ONCE you have your TDEE and BMR...next step
Replies
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This explains the whole concept beautifully!
My take on eating more to weigh less.
Posted on 05/07/2012 by lillebanon
I decided to post this here for all my friends to read after typing it up as a very lengthy email to one particular friend. For those who don't know, I started eating more (I went from 1200 cal a day to 2200 cal a day) one month ago, and in these first four weeks I have lost 5 lbs, and 5.75" across my upper body, blasting though a months-long plateau. All without depriving myself!
Everything I know about eating more, I learned from the Eat More to Weigh Less group here at MFP. If you like what you read here, make sure you join the group for some great support!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less
Okay, hopefully I don't ramble too much here. If anything I say doesn't make sense, they probably explain it better in the link above. Basically, eating more is all about providing your body with the fuel it needs so that its not reluctant to let go of the fat.
There is a bit of math involved to figure out how much fuel your body needs, but I'll provide links to online calculators that will guide you through.
First a little glossary:
BF% = Body Fat Percentage
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate. This is basically the number of calories your body would burn if you were in a coma.
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the average number of calories burned by your body per day, based on your average weekly activities. Your full TDEE calories is what you should eat to maintain your current weight.
Cut = The percentage of calories below your TDEE you should be eating to lose weight. This will usually be somewhere between 10% to 15%, MAYBE 20%, but should never be below your BMR.
Metabolic Reset = Eating your full maintenance calories for a period (usually 4 to 6 weeks) to allow your body to repair its metabolism.
Okay. So basically, if you have been eating a very low calorie diet for a sustained amount of time, it can damage your metabolism and slow it down, and cause you to stop losing weight. That is what happened to me eating 1200 calories a day and burning tons of calories running. I was working way too hard and eating way too little to not be losing weight and fat... but I wasn't losing weight or fat!
In my case I felt like my metabolism was damaged enough that I needed to do a metabolic reset. If you haven't been eating very low calories for very long, the metabolic reset step can be skipped, and you can just raise your calorie intake to your "cut" level. A lot of people like the 15% cut. In either case, when you first raise your calories, it is not uncommon to gain a few pounds in the first couple of weeks, but don't panic, it isn't fat, and will melt back off very quickly and then some once your body starts trusting you again. Take some starting measurements as well, because even those who see some gain on the scale at first frequently report inches lost during the same time period. Also, you are going to feel stuffed to the gills and bloated for for the first few days, but your appetite and digestion will catch up within the week. The best part about it is, when you reach your goal weight, you just keep eating your full TDEE, your "diet" was never really a diet, and you don't gain back all the weight!
Watching your macros is a good idea when you start eating more, to make sure you don't add all the calories as carbs! A good ratio that works for most is 40% carbs/ 30% protein/ 30% fat, but that is adjustable to suit you. This ratio leaves plenty of room for some delish carbs.
I would say a minimum of 25% protein though. Eating plenty of protein helps you avoid losing muscle during the process of losing fat. You can customize your macros when you set your goals in MFP if you don't use the automatic calculator. Also aim for 30g of fiber a day. Watching your sodium will help with any bloat as well (2500 mg a day max is a good goal). If you eat meat, it may not be too difficult for you to hit your protein goal, but since I don't, I've added whey protein shakes to most my days. They are always a great easily absorbed source of protein to use after a workout anyway.
Okay, so now, the math. The first thing you need to do is figure out your body fat percentage. If you have had it professionally measured, that is the absolute most accurate method, but the following calculator will get you close enough. Get out your measuring tape!
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/
Okay, now that you have your BF%, head over here for the rest of your calculating, but see my notes below as you go through it:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Steps 1 through 4 are self explanatory.
Step 5 - choose your activity level based on the average number of hours per week that you exercise. However, if you are on your feet and moving about at work, consider that too, not just your "workouts".
Step 6 - Choose your goal. If you think you need to do a metabolic reset first, choose "gain muscle, lose fat" and it will calculate based on your full TDEE. If you want to start at a cut rate, choose the 5%, 10% or 15% option.
