New BMF and can't eat this high calories

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jaz050465
jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've just got a new BMF which is giving me a TDEE of about 2500 ( it says this is what I am burning). . With a 1 pound a week loss ( i am within my healthy weight range. Female, 5 ftb8 and 148 pounds), this means eating 2000 a day. For months I have been eating 1450 and I feel sick trying to eat so much now. I know I could eat cake or chocolate but eating crap makes me feel crap. I'm a vegetarian by the way.

What I can't get my head around is, if I'm supposed to eat this much, why am I over weight in the first place. However I wasn't losing on the 1450.

I'm also struggling to get my protein levels up without getting fat levels too high.
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Replies

  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    I wear a BMF too, personally I don't do the "3500 cals a week = 1 pound lost" rule because my body never follows that rule when I do it. I took an average of my burns from the bmf and took away a 20-25% deficit. I jsut started this last week, but i DID have a little scale whoosh today so I'm going to take that as a good sign that what I'm doing is working. Taking an average from my BMF numbers is around 2500 so my daily gross calorie intake goal is 1800-1900.

    Just decide what will work for you and then be consistent with it for at least 6 weeks (your body needs that long to adjust to a change) and don't freak if you gain a little at first- it'll come back off. Trust the bmf burns! They're accurate! You just have to figure out what deficit amount will work for you which unfortunately is a long trial and error period (long because like I said a change in diet or exercise requires a 4-6 week waiting period for your body to adjust- especially when increasing calories).

    edit: Forgot to mention; I don't track macros AT ALL. Just calories. Eat a moeratley healthy diet, the macros aren't that important in my opinion. Calories are all that matter unless you're at goal weight and are trying to gain muscle or something.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    There are a lot of ways to up your calories without stuffing your face full of junk food.

    When you cook, cook with olive oil...1Tbsp has a whopping 120 calories and is full of heart healthy fats. 1 Oz of Almonds is 160 calories...1 little tiny Oz. Put a Tablespoon of peanut butter on something or use it as a dip. Avocados are also high calorie and lots of good heart healthy fats and good source of fiber and reasonable protein. The list goes on and on...just do a little research on nutrient dense, but high calorie foods.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    There are a lot of ways to up your calories without stuffing your face full of junk food.

    When you cook, cook with olive oil...1Tbsp has a whopping 120 calories and is full of heart healthy fats. 1 Oz of Almonds is 160 calories...1 little tiny Oz. Put a Tablespoon of peanut butter on something or use it as a dip. Avocados are also high calorie and lots of good heart healthy fats and good source of fiber and reasonable protein. The list goes on and on...just do a little research on nutrient dense, but high calorie foods.

    Thanks. I suppose I knew that. It's just trying to reprogrammed myself I suppose. Years of never eating high calorie dense food as I couldn't afford the calories, is hard habit to overcome. Thanks for confirming that though.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    I wear a BMF too, personally I don't do the "3500 cals a week = 1 pound lost" rule because my body never follows that rule when I do it. I took an average of my burns from the bmf and took away a 20-25% deficit. I jsut started this last week, but i DID have a little scale whoosh today so I'm going to take that as a good sign that what I'm doing is working. Taking an average from my BMF numbers is around 2500 so my daily gross calorie intake goal is 1800-1900.

    Just decide what will work for you and then be consistent with it for at least 6 weeks (your body needs that long to adjust to a change) and don't freak if you gain a little at first- it'll come back off. Trust the bmf burns! They're accurate! You just have to figure out what deficit amount will work for you which unfortunately is a long trial and error period (long because like I said a change in diet or exercise requires a 4-6 week waiting period for your body to adjust- especially when increasing calories).

    edit: Forgot to mention; I don't track macros AT ALL. Just calories. Eat a moeratley healthy diet, the macros aren't that important in my opinion. Calories are all that matter unless you're at goal weight and are trying to gain muscle or something.

    Thanks. That's useful. I suppose I try a system and then give in too quickly and try something else without giving my body a chance to adapt. As you say, I'm hoping that now I have a BMF and I know what my calorie burn is, I can be more aware.

    The added problem is though that its difficult to see if something is working, if your owning expecting to lose a pound, if you body weight fluctuates so much from day to day.
  • Kalee34
    Kalee34 Posts: 674 Member
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    I agree, it is hard to reprogram to eat more calories. I am in the process of doing the same thing. Its not easy. Good luck!

    Nuts are a great healthy way to add calories to your diet.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    do what works for you.
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
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    Have you tried gradually raising your calories, 100 calories a day until you reach your goal? If you're not used to that much food I can see how it would make you feel queasy.

    i second the avocado suggestion. If I had a lot of extra calories to play with, homemade guacomole would be a part of my life on a regular basis!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,104 Member
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    It's a good problem to have. 2000 is still not that much food if you are getting enough good fats and protein.
  • mzredsavoie
    mzredsavoie Posts: 5 Member
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    Hi, I am new to this program. I am 66 yrs. old, with little or no metabolism, lol.

