calories? (NROLFW vs Scooby)

texas4242

Hi All-

I am trying to understand the difference in my calorie calculations between NROLFW and Scooby (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/). I am 180lbs, 5'4, 37years old, 31% bf.

NROLFW calories are:
RMR= 1382
Non w/o= 1658
Workout= 1935

Scooby calories are:
TDEE= 2416
Daily Calories= 1933 (20%- for fat loss).
(I used the 3-5 days/Moderate exercise multiplier. This puts my fat loss around 1lb each week.)

Per these calculations, there is a 300 difference on non workout days. And furthermore, if i happend to have a BMI under 25%, then I would be eating 1934-2,211 calories according to the NROLFW calculations. Does the NROLFW (over 25% BMI) calculation have a built in 300 cal deficit for fat loss?

I only have 1 wk of NROLFW under my belt and I have been eating per the original calculation in the book (1658-1935 calories) and I am pretty hungry. And in fact, I have woken up starving during the middle of the night a couple of times this week (hence the 4am posting time of this message!).

My other question is about calorie intake further down the line in the program. I can see the workouts become more aggressive and that we start addiing in cardio intervals in stage 2. I am wondering if the 1658-1935 calculation will still be enough calories to support the increased exercise.

Finally, I want to confirm that if I added in a few interval sessions in between lifting, that I should eat back the interval calories. I know the book tries to guide you away from extra cardio, but since i have so much fat to lose, I am wondering if I should add in 1 or 2 to help strip the fat off.

Thanks for any help with my questions! I am getting confused reading through all of the postings on the forums about these calculations!

natini

I found the same comparison. They are way off. The scooby website is more in line with my BMF calorie burn. I decided to not follow the book. I have other MFP friends that did the same and follow scooby.

I would eat 1933 daily for two weeks and see how it goes. Based on how much you loose you may need to add 100 calories or take away 100 calories. If you add in some extra cardio dont eat the calories back. I actually think when you lift 3 days a week and have a desk job that you are lightly active. Since you are setting yourself to moderate and adding in some cardio there is no need to eat the calories back.

texas4242

Thanks so much for your input. Before I officially move on to TDEE - 20%, I am going to try and up my protein and reduce my fat to see if it helps the hunger. I am currently at 40/30/30 per the book, but I am going to try and aim for 40/25/35 for this week and see how i do.

I did re-read the page in the book where it discusses the Owen formula and it states that Owen is the best formula for "normal weight" women. The book also states that there could be better formula's for obese women. Since i'm considered obese with a BMI of 31%, I'm guessing that it might help me to find an alternate formula from Owens.

xMonroeMisfit

I don't see much difference and i made a promise to myself to do this program in its entirety so i am following the calories in NROLFW. I wonder why mine is considerably higher than yours? I'm eating 2,010 calories a day on non workout days. Are you eating maintenance?

Beeps2011

Following the calories in NROL4W made me GAIN weight (which was FAT, it wasn't muscle...). So, the whole "Eat More to Weigh Less" thing does NOT work for everyone.

If your goal is to lose fat, you really are going to have to pay very close attention to how many calories you are ingesting and, are you losing fat at that number of calories?

If you are 5'4", I really think 1,900 calories is way too much to lose fat. I'm 5'8" and I eat a LOT fewer calories then that (yes, I weight-lift 3 x per week) in order to lose the fat.