Step 7 - Meals per day. However often you like to eat. It really doesn't matter what time of day you eat your calories though, but i think most people like the 5 to 6 times a day for eating (3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks). This doesn't change your final outcome, it only changes the "per meal" averages that this little calculator suggest for various nutrients. But you'll probably want to just track "per day" in MFP anyway.
Step 8 - Research model - Select Katch-McArdle
Step 8a - Remember that BF% you just calculated? Enter it here.
Step 9 - Zero (If you want to read the instructions for calibrating, click on the little link at step 9... it takes a month to do and is pretty much unnecessary unless you are a serious bodybuilder or something).
Step 10 - Enter Macros - 40% Carb, 30% Protein, 30% Fat. Or whatever you decide you are comfortable with.
Scroll down to your results. It will list your BMR, your TDEE, and your TDEE - Cut (Daily Calories based on goal selected in Step 6) if you selected a cut.
Okay, you've got the numbers...now what? Eat your TDEE-Cut, every single day, regardless of exercise. It already has your average daily exercise figured in and your body will respond well to the consistency. BUT, you do still want to track your exercise, and here is why: You never ever ever want to "net" below your BMR on any given day. So on certain days you may need to eat back a PORTION of your exercise calories, to bring your net back up to your BMR.
eg. Your TDEE-Cut is 1900 calories and your BMR is 1400 calories. You have a great workout and burn 600 calories. 1900-600=1300, 1300<1400, so you need to eat 100 more calories, or a total of 2000 calories for that day, to net your BMR of 1400. You never want to EAT less than your cut value, and you never want to NET less than your BMR.
So most days on MFP, you really only pay attention to the "food calories" not the automatically calculated "calories remaining". However, enter your exercise and watch your net to make sure it doesn't drop below your BMR. Your "Food" section should alway end up around your cut level, and your "net" section should never be below your BMR. Did I repeat that enough times?
Okay, now, here is how you modify your goals in MFP to match this new math.
Go to "My Home", click the "Goals" tab. Select "change goals" button. Click "custom" and continue. Change your net calories to your new TDEE or Cut value. Change your fat/protein/carb percentages to your new macro values 30/30/40, change your fiber to 30g, your sodium to 2500 mg. If you aren't already tracking all those things, you may have to add them to your nutrients tracked first.
And that's pretty much it! Sorry its so long... OH, one more thing. If when you submit your completed diary at the end of the day MFP tells you you are going to gain weight, IGNORE IT.
Remember to go back and redo your calculations everytime your lose an additional 5 lbs or so, or if you have a significant change to your average weekly activity level!0 -
thanks for your post that was so informative, i'm just looking for some advice of my activity level i think i might be moderate and i'm wondering if anyone agrees,
about me:
i do 12 hours a week in a restaurant, sometimes on my feet sometimes sitting it varies depending on the day and time,
i also go to uni two days a week so i'm walking around campus a little there
there's also the usual house hold stuff, you know grocery shopping and house cleaning washing etc,
i try to work out about three hours a week (depends on the week)
so given the above i think i might be moderately active does anyone agree?0 -
Thanks for this, it helped me a lot!0
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I am new to the concept - I just started on Tuesday after doing some research and getting some help from another MFP friend who is currently doing this. Can I just verify my stats to make sure I'm headed in the right direction?
I am 5'3, 37 yr old - weigh 210. I workout 4-5 times per week, strength training 2 times per week. My avg burn is between 500-600 on workout days (that is including my strength training per my HRM).
My TDEE is 2217 - 15% cut = 1884.
My BMR is 1568. The past two days I have been netting right at my BMR, but I realize after reading this thread I should actually be shooting for 1884. Is this correct? My total number each week should be 13,188 calories consumed? I really want to make sure I have this understood because it really makes sense! I really try to workout out every day & save the weekends to rest my body... also, I like seeing my exercise progress & don't want to change my calories burned to '1'... if I understand this correctly, I am just completely ignoring MFP's exercise info and focusing on my NET number, because my exercise is already factored into my TDEE, yes? Sorry for all the questions!!
