Just found out I have been underestimating my calories...

khall86790

This morning I weighed my cereal for the first time ever and realised I had been seriously under logging how much I consume in a bowl for my breakfast. As in, my calorie intake from my breakfast has been doubled this entire time.
I have lost 9lbs since January following MFP thinking I was consuming 1200 calories (net) per day when really I have been consuming more like 1400.
I have now adjusted my calories to reflect what I am really eating and promised myself I will cut back a little (as 350g of cereal seems ridiculously excessive to me! and it isn't even a particularly large bowl!) on how much I eat from now on.

I am confused though as to whether I should up my calorie intake to 1400 calories a day as I have been losing by working out for 45 mins a day and eating 1400 calories (roughly) a day thinking it was 1200, or do I see how I get on actually consuming 1200 a day instead of thinking I am?

I know a lot of people say 1200 a day isn't enough and I understand the reasoning behind it, but it has also worked for a lot of people. I don't intend to stay on 1200 a day forever, just until I reach my goal weight (I am only about 10-15lbs roughly away from this now) and then change my calorie intake goal on here to maintain my goal weight.

Any thoughts?

RllyGudTweetr

Sounds to me like 1400 has been working for you; I'd adjust your goals and logging to reflect that fact, rather than trying to further cut down on calories - especially with 45 minutes of cardio a day. On that amount of exercise, 1400 is a pretty low number.

imchicbad

Eat more. Seriously it's the only way, look for the road map on MFP.

khall86790

Sounds to me like 1400 has been working for you; I'd adjust your goals and logging to reflect that fact, rather than trying to further cut down on calories - especially with 45 minutes of cardio a day. On that amount of exercise, 1400 is a pretty low number.

Yeah, this is what I have been considering. I see 1200 working for a lot of people but not all of them have been that heavy on exercise whereas I am pretty big on exercise. I do eat my exercise calories back and I have been so resistant to listening to advice on how 1200 is bad for you because it's been working for me... then I find out it hasn't been! Haha. But it's hard because I feel like MFP suggestions don't reflect that. Given my current goal weight and time frame, it's still telling me to consume 1200 calories a day and if I were to actually log 1400 a day it will de-motivate me by prolonging my goal! Which I personally think is achievable on the diet I have already been on which IS more like 1400 a day + exercise.

justal313

This is why I have a measuring cup handy when I pour my cereal. Also, if you have a smaller bowl, it might be worth using it for your cereal. Our cereal bowls are HUGE so If I didn't measure out my cereal it would slowly creep up in volume over time...

khall86790

Eat more. Seriously it's the only way, look for the road map on MFP.

Eat more? This doesn't really answer my question. But thanks all the same.

khall86790

This is why I have a measuring cup handy when I pour my cereal. Also, if you have a smaller bowl, it might be worth using it for your cereal. Our cereal bowls are HUGE so If I didn't measure out my cereal it would slowly creep up in volume over time...

To be honest, I AM using the smaller bowls in this house! haha, I really couldn't believe it this morning when I saw that alone I am eating 120g of cereal without milk being added when MFP's "serving" was more like 30g-45g.
I am just going to have to measure each morning I think until it becomes a habit not to fill it so much!

saxmaniac

This is why I have a measuring cup handy when I pour my cereal. Also, if you have a smaller bowl, it might be worth using it for your cereal. Our cereal bowls are HUGE so If I didn't measure out my cereal it would slowly creep up in volume over time...

Even measuring cups aren't very good. For anything that's calorie-dense like grains or fats, try using a digital food scale. Of course, you can do it for anything, but start off with the dense foods to maximize your time.

You'd be amazed how inaccurate volume is for certain foods.

EDIT: I see you're using weight. Good!!

