Eating below mbr, all help/advice welcome please

Fitburd
Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I see this everywhere you should cos of starvation mode etc etc but my philosophy was "you don't see any fat people during a famine", now I'm starting to doubt myself and it's all become so confusing and the last few weeks I haven't eaten as clean as I was. This is the first major wobble I've had and I'm only half way through my loss. It's become so slow I'm finding it unbearable. So this is the first time I'm turning to the mpf community for support.

It has taken me a year to lose 74lbs with an average 2-3k daily deficit (explained below) my loses are now averaging 2lb a month and I am no where near my target. I've had blood work done, thyroid and everything all good, (went a bit anaemic over the summer but that's all in hand now too)

Calculators tell me my bmr is 2097, mfp has been setting my target at 1610 (sedentary setting so I log my exercise in addition to this). I work out 5-6 times a week (mainly strength training) and walk a lot (I really mean A LOT!) and have been using a hrm to measure calories burned during workouts. I average a 1k calorie burn per day working out. I eat anywhere between 1800-2200 calories a day depending on how hungry I am.

For Xmas I got a fibit to examine my true TDEE, I had worn my hrm a whole day and that gave a calorie burn at around 5500 but I didnt take that too seriously, however my fitbit says 5708 calories today. Yesterday I didn't work out as it was a holiday and a day off and I was pretty sedentary and the fitbit said over 3k burned!

My question is this... do I really need to increase my calories?

Replies

  • lilteeraw
    lilteeraw Posts: 261
    well are those fitbits accurate?
  • mambagirl
    mambagirl Posts: 137 Member
    Why are you exercising so much?

    Take it easy there ;)
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
    apparently they are 95-97% accurate. I know my tdee looks high, I had my suspicions that I was burning more than I gave myself credit for, I have an active job, care for 4 kids, workout regularly and walk a lot and I still weigh over 300 lbs. until 2 days ago i was only counting my workouts
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
    Heya mambagirl.. I guess I workout so often because I can. In November last year I couldn't walk to the end of my drive without breaking a sweat and getting breathless. I love being active - I did 8 different charity events this summer and and I'm currently training for tough mudder 2013. I might be addicted, but compared to where I was I don't want to go back there.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Many of those devices tend to skew their results when you are that much over-weight.....of course, I can't be certain, but it seems 5000+ calories is too much for you to be eating.

    How long has it been since you lost any weight? Sometimes you will go for weeks with very little loss, and then suddenly lose a few pounds seemingly at once. I think you should stick to the MFP recommendations. You are eating back the Exercise calories? Or you aren't?
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    Wow! That is a huge daily burn and I say the Fitbit is VERY accurate. Mine is for me anyway. Based on what you say, I would say you are definitely not eating enough and your body is shutting down on you now that you've had the initial weight loss. Go to the Eat More to Lose Weight area of MFP, join it and read away.... It's quite eye opening!
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
    I'm eating back some of the exercise calories IF I'm hungry.
  • MN_Runner2012
    MN_Runner2012 Posts: 19
    Congratulations on your loss so far. That is great work!

    A note about the BMR calculators: they are only estimates. I had a metabolic evaluation test to determine my actual burn. I also wanted to know what my true heart rate training zones were to improve my running performance.

    My true BMR was actually more than 500 calories less than the calculators stated. Also, it turns out that I have a very effective cardiovascular system and my heart rate that indicates zone 5 on the gym chart is really MY zone 2. I was eating too much and not working my heart enough to see the results I wanted. To give you an idea, my resting heart rate is 55 bpm. I burn the most fat at a heart of 166 (and this is not a level of intense training, this is an easy run).

    So my advice to you is to take those calculators with a grain of salt. The only way to truly know is to have an evaluation. Most gyms provide this service.

    Good luck to you!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I'm eating back some of the exercise calories IF I'm hungry.

    Your body won't always tell you correctly if you need to eat more or less by feeling hungry or not so listening to that voice is not a great idea especially if you've messed up your hormones by eating too little.

