Having Doubts: Need Help
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KGTraxler
Posts: 144
I'm having doubts about eating more. I calculated my TDEE and it's 2660. 80% of that comes out to about 2160 calories--that still seems like a lot. I work out 6 days per week, and as a graduate student I'm always walking to, from, and around campus. Still, should I be eating that much? I don't know if it's the mental block that is in me because the popular rule is "eat a little exercise a lot" or what, but I could use some advice. Thanks! 
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Think now - do you actually have any perspective at all to have an informed opinion as to that sounding high or not?
Do you know how much you used to eat that got you into trouble?
Or is the full scope of experience on calories to eat the 1200 that you may have been assigned or seen talked about everywhere?
Use the Search function above, and search the forums for FitBit and BodyMedia and start reading what people burn just doing desk jobs.
6 days a week exercise and you walk around campus a lot? I'll better dollars to donuts you underestimated your activity.0 -
You raise a good point--what credentials do I have to know how much is too much? Also, I don't think it was the amount of eating per se that got me into trouble, I think it was what I was actually eating. I've never been overweight, but I have been flabby and not toned. Also, I think part of my problem is that my mom follows the archaic view of fitness from the 80s where people eat little and workout a lot so our fitness philosophies are quite different, which sometimes causes me to question my own methods. Thanks for the perspective!0
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As an example of what Heybales was referring to, I'm a fitbit user and my TDEE is around 2800 on average.
I cycle 5 hours per week and lift 3 hours per week but otherwise I have a desk job so am pretty sedentary during the day.
Eating 2160 still gives you a 500 cal deficit per day which should equate to around 1lb weight loss per week which is a sustainable amount. Depending on how much you have to lose you may want to decrease that further to around 1/2 per week (i.e. eating 2410). This is often recommended when you have less than 10lbs to lose.0 -
If it helps my TDEE is between 2600-3100 calories depending on exercise level. The bottom number is doing 4 weight lifting sessions and maybe 1 30 minute cardio. The upper numbers are 3-4 weight lifting, 2-3 cardios around and hour each and 1-2 30 minute yoga/stretching.
I'm 5'10", overweight, and have a desk job so not nearly as active as you are daily KG 0 -
" Use the Search function above, and search the forums for FitBit and BodyMedia and start reading what people burn just doing desk jobs. "
@ heybales -- I've been trying to find examples of what other 5'3", 47 year old women burn on average with their Body Medias and haven't been able to. (As I'm considering getting one.)
Do you have a trick way to search?
Thanks!
Amanda0 -
@ amanda_gent, there are a couple of BMF groups--might help to ask your question there--but it's really individual--depends on how much you move on a daily basis. I'm 5'3", 47, weight 111, bf around 20%, workout 5 days per week, move around a lot at work, and I average about 2250 calories burned daily according to BMF, but that's only an average--some days I'm as low as 1700 and this past Sunday I reached an all time high over 2800.0
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@ katevarner - thanks! Your stats are so similar to mine but my bf% is more like 24/25% (according to my rusty old digital scale) and I'm about 8 lbs. heavier so how would that affect my burn?
I'm asking because I've been at about 1700/1800 cal. per day for three weeks and have thus far seen no scale movement and don't want to waste any more time. Maybe I'm too impatient!
Meanwhile I'll check out the groups....0 -
Sorry @amanda_gent, just saw this. What's your activity level? If that's similar to mine, too, then you should be losing at 1700/1800 if that's what you are eating (not that + exercise), but you should really only be losing about .5 to .75 lbs. per week (I lost at about .8 per week). I lost the last 10 lbs. eating about 1850, and when I started eating at that level, I was 25% body fat. If you are exercising less than 5/6 times a week, can you add in more movement? It doesn't have to be workouts--I do just as well on days when I just walk around a lot. If I can get up every 30-45 minutes and walk for 5 minutes, I burn plenty of calories for the day. I have even started putting up clean clothes one item at a time because I'm so lazy in general on the weekends.
Are you lifting? The more muscle, the more calories you are supposed to burn. And you can hold onto LBM even while you are losing weight.0 -
@katevarner - I've been doing two 45 minute spin classes per week, rowing in three 5 minute spurts during my 2 -3 days a week of weightlifting (so a total of 15 minutes of rowing per session - 45 mins of lifting), and then walking about 45 minutes at a 3.5 - 4 mph pace on "off" days. It is hard for me mentally to take a rest day for some reason so I'll usually walk if weather permits. I guess I rest completely one day every two or so weeks (but then end up busier with housework or errands).
So, I call myself "moderately active" since none of my sessions is crazy intense or long.
I am due for a weigh-in soon and we'll see what's happened. Funny, but today is the first day I've looked in the mirror and noticed real changes in my body - flatter stomach, thinner and more muscular arms, etc.
I think I'm averaging about 1800 taking into account measuring errors and general logging sloppiness, though I shoot for 1650. I am tired of having to track everything I eat!0
