This CAN'T be right!!!!

shakybabe

I'm trying to work out how many calories I need again as my weight loss has come to a standstill.

According to this site for someone 9st 6 (60kg) my BMR should be 1,244.

I have mild involuntary movements so should I add on calories for fidgeting all day? (300-500 cals depending on frequency/muscle spasms or time awake and constantly moving)

Yesterday I was awake 20 hours from 4am.. once my brain wakes up the involuntary movements kick in so even laid down I'm not completely still. I got out of bed about 4.45am did an hour of pilates on the rug, moved about all day tidying up went to sleep at midnight. A day like that I'd guess at the high end an extra 500 adding onto the 1,244 plus the calories for an hour of pilates floor work? (maybe another 300?) so would I work out 1,244+500+300??

Should I set MFP to lightly active or moderately active?

Today I woke up a bit later, still laid in bed, just be in chair all day today (hospital appointment sat around) so maybe I'd only burn an extra 300?

Wondering whether to set it to Lightly active for most days and just add bad days or longer days with extra exercise on to that and eat more that day?

I'm not sure how many extra calories MFP is allowing for each setting?.. anyone know the difference?

I'm currently on sedentary but weight isn't shifting now I seem to be stuck, only got 3lbs to go.

Thanks

yarwell

the BMR is your body ticking over, if you enter sedentary your daily energy is 20% higher than that. So you'll be using at least 1500 calories +/- 100 at a guess for a normal day and more if you add in exercise. Even sleeping metabolic rate is usually at least 50 calories an hour.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html has multipliers for different activity levels.

shakybabe

yes but wouldn't my BMR be higher than average due to the involuntary movements? so should I keep at sedentary and add extra cals for fidgeting?.. or would setting it at an higher activity level allow for that without adding it in seperately?

Pebble321

That's a tricky one isn't it, you are bound to burning more than most people due to all that extra movement happening.
I'd suggest set yourself up at "lightly active" and give that a try for a while as a baseline. Add in extra on the days you exercise and see how that works out for you.
As you don't have much to lose, it's going to take a while so a moderate calorie deficit that you can stick to seems like a good idea.

I think the multipliers look something like:
Sedentary: 1.2
Lightly active: 1.375
Active 1.55

Pebble321

yes but wouldn't my BMR be higher than average due to the involuntary movements? so should I keep at sedentary and add extra cals for fidgeting?.. or would setting it at an higher activity level allow for that without adding it in seperately?

I'd set it higher than sedentary as a base level - because you're definitley not sedentary if you are fidgeting all day, even if you are sitting down (which is the usual definition of sedentary!).
All these numbers are estimates, I think the only thing to do is to try them out for a while and see how your body responds.

shakybabe

Thanks Ruby I'll try that. I just wasn't sure if I needed to add in the extra 300-500 cals each day for fidgeting if I moved up to Lightly active but I'm assuming they would have worked out the calculations on basis you're burning more at that level just moving about.

I think usually you would just eat that amount and not add in the extra exercise as the higher activity level would have accounted for say .. exercising 3 times a week on lightly active or something?

atjays

I don't think your fidgeting is going to add much to your daily "burn" . To be honest I would not count it at all. If you really eat an extra 800 calories a day solely because you fidget, you very well could over compensate and not be in a deficit. If I were you I'd eat a solid 1600-2k calories and get a good 1hr exercise in. healthiest way to lose weight is by using exercise to create that deficit for you.

yarwell

yes but wouldn't my BMR be higher than average due to the involuntary movements

no, BMR is core body functions without any fidgetting, digesting food etc. Those things come on top of BMR.

I think you use a wheel chair ? That surely is the definition of sedentary.

You haven't said how much you're eating or opened your diary. If your BMR is that low then MFP's target for food is presumably pinned at the 1200 minimum - this may not give a deficit for you if your metabolism has slowed in response to weight loss and calorie restriction.

Pebble321

Thanks Ruby I'll try that. I just wasn't sure if I needed to add in the extra 300-500 cals each day for fidgeting if I moved up to Lightly active but I'm assuming they would have worked out the calculations on basis you're burning more at that level just moving about.

I think usually you would just eat that amount and not add in the extra exercise as the higher activity level would have accounted for say .. exercising 3 times a week on lightly active or something?

I'd assume that the "lightly active" setting is covering your daily activities around the house plus the fidgeting. I don't think many people are truly sedentary, this gives you very low base calories.
If you do extra exercise I'd add it on.
Really though, I'm just guessing, you're going to have to try it and see what happens!

yarwell

"The activity factor lightly active corresponds to walking 2 hours per day"

Pebble321

yes but wouldn't my BMR be higher than average due to the involuntary movements

no, BMR is core body functions without any fidgetting, digesting food etc. Those things come on top of BMR.