TavistockToad

i have never found a cereal where a single serving (30g) is anywhere near filling enough - i usually double up! this is why i love my kitchen scales, i throw everything i eat on them!

triggsta

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

When I made the jump from 1200 to 1800 calories, I, too, was extremely skeptical. But I've still managed to lose weight this way. You can too. Use this calculator and then subtract 15-20% from that number and that is what you should eat to lose weight (the number it originally gives you is what you should eat to maintain weight).

caseythirteen

Since you are likely eating more in the 1400 range and it's working, I would stick with it and change your calorie goal to that. Especially since you don't have that much more to lose. It's also possible that if you were that off with your cereal you could be off with other things too. If you had the means to weigh your cereal than I would try doing that with as much of your food as possible for a while to get a more accurate indication of what you're eating. It would be really good information for you to have about your body - how many calories you have actually been eating but still losing. Since you are getting closer to maintenance than this would be good to know.

ifaber

Well I think you should stay at 1400. You're already losing at a great rate so why decrease the amount of food you are eating, unless you feel you were stuffing yourself at 1400 calories. If you cut it, you may find yourself more miserable because of the decreased energy you'll feel and less nutrients you'll be getting.

coleeli

Cereal is the worst for this! 3/4 cup for a serving of cereal is never enough to fill me up for breakfast. And it looks so measly in the bowl, lol.

Since 1,400 has been working, I'd continue eating at 1,400. You don't HAVE to eat so little to lose weight! I usually range from 1,500-1,700 and am trying to up my calories even more and I will still lose weight.

nixirain

This morning I weighed my cereal for the first time ever and realised I had been seriously under logging how much I consume in a bowl for my breakfast. As in, my calorie intake from my breakfast has been doubled this entire time.
I have lost 9lbs since January following MFP thinking I was consuming 1200 calories (net) per day when really I have been consuming more like 1400.
I have now adjusted my calories to reflect what I am really eating and promised myself I will cut back a little (as 350g of cereal seems ridiculously excessive to me! and it isn't even a particularly large bowl!) on how much I eat from now on.

I am confused though as to whether I should up my calorie intake to 1400 calories a day as I have been losing by working out for 45 mins a day and eating 1400 calories (roughly) a day thinking it was 1200, or do I see how I get on actually consuming 1200 a day instead of thinking I am?

I know a lot of people say 1200 a day isn't enough and I understand the reasoning behind it, but it has also worked for a lot of people. I don't intend to stay on 1200 a day forever, just until I reach my goal weight (I am only about 10-15lbs roughly away from this now) and then change my calorie intake goal on here to maintain my goal weight.

Any thoughts?

How many people have kept off the weight eating 1200 cals a day? Not many on my friends list. I see more people post on here that the lose great for a while and then they stop losing because their body need the cals to fuel their work outs.

If you want a lasting change read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I have done the low cal before, there is a reason I am still doing this.

Good luck!

khall86790

Since you are likely eating more in the 1400 range and it's working, I would stick with it and change your calorie goal to that. Especially since you don't have that much more to lose. It's also possible that if you were that off with your cereal you could be off with other things too. If you had the means to weigh your cereal than I would try doing that with as much of your food as possible for a while to get a more accurate indication of what you're eating. It would be really good information for you to have about your body - how many calories you have actually been eating but still losing. Since you are getting closer to maintenance than this would be good to know.

I have been weighing all my other foods for a little while before this and to be honest I always make my cereal when I am half asleep am not functioning enough to think about weighing it! Haha. Plus I assumed I wasn't that far off or that it'd be that big of a deal to be honest.

I am thinking as well I should stick to 1400 as it's been working for me. Because to be honest it's taken me a while to monitor my eating habits and figure out when to eat and at what times to make sure I don't go to bed starving hungry (I used to eat dinner way too early and then snack late at night, something I've had to take out of my diet now that I am watching it a lot closer with MFP!) and the idea of eating 200 calories less again has made me feel a bit miserable.

I think this also explains why on days I do not have cereal for breakfast I feel lethargic and run down because I really am consuming 1200 calories on those days and it isn't enough for me!

Thanks for the advice guys, I kind of knew before posting I needed to up to 1400 calories overall but I just needed some confirmation to kick me into gear and do it

islandnutshel

The way I look at it is that everything here is an estimate.
We estimate our BMI, we estimate our activity level, we estimate our work out calorie burn and we estimate our food intake. So the problem only surrfaces if we try the extreems.
If we are careful to give things a good guess then a few hundred calories either way still work. As it has for you eating 1400, when you thought it was 1200.
I am all for feeding your body. I suggest instead of asking for a 10000 calorie deficit from MFP (2pounds per week setting) set it at 750(1.5 pounds) or as I have mine 500 (1 pound a week).
Because I have my setting at just a 500 calorie deficit, I don't feel like I have to eat back all my exercise calories. Because my deficit isn't severe. Most times I eat half because it makes me feel good to earn them.
When something is working, then go with it. When it stops working re-evaluate.
Good job on the sleuting out the hidden calories.
Wishing you the best.

mcginger1

Stick with the 1,400. The person above mention the "road map" (link shown below), and that's an extremely helpful article to read comparing our BMR to TDEE. But you can't argue with your results. If you've lost 9lbs already doing what you're doing, why change it?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

WendyFlynn

Hi

I was on 1200 calories a day during the majority of my weight loss. I went on to maintenance calories of 1650 for 3 months and didn't gain as I was so fed up of restricting.

