Running The Numbers ...

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

When I got up this morning the scale was UP -- weight up, body fat up (which means lean body mass down). I decided to grab a cuppa coffee and pull some numbers together.

I’m a geek – admittedly. I can work a spreadsheet. Here’s what I’ve learned this fine Sunday morning. I’ve endeavored to answer each of your questions fully in the hopes that I can get some honest (maybe brutal) feedback.

I am a 5’6”.

Here are my measurements
Neck: 13.75”
Bicep: 11”
Forearms: 9”
Wrist: 6”
Waist (at the largest) 36”
Waist at bellybutton: 33”
Calves: 15”
Chest: 37.5”
Rib Cage: 34.5”
Hips: 38”
Thighs: 22”

And this is me (unflexed)



I weigh in daily on an Aria Scale and use TrendWeight.com to track my progress. SideSteel has informed me that my scale is mostly likely reading my body fat incorrectly.





After pulling together all the numbers from my FitBit Weekly report and my MFP iPhone app I’ve learned that while I think I’m eating within my calorie allotment I’m really NOT.



I know that in order to lose weight correctly I need a weekly calorie deficit of more than 700.


And my macros are way off – I had no idea how much Fat I was eating! I think I instinctively knew I wasn’t getting enough protein I had no idea how badly this graph is off.
Macros Grams

Macros Percentages


I have a digital food scale and use it to measure about ¼ of my intake. Trust me when I say that is going to change now that I see these numbers. I can tell you that I almost always over estimate portion sizes when I log my food and I log everything. I don’t take “cheat days” … after seeing all of this pulled together I think maybe every day is a cheat day for me :ohwell:

I have a very uneven workout ‘routine’. I was running (and those weeks you see a HUGE calorie deficit because putting in miles burns calories. I also dance and have been lifting weights (StrongLifts and NRoL) for about 3 weeks. I have a weird job where some days I can be very sedentary (sitting still for 10+ hours) and other days I have time to work out and move. On average I do some sort of physical activity where my heart rate is getting up there for a minimum of 30 minute at least three days a week. Some weeks it’s five days a week. I have a WaHoo Heart Rate Monitor and default to it’s readings whenever there is a question about how hard I’ve worked.


Advice and tips and chastisement welcome.

SideSteel

I'd comment on this but you have so many numbers and graphs that I bet Sara is getting all horny so I should leave this for her.

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

Sorry - I did say I was a geek. Should I just condense them down more simply?

SideSteel

Sorry - I did say I was a geek. Should I just condense them down more simply?

Hell no, she's going to love that post.

Sarauk2sf

I'd comment on this but you have so many numbers and graphs that I bet Sara is getting all horny so I should leave this for her.

I think I just got a lady boner!

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

I think I just got a lady boner!

^^ Best compliment of 2013. :smooched:

SpecialSundae

Can't advise but I'm so glad that I'm door the only one with an enormous tracking spreadsheet.

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

maybe we need our own support group :glasses:

Sarauk2sf

Hoping to get back to you tomorrow after me and your charts have some private time together.

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

I feel like I should bake you cookies or something. How do we thank you for all of this?

AllonsYtotheTardis

I feel like I should bake you cookies or something. How do we thank you for all of this?

Rumor has it, she likes ice cream.

120weeks

And poptarts!

Sarauk2sf

I am assuming here that you are looking to get your BF% down and to retain as much LBM as possible. Correct?

One set of numbers is jumping out at me as not making sense. Per the calories burned/eaten chart - it shows a weekly deficit of 707.65 - where is this number from?

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

yup - I'm focused on lowering bodyfat and keeping (or gaining) lean muscle mass.

There are a couple of weeks where there is a huge calorie deficit becuase those were the weeks I did long long runs (11-13 miles). Long runs makes me not hunry at all and burns a ton of calories.

Sarauk2sf

This is the chart that is throwing me off:



The top two rows say weekly cals eaten and burned, the difference between which is 4,870 but then the deficit shows as 708 calories in the third row.

4,870 deficit a week = 696 a day, not the 101 a day per the above chart.

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

It's an average of my overall averages not directly math. Does thismake more sense?