I think you use a wheel chair ? That surely is the definition of sedentary.

You haven't said how much you're eating or opened your diary. If your BMR is that low then MFP's target for food is presumably pinned at the 1200 minimum - this may not give a deficit for you if your metabolism has slowed in response to weight loss and calorie restriction.

Sitting around at home or work is what I tend to think of as sedentary. Sitting (or lying) down but constantly moving is going to be a different kettle of fish (sorry ShakyBabe, not meaning to call you a fish!).

Your BMR may not be higher, though depending on what is going on in your body, it's possible that it is higher or lower than you would expect in a woman your age without an neurological condition.

But, the level of calories you burn going about your daily tasks (MFP's activity level) is going to be higher than someone who isn't constantly moving. Of course it's really going to depend on you, but doing household tasks from a wheelchair is already more difficult than it would be for someone with full mobility, and adding in involuntary movements is going to make some of those tasks harder still. You might not be walking around, but I'm betting you would burn a whole lot more than someone who sits on the couch or at a desk and only moves to reach for the remote or to answer the phone.

yarwell

we can back calculate what the actual total daily energy expenditure is - if she doesn't lose or gain weight for a month it equals her food intake ?

Pebble321

we can back calculate what the actual total daily energy expenditure is - if she doesn't lose or gain weight for a month it equals her food intake ?

Yes, I think testing the numbers out in the real world is going to be the best way to go.
There are too many variables that are hard to account for (sedentary but moving for example).

FrostyFour

Although you do fidget a lot, I would honestly not add anything. Sedentary means that you don't do anything, but it also calculates light everyday activity... walking, or in your case wheeling around... I would think your fidgeting would still count under sedentary exercise. I may not be chairbound, but 90% of my day is either sitting at a computer or sitting feeding my baby. I use the sedentary lifestyle option and it seems to be working for me. I wouldn't go so far as to call your movements being "lightly active"... now if you were to wheel around all day nonstop, that would be different.

shakybabe

I am at sedentary and haven't lost for a month.

My usual was to eat at 1200, though week before TOTM its probably closer to 1600 due to cravings and usually having more carbs and chocolate but I do make sure I burn off equivalent extra calories in exercise. eg when went to pizza hut for lunch and ate 1050 cals I stayed on passive trainer for 90 mins till I had burned off 1050. we were also shopping that day so pushing myself around stores in manual chair, (about 2 hours) only get pushed on uphill slopes as i can't manage them.

My passive trainer pedals burns 158-162 cals per 15 min cycle so just over 600 for an hour on it. I try and do that at least 30 mins if I don't have energy to get out of chair onto floor to do pilates etc as that is more exhausting for me for level of control I need to be able to do it. (wear weights on arms and legs to steady them a little more too when doing Wii/Pilates)

The bike I can just park in front of .. strap legs to it and it pedals them for me while I'm watching telly, doesn't even feel like I'm exercising!

Usually I push myself around house on either manual chair or rollator seat pushing with feet as its quicker. Use powered chair only for specific jobs where i need the height from seat riser (working in kitchen/hanging washing out) so I'm burning as much as possible. I have to use mobility scooter to walk dog as live in village no pavement some parts and chair can't handle playing fields.

days like today is hospital app I'm gonna be sat around in powered chair most of day waiting to go in or for ambulance transport so around 3-4 hours would be spent sitting in same chair, where usually I move about from room to room more at home.

I know the involuntary movements can actually amount to a lot of calories by the end of the day. someone mentioned on here they worked with guy with Huntingtons and it was their job to make sure he ate 6,000 cals a day!! and he was completely unable to control any movement, been fed and everything so all movement was involuntary muscle movement. Mine aren't that bad I do have some functional use of arms and legs but they shake with any intended movement (intention tremor) and movements are jerky in general. Even at rest like sat in waiting room with no need to move, my hands will be flexing and arms and legs stiffen and relax involuntarily. (looks similar to mild athetoid cerebral palsy if you've ever seen anyone with that).

Speaking gets exhausting for me quickly so have to use communication aid for long explanations now to doctors etc, but usually speak at home with family who used to my voice and can work out what I'm trying to say. sometimes I type it out on iPad if its really long sentence and I'm tired already.

Anyway got to go take dog out and get ready for ambulance transport, I'll try eating at lightly active for non-exercise days like today and adding it on extra cals for big sessions on bike/Wii?.. or maybe just eating back half of the 'additional exercise' cals?

Thanks :flowerforyou: