Setting Your Calorie and Macro Targets
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Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
To lose weight of course you must merely eat less than you burn all day.
The TDEE calc is merely an attempt to estimate, with exercise included, what you could burn on average daily, looking at your weekly schedule.
You must merely eat less than that to lose weight.
Small amount less, fat, too much less, risk muscle mass being the weight that is lost.
The MFP 1200 is different in that there is NO exercise included in that estimate, what they call maintenance was estimated, like non-exercise TDEE.
Then you eat less than that, in this case 1200 because of your selected goals.
But they aren't accounting for any exercise being done, that's why you log it, and your eating goal goes up.
If you did the MFP program right, you'd likely be eating the same amount, except on rest days, you'd be eating less.
So you were eating 1200, not logging your exercise, or ignoring the fact your daily goal increased and said to eat more? In that case you also ignored the warnings, while using a bad choice of words, is trying to share the fact that eating the lowest recommended for a sedentary woman isn't great if you acutally aren't a sedentary woman, unless very short.0 -
Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
I am a vegetarian and get over 160g a day of protein.
How are you coming up with the 88g protein - that seems low.
How quickly did you lose the 10lb? Were you losing before that? Were you tracking before that?0 -
Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
To lose weight of course you must merely eat less than you burn all day.
The TDEE calc is merely an attempt to estimate, with exercise included, what you could burn on average daily, looking at your weekly schedule.
You must merely eat less than that to lose weight.
Small amount less, fat, too much less, risk muscle mass being the weight that is lost.
The MFP 1200 is different in that there is NO exercise included in that estimate, what they call maintenance was estimated, like non-exercise TDEE.
Then you eat less than that, in this case 1200 because of your selected goals.
But they aren't accounting for any exercise being done, that's why you log it, and your eating goal goes up.
If you did the MFP program right, you'd likely be eating the same amount, except on rest days, you'd be eating less.
So you were eating 1200, not logging your exercise, or ignoring the fact your daily goal increased and said to eat more? In that case you also ignored the warnings, while using a bad choice of words, is trying to share the fact that eating the lowest recommended for a sedentary woman isn't great if you actually aren't a sedentary woman, unless very short.
I was logging my exercise and NETTING around 1200, definitely eating back some (most?) of my exercise calories. Most days there was a 'we need to run this morning, because I want a good dinner tonight!' approach.0 -
Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
I am a vegetarian and get over 160g a day of protein.
How are you coming up with the 88g protein - that seems low.
How quickly did you lose the 10lb? Were you losing before that? Were you tracking before that?
What are you eating to get that much protein? MFP sets my goal to 56 on a daily basis...according to the last two week averages, I've been short by 65-110 (for the week).
88 g protein was per the calculations put here. My scale quotes me at 25-27% BF, which would put my current LBM at 88.33..and it's one gram per pound LBM I thought? Did I misunderstand something in the formula?
Ten pounds was over 3 months..closer to 4 before it actually really stabilized at 10 pounds rather than 9. I wasn't tracking prior to that. Last time I tracked before that was probably 2003 when I was 20 pounds heavier, and when I took baseline intake before adding in any weight loss efforts, it was around 1500. I'm a much more active person now. I wouldn't say I restricted my calories much when on MFP, but we about doubled the exercise in order to see the weight drop.0 -
Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
I am a vegetarian and get over 160g a day of protein.
How are you coming up with the 88g protein - that seems low.
How quickly did you lose the 10lb? Were you losing before that? Were you tracking before that?
What are you eating to get that much protein? MFP sets my goal to 56 on a daily basis...according to the last two week averages, I've been short by 65-110 (for the week).
88 g protein was per the calculations put here. My scale quotes me at 25-27% BF, which would put my current LBM at 88.33..and it's one gram per pound LBM I thought? Did I misunderstand something in the formula?
Ten pounds was over 3 months..closer to 4 before it actually really stabilized at 10 pounds rather than 9. I wasn't tracking prior to that. Last time I tracked before that was probably 2003 when I was 20 pounds heavier, and when I took baseline intake before adding in any weight loss efforts, it was around 1500. I'm a much more active person now. I wouldn't say I restricted my calories much when on MFP, but we about doubled the exercise in order to see the weight drop.
Hi!
If you don't mind saying, how tall are you and how much do you weigh. I do not usually see females calculating out to much less than 100g, which is why I was surprised by the number.
What has your weight done in say the last 4 weeks and what were your average calories. Do you weigh all your food when possible and log everything. Is the 1,200 before 'eating back' exercise calories, or is it net? [Just trying to get a better understanding to help with intake suggestions]0 -
Seeing TDEE referenced on the forums here a lot, I finally read this post to learn about it. And now I have some questions.
