i only have 20 lbs to go !! Help

jennygraham08

I've been dieting for quite some time and I only have twenty pounds to go. My calories are set to 1200. I work 40 hours a week constant on my feet. I walk 2 miles typically at a slow pace several times a week. I'm wanting to tone up and become physically fit. Are my calories set too low? my bmr is 1605. any advice is greatly appreciated,

JesterMFP

In my opinion, your calories are set way too low. With 20 lbs to lose, you shouldn't be aiming to lose 2lb a week, and with that kind of lifestyle, your activity level shouldn't be set to "sedentary" - are either of those two things the case? Large calorie deficits can be sustained by obese bodies, with large fat stores, but not so much by leaner bodies. Do you know what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is?

jennygraham08

my tdee is 2534 and bmr is 1635

JesterMFP

Ok, this what I personally would do (and have been doing). I'd take roughly 250 cals from your TDEE and eat at around 2250 - that's including exercise cals, so if you prefer to log & "eat back" exercise calories the way MFP is setup, you could adjust that goal to accommodate. Eg. set your goal at 1900 and eat back exercise calories. It really depends how much you generally burn through workouts though. I'd go with a 250 cal deficit overall but it's probably ok to make it slightly larger at the moment, and reduce it as you get closer to goal.

Given that you're at 1200 at the moment, I'd very gradually increase your cals - maybe by about 100 a week. You might see a slight increase on the scale as you do so, but that's to be expected. More food/waste in your system, and water retention might make you weigh a little more, but it won't be a fat gain.

If you want to "tone up", then continue reducing the fat and try to preserve what lean mass you have with resistance/strength training. Lots of people have really great results with lifting heavy. If you do that while eating at a deficit still, you won't gain any significant amount of muscle, but you'll keep what you already have, and you will see your body change shape.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

If you're stalled (it's hard to tell from your post) it could be from restricting too long. Before I tackled my last 10 lbs I had to go on maintenance for a few weeks because I didn't want to restrict too much. So I ate at my TDEE for a few weeks and then dropped back down to 1400 and started losing again.

If you're not stalled then you can just reset your MFP settings to "lose .5 pounds/week" and it will automatically up your calories.

AliceNov2011

Bump.

jomorie

bump.

jennygraham08

i have actually been using a free version of weight watchers. For the past few weeks I have been staying at the same numbers. It's frustrating so i want to go back to this app. I have my profile set at light activity and to lose 1 lb a week. that with eating back my exercise calories.

tabi26

If your BMR is 1635, I would suggest that you don't NET under that number. Getting some "tone" (or retaining the muscle you already have) requires calories, and heavy weights. Set your diary for 1635, and eat back your exercise calories.

That's the short easy answer. Lol.

Now the long and somewhat confusing answer:

Your TDEE is 2534. So that's the amount you need to sustain.....BUT you say you've been dieting for some time. During this time, have you only been allowing 1200 calories/day? If that is the case, then you MAY have messed with your metabolism a bit. The general rule is you've been eating too few calories for an extended period of time you can lose 5-15% of your original metabolic rate. So, if you use the percentage in the middle (10%) then your TDEE will actually be closer to 2280 calories a day to maintain. So if you want to lose fat, and retain muscle you should set your diary to 1800 (or more) and lift heavy weights. No, you won't turn all "bulky". You'll turn "sexy" lol. You should also try not to NET under your BMR. And remember that TDEE, if calculated correctly, already includes your exercise.

Now for an example. I am 28 years old 5'5". I weigh 145.4 lbs and when I came back to MFP I wanted to lose 20 lbs. I started back at 149.7 lbs. it's been three weeks, and I am down 4.3 lbs in three weeks. That may seem slow, but I don't have much to lose and so the rate doesn't bother me. Every Sunday I calculate my daily averages for the week. Here's my numbers for this week:

Average daily intake: 1969
Average daily NET: 1680
Start weight (last sunday): 146.7
Weight this morning: 145.4
A loss of 1.3 lbs this week.

I don't exercise lol. My TDEE is 2100. My diary is set at 1700. I eat back exercise calories....if I exercise. I try hard not to go over my TDEE. My BMR is 1440. I stay above that number as much as possible.

Why did I choose 1700? My TDEE calculation includes days that I work....but I don't work everyday, so my TDEE will be different everyday. So on days that I don't work, I eat my 1700 and call it a day. And days that I do work, I wear my HRM, divide what it reads by two, and eat those back. This works for ME, it may not work for everyone! But I just wanted to give you an example from someone who wants to lose 20 lbs too .