Confirmation of what I probably already know

edessad

Hi,

I am 49 years old, am 5ft 11.5 inches tall and weigh 269lbs (19st 3lb for UK members).

According to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ my BMR is about 2300 with my TDEE being about 2800 and I currently have a calorie intake of about 2050 per day (300 more than MFP suggests).

I log my burned calories in the notes section of my diary but do not add them to my calorie amounts nor do I eat them back.

I work out (mainly cardio) 5 hours a week burning about 3000 calories over the week and on average lose about 3lbs a week. I have just started doing some minor weight lifting to tone my abs and lose my man boobs (mainly low - weight hi reps)

My Lean Body Mass seems to drop about 1lb for every 5 lost and my BMI has gone from 45 to 37 since I started dieting on 1 Nov 2012.

My questions:

Am I eating enough?
Do I need to increase my calorie intake above my BMR?
Is it likely I am burning muscle rather than fat?

I am reluctant to eat more as I don't want to stop losing by taking in more calories and I am not sure I can fit in more exercise.

I would like as much advice as possible so I can make an informed decision, although I think it will be confirmation of what I already know I should do.

My diary is open and I look forward to all your views.

Thanks

ALittleBitLess1

Thats pretty amazing! how do you feel? listen to your body, if you feel good then you are probably doing ok just as you are. These tools tend to suggest slower weight loss than most of us would like as is can be more successful in the long term. Personaly i need to see some consistent changes to keep me motivated.
So as long as you feel well I would stick with what you are doing. As your body gets used to exercise it has to work less to the do the same amount so every now and then you need to push it up a bit to get the same results, just like you are doing with the weights.

ALittleBitLess1

OOh, but i would suggest a health check if you havent had one, dont want to put too much strain on your heart

PoleBoy

I would recommend you slow the weight loss, I ended up with some complications when I was losing 1 lb per week.

millipedey

I would keep the calories as you are, but up the protein and do more strength training.

lucylousmummy

your close to what my starting weight was, i think when you weigh more the weight comes off in greater amounts and fast at first, when i hit 200 it slowed down to a crawl lol
i think your doing fabulous and if its working for you then keep at it, as has been suggested though it may be worth going to the docs for a health check just to be on the safe side

good luck x

spamantha57

Generally I think you're doing fine. You seem to be eating right, have balanced amounts of nutrients, and are getting decent exercise. I wouldn't think there would be a problem if you are feeling perfectly fine otherwise. There *could* be some things you might want to keep an eye on, as you mentioned: Should you eat more? Should you be doing more strength & a little less cardio? (Want to be sure you're losing the fat & keeping the muscle.) Should you slow down your weight loss because 3lbs/ week could be too much? All of those could be yes or no depending on what your body is doing. If you feel fine & healthy & there's no medical issues I say you're on a fabulous track. Maybe just keep an eye on those particular things to be sure it keeps going that way. If you feel like something is off or feel like you should be doing something different (intuition is a great thing) then go over what you may want to adjust accordingly. Otherwise I think you're doing great.

edessad

Yes, I have had a health check - BP, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, heart rate all good

Iron_Feline

I'm going to disagree with everyone as I think you should never eat below your BMR - especially when exercising as much as you do. I think you should change your calories to TDEE - 20%. Yes weight loss will be slower - but you will lose more fat and less lean tissue as a result so end up in a happier place.

Also if you plan to start lifting you will need more protein and calories in general to fuel that. You can't put on muscle on such a big deficit. And stop the low weight high reps, they won't do bugger all except increase endurance - you want to tone ie build muscle so you need to do high weight low reps - but build up slowly.

Don't worry about doing more exercise - a slower loss of weight will help maintain your muscle mass and mean you look even better in the end :happy:

This is just my two cents of course - you should do what feels right for you. I personally follow the "in place of a road map" advice, and it works for me.

Good luck - you've done really well :drinker:

alexisu96

Don't fix what ain't broke. Sounds like you are doing great. Just be prepared for a slow that will come and then adjust. Stay with the momentum for now. That is what this non- expert would do.

toddis

Low rep,heavy weight will decrease the amount of muscle you lose, but while on a severe caloric restriction you will lose muscle.

I am guessing your caloric intake is fine at the moment as you have a higher body mass. Once you get a lower mass you might want to adjust your caloric intake upward.

Free internet advice =P

sarafil

I'm going to disagree with everyone as I think you should never eat below your BMR - especially when exercising as much as you do. I think you should change your calories to TDEE - 20%. Yes weight loss will be slower - but you will lose more fat and less lean tissue as a result so end up in a happier place.

Also if you plan to start lifting you will need more protein and calories in general to fuel that. You can't put on muscle on such a big deficit. And stop the low weight high reps, they won't do bugger all except increase endurance - you want to tone ie build muscle so you need to do high weight low reps - but build up slowly.

Don't worry about doing more exercise - a slower loss of weight will help maintain your muscle mass and mean you look even better in the end :happy:

This is just my two cents of course - you should do what feels right for you. I personally follow the "in place of a road map" advice, and it works for me.