Burned Eaten Deficit
10/01/12-10/07/12 15250 9187 -6063
10/08/12-10/14/12 15753 11165 -4588
10/15/12-10/21/12 15357 1198 -14159
10/22/12-10/28/12 18339 10197 -8142
10/29/12-11/04/12 17386 10472 -6914
11/05/12-11/11/12 16346 8010 -8336
11/12/12-11/18/12 16927 10477 -6450
11/19/12-11/25/12 14488 12383 -2105
11/26/12-12/02/12 14534 10999 -3535
12/03/12-12/09/12 14990 10958 -4032
12/10/12-12/16/12 16721 10821 -5900
12/17/12-12/23/12 15343 11210 -4133
12/24/12-12/30/12 14361 9760 -4601
12/31/12-01/06/13 16782 10906 -5876
01/07/13-01/13/13 16835 13619 -3216
01/14/13-01/20/13 15200 11514 -3686
01/21/13-01/27/13 15767 12003 -3764
01/28/13-02/03/13 15112 11671 -3441
02/04/13-02/10/13 15077 12221 -2856
02/11/13-02/17/13 14948 11402 -3546
02/18/13-02/24/13 2245 2482 +237
02/25/13-03/03/13 14680 12889 -1791
03/04/13-03/10/13 13521 11870 -1651
Averages 15041.83 10322.35 -927.76

Sarauk2sf

It's an average of my overall averages not directly math. Does thismake more sense?

Burned Eaten Deficit
10/01/12-10/07/12 15250 9187 -6063
10/08/12-10/14/12 15753 11165 -4588
10/15/12-10/21/12 15357 1198 -14159
10/22/12-10/28/12 18339 10197 -8142
10/29/12-11/04/12 17386 10472 -6914
11/05/12-11/11/12 16346 8010 -8336
11/12/12-11/18/12 16927 10477 -6450
11/19/12-11/25/12 14488 12383 -2105
11/26/12-12/02/12 14534 10999 -3535
12/03/12-12/09/12 14990 10958 -4032
12/10/12-12/16/12 16721 10821 -5900
12/17/12-12/23/12 15343 11210 -4133
12/24/12-12/30/12 14361 9760 -4601
12/31/12-01/06/13 16782 10906 -5876
01/07/13-01/13/13 16835 13619 -3216
01/14/13-01/20/13 15200 11514 -3686
01/21/13-01/27/13 15767 12003 -3764
01/28/13-02/03/13 15112 11671 -3441
02/04/13-02/10/13 15077 12221 -2856
02/11/13-02/17/13 14948 11402 -3546
02/18/13-02/24/13 2245 2482 +237
02/25/13-03/03/13 14680 12889 -1791
03/04/13-03/10/13 13521 11870 -1651
Averages 15041.83 10322.35 -927.76

I suppose I am still confused - I must be missing something,

If the average weekly intake is 10,322 and the average weekly burn is 15,042, then the average weekly deficit is 4,720. What math is being used to get to the 927.76 number?

Having said that though, some of the numbers look a bit off - specifically the weeks 10/15/12 - 10/21/12 and 2/18/13 - 2/24/13. I am not worried about the first as it is a while ago, but was there missed days in the latter?

With that being said, it is probably a moot point. You have been losing at 1/2lb a week which is a reasonable pace. I would make sure that you tighten up your weighing/measuring (which will probably mean that you are eating a bit less and as such should speed up your loss a bit) and sort your macros out:

Protein: 105g
Fats:52g
as minimums. The balance where you wish based on preference, satiation and energy levels.

KirstenTheFamilyCoach

Thanks Sara,

I'm not unhappy with the rate of weight loss just the rate of fat loss to muscle gain. I'll spend a few minutes today to see how I can increase my daily intake by 45 additional grams of protien so that I'm getting not 60g/day but 105g/day. I'll also see what I can do in my diet to decrease my fat intake by 14g. Right now I'm eating about 65g/day and I need to only eat 52g.

Thank you so much for your input and advice. If there is a way I can pay you or thank you please don't hesitate to let me know.

~K

Sarauk2sf

Do not pay attention to those scales they are very inaccurate and can make it look like you are gaining/losing LBM when you are not, and vise versa.

Don;t worry about going over either on fats or proteins if you are not worried about getting the extra carbs with the calories. Just treat fats and protein as minimums

I started a thread here to help with protein intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

Sarauk2sf

Locking for now as part of a process that we are using to track open threads. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/914180-thread-locking-and-intake-follow-ups


Please PM either myself or SideSteel if you have any further questions, and we will unlock it so you can post.