Advice on calorie intake and sedentary vs. lightly active.

desiv2

Hi everyone!

I am a 22 year old female and weigh 265 pounds. I've been reading a lot on calorie intake goals, an when I started I always did 1200 because that's what you see or hear all the time. At least for me. Well I recently learned that it might be too low, which may account for my slow down in weight loss.. I've lost around 49 lbs, but the past few weeks it has been very inconsistent. I'm also concerned about not having anywhere to go once I lose the weight and need to lower my calories again.

I also need to know if my job I considered lightly active. I work in retail, I'm standing 5-7.5 hours a day, walking, pushing racks, and lifting up to 28-32 lbs occasionally. I will buy a pedometer if I need to know how many steps I average. In the past I always used sedentary.


Finally, If I do need to increase calories what are some ways to do it healthily? I'm so used to 1200 calories a day I often only eat a little over 1000 and don't have the appetite. There has to be something going on to account for my lack of recent weight loss! Thanks!

NearlyJen

I posted this to my friends yesterday - reposting it here:

I wanted to share something that has made this all a little easier for me. I used this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 and came up with the number of calories I shoot for every day to lose weight (1500), but I also came up with my TDEE and using this as an "upper limit" for weekends and parties feels like I'm getting wiggle room but still keeps me from actually eating more than I burned off that day. I don't know if this will help anyone but instead of feeling like a failure that i am going over a diet max, I get a little space and can still stay under my TDEE max. The glass is half full more often that way and I'm a little less harsh on myself.

rileysowner

Is that what this site gave you? If so, I would be very surprised. With you age and weight your BRM would be substantially over that. Follow the link above to the in the place of a roadmap, friend Helloitsdan as a very helpful resource, and set your calories that way, or use the MFP goal tool, enter your information with no more than a 1 pound per week goal and net those calories (that is eat them plus the calories you burn off with exercise.)

mystiqaleyes

Hi Desi, I've always found that when my calorie intake is too low my body goes into "starvation mode" and I don' lose anything. Your calorie intake is definitely way too low! For instance when I started I weighed 190 lbs and my calorie intake was set at a little over 1400 per day (using the tools MFP provides to arrive at this amount). I have been following this and have been consistently losing 1-2 lbs per week - it takes time to take it off! MFP will decrease your calorie level as you lose the weight. You might try doing higher calorie swaps to increase your calorie intake such as whole milk instead of skim or full fat yogurt instead of light or fat free. Hope this helps somewhat... best of luck in your weight loss journey..this is a wonderful sight for tips and support!

LorinaLynn

On your feet all day is not sedentary. Even a desk job alone doesn't make one sedentary. A desk job plus doing absolutely nothing else - ie, coming home from work then playing video games or watching tv all night - would be sedentary.

rachelleahsmom

I posted this to my friends yesterday - reposting it here:

I wanted to share something that has made this all a little easier for me. I used this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 and came up with the number of calories I shoot for every day to lose weight (1500), but I also came up with my TDEE and using this as an "upper limit" for weekends and parties feels like I'm getting wiggle room but still keeps me from actually eating more than I burned off that day. I don't know if this will help anyone but instead of feeling like a failure that i am going over a diet max, I get a little space and can still stay under my TDEE max. The glass is half full more often that way and I'm a little less harsh on myself.

Thanks for putting in this link!

Betty_Canada

All right, I'll bite. So, I walk back and forth to work daily (it's about 20 minutes either way over a bridge three days a week, and about ten minuted either way over level ground twice a week), and two days a week, I'm on my feet for three hours teaching a class.

Is that enough to be considered lightly active if I'm not actually "working out"? Or should I be considered sedentary and add the exercise (such as it is), which is what I've been doing? I always though "lightly active" meant you had to be lifting weights or jumping in Spandex or something, and nothing else counted.

=Betty=

rileysowner

All right, I'll bite. So, I walk back and forth to work daily (it's about 20 minutes either way over a bridge three days a week, and about ten minuted either way over level ground twice a week), and two days a week, I'm on my feet for three hours teaching a class.