Like you, I am about 10lbs away from goal and so I decided I wasn't in a rush and have upped my calories to 1500 to lose approx 1lb per month.

However, I have NEVER EVER counted milk in my calorie intake, don't ask my why as I drink lots of tea! I worked out yesterday that I drink about 5 pints per week which is equivalent to 1000 extra calories!!! So in fact, I wasn't eating 1200 per day, it was more like 1350 per day.

I think what I am trying to say is now I know, will I start logging my milk? No I won't because I have been happy with my weight loss being at a steady rate and I think you should be very pleased of yourself too!

If it's working and you are happy, eat those extra 200 cals

erickirb

since you have so little to lose you should set your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week and eat that amount of cals/day

namluv

If 1400 has been working I would stick with that and keep merrily rolling along,

khall86790

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

When I made the jump from 1200 to 1800 calories, I, too, was extremely skeptical. But I've still managed to lose weight this way. You can too. Use this calculator and then subtract 15-20% from that number and that is what you should eat to lose weight (the number it originally gives you is what you should eat to maintain weight).

Wow, this is a pretty useful tool! Thank you. This advises I should be eating 1577 calories per day to create a 20% deficit in my daily activity so i think if I am going to see how I get on at 1400 and up it if I find it's not working or making me feel too weak!

akaMrsmojo

I found out the same thing. I am using the scale thingy from now on.

triathlete5301

You have to do what works for you- period! I have had people tell me to increase and decrease and fact of the matter is you have to do what works for you.

I think since you exercise a lot and your weight loss is not entirely based on diet that 1400 would be better. Depending on your workout you may want to end up eating back some of your calories.

If it works, stick with it! Congrats on your progress

khall86790

Officially changed my goals on here to 1lbs a week (which I should have done a long time ago!) and it changed me to 1420 calories per day based on the information I put in, pretty accurate to what I just worked out on the TDEE calculator. Going to continue with that from now on and cut down on my cereal intake a little and hopefully keep going strong!

Again, thanks to everyone for the advice & opinions!

justal313

This is why I have a measuring cup handy when I pour my cereal. Also, if you have a smaller bowl, it might be worth using it for your cereal. Our cereal bowls are HUGE so If I didn't measure out my cereal it would slowly creep up in volume over time...

Even measuring cups aren't very good. For anything that's calorie-dense like grains or fats, try using a digital food scale. Of course, you can do it for anything, but start off with the dense foods to maximize your time.

You'd be amazed how inaccurate volume is for certain foods.

EDIT: I see you're using weight. Good!!

A lot of things get measured on the scale. My cereal gets the measuring cup treatment it's not overly calorie dense and I don't hit my calorie count down to the last calorie so a small margin of error is probably covered to the 100 calories or so I come under every day.

khall86790

This is why I have a measuring cup handy when I pour my cereal. Also, if you have a smaller bowl, it might be worth using it for your cereal. Our cereal bowls are HUGE so If I didn't measure out my cereal it would slowly creep up in volume over time...

Even measuring cups aren't very good. For anything that's calorie-dense like grains or fats, try using a digital food scale. Of course, you can do it for anything, but start off with the dense foods to maximize your time.

You'd be amazed how inaccurate volume is for certain foods.

EDIT: I see you're using weight. Good!!

A lot of things get measured on the scale. My cereal gets the measuring cup treatment it's not overly calorie dense and I don't hit my calorie count down to the last calorie so a small margin of error is probably covered to the 100 calories or so I come under every day.

I thought EXACTLY the same about cereal which is why I was (poorly) estimating. But I have actually discovered it is pretty calorie dense, more so than you think it'd be. I am considering switching to something else for breakfast that will fill me up more given the calories per quantity.