1300 or 1600 calories?

Cptrob

people sure love to make all this way more complicated than it really is...

MFP pro-forum posters love all this.

Cgrnlaw

EMWL says eat more to weigh less

erickirb

Wow, I'm still confused but this thread is awesome! I'm a 230 lb man (was 248 6 weeks ago) and I had my RMR calculated at 1550. My doctor told me to take 20% off that number and stick to it. He said that my RMR would go down as I lost weight so for every 10lbs I lose, my RMR would go down by 7-8%.roughly, lowering the calories I should be eating as I lose weight. I'm exercising daily with a minimum of a 4-5 mile walk and a max of circuit training/weight lifting and cardio (3 days week) I'm still eating between 1250 and 1300 calories daily, but the folks at my gym tell me I should be eating at least 1400. I'm losing weight but I've screwed my metabolism so many times I don't want to do it again. From what I'm reading here, I might just be doing that by eating too little. I've lowered my RMR number to 1450 but still eating 1300 calories a day. Exercising at least 300 and sometimes 900 calories + per day.

Any thoughts. How high do you think I can go and still lose 1 to 1.5 lbs a week?

500-750 under TDEE, which is higher than RMR. As a man I would suggest your Net caloric intake not be below 1600 (1600 plus 100% of what you burn from exercise, and this may be too low for you)

judykat7

I have been confused about this too. I just went out to the internet as suggested and calculated my TDEE and BMR. My BMR was 1794 and my TDEE was 1787, now I am very confused. 51 yr old female, 5'4", 179#, desk job.

MelisaBegins

I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

I have been as confused as the OP on this topic - it totally baffles me - and I've done the roadmap from helloitsdan step-by-step. This formula that you just posted actually seems really logical and close to what I came up with after doing the roadmap too - it would put my calorie range at 1530 - 1820 which seems reasonable!

CoderGal

Wow, I'm still confused but this thread is awesome! I'm a 230 lb man (was 248 6 weeks ago) and I had my RMR calculated at 1550. My doctor told me to take 20% off that number and stick to it. He said that my RMR would go down as I lost weight so for every 10lbs I lose, my RMR would go down by 7-8%.roughly, lowering the calories I should be eating as I lose weight. I'm exercising daily with a minimum of a 4-5 mile walk and a max of circuit training/weight lifting and cardio (3 days week) I'm still eating between 1250 and 1300 calories daily, but the folks at my gym tell me I should be eating at least 1400. I'm losing weight but I've screwed my metabolism so many times I don't want to do it again. From what I'm reading here, I might just be doing that by eating too little. I've lowered my RMR number to 1450 but still eating 1300 calories a day. Exercising at least 300 and sometimes 900 calories + per day.

Any thoughts. How high do you think I can go and still lose 1 to 1.5 lbs a week?

It's impossible to give one number where you'll lose exactly 1-1.5 lbs every week. Weight loss isn't linear. If you a healthy person, you well fluctuate in weight, and that's healthy. Normal temporary weight flux will happen (unrelated to gaining fat or muscle) if you keep a close eye on the scales. The more you lose, the harder it will be to lose that 1-1.5 lbs a week, but erickirb's recommendation is a good one. After your body gets use to it and you can predict your loses better, you can adjust it from there.

jassyjan1

Well I dont know about anyone else but when I was eating at 1320 I did not lose anything and then I up my calories to 1630 and reduces my burns and now the scale is moving and the inches are coming off. I increased because I starting doing Supreme 90 Day and there is cardio but mostly weight lifting so I had to feed my muscles.

violinkeri

[
I apologize if I sounded rude, but when someone pulls math that is different from the math from every other scientific resource I've ever seen used, I doubt them. Since you and a nutritionalist+dietition are sitting around on a computer on mfp, could you point me in the right direction of where I can see that math that proves those are the maintenance calories, and for who (people/dogs/etc)?

And I don't want you to please me, I just question when things are different from everything else.
[/quote]

This is the last post I will reply to you, as I was trying to help the OP, not devolve into a MY MATH IS > YOUR MATH match. She can choose to follow your advice, or mine, or Joe Blow from down the street. IT doesnt matter and it doesnt change my method, or yours.

You dont want to be rude, but question if my calorie source is even for a human? wow. And for the record, we are online because our resource at work is down and are currently unable to work. NOT that its any of your business.

And you cant even BEGIN to tell me all your scientific sources are the same. Every source is different! Not every scientist ever subscribes to TDEE - 20%! I never even HEARD of it until i came to here.

For the record, she showed me the document containing this equation that the hospitals use. I took the liberty of copying the Citation list from it. obviously its for the ill and nurses, because its used in a hospital.

References
1. Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill Patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Vol. 33. No. 3. May/June, 2009. pp. 277-316.
2. Nutrition in the Intensive Care Unit. Section XVII. Chapter 69. pp. 467-477.
3. Development of Evidence-Based Guidelines and Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge of Enteral Feeding. Critical Care Nurse. Vol. 27. No. 4, August, 2007. pp. 17-29.
4. Nutritional Assessment in Critically Ill Patients. www.surgicalcriticalcare.net.

CoderGal

I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

I have been as confused as the OP on this topic - it totally baffles me - and I've done the roadmap from helloitsdan step-by-step. This formula that you just posted actually seems really logical and close to what I came up with after doing the roadmap too - it would put my calorie range at 1530 - 1820 which seems reasonable!