BarbellCowgirl

I just plugged you into my NROL4W spreadsheet calculator and it looks like the calculations you have are for maintenance. So if you want to lose fat, you would cut those numbers by 300 per the NROL4W calculations. So 1360 on non-workout days and 1635 for workout days.
That being said, if I ate at a 300 cal deficit per the book's calculations, I would be eating at more like a 600-700 calorie deficit. What I DON'T like about the NROL4W formula is that it doesn't have you take into account your daily lifestyle. I have 3 kids that I chase after, a big house to keep clean,horses and chickens to take care of, and I work part time as a nurse. So I pretty much eat the workout calories every day. I have a BodyMedia and it is almost spot on with Scooby's calculations for moderately active.
Like natini said, if you are sitting at a desk all day and only doing the workouts 3X week, then I'd say go with the lower number. If you are moving most of the day and you're doing the lifting, then start with the higher number and see how it goes. As Beeps said, each body works differently and it might take some trial and error for you to figure out YOURS.
Good luck and welcome to NROL4W!!!

xMonroeMisfit

Following the calories in NROL4W made me GAIN weight (which was FAT, it wasn't muscle...). So, the whole "Eat More to Weigh Less" thing does NOT work for everyone.

If your goal is to lose fat, you really are going to have to pay very close attention to how many calories you are ingesting and, are you losing fat at that number of calories?

If you are 5'4", I really think 1,900 calories is way too much to lose fat. I'm 5'8" and I eat a LOT fewer calories then that (yes, I weight-lift 3 x per week) in order to lose the fat.

Different strokes for different folks, everyone's body is different. I'm 4'11" and losing plenty of fat/inches on over 2,000 calories on REST days.

kellyscomeback

Following the calories in NROL4W made me GAIN weight (which was FAT, it wasn't muscle...)...

Purely curious but how did you know it was fat and not water retention (a pound is a pound, but 1 lbs of muscle takes up less room than 1 lb of fat)?

hannydee

I'm too lazy to make my own thread, but I have another calorie question.

I've just started trying to follow the NROLFW suggested calories for maintenance, which is 2400 on workout days and 2130 on rest days. Was just wondering if a cardio day counts as a workout day though? I tend to alternate lifting days with cardio days, and do between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio on those days, as well as having a job where I'm on my feet all day. So far I've been sticking to 2400 and will just eat 2130 on days of COMPLETE gym rest. Is this right?

lcuconley

I'm too lazy to make my own thread, but I have another calorie question.

I've just started trying to follow the NROLFW suggested calories for maintenance, which is 2400 on workout days and 2130 on rest days. Was just wondering if a cardio day counts as a workout day though? I tend to alternate lifting days with cardio days, and do between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio on those days, as well as having a job where I'm on my feet all day. So far I've been sticking to 2400 and will just eat 2130 on days of COMPLETE gym rest. Is this right?

That is what I do, though my numbers are 1500/1800-2000, depending on the cardio I do.

suelegal

I'm too lazy to make my own thread, but I have another calorie question.

I've just started trying to follow the NROLFW suggested calories for maintenance, which is 2400 on workout days and 2130 on rest days. Was just wondering if a cardio day counts as a workout day though? I tend to alternate lifting days with cardio days, and do between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio on those days, as well as having a job where I'm on my feet all day. So far I've been sticking to 2400 and will just eat 2130 on days of COMPLETE gym rest. Is this right?

That is what I do, though my numbers are 1500/1800-2000, depending on the cardio I do.

This is me. even when MFP says I can eat 2100+ cals, I eat 1500 on none workout days - meaning I do nothing except walking around as part of my usual day. Workout days I will max at 2K cals no matter what the workout.

kellyscomeback

I'm too lazy to make my own thread, but I have another calorie question.

I've just started trying to follow the NROLFW suggested calories for maintenance, which is 2400 on workout days and 2130 on rest days. Was just wondering if a cardio day counts as a workout day though? I tend to alternate lifting days with cardio days, and do between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio on those days, as well as having a job where I'm on my feet all day. So far I've been sticking to 2400 and will just eat 2130 on days of COMPLETE gym rest. Is this right?

Sounds good to me.

deksgrl

You might find that after a couple of weeks, your hunger won't be through the roof. The first couple of weeks I was starving, but that settled down and on non-workout days I can eat a few hundred cals less and the hunger isn't driving me crazy.

Edit: I'm curious what Scooby gives you if you pick the activity level one down from Moderate? Does that put you more in line with the book calculations?