One thing is for sure, in the two days that I have been doing this - I have definitely felt better! More satisfied, for sure!0 -
This explains the whole concept beautifully!
My take on eating more to weigh less.
Posted on 05/07/2012 by lillebanon
I decided to post this here for all my friends to read after typing it up as a very lengthy email to one particular friend. For those who don't know, I started eating more (I went from 1200 cal a day to 2200 cal a day) one month ago, and in these first four weeks I have lost 5 lbs, and 5.75" across my upper body, blasting though a months-long plateau. All without depriving myself!
Everything I know about eating more, I learned from the Eat More to Weigh Less group here at MFP. If you like what you read here, make sure you join the group for some great support!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less
Okay, hopefully I don't ramble too much here. If anything I say doesn't make sense, they probably explain it better in the link above. Basically, eating more is all about providing your body with the fuel it needs so that its not reluctant to let go of the fat.
There is a bit of math involved to figure out how much fuel your body needs, but I'll provide links to online calculators that will guide you through.
First a little glossary:
BF% = Body Fat Percentage
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate. This is basically the number of calories your body would burn if you were in a coma.
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the average number of calories burned by your body per day, based on your average weekly activities. Your full TDEE calories is what you should eat to maintain your current weight.
Cut = The percentage of calories below your TDEE you should be eating to lose weight. This will usually be somewhere between 10% to 15%, MAYBE 20%, but should never be below your BMR.
Metabolic Reset = Eating your full maintenance calories for a period (usually 4 to 6 weeks) to allow your body to repair its metabolism.
Okay. So basically, if you have been eating a very low calorie diet for a sustained amount of time, it can damage your metabolism and slow it down, and cause you to stop losing weight. That is what happened to me eating 1200 calories a day and burning tons of calories running. I was working way too hard and eating way too little to not be losing weight and fat... but I wasn't losing weight or fat!
In my case I felt like my metabolism was damaged enough that I needed to do a metabolic reset. If you haven't been eating very low calories for very long, the metabolic reset step can be skipped, and you can just raise your calorie intake to your "cut" level. A lot of people like the 15% cut. In either case, when you first raise your calories, it is not uncommon to gain a few pounds in the first couple of weeks, but don't panic, it isn't fat, and will melt back off very quickly and then some once your body starts trusting you again. Take some starting measurements as well, because even those who see some gain on the scale at first frequently report inches lost during the same time period. Also, you are going to feel stuffed to the gills and bloated for for the first few days, but your appetite and digestion will catch up within the week. The best part about it is, when you reach your goal weight, you just keep eating your full TDEE, your "diet" was never really a diet, and you don't gain back all the weight!
Watching your macros is a good idea when you start eating more, to make sure you don't add all the calories as carbs! A good ratio that works for most is 40% carbs/ 30% protein/ 30% fat, but that is adjustable to suit you. This ratio leaves plenty of room for some delish carbs. I would say a minimum of 25% protein though. Eating plenty of protein helps you avoid losing muscle during the process of losing fat. You can customize your macros when you set your goals in MFP if you don't use the automatic calculator. Also aim for 30g of fiber a day. Watching your sodium will help with any bloat as well (2500 mg a day max is a good goal). If you eat meat, it may not be too difficult for you to hit your protein goal, but since I don't, I've added whey protein shakes to most my days. They are always a great easily absorbed source of protein to use after a workout anyway.
Okay, so now, the math. The first thing you need to do is figure out your body fat percentage. If you have had it professionally measured, that is the absolute most accurate method, but the following calculator will get you close enough. Get out your measuring tape!
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/
Okay, now that you have your BF%, head over here for the rest of your calculating, but see my notes below as you go through it:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Steps 1 through 4 are self explanatory.
Step 5 - choose your activity level based on the average number of hours per week that you exercise. However, if you are on your feet and moving about at work, consider that too, not just your "workouts".