If you eat less then TDEE, you'll lose. She said it was the number to maintain your goal weight, which is what I have a problem with, given she basically told me I need 1300 calories to maintain, when I regularly eat over 2100 and lose. The numbers she listed would be more for weight loss (not necessarily maintenance at goal) for a person who is over weight who is sedentary. Otherwise you'd find you can lose on much higher.

CoderGal

This is the last post I will reply to you, as I was trying to help the OP, not devolve into a MY MATH IS > YOUR MATH match. She can choose to follow your advice, or mine, or Joe Blow from down the street. IT doesnt matter and it doesnt change my method, or yours.

You dont want to be rude, but question if my calorie source is even for a human? wow. And for the record, we are online because our resource at work is down and are currently unable to work. NOT that its any of your business.

And you cant even BEGIN to tell me all your scientific sources are the same. Every source is different! Not every scientist ever subscribes to TDEE - 20%! I never even HEARD of it until i came to here.

For the record, she showed me the document containing this equation that the hospitals use. I took the liberty of copying the Citation list from it. obviously its for the ill and nurses, because its used in a hospital.

References
1. Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill Patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Vol. 33. No. 3. May/June, 2009. pp. 277-316.
2. Nutrition in the Intensive Care Unit. Section XVII. Chapter 69. pp. 467-477.
3. Development of Evidence-Based Guidelines and Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge of Enteral Feeding. Critical Care Nurse. Vol. 27. No. 4, August, 2007. pp. 17-29.
4. Nutritional Assessment in Critically Ill Patients. www.surgicalcriticalcare.net.

I'm not going to respond to half of that because I don't want to fight. And I didn't say I used TDEE-20%, I'm saying that your math is not a goal TDEE like you said it was. And yes, in general, most scientists refer to TDEE =BMR+EAT+NEAT+TEF. You're basically saying my TDEE=BMR-some number. That's why I'm confused. And those references don't exactly help me right now since I can't check any of them...surely something exists on the internet that shows that's a goal TDEE like you said....I'm not telling you to look for it for me, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

CM9178

I have used IPOARM and the spreadsheet - it is not physically possible for me to eat at the full TDEE - 20 % deficit and NOT eat under my BMR.
I am currently 34 yrs, 5'2", 177 lbs.
The absolute lowest I can do without being under BMR is a .8 lb loss per week. (that is eating AT my BMR)
It depends on your body fat percentage, and in some cases, this is just how it is.
FYI (this number works out to 1397 calories for me)

Ladyiianae

I like this one:

http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

dls1957

I like the changing of #'s to kg. It seems easier to me also.

CM9178

I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

But it doesn't take body fat percentage into consideration whatsoever, or height, or age, or sex or anything, I would think that is the least accurate calculation possible.

Just picking a goal weight doesn't tell you how many calories you should eat. That makes absolutely no sense.
Not everybody who weighs or wants to weight 150 lbs needs to eat the same number of calories to maintain that weight.

RetiredAndLovingIt

bump

Melo1966

I like this one:

http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

This has my body fat percent too low I wish it was what it says so my BMR is too high off by almost 200 calories.
All of these are questimates and we need to use trial and error or pay mega dollars to get the accurate number.

CoderGal

I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

But it doesn't take body fat percentage into consideration whatsoever, or height, or age, or sex or anything, I would think that is the least accurate calculation possible.

Just picking a goal weight doesn't tell you how many calories you should eat. That makes absolutely no sense.
Not everybody who weighs or wants to weight 150 lbs needs to eat the same number of calories to maintain that weight.

Now why couldn't I word it like that to begin with lol. Thank you.

There is room for a different number depending on the 25-30 number you multiply by, but the numbers are still very off. And if you're taller or muscular or exercise or you're younger etc, you're going to need a lot more then that...and yeah, it's still not going to be your goal TDEE, and will still be significantly low to maintain on even if you pick 30 as the multiplier.

CoderGal

I seem to be getting multiple friend requests from this thread, so if you want to join the boat, I have some free time on Friday. Just give me a message with your questions and I'll try to either direct you to information or mass explain it to everyone.

CM9178

I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

But it doesn't take body fat percentage into consideration whatsoever, or height, or age, or sex or anything, I would think that is the least accurate calculation possible.

Just picking a goal weight doesn't tell you how many calories you should eat. That makes absolutely no sense.
Not everybody who weighs or wants to weight 150 lbs needs to eat the same number of calories to maintain that weight.

Now why couldn't I word it like that to begin with lol. Thank you.

There is room for a different number depending on the 25-30 number you multiply by, but the numbers are still very off. And if you're taller or muscular or exercise or you're younger etc, you're going to need a lot more then that...and yeah, it's still not going to be your goal TDEE, and will still be significantly low to maintain on even if you pick 30 as the multiplier.

Yeah, it just makes NO sense. A 65 year old woman, 5'11 who has a goal weight of let's say 150 lbs, is NOT going to need to eat the same number of calories as a 25 year old woman, 5'5 with the same goal weight. And what about men vs. women?
If she paid to go to that nutritionist, she should ask for her money back.

Ladyiianae

I like this one:

http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

This has my body fat percent too low I wish it was what it says so my BMR is too high off by almost 200 calories.
All of these are questimates and we need to use trial and error or pay mega dollars to get the accurate number.

I agree, they are all just guestimates. Thanks for the feedback on how your numbers figured after you tried it, I've always wondered how it worked for others.