Setting Your Calorie and Macro Targets
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This info is awesome! I have been on MFP for 2 years now. I lost 60 lbs in the first 17 months, but I've stalled for the last 7 months. Partly because I will feel like I'm doing everything right and the weight or body fat still won't come off, so I give up and go back to maintenance. I feel sooooooo stuck and like my body won't go down any lower that 157. I'm really ready to lose my last 20 lbs tho. My question is if I use TDEE - 20% to estimate cal intake, do I eat back any exercise cals?
If you use the TDEE that includes exercise as the option, no you do not. If you use the sedentary/desk job only option, then yes you do.
Are you weighing all your non-liquid food and logging absolutely everything?0 -
This info is awesome! I have been on MFP for 2 years now. I lost 60 lbs in the first 17 months, but I've stalled for the last 7 months. Partly because I will feel like I'm doing everything right and the weight or body fat still won't come off, so I give up and go back to maintenance. I feel sooooooo stuck and like my body won't go down any lower that 157. I'm really ready to lose my last 20 lbs tho. My question is if I use TDEE - 20% to estimate cal intake, do I eat back any exercise cals?
If you use the TDEE that includes exercise as the option, no you do not. If you use the sedentary/desk job only option, then yes you do.
Are you weighing all your non-liquid food and logging absolutely everything?
Thank you so much! Got it. I weigh most things... not everything. But that's not a problem; I can get on that right away. So when taking an average of your cal intake over 10 weeks, was that an average of your daily TOTAL cals? or was that an average of your daily NET cals?0 -
This info is awesome! I have been on MFP for 2 years now. I lost 60 lbs in the first 17 months, but I've stalled for the last 7 months. Partly because I will feel like I'm doing everything right and the weight or body fat still won't come off, so I give up and go back to maintenance. I feel sooooooo stuck and like my body won't go down any lower that 157. I'm really ready to lose my last 20 lbs tho. My question is if I use TDEE - 20% to estimate cal intake, do I eat back any exercise cals?
If you use the TDEE that includes exercise as the option, no you do not. If you use the sedentary/desk job only option, then yes you do.
Are you weighing all your non-liquid food and logging absolutely everything?
Thank you so much! Got it. I weigh most things... not everything. But that's not a problem; I can get on that right away. So when taking an average of your cal intake over 10 weeks, was that an average of your daily TOTAL cals? or was that an average of your daily NET cals?
Total gross calories0 -
In to refer to this later.0
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I have only been on mfp for a few weeks. I took the standard settings it gave me ie to lose 1lb a week it created a deficit of 500 cals.
I have just looked at my macro targets and they are 66:16:18. From all that I have read on here today that seems far too heavy on carbs (although I have no problem sticking to it!)
I weigh 140lbs and am 5ft 6. I only want to lose about 7lbs. I have calculated my BMR as 1340. Using the Harris Benedict formula for lightly active this gives a TDEE of 1840. I wear a fitbit which shows my daily calories burnt as 1840!
I now realise that I should probably reduce my deficit to 250 but what should my macro targets be?0 -
I have only been on mfp for a few weeks. I took the standard settings it gave me ie to lose 1lb a week it created a deficit of 500 cals.
I have just looked at my macro targets and they are 66:16:18. From all that I have read on here today that seems far too heavy on carbs (although I have no problem sticking to it!)
I weigh 140lbs and am 5ft 6. I only want to lose about 7lbs. I have calculated my BMR as 1340. Using the Harris Benedict formula for lightly active this gives a TDEE of 1840. I wear a fitbit which shows my daily calories burnt as 1840!
I now realise that I should probably reduce my deficit to 250 but what should my macro targets be?
Hi!
Did you go through the explanations in the original post?0 -
Yes. If I reduce my deficit to 250 and use your calculation it comes out as 43:29:27. However mfp still uses the one I quoted above.0
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Yes. If I reduce my deficit to 250 and use your calculation it comes out as 43:29:27. However mfp still uses the one I quoted above.
You can over-ride - it explains how to in the post. You have to set them to the nearest 5% though - so I would set at 45/30/25.0 -
Thanks. Seems much more sensible. Just wondered why mfp's seem so way out.0
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Thanks. Seems much more sensible. Just wondered why mfp's seem so way out.
Because they allow you to select more than 1 lb weight loss. Other sites have 2 lb settings, so gotta compete for active user accounts to sell to advertisers.
If you selected 1 lb, honest about activity level, and really ate back all the MFP estimated exercise calories (even if you think inflated), you likely be in the same level.
Those slightly inflated values (which aren't in many cases really) would balance out days of eating perhaps a tad too low.0 -
Bump!0
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ok, so let me get this right.. This has been doing my head in.. lol...
I am 155 and want to be anywhere between 130-135... I mostly sit in my job as I am a Designated Driver but put my activity level to moderately active as I work out anywhere from 3-5 times per week both strength training and usually very intense cardio.. On fat2fit for moderate activity it says I should eat 2184 calories per day..
