How did everyone choose their calorie goal

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  • desiv2
    desiv2 Posts: 651 Member
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    I used the calculations Dan sets forth in his excellent post here:

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

    Doing it that way, you don't eat exercise calories back. Dan also explains the how and why of setting up your macros (carbs, fat, protein) and a lot of other good information.


    This.

    Though I just go by MFP settings, because it was so close to what was set up anyway. :P
  • 022988
    022988 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm set at 1500, but no educated reasoning behind it. I've just heard 1800-2000 is generally maintenance, so I knocked it down a little, but not too far that I wouldn't be able to sustain it. I'm only trying to lose 20 pounds so I don't mind if it's a bit slower, and so far it's working!
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    Don't you find that you can eat loads though when you eat back exercise calories. Doesn't really feel like a diet. For example I'm going swimming tonight and even the lowest estimate of calories burned for an hour is like 600. thats on top on a walk with the dog @ 150cals plus my daily MFP total of 1350.

    This is the second time you mentioned being on a diet. Is a diet a temporary thing for you? What will you do when you decide you're not on a diet?

    I chose my calories based on MFPs recomendation. I'll adjust it if needed.
  • MrsAFR
    MrsAFR Posts: 103 Member
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    ...So I think for now MFP settings are the way to go. I've set it to 1.5lbs a week and I'll eat back some exercise calories.

    That's what I do. I put zero thought into it and just eat how much it tells me to. I'm down 43lbs in 5 months. Works for me.

    That's Inspirational - thanks. I sometimes think I think about things too much!
  • MrsAFR
    MrsAFR Posts: 103 Member
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    Don't you find that you can eat loads though when you eat back exercise calories. Doesn't really feel like a diet. For example I'm going swimming tonight and even the lowest estimate of calories burned for an hour is like 600. thats on top on a walk with the dog @ 150cals plus my daily MFP total of 1350.

    This is the second time you mentioned being on a diet. Is a diet a temporary thing for you? What will you do when you decide you're not on a diet?

    I chose my calories based on MFPs recomendation. I'll adjust it if needed.

    Diet is just the word of choice. I want to increase my calories for maintenance and eat differently for the rest of my life. Sometimes its just easier to say diet as that is what we are all accustomed to saying.
  • BelindaDuvessa
    BelindaDuvessa Posts: 1,014 Member
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    I had my BMR calculated, as well as my TDEE. I placed my calories as somewhere in the middle. Then I found out I was pregnant. When I hit my 2nd Trimester, I upped my calories. Now that I'm 28-29 weeks pregnant, I am about to up them again. I find that placing my number between my BMR and my TDEE guarantees that I won't starve, but it also is enough that I will lose weight, or at least "maintain", as I'm trying to do right now. My goal right now is to health decently, exercise, and not put on a whole ton of weight through this pregnancy.
  • BelindaDuvessa
    BelindaDuvessa Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Don't you find that you can eat loads though when you eat back exercise calories. Doesn't really feel like a diet. For example I'm going swimming tonight and even the lowest estimate of calories burned for an hour is like 600. thats on top on a walk with the dog @ 150cals plus my daily MFP total of 1350.

    This is the second time you mentioned being on a diet. Is a diet a temporary thing for you? What will you do when you decide you're not on a diet?

    I chose my calories based on MFPs recomendation. I'll adjust it if needed.

    Diet is just the word of choice. I want to increase my calories for maintenance and eat differently for the rest of my life. Sometimes its just easier to say diet as that is what we are all accustomed to saying.

    I don't see the word "diet" as "restricting of calories" so much as "diet is the way that I eat". "My diet consists of" instead of "I'm going on a diet" Does that make sense? I'm pretty sure that's what was meant by that statement.

    And, from dictionary.com

    di·et    [dahy-it] Show IPA noun, verb, di·et·ed, di·et·ing, adjective noun

    1.food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: "Milk is a wholesome article of diet."
    2.a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: "a diet low in sugar."
    3.such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: "No pie for me, I'm on a diet."
    4.the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: "The native diet consists of fish and fruit."
    5.food or feed habitually eaten or provided: "The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce."
  • babeinthemoon
    babeinthemoon Posts: 471 Member
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    So what have you got your diaries set to and how did you arrive at the decision. Do you eat exercise calories back?

    I'm following the plan in the book "Choose to Lose." For me that means 1200 on M,W,F and 1500 on Tu,Th,Sa. Sunday is funday and I can have up to 2400. I do not "eat back" exercise calories. This averages out to 1500 cal/day over the week... less if I eat less on "funday".

    I have mfp set to 1200 calories and no exercise. I imput my exercise as I do it, and try to shoot for at least a 300 cal burn on 1500 cal days. My exercise goal is m-sat for a minimum of 30 minutes as I am still just starting out. I'm hitting 40 min most days easy.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    Don't you find that you can eat loads though when you eat back exercise calories. Doesn't really feel like a diet. For example I'm going swimming tonight and even the lowest estimate of calories burned for an hour is like 600. thats on top on a walk with the dog @ 150cals plus my daily MFP total of 1350.

    This is the second time you mentioned being on a diet. Is a diet a temporary thing for you? What will you do when you decide you're not on a diet?

    I chose my calories based on MFPs recomendation. I'll adjust it if needed.

    Diet is just the word of choice. I want to increase my calories for maintenance and eat differently for the rest of my life. Sometimes its just easier to say diet as that is what we are all accustomed to saying.