Step 6 - Choose your goal. If you think you need to do a metabolic reset first, choose "gain muscle, lose fat" and it will calculate based on your full TDEE. If you want to start at a cut rate, choose the 5%, 10% or 15% option.
Step 7 - Meals per day. However often you like to eat. It really doesn't matter what time of day you eat your calories though, but i think most people like the 5 to 6 times a day for eating (3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks). This doesn't change your final outcome, it only changes the "per meal" averages that this little calculator suggest for various nutrients. But you'll probably want to just track "per day" in MFP anyway.
Step 8 - Research model - Select Katch-McArdle
Step 8a - Remember that BF% you just calculated? Enter it here.
Step 9 - Zero (If you want to read the instructions for calibrating, click on the little link at step 9... it takes a month to do and is pretty much unnecessary unless you are a serious bodybuilder or something).
Step 10 - Enter Macros - 40% Carb, 30% Protein, 30% Fat. Or whatever you decide you are comfortable with.
Scroll down to your results. It will list your BMR, your TDEE, and your TDEE - Cut (Daily Calories based on goal selected in Step 6) if you selected a cut.
Okay, you've got the numbers...now what? Eat your TDEE-Cut, every single day, regardless of exercise. It already has your average daily exercise figured in and your body will respond well to the consistency. BUT, you do still want to track your exercise, and here is why: You never ever ever want to "net" below your BMR on any given day. So on certain days you may need to eat back a PORTION of your exercise calories, to bring your net back up to your BMR.
eg. Your TDEE-Cut is 1900 calories and your BMR is 1400 calories. You have a great workout and burn 600 calories. 1900-600=1300, 1300<1400, so you need to eat 100 more calories, or a total of 2000 calories for that day, to net your BMR of 1400. You never want to EAT less than your cut value, and you never want to NET less than your BMR.
So most days on MFP, you really only pay attention to the "food calories" not the automatically calculated "calories remaining". However, enter your exercise and watch your net to make sure it doesn't drop below your BMR. Your "Food" section should alway end up around your cut level, and your "net" section should never be below your BMR. Did I repeat that enough times?
Okay, now, here is how you modify your goals in MFP to match this new math.
Go to "My Home", click the "Goals" tab. Select "change goals" button. Click "custom" and continue. Change your net calories to your new TDEE or Cut value. Change your fat/protein/carb percentages to your new macro values 30/30/40, change your fiber to 30g, your sodium to 2500 mg. If you aren't already tracking all those things, you may have to add them to your nutrients tracked first.
And that's pretty much it! Sorry its so long... OH, one more thing. If when you submit your completed diary at the end of the day MFP tells you you are going to gain weight, IGNORE IT.
Remember to go back and redo your calculations everytime your lose an additional 5 lbs or so, or if you have a significant change to your average weekly activity level!
^^^^^^^^^^^^THANK YOU!!!! It is NOT too long and explains the questions I just posted, perfectly. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! 0 -
I think I've followed all the steps correctly, but needing to make sure that I am fully understanding where I am:
BMR - 1971
TDEE - 3056
TDEE after cut (15%) - 2903
30% protein
40% carb
30% fat
Body fat percentage -- 29.5%
This all makes sense until I get to the NET calorie piece. I have a fitbit device that is connected to MFP tracking daily steps, activity, etc. So, I eat TDEE after cut or 2903 NET because this already takes into account the activity of being moderately active?
Sorry if I'm restating anything that's already been posted, but want to do this right.0 -
thanks..0
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I think I've followed all the steps correctly, but needing to make sure that I am fully understanding where I am:
BMR - 1971
TDEE - 3056
TDEE after cut (15%) - 2903
30% protein
40% carb
30% fat
Body fat percentage -- 29.5%
This all makes sense until I get to the NET calorie piece. I have a fitbit device that is connected to MFP tracking daily steps, activity, etc. So, I eat TDEE after cut or 2903 NET because this already takes into account the activity of being moderately active?
Sorry if I'm restating anything that's already been posted, but want to do this right.
