New To the Group and a Bit Scared
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mphillip6
Posts: 28 Member
Hi all! I'm new to the group as well as to the idea of eating more to weigh less. I have always been one to eat as little as possible, and the negative side effects (headaches, low energy, being hungry all the time) were just the price I had to pay to lose weight. Now that I've been reading all these posts about eating more, I definitely want to give it a try (and I can say that this is a lifestyle change I can live with!)
I'm a bit concerned that the numbers I'm coming up with for BMR and TDEE are too high, though. Here are my stats:
Age: 28 (29 in 16 days...not sure if that makes a difference)
Height: 67 inches
Weight: 247lbs
Activity Level: I try to work out at least 1hour/4 days a week (Leslie Sansone's Walk videos and the Slim in 6 series).
So with those numbers, I found that my BMR is between 1883 (MFP) and 1907 (scoobysworkshop), and my TDEE is 2957. So according to these numbers, I should be eating 2365 cals a day.
Does anyone else think this is a little high? I've read that the calculators aren't very reliable for heavier people. Should I go with this number or aim lower?
As of yesterday I increased my calories from 1370 (MFP recommendation, where I felt like I was going to die from starvation every single day) to 1900 calories (also eating back exercise calories to make sure I at least get my BMR in calories for the day).
Should I up my calories to 2365 a day? Or wait and see how I do on the 1900? I'm just really scared that if I start eating that much, I will gain even more weight in the end and this will end up not working for me at all.
Sorry for the long post - any help would be appreciated!!! :flowerforyou:
I'm a bit concerned that the numbers I'm coming up with for BMR and TDEE are too high, though. Here are my stats:
Age: 28 (29 in 16 days...not sure if that makes a difference)
Height: 67 inches
Weight: 247lbs
Activity Level: I try to work out at least 1hour/4 days a week (Leslie Sansone's Walk videos and the Slim in 6 series).
So with those numbers, I found that my BMR is between 1883 (MFP) and 1907 (scoobysworkshop), and my TDEE is 2957. So according to these numbers, I should be eating 2365 cals a day.
Does anyone else think this is a little high? I've read that the calculators aren't very reliable for heavier people. Should I go with this number or aim lower?
As of yesterday I increased my calories from 1370 (MFP recommendation, where I felt like I was going to die from starvation every single day) to 1900 calories (also eating back exercise calories to make sure I at least get my BMR in calories for the day).
Should I up my calories to 2365 a day? Or wait and see how I do on the 1900? I'm just really scared that if I start eating that much, I will gain even more weight in the end and this will end up not working for me at all.
Sorry for the long post - any help would be appreciated!!! :flowerforyou:
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Replies
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I weigh about the same as you (albeight older!), so you're welcome to look at my diary. Weight tends to fall off when I eat just above BMR, BUT I still loose at TDEE-20%.
Fortunately, you have a lot of wiggle room. It'll be trial and error until you find your body's sweet spot.0 -
Depending on how long you were eating low cal, you may want to up to full TDEE 2957 to do a metabolism reset. You may gain a little water weight doing that, but you should stabalize and be able to start losing at cut. I weigh about 215 and my TDEE is about 2800 because of my NEAT (non - exercise activity). You can also eat at the cut of 2365 (preferably you should eat at 10-15% cut though) and if your loss stalls, go up to TDEE to do a reset later.
I lost weight on a vlcd when I first started on the site, so now my body is reclaiming muscle and dropping fat (body is changing, but the scale isn't). Remember to measure and take pictures so that you can see what changes your body is making.
Feel free to add me as a friend even if my diary isn't clean eating 0 -
Roxierachael - Thanks for the response! It's so nice to hear that someone who weighs about the same as me is having success losing with the higher calories! I will definitely try different numbers of calories in between to see which works best for me. Thanks so much for your response - and I definitely will take a look at your diary! :flowerforyou:
Floopysandi - Thank you so much for the advice! I think I will try doing the TDEE - 15% for a while and see what happens (and then if I'm not seeing a difference I will do the reset) since I was only on a VLCD for about 3 months. And I will definitely take pictures and measurements rather than looking at the scale! Thank you so much for your response! :flowerforyou:0 -
I am 67.5 inches and currently 234. My TDEE is averaging at 2795/day and eat around 2100/day. I walk slowly on the treadmill 1hr/5days a week, Yoga once a week, strength once a week. Additional brisk walks/jogs/hikes 1-3 times/week so maybe 30-120 min/week "active" activity (per Fitbit).
Is your 1 hr/4x week hardcore?
How long have you been eating at 1370? If so, you should probably do the reset.
If not long at 1370, I'd start by eating at your BMR, so around 1850 for a couple weeks, then slowly increase to 2300 which seems about right if your videos are pretty active.
Edit to add, and I've been losing at just over 1lb/week since March.0 -
You are correct, all BMR formula's based on age, weight, height, are from studies based on people at healthy weight already, with avg healthy ratio of Fat to non-Fat mass (LBM).
When overweight, rarely is one in the same ratio.
Mifflin BMR is best at not inflating.
But Katch BMR based on BF% is even better.
Use this to get best estimates based on BF%, better activity calc, better TDEE, better goal. And track your inches since it matters just as much.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker0
