Confused!! Not sure how I should approach EM2WL
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theodddone
Posts: 3 Member
So over the last couple of years I've tried to lose weight on and off depending on my lifestyle etc. I joined MFP last year and probably lasted about 2 weeks at the 1200cal it set me and then just went back to normal eating, I was working outdoors and riding a couple of horses so very active and managed to stay at a fairly consistent weight (62-64kgish). Then had 3 months or so of not really paying attention to what I was eating but staying fairly constant, I was eating a lot of junk in this period, but still fairly active which is why I think it was constant.
Wind the clock forward to the start of this year and I was staying at someones house overseas so eating basically whatever they were, which consisted of toast/porridge for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and then dinners consisted of masses of mashed potato, some form of meat and some veggies, or takeout... And I wasn't doing anywhere near as much exercise. I think I put on a good 3 kg but noticed it more in my clothes not fitting me and visibly being fatter.
For just over the last month I got back on MFP and again was stupid enough to take the 1200cal as a guide and on top of that I wasn't eating back my exercise calories so my net was down as low as 300 some days and was under 1000 most. Not good I know, especially as I do quite high level riding and need the energy...
Now I have found out about EM2WL and I am so glad I have!!
But my problem now is figuring out a reasonable goal for what I should be eating, I don't believe I have to do a reset as I was only really doing 1200 for a month or so, and I am overseas so don't actually have any scales so it would be hard to see exactly what was happening to my weight.
I am also having trouble figuring out my TDEE as I ride 1 or 2 horses a day, so 1 hour if one or an hour and a half if 2 and MFP sets it as ~400cal/hr which I think is an overestimate for a gently ride but I ride high level so probably reasonably accurate, and am on my feet a bit doing things such as feeding, grooming etc a lot of the day. I was thinking of setting my activity level as 1-3hrs light activity and then adding my exercise calories to it, which would give me
BMR: 1448
TDEE: 1991
TDEE-15%: 1692
Which if I calculate correctly would mean days I ride 1 horse aim for about 2100, and days I ride 2 aim for 2300. Which to me seems like a LOT!!
The last two days I have eaten totals of 1600 and 1700 but that's still only netting about 1050-1100 which I know isn't enough.
So basically congrats if you made it to the end of that massive long story!!! I am just after advice about whether I am on the right track with my calculations above? If I'm right in thinking that I don't need a full reset? And support if I start gaining weight!!!!
Wind the clock forward to the start of this year and I was staying at someones house overseas so eating basically whatever they were, which consisted of toast/porridge for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and then dinners consisted of masses of mashed potato, some form of meat and some veggies, or takeout... And I wasn't doing anywhere near as much exercise. I think I put on a good 3 kg but noticed it more in my clothes not fitting me and visibly being fatter.
For just over the last month I got back on MFP and again was stupid enough to take the 1200cal as a guide and on top of that I wasn't eating back my exercise calories so my net was down as low as 300 some days and was under 1000 most. Not good I know, especially as I do quite high level riding and need the energy...
Now I have found out about EM2WL and I am so glad I have!!
But my problem now is figuring out a reasonable goal for what I should be eating, I don't believe I have to do a reset as I was only really doing 1200 for a month or so, and I am overseas so don't actually have any scales so it would be hard to see exactly what was happening to my weight.
I am also having trouble figuring out my TDEE as I ride 1 or 2 horses a day, so 1 hour if one or an hour and a half if 2 and MFP sets it as ~400cal/hr which I think is an overestimate for a gently ride but I ride high level so probably reasonably accurate, and am on my feet a bit doing things such as feeding, grooming etc a lot of the day. I was thinking of setting my activity level as 1-3hrs light activity and then adding my exercise calories to it, which would give me
BMR: 1448
TDEE: 1991
TDEE-15%: 1692
Which if I calculate correctly would mean days I ride 1 horse aim for about 2100, and days I ride 2 aim for 2300. Which to me seems like a LOT!!
The last two days I have eaten totals of 1600 and 1700 but that's still only netting about 1050-1100 which I know isn't enough.
So basically congrats if you made it to the end of that massive long story!!! I am just after advice about whether I am on the right track with my calculations above? If I'm right in thinking that I don't need a full reset? And support if I start gaining weight!!!!
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Replies
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I think based upon your story a reset is in order because you are trying to figure out what your true tdee is and since you have been vlcd for sometime your body needs to rest from yoyo diet cycle.i would do the full reset if you feel you can't then i would eat the tdee you have for at least 2 to 3 weeks if so see a increase in clothes size then cut back by 100 until you see decrease in gaining but you should get a tape measure to measure your bodyfat since you don't own a scale. The full reset is recommended for 6 weeks.0
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I agree. I think you should eat at tdee for at least 2-4 weeks to find out your true tdee or even do a reset for 6-8 weeks. It will help you in knowing how much you really need to eat to maintain and to lose weightI think based upon your story a reset is in order because you are trying to figure out what your true tdee is and since you have been vlcd for sometime your body needs to rest from yoyo diet cycle.i would do the full reset if you feel you can't then i would eat the tdee you have for at least 2 to 3 weeks if so see a increase in clothes size then cut back by 100 until you see decrease in gaining but you should get a tape measure to measure your bodyfat since you don't own a scale. The full reset is recommended for 6 weeks.0