Is that enough to be considered lightly active if I'm not actually "working out"? Or should I be considered sedentary and add the exercise (such as it is), which is what I've been doing? I always though "lightly active" meant you had to be lifting weights or jumping in Spandex or something, and nothing else counted.

=Betty=

Lightly active here on Myfitnesspal would be pretty much what you described. As stated above sedentary is a sitting job, sitting in the car/bus/taxi too and from work, and sitting at home most of the time watching TV and the like. It is basically not walking, standing for the vast majority of the day. It is your choice. I have mine currently set at sedentary but include my activity as exercise and eat the calories. I do this because of a recurring knee problem which will hopefully be corrected by surgery on Oct 31st. When my knee acts up, all activity is gone and my day consists of lying down with my leg up, and as few times moving around as possible until it settles down. When that is passed, I will probably change things up and go with the In Place of a Road Map calorie setting.

gp79

Keep in mind that weight loss isn't necessarily linear. Things such as spikes in sodium or carbohydrates on one day can cause an in crease or minimize the losses you may expect. If you are consistently in a deficit, over time you should continue to lose weight. Troubleshooting your body at first is one big challenge. It's easier for some than for others. Eventually you'll find the sweet spot that allows you to be energetic, feel satisfied and allow you to meet your weight goals.

rileysowner

Finally, If I do need to increase calories what are some ways to do it healthily? I'm so used to 1200 calories a day I often only eat a little over 1000 and don't have the appetite. There has to be something going on to account for my lack of recent weight loss! Thanks!

As to what to eat, without seeing your food diary it is almost impossible to comment.

TonyaBtrfly

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less


Good luck!

:drinker: :drinker:

TonyaBtrfly

:bigsmile: :drinker:

desiv2

Thank you everyone! I have to say the support group here exceeds expectations. I didn't expect so many good replies so fast!

desiv2

I posted this to my friends yesterday - reposting it here:

I wanted to share something that has made this all a little easier for me. I used this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 and came up with the number of calories I shoot for every day to lose weight (1500), but I also came up with my TDEE and using this as an "upper limit" for weekends and parties feels like I'm getting wiggle room but still keeps me from actually eating more than I burned off that day. I don't know if this will help anyone but instead of feeling like a failure that i am going over a diet max, I get a little space and can still stay under my TDEE max. The glass is half full more often that way and I'm a little less harsh on myself.

Thank you for this link, it was very informative and insightful. I will take his advice and find all these numbers, and use those to find my calorie goal.

desiv2

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less


Good luck!

:drinker: :drinker:

Thank you! These links were awesome, I have them all bookmarked!

desiv2

Is that what this site gave you? If so, I would be very surprised. With you age and weight your BRM would be substantially over that. Follow the link above to the in the place of a roadmap, friend Helloitsdan as a very helpful resource, and set your calories that way, or use the MFP goal tool, enter your information with no more than a 1 pound per week goal and net those calories (that is eat them plus the calories you burn off with exercise.)

No, I'm very new to the site. In fact when I looked at the calories it gave me, is when I really began to question if there was something wrong. It was telling me 1440 for sedentary and 1660 for lightly active. I'm learning quite a lot today, and thank you for your quick reply.

Also, in reply to your other post. I eat mostly lean meats, lean chicken, lean turkey, lean ham, extra lean beef on occasion. Chicken is the main meat, just made in different ways, but never fried. With that I eat a lot of steamed vegetables, brown rice, some soups. Nearly everyday I have a sandwich for lunch because of work, with fat free cheeses and low calorie bread. My food diary tends to look like this everyday. Work is a big reason for the things I eat, I work different hours every week, and sometimes wont get to eat lunch until 3pm or supper until 8pm. My snacks tend to be popcorn, sugar free jello/pudding, cheese sticks on occasion, apples, oranges, or pretzels. Not always the best, but always less than 200 calories.