Would someone please confirm that I'm on the right path?0 -
Bump!0
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I think I've followed all the steps correctly, but needing to make sure that I am fully understanding where I am:
BMR - 1971
TDEE - 3056
TDEE after cut (15%) - 2903
30% protein
40% carb
30% fat
Body fat percentage -- 29.5%
This all makes sense until I get to the NET calorie piece. I have a fitbit device that is connected to MFP tracking daily steps, activity, etc. So, I eat TDEE after cut or 2903 NET because this already takes into account the activity of being moderately active?
Sorry if I'm restating anything that's already been posted, but want to do this right.
Would someone please confirm that I'm on the right path?
If your TDEE is 3056, your TDEE -15% cut target would be 2597. You would eat this regardless of your exercise calories.
Thanks!0 -
Thanks for the help. I really appreciate you taking a look at this.0
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I am completely new to this, and still slightly confused. I calculated my BMR and TDEE, and basically, I need to be eating 2,000 calories a day. I went to MFP to reset my goals, and put in 2,000 calories a day, and changed my macros to 40/30/30, and MFP showed that I would be losing about .8 a week...prior to this change, I was at 1600 calories per day, and 2.2 lbs loss per week. Probably a really stupid question, but it seems like upping my caloric intake is counter productive??! Help!0
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I am completely new to this, and still slightly confused. I calculated my BMR and TDEE, and basically, I need to be eating 2,000 calories a day. I went to MFP to reset my goals, and put in 2,000 calories a day, and changed my macros to 40/30/30, and MFP showed that I would be losing about .8 a week...prior to this change, I was at 1600 calories per day, and 2.2 lbs loss per week. Probably a really stupid question, but it seems like upping my caloric intake is counter productive??! Help!
MFP is just spitting out a number ... seen that you changed it manually it makes sense that you now don't fit into the MFP plan as it states ... just ignore it and see the results for yourself ... MFP is a generic calculator and only a website so doesn't know you personally. Everyone is different and individual so not everyone will fit into the mold of it. That is also why we have gone to something like scooby website to get our numbers for ourselves as MFP tend to be a bit off or calculate it too low. Other than that it is a great website :bigsmile:
Also you have your workout cals worked into your cut value and MFP doesn't but look at it like this ... you are now free to eat and lose.
Well done and happy eating.0 -
Thank you --- makes sense! Here goes!0
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I am confused about which "activity level" to choose.
I work a desk job.
Outside of work, I lift weights 3-4x/week (sometimes more on a good week)
I also do cardio 2-3x/week for 15-25 minutes each session (NOT A LOT).
So would I classify this as "sedentary, little to no exercise, desk job)"
OR "Light activity, 1-3x/week"
If I take my workouts into account and choose light activity 1-3x/week... then should i still be logging my workouts into my MFP daily journal?
I feel like I should go with "little to no activity- sedentary" and then log my workouts when I do them. Otherwise, my TDEE will already have my workouts considered in the calculation, and when i log the workout, it will just see it as EXTRA exersise.
Hopefully I worded everything in an easy-to-understand way.
Please help me. I would love to start the EM2WL way of life!!! :happy: :happy:
All help is appreciated. Thank you in Advance.
ME CURRENTLY -
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Hutchy 90 I'm kinda in the same boat.
My BMR figures up at 1570 on avergae from several calculators
I've been trying to eat atleast this much. I have set my calories at 1700 and have been eating my exercise cals back....
I do a Jillian Michaels DVD 5 days a week and run 3 days a week for a min of 25 min...
I cant figure out what my cals sould be and if I should be eating them back....0 -
Hutchy 90 I'm kinda in the same boat.
My BMR figures up at 1570 on avergae from several calculators
I've been trying to eat atleast this much. I have set my calories at 1700 and have been eating my exercise cals back....
I do a Jillian Michaels DVD 5 days a week and run 3 days a week for a min of 25 min...
I cant figure out what my cals sould be and if I should be eating them back....