Good luck - you've done really well :drinker:

^^^
I agree with this. I know it can be frustrating to have the loss be slower, but I really think you will be happier with your results in the long run. I would scale back the cardio and do more lifting. Just my opinion. Congratulations on all your hard work so far!

spamantha57

Good lord I've only been on MFP for 3&1/2 weeks & I'm beyond sick of hearing "Don't eat below BMR eat your TDEE - 20% & follow In Place Of A Roadmap." :sick:
Some people's BMR is higher than TDEE - 20%. So... many... robots...
</mini rant>

Iron_Feline

Good lord I've only been on MFP for 3&1/2 weeks & I'm beyond sick of hearing "Don't eat below BMR eat your TDEE - 20% & follow In Place Of A Roadmap." :sick:
Some people's BMR is higher than TDEE - 20%. So... many... robots...
</mini rant>

What a helpful post for the op. :grumble:

Edit: if your BMR is is higher that TDEE - 20% try 10% or you just pick a number in between the two - It's not rocket science, maybe robot science. This worked for me which is why I recommend it.

spamantha57

^ I actually already gave my helpful post to the OP in my response before that one, & it apparently was good enough for them to send me a friend request. I'm just tired of people on here spitting out the same robotic line without actually observing different things that come into play for everyone.

corrinadavis

Sometimes I struggle with not eating enough for the day, because all day long I remind myself that I only have 1680 calories a day I can eat. Sometimes at night when I put my food into my diary and complete it, myfitnesspal will tell me that I am not consuming enough calories and that doing this I am putting myself into starvation mode and therefore my body will gain weight instead of lose. Also I don't know if you have seen Derrick's protein food posts, but you may not be eating enough protein if you are weight lifting. I personally think that you are spot on with the questions that you aksed, saying to me that you already know what you need to do. You are doing great, don't lose faith in yourself.

Iron_Feline

^ I actually already gave my helpful post to the OP in my response before that one, & it apparently was good enough for them to send me a friend request. I'm just tired of people on here spitting out the same robotic line without actually observing different things that come into play for everyone.

awwwww good for you, we spit out the same line because it works for us so we recommend it as we would like other people to have success as well. I know people are different which is why I said

"This is just my two cents of course - you should do what feels right for you. I personally follow the "in place of a road map" advice, and it works for me. "

Or did you not read that far down my post. you just couldn't wait for your helpful rant. Next time I'll give *kitten* advice - just in case you're around, after all I'd hate to offend you with my robot posting of something that is helpful and works. :noway:

mmapags

You said you think you are only losing one pound of lean mass for every 5 lbs lost. Why do you think that? Have you have Dexa scans? That seems highly unlikely to me. I'd guess, with the rate of loss and amount of cardio, you are losing more like 50/50. Your calories don't seem bad but you are doing a lot of cardio and not the kind of weight training that would help maintain lean mass.

I think you need to cut that amount of cardio by half or 2/3 and increase strength training with higher weight and lower rep ranges. You have lots of excess weight still to lose but 3 lbs per week is too agressive. My biggest concern right now would be losing lean muscle mass. Upping calories is another way to approach it but if it were me, I'd reduce cardio.

Edited to add: Took a look at your diary and your macros are a little out of whack. Fats are too low. The recommeded approach is: a minimum of 1 gram of protein per lb of lean mass, .4 grams of fat per lb of body weight, carbs with what's left. This is enough protein to help maintain lean muscle tissue, together with strength training. You need enough fat to keep you hormones in balance. You are at less than half that amount for a person your size. Fat does not make you fat. Excess calories do.

edessad

You said you think you are only losing one pound of lean mass for every 5 lbs lost. Why do you think that? Have you have Dexa scans? That seems highly unlikely to me. I'd guess, with the rate of loss and amount of cardio, you are losing more like 50/50. Your calories don't seem bad but you are doing a lot of cardio and not the kind of weight training that would help maintain lean mass.

I think you need to cut that amount of cardio by half or 2/3 and increase strength training with higher weight and lower rep ranges. You have lots of excess weight still to lose but 3 lbs per week is too agressive. My biggest concern right now would be losing lean muscle mass. Upping calories is another way to approach it but if it were me, I'd reduce cardio.

Edited to add: Took a look at your diary and your macros are a little out of whack. Fats are too low. The recommeded approach is: a minimum of 1 gram of protein per lb of lean mass, .4 grams of fat per lb of body weight, carbs with what's left. This is enough protein to help maintain lean muscle tissue, together with strength training. You need enough fat to keep you hormones in balance. You are at less than half that amount for a person your size. Fat does not make you fat. Excess calories do.

Thanks for this advice. I'll make some changes and see how it goes.

Lesa_Sass

Where did you come up with that TDEE? I did it and came up with a TDEE of 3590 for you.

Always eat your BMR. Always listen to people that have done it and been successful.

I am a big believer in being fit and healthy, not just skinny. Eating the right foods and enough of them is going to be better for your over all health. You never know, you may not lose as much as fast, you may lose more.

Congrats on your new life. Cant wait to see your Success pics.