Finally deciding to ask for help

msmollygp

Provide your stats (height/weight/age/bodyfat% if you know it/etc) Female 5'9.5 256lb 20yo 31.1%

What's your current gross intake of calories, on average? Try to aim for 2400 net as per MFP Tweak Tab. Just started upping calories this week.

What's your current average intake of protein, carbs, and fats, in grams? (GRAMS, not percent!) 250 and above, 100 and up, and 110 and up.

Do you use a food scale and measure everything? I don't own a food scale but measure everything.

Do you track all of your intake, daily? (Everything?) Religiously.

Do you take cheat days or days off? No I track the good and bad.

How much weight have you lost so far and over what time period? 42 pounds since June 2012

Describe your activity (exercise and non exercise) and did you change that activity withing the last couple of months? I walk the dog about 2-3 miles a day at 3.5 mph and workout about 6 days a week doing Jazzercise and workout videos. I am going to school for phlebotomy so I am on my feet part of the day along with running errands and doing housework. The rest of the time I am sitting or driving.

How long have you been stalled and if it is not a complete stall please be very specific as to how much you have lost over the stalled period. My weight has been staying the same sine December but I have lost inches since then. I noticed that 2 weeks ago when I was laid up from a surgery that I was losing weight while eating 2200 calories a day. Once I got back to working out and walking again the weight came back.

Are you breastfeeding? No

Do you have thyroid issues/risks or PCOS? Possible thyroid, waiting on test results.

Also, please ensure that you have your diary open. Okie dokie!

So basically just wondering if I need to keep on upping calories or if I need to lower them? I used to be so terrified of fat but am learning that it taste great. Sure I don't make the best food decisions all the time but I try to keep it under control. Thanks for your help. Also adding that I have been playing around with calories since I started on here. When I was new to the site I went with 1600-1800 total calories a day and have gone slowly up since because I keep on stalling.

Sarauk2sf

This is going to sounds rude, it's not meant to, but If you are maintaining at your current calories why are you thinking about upping the calories?

msmollygp

Because when I lower them I don't lose. I guess my question should be: Should I maintain the 2400 net or go lower? Because I am losing inches but not weight when I go to the scale. ETA: I was losing at 2200 when I was laid up and doing nothing now I consider myself active because of my lifestyle and logic tells me that maybe I need a little bit more calories...maybe?

Sarauk2sf

Over what period were you not active due to surgery?

msmollygp

From a Wednesday to a Tuesday.

msmollygp

Also going to add that when I put in 3 hours of standing and moving, 200 minutes of medium cardio, and 135 minutes of high intensity in the simple set up tab. it comes out to a multiplier of 1.5 and then when I go over to MFP tweak it comes out to 2500 net. My workouts do vary enough to warrant use of the MFP tweak. Thanks in advance. I will be having surgery again this week and probably be out of commission for a week again. I will most likely do my 2200 calories this week and then wait for what you come back with and go from there.

jlapey

I am genuinely curious and not meaning to sound snarky, but if you are losing inches, why does it matter what the scale says? Isn't losing inches, the whole point?

Sarauk2sf

From a Wednesday to a Tuesday.

You can lose weight when you stop exercising as your water weight decreases as you no longer are storing as much glycogen/water in the muscles.

If, over a reasonable period, you are maintaining at a certain calorie level, and assuming that the calorie level is decently high, which yours is, then the only way to lose weight is to create a caloric deficit - this is best done by dropping the calories so as to put yourself in a deficit. Also, try to increase NEAT (non exercise activity) as much as possible.

Sarauk2sf

Also going to add that when I put in 3 hours of standing and moving, 200 minutes of medium cardio, and 135 minutes of high intensity in the simple set up tab. it comes out to a multiplier of 1.5 and then when I go over to MFP tweak it comes out to 2500 net. My workouts do vary enough to warrant use of the MFP tweak. Thanks in advance. I will be having surgery again this week and probably be out of commission for a week again. I will most likely do my 2200 calories this week and then wait for what you come back with and go from there.

Where are you getting the multiplier of 1.5 from and what are you applying it to?

You should go by your actual results. If you are maintaining on 2,400 calories (whch you are per your diary), then to lose you need to eat less than that. You averaged about 2,500 calories over the last 4 weeks - so I would cut to 2,000 a day (which includes exercise calories so no eating them back). The cut should come from your carbs.

Where are you getting your BF% from?


I would suggest that you do not try to eat at a deficit while recovering however.

msmollygp

The excel spreadsheet. I am applying it to MFP Tweak tab. I got my body fat estimation from fat2fit by doing all three calculator and taking the average. I will take your advice under consideration. Thanks

Sarauk2sf

I am not sure what spreadsheet you are referring to. It is not used or referred to in this group. Actual results > any calculator.

msmollygp

I apologize for not making myself clear. It is the IPOARM spreadsheet.

heybales

Sent PM regarding my spreadsheet.

Just general advice for others, because I know I've seen this done no matter what TDEE calculator is used.

If you included exercise in a TDEE calculation, then you cannot go and try to do the MFP style of eating back exercise calories with complete TDEE with deficit as net eating goal.

You are double counting your exercise and probably eating over maintenance, or very little deficit, hence the inches lost while maintaining weight while starting exercise back up.

Sarauk2sf

I apologize for not making myself clear. It is the IPOARM spreadsheet.

No worries. Hopefully heybales' PM can clarify things. I would however look at the accuracy of the inputs (not the actual calculator itself) if your results are not more or less line. With everything, there are a lot of estimates and assumptions that can mean that any calculator is not that accurate for an individual, and in particular, the assumptions for BMR.