I'm not sure that was what you were looking for, but I think I could figure out how to increase the calories in a healthy way. It can be hard to wrap your head around ADDING calories to your diet! lol

desiv2

Hi Desi, I've always found that when my calorie intake is too low my body goes into "starvation mode" and I don' lose anything. Your calorie intake is definitely way too low! For instance when I started I weighed 190 lbs and my calorie intake was set at a little over 1400 per day (using the tools MFP provides to arrive at this amount). I have been following this and have been consistently losing 1-2 lbs per week - it takes time to take it off! MFP will decrease your calorie level as you lose the weight. You might try doing higher calorie swaps to increase your calorie intake such as whole milk instead of skim or full fat yogurt instead of light or fat free. Hope this helps somewhat... best of luck in your weight loss journey..this is a wonderful sight for tips and support!

Thank you! I suppose I should just trust what the website says. It's hard to wrap your mind around that sometimes! Thank you for the tips, and perhaps I'll add a food favorite of mine I have avoided-- peanut butter! Lol.. we'll see how it goes, thanks for your advice and encouragement.

rileysowner

Hi Desi, I've always found that when my calorie intake is too low my body goes into "starvation mode" and I don' lose anything. Your calorie intake is definitely way too low! For instance when I started I weighed 190 lbs and my calorie intake was set at a little over 1400 per day (using the tools MFP provides to arrive at this amount). I have been following this and have been consistently losing 1-2 lbs per week - it takes time to take it off! MFP will decrease your calorie level as you lose the weight. You might try doing higher calorie swaps to increase your calorie intake such as whole milk instead of skim or full fat yogurt instead of light or fat free. Hope this helps somewhat... best of luck in your weight loss journey..this is a wonderful sight for tips and support!

Thank you! I suppose I should just trust what the website says. It's hard to wrap your mind around that sometimes! Thank you for the tips, and perhaps I'll add a food favorite of mine I have avoided-- peanut butter! Lol.. we'll see how it goes, thanks for your advice and encouragement.

Why do you avoid peanut butter. Unless you are allergic it simply requires measuring it out and not eating huge amounts of it so you go over your net calories. Basically if you start cutting out the fat free stuff and eat a moderate amount of normal fat or lower fat options you would probably find your calories go up. You are definitely lightly active based on what you described, and don't forget to eat the exercise calories if you exercise. That 1600ish calories includes your calorie deficit already and does no include exercise calories.

Basically you need to realize you don't have to starve yourself or completely avoid foods you enjoy, you just need to cut back to a moderate deficit. The only exception about cutting stuff out is if eating that food triggers a desire to keep eating so you go over your calories. Then you would be better avoiding it completely.

NCchar130

I have a desk job and I don't use sedentary for my activity level. I think of sedentary as someone who barely moves all day, for whatever reason.

I had back surgery a few years ago and spent 8 weeks mostly laying in a recliner as I wasn't allowed to sit upright for more than 15 minutes, wasn't allowed to bend and lift anything, was restricted from lifting anything (from a standing position) heavier than a gallon of milk. I was told to get up and walk slowly for about 5-10 minutes every few hours. That is my new definition of a sedentary lifestyle!

desiv2

I have a desk job and I don't use sedentary for my activity level. I think of sedentary as someone who barely moves all day, for whatever reason.

I had back surgery a few years ago and spent 8 weeks mostly laying in a recliner as I wasn't allowed to sit upright for more than 15 minutes, wasn't allowed to bend and lift anything, was restricted from lifting anything (from a standing position) heavier than a gallon of milk. I was told to get up and walk slowly for about 5-10 minutes every few hours. That is my new definition of a sedentary lifestyle!

I've always assumed if you didn't workout consistently everyday you were not lightly active, don't ask me where I got these assumptions from... haha. I also read somewhere to always 'set it one below where you think it should be' and that is why I always used sedentary. Honestly, when I first started I assumed anyone as fat as me couldn't be active in the least! I see now that perhaps I should think of myself as lightly active. I just have to remember if upping my calories a little doesn't help or makes things worse, I can always take a step back. Thank you for your input.

desiv2

Hi Desi, I've always found that when my calorie intake is too low my body goes into "starvation mode" and I don' lose anything. Your calorie intake is definitely way too low! For instance when I started I weighed 190 lbs and my calorie intake was set at a little over 1400 per day (using the tools MFP provides to arrive at this amount). I have been following this and have been consistently losing 1-2 lbs per week - it takes time to take it off! MFP will decrease your calorie level as you lose the weight. You might try doing higher calorie swaps to increase your calorie intake such as whole milk instead of skim or full fat yogurt instead of light or fat free. Hope this helps somewhat... best of luck in your weight loss journey..this is a wonderful sight for tips and support!