    I don't see the word "diet" as "restricting of calories" so much as "diet is the way that I eat". "My diet consists of" instead of "I'm going on a diet" Does that make sense? I'm pretty sure that's what was meant by that statement.

    And, from dictionary.com

    di·et    [dahy-it] Show IPA noun, verb, di·et·ed, di·et·ing, adjective noun

    1.food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: "Milk is a wholesome article of diet."
    2.a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: "a diet low in sugar."
    3.such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: "No pie for me, I'm on a diet."
    4.the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: "The native diet consists of fish and fruit."
    5.food or feed habitually eaten or provided: "The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce."


    Understood, but everyone doesn't define diet the same.
  • BH_Holl
    BH_Holl Posts: 55 Member
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    I do it the way any engineer would.

    1) Weigh myself every day. Calculate a weighted moving average of that weight so I know what I actually weigh, not subject to all the quirky day to day fluctuations.
    2) Sum up the calories I ate in the last two weeks, sum up the calories I spent in exercise in the last two weeks, and calculate my 2 week average net daily intake.
    3) Calculate exactly what my metabolism was over the last 2 weeks by subtracting average daily weight change * 3500 to my average net daily intake.
    4) Armed with the knowledge of precisely what my average metabolism was over the last 2 weeks, I can add or subtract calories as needed (500 cal/day = 1 lb) to create goals that can be achieved with precision.
    5) Win
    6) Profit

    I use a spreadsheet and keep a continuous live calculation of this number. It is quite easy to do. Its intersting to watch how your metabolism changes over time. I'm not sure why more people don't do this, the math isn't hard at all, and unlike the formulas people use, it is not an estimate, it is a real number, and the way it is calculated cancels all the systemmic calorie counting errors you have. It allows for precision and easy troubleshooting, if you want to lose 24.6 pounds in the next 4 months, using this method will enable you to lose exactly 24.6 pounds in the next 4 months. Plus it pretty much eliminates the potential for plateaus, the only plateau you have to be wary of is the one that occurs when your deficit is too big.

    ^^^ THIS! I started doing this a few weeks ago and it has been working out really well for me... My favorite thing about this approach is that I no longer get upset if the scale bounces up from water retention or whatever.... I just watch my trend line and know that my weight isn't really up. I think this method will be key for me during maintenance... Very freeing to not be scared of the scale anymore after a night out with friends or a holiday celebration! :smile:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Whether I use MFP numbers (base + exercise calories) or TDEE based numbers, they end up being pretty close. MFP is a little bit low for me, though, unless I amp up my activity level really high and eat all my exercise calories.

    I recently switched to eating a little below my TDEE (since I only log on weekdays, I wanted to give myself a little wiggle room on weekends) and it's much easier eating about the same amount every day rather than high days on days with a lot of exercise and low days on rest days. My appetite doesn't always coincide with my activity... if I run 8 miles, my appetite is dead for the day, but I'm famished the next.
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
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    i use MFP and nothing else
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I used the information contained in this thread:
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981


    I chose Katsch-McArdle and set a 20% deficit and my results panned out pretty accurately based on that calculator.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    ^^^ THIS! I started doing this a few weeks ago and it has been working out really well for me... My favorite thing about this approach is that I no longer get upset if the scale bounces up from water retention or whatever.... I just watch my trend line and know that my weight isn't really up. I think this method will be key for me during maintenance... Very freeing to not be scared of the scale anymore after a night out with friends or a holiday celebration! :smile:

    The scale becomes a tool, not the enemy. When the number is consistently higher than you expect for a little bit, either you are retaining water and a whoosh is just around the corner, your metabolism has shifted, or you have bumped into the maximum sustainable fat loss rate wall (which will cause a massive drop in your measurable metabolism that is easily fixed by increasing calorie intake, decreasing your deficit).
  • SavageFeast
    SavageFeast Posts: 325 Member
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    I went to http://www.thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx and calculated my BMR and TDEE. Then I chose a number between the two as my daily calorie allowance. It's worked so far!
  • boudrfra
    boudrfra Posts: 12 Member
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    I don't see it as a diet but more like a lifestyle. I usually will eat back half my calories I burn in a workout.
  • DebraAukett
    DebraAukett Posts: 128 Member
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    I set mine to lose 1.5 pounds per week and I eat my exercise calories back, it works well for me.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I have mine set to my BMR (1,550) and don't eat my exercise calories back. That plus lifting weights and running is what works best for me. I think you should pick a number and stick with it for at least 2 weeks, then re-evaluate. Good luck!
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
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    My TDEE minus 20% for now, we will see if I need to adjust that percentage :)
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    I used the calories set by MFP when i started. I was eating around 1200-1300 calories for a year and lost about 47lbs. Then I plateaued for months and the weight crept back on. 20lbs. I cannot stress enough, that MFP's sets you up very low and I believe that to be the cause of many people's plateaus and failure to maintain.

    I found eat more to weigh less group and I'm sticking to it. At first 2000 calories to reset my metabolism sounded good but I felt so bloated the first two weeks. Now that has passed and the number on the scale has maintained but I feel "skinny" my clothes feel great and my belly feels more flat. I'm going ot lower to 1900 since I have maintained but I high recommend anyone use a TDEE/BMR calculator to determine goals. The science just makes sense. Like this one:http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

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