Hey! I found this in a group called Not-That-Heavy Girls, in a discussion "All those who are 160lbs and under" by MFP member - jsapninz . Anyways, It makes a lot of sense so I thought I'd share.I'm 129 (started at 146) lbs (5'5") on my way to 121 lbs. BMI 21.5
You are exactly right: that when you are in your healthy range it is more difficult to lose because you have less wiggle room between eating at a reasonable cut and still eating enough to be healthy.
I know like you said there is alot of (good, and unfortunately alot of bad) information out there and it can be confusing, especially since most of the people on MFP aren't in the position of not having much to lose. But:
What is important to remember is your cut. This is what you need to maintain to lose weight. If you TDEE is 2300, then you are right in needing the 500 cal cut to lose 1 lb a week (which is healthy loss).
NOW: if you are using TDEE set to anything other than sedentary this technically should include your exercise, so you SHOULDN'T have to add in your exercise cals and eat them back.
HOWEVER, as far as I am concerned, when you are at the range we are there is VERY LITTLE margin for error. Which means if you are off by 250 cals, you blow your goal. And this is VERY easy to be off by when you are using averages of averages.
SO, what I always suggest is to set your TDEE to sedentary (BMR*1.2 multiplier) and then HARD POST all your exercise cals back (WITH a Heart rate monitor for accuracy).
Like I said the important thing to remember is your CUT. If your TDEE sedentary is say 1500 and you want to lose 1 lb a week, then your goal needs to be 1000 cals a day for a 500 cal cut. This number may scare you but look: If you are eating 1300 and burning off 300 cals a day working out you have a 500 cal cut (or 1 lb a week), with a NET intake of 1000. If you are eating 1500 and burning 500 a day, you have a NET intake of 1000. If you eat 1000 cals a day and don't get your butt of the couch to workout, you STILL have a NET intake of 1000 (although you aren't eating very much and you are going to have a VERY difficult time of getting all your nutrients in). You can eat as much as you want (which is why you hear all the "eat more lose more" nazis), you just HAVE to maintain your cut if you want to lose, and using exercise makes it easier to eat a reasonable amount.
The NET and the CUT is what is important. Which is why I reccomend the sedentary TDEE, otherwise there are just SO MANY ways for your cut to be off and where you are where we are you NEED TO BE PRECISE. And using a HRM. A MFP buddy of mine thought she was burning 200 cals more than she was a day until she got one. :grumble:
Either way, if you would like me to run your numbers for you, please feel free to message me.
Good luck on your journey!0 -
Hey! I found this in a group called Not-That-Heavy Girls, in a discussion "All those who are 160lbs and under" by MFP member - jsapninz . Anyways, It makes a lot of sense so I thought I'd share.I'm 129 (started at 146) lbs (5'5") on my way to 121 lbs. BMI 21.5
You are exactly right: that when you are in your healthy range it is more difficult to lose because you have less wiggle room between eating at a reasonable cut and still eating enough to be healthy.
I know like you said there is alot of (good, and unfortunately alot of bad) information out there and it can be confusing, especially since most of the people on MFP aren't in the position of not having much to lose. But:
What is important to remember is your cut. This is what you need to maintain to lose weight. If you TDEE is 2300, then you are right in needing the 500 cal cut to lose 1 lb a week (which is healthy loss).
NOW: if you are using TDEE set to anything other than sedentary this technically should include your exercise, so you SHOULDN'T have to add in your exercise cals and eat them back.
HOWEVER, as far as I am concerned, when you are at the range we are there is VERY LITTLE margin for error. Which means if you are off by 250 cals, you blow your goal. And this is VERY easy to be off by when you are using averages of averages.
SO, what I always suggest is to set your TDEE to sedentary (BMR*1.2 multiplier) and then HARD POST all your exercise cals back (WITH a Heart rate monitor for accuracy).