Thank you! I suppose I should just trust what the website says. It's hard to wrap your mind around that sometimes! Thank you for the tips, and perhaps I'll add a food favorite of mine I have avoided-- peanut butter! Lol.. we'll see how it goes, thanks for your advice and encouragement.

Why do you avoid peanut butter. Unless you are allergic it simply requires measuring it out and not eating huge amounts of it so you go over your net calories. Basically if you start cutting out the fat free stuff and eat a moderate amount of normal fat or lower fat options you would probably find your calories go up. You are definitely lightly active based on what you described, and don't forget to eat the exercise calories if you exercise. That 1600ish calories includes your calorie deficit already and does no include exercise calories.

Basically you need to realize you don't have to starve yourself or completely avoid foods you enjoy, you just need to cut back to a moderate deficit. The only exception about cutting stuff out is if eating that food triggers a desire to keep eating so you go over your calories. Then you would be better avoiding it completely.

I always avoided it because I thought it was too high in calories, just like I wouldn't eat anything that isn't fat free or reduced fat or sugar free..However, I've learned that some things are better for you even if they are high in calories and as long as they fit into your goal, you can have them. Peanut butter also tended to go along with white bread and jelly for me. It was just easier to avoid it, but I see it as an easy way to increase calories. I'm still learning. lol

I will remember to eat the calories if I exercise. I tended to eat more on days I exercise, even before. I often found I didn't have the energy to exercise. I would have to do it early in the morning so that I could get it in, because by the time i got off work I was done for. I still lost the weight, but I hope along with the increase in calories will come better energy and I'll hit my 3-4 times a week goal.

Betty_Canada

I've always assumed if you didn't workout consistently everyday you were not lightly active, don't ask me where I got these assumptions from... haha. I also read somewhere to always 'set it one below where you think it should be' and that is why I always used sedentary. Honestly, when I first started I assumed anyone as fat as me couldn't be active in the least! I see now that perhaps I should think of myself as lightly active. I just have to remember if upping my calories a little doesn't help or makes things worse, I can always take a step back. Thank you for your input.

That's okay, I've always made the same assumption. I think it has to do with the diet and fitness industry telling us for decades that nothing counts unless it involves handing them money for a gym membership. We're just brainwashed is all. *grin*

I second HelloItsDan's great road map thread. He explains it in a way that makes sense. I'm eating somewhere between 1450-1600 calories a day with a target of 1500 because I can't function on 1400 or less. I never really knew why until I saw that my Katch McArdle BMR is only around 1250 calories, so at 1375 (which another site suggested), I was literally on the edge of starving once I factored in my activity.. Unless you are about three foot nothing, you can't survive on 1,000 calories a day long term unless your diet is nothing but protein and fat. And the lack of any variety will drive you mad long before you make any progress.

Mostly my calorie add back ins are fruit, nuts (almonds and cashews and sunflower seeds, mostly), cheese, pickles, garlic sausage, and smoothies made with pure whey protein, fruit and yogurt. Your mileage may vary.

Riley'sOwner: Thanks for clarifying on the lightly active issue. Like you, I have a bum knee, and some days on the weekend, it decides we're not walking, or it's too cold to walk (I live in an area where -40C highs in the winter are not unheard of), so my exercise level does fluctuate somewhat. But it's good to know I'm on the right track with tracking it manually. I generally only worry about eating it back if it's enough that eating normally would put me under 1300 - usually if it's 1/3 or more of my calorie intake in exercise, I'll eat half of it back. I went through this kind of stupid thing for a few weeks where I was packing and moving 40-50 pound boxes for delivery at work and then I was eating most of it back because my net calories would have ended up being <500 a day for weeks on end if I hadn't.

=Betty=