss.

Roughly three weeks ago I started 30 Day Shred and kept up the cardio on the weekends. I definitely feel stronger and I can see some toning happening. But I've not lost any weight -- something I've read is normal for people doing 30 Day Shred regularly.

I have a "cheat" day every Saturday. It's the only day of the week that I drink alcohol or indugle in desserts or extra snacks. But overall, I do not have a restrictve diet. It works for our lifestyle. I drink water regularly during the work week -- not as faithful with it at home on the weekends -- but when I do drink something, it's usually water.

I want to lose another 13 pounds, which would put me at the highest point of "healthy" on the BMI scale so I'm not aiming for utra skinny. I read recently that 1/2 lb loss is best to aim for with fewer than 15 lbs to lose, so with that in mind I need a sanity check on my numbers to find out if I'm on the right track or if things should be shaken up a bit.

5'3" 35yo female, last weigh-in 152.6
My BMR (according to MFP) = 1356
BMR x 1.2 (sedentary desk job) = 1627
Extra exercise burn each day = 240 calories (approx)
Daily calorie intake = 1500

I do not typically eat back my exercise calories since I'm already eating more than my BMR. But after six months of doing this and not seeing as much weight loss as I would have expected given all the regular exercise I've worked in for the last 8-10 weeks, maybe it's time to re-evaluate and shake things up a bit.

It seems like there are so many options for "shaking things up". I could go on maintenance for a couple of weeks and eat back my exercise calories. I could work in some different exercise -- which at this point would be joining the fitness center at work to focus on weight training. Or I could vary my daily calories but keep my weekly intake steady. Or I could just keep doing what I'm doing. The array of choices is dizzying.

Any suggestions for which to try first?

Typically if you are using an activity factor to calculate your TDEE you would not eat your exercise cals back as they have been accounted for already. If you are in the gym 1-3 times a week your factor would be closer to 1.3 not 1.2.

I also like the idea of diet breaks, every 12 weeks take a 2 week break to eat at your newly calculated maintenance. Soft reset the body's horomones, and get a bit of a mental vacation from the diet.

Ok, I think I'll give the new maintenance TDEE a shot then -- 1356 x 1.3 = 1762. That's effectively the same thing as eating back my 240 exercise calories now.

Phrak

Right, now if you want to lose 1lb per week you would subtract 500 cal from that and go for it. But id suggest a more moderate deficit as you dont have the calories to play with as someone like myself whos maintenance is about 4500 cal.