Like I said the important thing to remember is your CUT. If your TDEE sedentary is say 1500 and you want to lose 1 lb a week, then your goal needs to be 1000 cals a day for a 500 cal cut. This number may scare you but look: If you are eating 1300 and burning off 300 cals a day working out you have a 500 cal cut (or 1 lb a week), with a NET intake of 1000. If you are eating 1500 and burning 500 a day, you have a NET intake of 1000. If you eat 1000 cals a day and don't get your butt of the couch to workout, you STILL have a NET intake of 1000 (although you aren't eating very much and you are going to have a VERY difficult time of getting all your nutrients in). You can eat as much as you want (which is why you hear all the "eat more lose more" nazis), you just HAVE to maintain your cut if you want to lose, and using exercise makes it easier to eat a reasonable amount.
The NET and the CUT is what is important. Which is why I reccomend the sedentary TDEE, otherwise there are just SO MANY ways for your cut to be off and where you are where we are you NEED TO BE PRECISE. And using a HRM. A MFP buddy of mine thought she was burning 200 cals more than she was a day until she got one. :grumble:
Either way, if you would like me to run your numbers for you, please feel free to message me.
Good luck on your journey!
The problem with this post is that too high of a deficit will throw the body into shock and such a steep calorie restriction of 500 and up will in some cases put you below BMR. We never suggest on any day to eat below BMR...your body needs a certain amount of fuel to function. I have found numerous articles and studies that suggest keeping cuts under the 500 mark and finding that 300 is a good sweet spot.
Here we strongly suggest taking a small cut and losing slowly because it is not about dropping weight quick, but losing slowly to try to retain muscle, lifting weights, to help tone what you have because the more muscle you retain as you lose to help burn off the dreaded fat.
Lucia:flowerforyou:0 -
Hello,
I have calculated by BMR TDEE and cut value with the site you recommended. And I'm wondering, could I use MFP to set my "goal" to my BMR and then eat back 80% of my exercise calories to achieve a cut value. I usually burn about 700 cal exercising and that plus BMR is about what my recommended cut value was.
Thanks.0 -
bump0
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Hello,
I have calculated by BMR TDEE and cut value with the site you recommended. And I'm wondering, could I use MFP to set my "goal" to my BMR and then eat back 80% of my exercise calories to achieve a cut value. I usually burn about 700 cal exercising and that plus BMR is about what my recommended cut value was.
Thanks.
We usually recommend the other way around...put your tdee cut value as your goal and then just exercise as normal but do not eat back your exercise cals (unless it's dropping you below BMR) Doing it this way gives you consistency in your calorie intake, as well as it can help you determine if your activity level is correct or too low.
If you find that you are always netting below BMR, then you have likely chosen the wrong activity level and need to bump up your cals a bit.0 -
bump
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Ok, so now you know the numbers, I suggest you then go into MFP Goal custom settings and change daily calorie goal to 1955, carbs 40, prot 30, fat 30, and fiber 30.
So, this takes into account your exercise so you shouldn't have to eat back any extra calories UNLESS (as in this example 1955-1500= 455) you burn over 455 calories. If you burn lets say 655 calories then you would need 200 extra calories on top of the 1955 to NET BMR.
If you make that change to your MFP goals then you can input your exercise and on your homepage of MFP it will show you where you stand with your NET calories...as long as it is higher than your BMR on that workout day you are good to go...if not, then eat calories until you at least NET your BMR.
Okay, just want to make sure I have all this straight. According to the scooby calculator:
BMR = 1241 (this is a bit lower than other calculators I've used, which usually put me somewhere around 1400-1500)
TDEE = 1923 (with 3-5 hours/week exercise)
-15% = 1635
I've gone in and adjusted my goals to 40/30/30 and net calories to 1635. From what I read here, then, when I look at my food diary, I should ignore what it tells me is my daily goal (which includes calories burned from the exercise I've logged, and on an average day would look something like 1800) and aim for 1635 regardless, unless additional exercise would take me below 1241 net.
Is that right?0 -
Can't give an answer Azalais, but I was about to ask exactly the same question!!!! So hopefully we are thinking correctly.0
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Can't give an answer Azalais, but I was about to ask exactly the same question!!!! So hopefully we are thinking correctly.
Moss11, from what I've read elsewhere on the group board, yes, this is correct.