    I know this really shows my age, but what is a BMF????
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    What I can't get my head around is, if I'm supposed to eat this much, why am I over weight in the first place. However I wasn't losing on the 1450.


    Great question and one I had myself, so I did a bunch of research and reading....(in a nutshell) our bodies are biologically designed to maintain (survive) during low calorie famine periods. So, it made sense to me that by eating low calorie, we taught our bodies or rather reminded them they could survive on the 1450 (or whatever).

    I guess that doesn't answer your question about why you gained in the first place seeing as you should have been able to eat so much more and maintained. Maybe the answer lies in the history of your eating....meaning, were you a low cal "binge-er" or have you yo-yo eaten calories, high then low, etc? I've learned that if we keep our bodies always guessing about where the next morsel may come from, it will hold onto it all! Once you show your body that food/calories are stable, things stable out as well.

    Hope this could help.

    This is a very well written form post about why the body does what it does. Very reassuring and informative! You might find some answers in there.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience
  • gungho66
    gungho66 Posts: 284 Member
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    Eat less more often , 6 meals a day and drink water with everyone of them. Fish, tuna , raw almonds ,avacados natural peanut butter , greek yogurt , high fiber cereals ,sweet potatoes load up on vegetables . try to eat a protein , fibrous carb and starchy carb with every meal.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    Eat less more often , 6 meals a day and drink water with everyone of them. Fish, tuna , raw almonds ,avacados natural peanut butter , greek yogurt , high fiber cereals ,sweet potatoes load up on vegetables . try to eat a protein , fibrous carb and starchy carb with every meal.

    I'm a veggie-cant eat tuna. Am finding eating nuts pits my fat labels up.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    Hi, I am new to this program. I am 66 yrs. old, with little or no metabolism, lol.

    I know this really shows my age, but what is a BMF????

    Bodymediafit. It's a device to measure your calorie burn all day. Supposed to be 95% accurate. It's worn on your upper arm.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Options
    I've just got a new BMF which is giving me a TDEE of about 2500 ( it says this is what I am burning). . With a 1 pound a week loss ( i am within my healthy weight range. Female, 5 ftb8 and 148 pounds), this means eating 2000 a day. For months I have been eating 1450 and I feel sick trying to eat so much now. I know I could eat cake or chocolate but eating crap makes me feel crap. I'm a vegetarian by the way.

    What I can't get my head around is, if I'm supposed to eat this much, why am I over weight in the first place. However I wasn't losing on the 1450.

    I'm also struggling to get my protein levels up without getting fat levels too high.



    First you say you are within a healthy weight range
    then you refer to your self as over weight
    which is it?
    at 5'8" and 148 all you should be doing is maintaining and not gaining
    so what is the problem?
    How much weight do you feel you need to loose?
    Although I'm not medically over weight. I feel I am aesthetically. Particularly got fat gathered around stomach and back. I am doing Chalean Extreme and running but need to remove the fat too.

    I'm aiming to get down to 140 but its really not a weight but an appearance I'm after.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    After all that, just been analysing my BMF graphs and noticed it has though I was carrying out moderate activity whilst driving so it was over estimating my calorie burn. Ill turn it off in future. It didnt make sense to me how the burn was so different to what i was expecting.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,104 Member
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    After all that, just been analysing my BMF graphs and noticed it has though I was carrying out moderate activity whilst driving so it was over estimating my calorie burn. Ill turn it off in future. It didnt make sense to me how the burn was so different to what i was expecting.

    Does it use heart rate as a measuring parameter? Driving will definitely get your heart rate up. At least where I live.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    No. I understand driving will burn more caliries than sitting but thee vela were like a brisk walk. I'm in the car about 90 mins a day so it gave me an extra couple of hundred caliries.
  • WhoIsAmber
    WhoIsAmber Posts: 161 Member
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    I'm vegetarian as well. I'm 239 lbs currently and I'm eating 1800 calories a day for 1 lb loss a week... though, I haven't been seeing any losses yet (due to not exercising as much as I should, I think)

    I've been getting my protein from the following sources:
    Whey shakes (2 scoops = 20g+ protein)
    Boiled Egg WHITES (5 extra large egg whites= 85 calories, 30g protein)
    Fat-Free Greek Yogurt (1 cup = 22g protein)
    Oatmeal (1 cup = 10g protein)
  • lady_jessi
    lady_jessi Posts: 77 Member
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    If you eat dairy, you could switch to higher fat versions of what you usually consume.

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