Now if I want to lose 1 pound a week I need to say subtract 500 from that which puts me at 1684 for the day whether I work out or not..So when I put in exercise I would put 1 calorie burned instead of what I usually burn and not eat them back.. I hope I got this figured out.. lol...1 -
ok, so let me get this right.. This has been doing my head in.. lol...
I am 155 and want to be anywhere between 130-135... I mostly sit in my job as I am a Designated Driver but put my activity level to moderately active as I work out anywhere from 3-5 times per week both strength training and usually very intense cardio.. On fat2fit for moderate activity it says I should eat 2184 calories per day..
Now if I want to lose 1 pound a week I need to say subtract 500 from that which puts me at 1684 for the day whether I work out or not..So when I put in exercise I would put 1 calorie burned instead of what I usually burn and not eat them back.. I hope I got this figured out.. lol...
You got it!0 -
You got it!
wooohooo Thanks.. Been trying to figure out another post and people have even tried to tell me.. This was so much simpler to figure out.. Thank you again...
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Is it normal for the TDEE to be higher than what MyFitnessPal recommended? MFP told me 1280, the TDEE was over 1900.0
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Is it normal for the TDEE to be higher than what MyFitnessPal recommended? MFP told me 1280, the TDEE was over 1900.
Where are you getting the 1,280 from?0 -
That's what MFP gives me when I put in my current weight, goal weight, activity (Lightly active) and my goal (2lb/week).0
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That's what MFP gives me when I put in my current weight, goal weight, activity (Lightly active) and my goal (2lb/week).
That would be your TDEE excluding exercise and reduced by an amount of up to 1,000 (whatever the reduction was to take you to the MFP minimum of 1,200). Your TDEE includes exercise but is before the deficit.
As a side note, I would suggest that you set yor weigh loss target to the recommended 1lb per week,0 -
Thank you very much for you help. I've been going to the gym(weights/cardio) and watching what I eat closely for the last 3 weeks. I was afraid I was not eating enough and causing more harm than good!0
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Thank you very much for you help. I've been going to the gym(weights/cardio) and watching what I eat closely for the last 3 weeks. I was afraid I was not eating enough and causing more harm than good!
Remember that you should be eating at least some of the exercise calories back if you use MFPs settings (I usually suggest 50 - 75% depending on hunger, energy and results)0 -
bump0
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Thank You for this information and Bump.0
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This is awesome information!0
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Are either of these more accurate/better to go by than the other?
I'm 5'3" , 203 lbs, and would like to lose 2 lbs a week.
MFP sets me at 1,390 (eating back what I exercise)
TDEE-20% sets me at 2374 (not eating back what I exercise)
They aren't too far off from one another considering what I work out, doing Insanity and Ripped in 30.0 -
Are either of these more accurate/better to go by than the other?
I'm 5'3" , 203 lbs, and would like to lose 2 lbs a week.
MFP sets me at 1,390 (eating back what I exercise)
TDEE-20% sets me at 2374 (not eating back what I exercise)
They aren't too far off from one another considering what I work out, doing Insanity and Ripped in 30.
If you input the information accurately they should theoretically have the same starting point. However, TDEE -20% =/= 2lb a week which is why you are getting a difference. In your case it would equal a little over 1lb a week.
With the amount of weight your ticker says you have to go, you will be ok at a 2lb a week cut for a little while if you want (less is obviously fine also if you want to go slower).
TDEE less 1,000 calories (which = 2lb a week) would be more like 2,000 calories. The difference between the two is a little large to account for exercise.
What activity level did you pick for the TDEE calculation?0 -
I believe I put the 5-6 hours a week of exercise, I used the http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ website0
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Bump0
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Thank you0
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Bump! Thanks!!0
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I have a peculiar situation. I am 5" tall and weigh 105 pounds. I am 55 years old/young.I do free weights 3 times a week. I do a lot of leg movements while watching TV to strengthen my core. I also do push ups, dips and crunches. Sometimes I do seated cardio or Tracy Anderson arm exercises.
I would like to lose at least 7 more pounds. Right now I have some fat on my midsection and upper arms.
The problem is I have polio. So whatever weight is on my body, they are on the upper portion of my body.
So far I have lost something like more than 20 pounds. I have some curves that I did not know I still had.
I would like to further tone my body. What should be my macro?
I am from India where food is high on carbs.I don't log my food here. I do so on my plate in livestrong.com as they have a lot of Indian foods on their data base.
I am getting only 30-40 gm of protein. Is it enough?
If I am to increase my protein level , I will have to take protein powder as all source of Indian food will increase my carb level as well.
I am at a plateau. I have tried calorie zigzagging without any result.
Also I think taking protein powder supplement will help me break the plateau as well as bat wings.
I can also look at lowering my carb level without lowering my total calorie.
I am quite comfortable with 1200-1400 calories..........what I mean is my weight has stabilized there.I never do any diet plan that I cannot do long term.
Please help me.0
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