I did totally goof up my stats, though--I wasn't paying attention when I entered my height on the scooby calculator and entered 5 in the centimeters field and 6 in the inches --d'oh!
So mine should really be:
BMR = 1515
TDEE = 2348 (with 3-5 hours/week exercise)
-15% = 1996
I've been averaging about 100kal below that for the last week, though my first day of heavy lifting I did manage 2200. Last night it was a struggle to get to 1900.0 -
Think we are on the right track, simple really. Good for you lifting heavy I am going very steady with the NRWLFW as had back problems in the past. However I think building up the weight will actually strengthen it eventually. Unlike you I have no problem eating my TDEE minus 15% which is 1827. 0
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Since the 1470 cals MFP is recommending has not allowed me to lose ANY weight in the three months I tried it (and if this EM2LW group is correct, I can see why I'm constantly hungry because I'm not eating enough!!!) One of my MFP friends suggested I checked this group out and give it a go to see what happens. So, let me see if I have this straight, I went to the scooby calculator site recommended in one of the earlier stickies and this is what I got based on being 5'9", 187lbs using 3-5 hrs per week of moderate exercise (includes weight classes 2x per week, kickboxing 1x per week, and bellydance 1x per week (plus any practicing I'm so inclined to do and any performances) and a 15% reduction:
BMR 1598
TDEE 2477
Daily Calorie Goal 2106
They recommended 30% protein, 50% carbs, and 20% fat
So based on this I eat 2106 cal/day, on days I exercise if I burn more than 508 cals (the difference between the BMR and the DCG) I eat back only the amount over the 508 (so if my workout burns 560 cals, I can eat back only 52 cals) I do have a HRM that I can track my cals burned in my classes.
Do I have it right?0 -
Yes, that's itSince the 1470 cals MFP is recommending has not allowed me to lose ANY weight in the three months I tried it (and if this EM2LW group is correct, I can see why I'm constantly hungry because I'm not eating enough!!!) One of my MFP friends suggested I checked this group out and give it a go to see what happens. So, let me see if I have this straight, I went to the scooby calculator site recommended in one of the earlier stickies and this is what I got based on being 5'9", 187lbs using 3-5 hrs per week of moderate exercise (includes weight classes 2x per week, kickboxing 1x per week, and bellydance 1x per week (plus any practicing I'm so inclined to do and any performances) and a 15% reduction:
BMR 1598
TDEE 2477
Daily Calorie Goal 2106
They recommended 30% protein, 50% carbs, and 20% fat
So based on this I eat 2106 cal/day, on days I exercise if I burn more than 508 cals (the difference between the BMR and the DCG) I eat back only the amount over the 508 (so if my workout burns 560 cals, I can eat back only 52 cals) I do have a HRM that I can track my cals burned in my classes.
Do I have it right? 0 -
Ok, so now you know the numbers, I suggest you then go into MFP Goal custom settings and change daily calorie goal to 1955, carbs 40, prot 30, fat 30, and fiber 30.
So, this takes into account your exercise so you shouldn't have to eat back any extra calories UNLESS (as in this example 1955-1500= 455) you burn over 455 calories. If you burn lets say 655 calories then you would need 200 extra calories on top of the 1955 to NET BMR.
If you make that change to your MFP goals then you can input your exercise and on your homepage of MFP it will show you where you stand with your NET calories...as long as it is higher than your BMR on that workout day you are good to go...if not, then eat calories until you at least NET your BMR.
Okay, just want to make sure I have all this straight. According to the scooby calculator:
BMR = 1241 (this is a bit lower than other calculators I've used, which usually put me somewhere around 1400-1500)
TDEE = 1923 (with 3-5 hours/week exercise)
-15% = 1635
I've gone in and adjusted my goals to 40/30/30 and net calories to 1635. From what I read here, then, when I look at my food diary, I should ignore what it tells me is my daily goal (which includes calories burned from the exercise I've logged, and on an average day would look something like 1800) and aim for 1635 regardless, unless additional exercise would take me below 1241 net.
Is that right?
Hi
Yes you got it right ! Happy eating0 -
Bump0