    I used my fitbit for losing and it seemed to be accurate enough since I mostly walked to lose the weight. Good luck, you've done so well so far!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    5700 calorie burn? Are you sure you're using that thing right? I don't even burn half that amount backpacking with a full load 8 straight hours hiking uphill at a steep incline!!! Dang!
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Yes, please eat more. I'd say 2200 on non-workout days and maybe 2700 or more on days you work out. If you are concerned about the accuracy of the fitbit, read some stuff at EM2WL. Pu's post is helpful info as well. As you lose, you will have to recalculate your numbers, but the fitbit should help with that.

    Good luck!
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    I "you don't see any fat people during a famine"
    Sorry, but you sound very uneducated in this belief...Google Search images - starving bloated african child
    Malnutrition is RABID during famines.

    Calculators tell me my bmr is 2097....I had worn my hrm a whole day.....
    HRMs are not designed for all day wear and calculations.


    As for the FitBit....you make no mention as to the overall amount of exercise that you are doing. So everything will be speculative.


    Ive lost a similar amount of weight over the past year. I have done most of my weigh-loss through diet. I am a believer in eating back calories and not once has it proven ME wrong. Everyone is different. Here is what I suggest:

    1) make sure that your settings are correct in both MFP & your FitBit
    2) Know that as you lose weight, the healthier you are, the harder it is to maintain the loss
    3) when one form-factor slows, change it up, or use a reset/maintenance period.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Eat more. Eating below your BMR for extended periods of time not only messes with your metabolism, it can result in internal organ damage and ultimately failure. BMR is the minimum your body needs for proper organ function. If you're exercising a ton, you have to eat a ton. Pick a meal and make it a calorie dense one
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    I see this everywhere you should cos of starvation mode etc etc but my philosophy was "you don't see any fat people during a famine", now I'm starting to doubt myself and it's all become so confusing and the last few weeks I haven't eaten as clean as I was. This is the first major wobble I've had and I'm only half way through my loss. It's become so slow I'm finding it unbearable. So this is the first time I'm turning to the mpf community for support.

    It has taken me a year to lose 74lbs with an average 2-3k daily deficit (explained below) my loses are now averaging 2lb a month and I am no where near my target. I've had blood work done, thyroid and everything all good, (went a bit anaemic over the summer but that's all in hand now too)

    Calculators tell me my bmr is 2097, mfp has been setting my target at 1610 (sedentary setting so I log my exercise in addition to this). I work out 5-6 times a week (mainly strength training) and walk a lot (I really mean A LOT!) and have been using a hrm to measure calories burned during workouts. I average a 1k calorie burn per day working out. I eat anywhere between 1800-2200 calories a day depending on how hungry I am.

    For Xmas I got a fibit to examine my true TDEE, I had worn my hrm a whole day and that gave a calorie burn at around 5500 but I didnt take that too seriously, however my fitbit says 5708 calories today. Yesterday I didn't work out as it was a holiday and a day off and I was pretty sedentary and the fitbit said over 3k burned!

    My question is this... do I really need to increase my calories?


    I don't have a Fitbit, but I've heard they are very accurate. It is supposed to adjust your calorie target if you have it synced. I would try it for a week or two to see how you feel. I would aim for 3,000 at the minimum as much as you work out.... I would also change the setting from sedentary to active if you have a very physical job.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    definitely update the weight on your fitbit on a regular basis. You naturally burn more calories doing the same thing if you weigh more.
  • theryan244
    theryan244 Posts: 65 Member
    Determine your TDEE for yourself by eating the same amount of calories everyday, weighing yourself everyday and at the end of each week add up your weigh-ins and determine an average. If your averages increase, you're in a caloric surplus, if they decrease, you're in a deficit. Adjust your calories until you are maintaining about the same average weight each week and use this number as your TDEE. "Clean eating" is completely irrelevant in terms of reaching body composition goals btw.

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