Am I setting myself up for failure in the long run?

MissJJ74

So I have lost 23 lbs since Thanksgiving so far. I've been averaging around 7-10 lbs a month.

Here's some stats about me:

SW:186
CW:163
GW:150
Height: 5'3"

I've been able to maintain a relatively muscular build, but need to lose the fat that has accumulated on top of the muscle.

When I did some of the tests listed on these forums, I was kind of thrown off as to how much calories I should be intaking. I generally stick to 1200 calories as a base whether I work out or not, but on days I work out, I don't always make up all of the calories I burned off. There have been days I've had deficits from 200-500 calories, but it's not always.

According to other formulas, I should be consuming either 1450 calories or as much as 1950. I realized on days I work out, my calorie intake is upped to 1950. Even more confusing, one app has me at 29% body fat, another has me at 32.4%.

Given all of this, my question is am I better off sticking with 1200 and upping on days I work out even if I have a deficit (I work out at night so dinner ends up being my calorie hog) or should I raise it to 1450? Part of me thinks if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but another part of me wonders if I'm consuming too little, especially on those days when I can't eat 1000 calories for dinner.

wmoomoo

If you are using MFP to calculate your calories intake, you should always eat back your exercise calories. Check out these two posts:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

UsernameStillLoading

Body fat calculations aren't that accurate online. They are more of a guideline of how your body would be based on your current weight, size and age.
I would suggest upping your calories the days you do work out. 1,200 is like an average caloric intake for a sedentary person, so if you are active, increase your calories. If you can't go up to where you need to go when your active, go to where they tell you to be when you are not active. If your body is used to 1,200; you can stick to that on your non-active days and try to go to 1,500 on your active days. It is easier to increase your calories after a while. I had trouble getting passed 1,500 on any day; now I can pass 2,000 easily.
It also depends on what you eat. Protein is good for building muscle, fat is good for burning fat but too much fat causes more fat. Carbs are good for energy. Fiber is good for...well, you know.
Eating healthy is more than just counting calories.

SkimFlatWhite68

Congratulations on your weight loss to date, you are doing SO well.

I am a big fan of living the life of the fit and healthy person that you want to be, which really is a lifestyle change for the rest of your life. NOT a temporary diet. So what you could do is work out the TDEE of your goal weight and eat that amount until you get there and then for the rest of your life.

(Well, you might have to adjust it as you get older, but you get my point).

Or use your TDEE now with a 15-20% cut for weight loss. And then adjust that every 5kg until your goal weight, and then eat at that TDEE to maintain.

I like this calculator to work it out: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

If you are using the MFP calories, you are recommended to eat back exercise calories to fuel the fire that is your body.

But all things considered, you have to do what you are comfortable with, it's your life!

Good luck, and once again congratulations on your success so far.

hsnider29

I think just setting a calorie goal (Tdee-10-20%) and sticking to it is much easier. You will be able to plan your whole day accordingly instead of ending up with a large amount of calories to eat at night.

I think if you eat 1200 calories and don't eat back your exercise calories (I was confused in the post) you are setting yourself up for failure. Not only will you lower your BMR significantly, it will be hard to maintain long term. Good luck!

MissJJ74

I should have clarified easier, it's a little difficult to explain.

I eat about 1200 calories minimum every day. On days I know I will work out, I will try to eat more, such as more protein and such, but I don't always reach the total MFP says I should eat. For instance say I worked off 600 calories at the gym, but I only made up 400 of those 600 "extra" calories. However I will still make sure I am taking in 1200 in food no matter what, although it's usually more on days I work out. Is this a bad idea and will it cause me to gain later on, or am I better off just upping my daily intake whether I work out or not?

Right now I believe my my TDEE -20% is about 1200. (1450).

hsnider29

I would recalculate your TDEE. It seems too low. If you are eating your exercise calories then I think you are safe. For me, just eating 1600 calories a day is easier and I'm not starving on the days I don't work out.

MissJJ74

I would recalculate your TDEE. It seems too low. If you are eating your exercise calories then I think you are safe. For me, just eating 1600 calories a day is easier and I'm not starving on the days I don't work out.

You were right, I had it too low. I ran the spreadsheet. Turns out my BMR is about 1500 and my TDEE -20% is 1750. Checked Scooby's website, and that had my BMR at 1300 and TDEE -20% at 1600. So I'm guessing if I take the averages, I should put BMR at 1400 and TDEE at 1675?

I'm kind of slowly stalling now that I am below 30% BF, and losing 1 lb every 2-3 weeks as opposed to every week now. So maybe I will slowly bump up my calories and see how it goes.