Per the calculator referenced, my TDEE is around 2100 and my -20% is 1737.
But I question this. On MFP's 1200 calorie recommendation I was finally able to lose 10 pounds..given yes I was exercising twice a day (this has since dropped to less frequent). But based on the TDEE am I to understand my intake should be around 1700 calories a day? I feel like I'd be stuffed every day and likely to gain weight rather than lose.
Given the calculations, it also puts me at recommended 88 grams of protein. I'm vegetarian, so that high protein percentage sounds darn near impossible...
I am a vegetarian and get over 160g a day of protein.
How are you coming up with the 88g protein - that seems low.
How quickly did you lose the 10lb? Were you losing before that? Were you tracking before that?
What are you eating to get that much protein? MFP sets my goal to 56 on a daily basis...according to the last two week averages, I've been short by 65-110 (for the week).
88 g protein was per the calculations put here. My scale quotes me at 25-27% BF, which would put my current LBM at 88.33..and it's one gram per pound LBM I thought? Did I misunderstand something in the formula?
Ten pounds was over 3 months..closer to 4 before it actually really stabilized at 10 pounds rather than 9. I wasn't tracking prior to that. Last time I tracked before that was probably 2003 when I was 20 pounds heavier, and when I took baseline intake before adding in any weight loss efforts, it was around 1500. I'm a much more active person now. I wouldn't say I restricted my calories much when on MFP, but we about doubled the exercise in order to see the weight drop.
Hi!
If you don't mind saying, how tall are you and how much do you weigh. I do not usually see females calculating out to much less than 100g, which is why I was surprised by the number.
What has your weight done in say the last 4 weeks and what were your average calories. Do you weigh all your food when possible and log everything. Is the 1,200 before 'eating back' exercise calories, or is it net? [Just trying to get a better understanding to help with intake suggestions]
I'm 5'2, currently 121 lbs.
Unfortunately I'm not sure the last 4 weeks is a great representation.. I jumped back on MFP looks like 21 days ago. Generally I net in the 1200 range, although went way over on NYE. And then NYD woke up sick, so there were a few days I was eating under.
My weight had been creeping up in the holidays, and one inexact weigh (partially clothed afternoon where I usually weigh naked, in mornings) I was at 127. I seem to have dropped all the holiday weight gain in being sick which brought be back to 120.5-122. (122 seemed to be holding pretty consistently for a few months after the loss).
Unfortunately I don't have a scale to weigh my food, and some of those days were eating out, which makes it incredibly hard to know how accurate some of the logged meals are. I've been eating at home more recently, so that helps. When I first started on MFP I was at least trying to measure volume where I could, but I know I can get extremely anal about accuracy and take too much time away from growing my business etc with it.0 -
Hi,
I know this has probably been done to death but I'm also new and confused lol
I'm 29, Male, around 205lbs (14stone 9lbs here) and 5ft 10inches
I calculated my BMR to be 2042 calories per day and,with my daily activity level, my calorific need to then be 2807 calories per day (using Harris Benedict). I would like to lose between 1.5 and 2lbs per week.
MFP is saying I need to take in 1300 calories per day net, surely this is too high a deficit is it not? 1500 or so less than I need to just function?
Many Thanks
James0 -
Since looking it up, now I'm even more confused. MFP seems to change my protein target from day to day? Today it has my target at 49, yesterday at 77, the day before at 64. What's going on there?
I'm also still super curious to hear how you get so much protein on a vegetarian diet. My partner and are I are both vegetarian and he's definitely interested in getting more when he weight-lifts.0 -
Since looking it up, now I'm even more confused. MFP seems to change my protein target from day to day? Today it has my target at 49, yesterday at 77, the day before at 64. What's going on there?
I'm also still super curious to hear how you get so much protein on a vegetarian diet. My partner and are I are both vegetarian and he's definitely interested in getting more when he weight-lifts.
Did you notice the eating calorie target changed too?
Since they go by % of eating goal for macros, if your eating goal goes up, your % stays the same, your grams goes up.
You've been correctly logging your exercise calories, eating goal goes up, so you can hopefully maintain the same reasonable deficit.0 -
Sara or Sidesteel...
Do you have a preferred method of calculating calories? I read your initial post and was very confused. I am beginning my workouts this week (INSANITY workouts), and am not sure exaclt how to calculate what is needed.
I would love assistance. Previouls, Sidesteel helped me a LOT (early 2013) unfortunatly some life events made it not possible to follow (health issues)..
I would love a woman's input as well, however, he is AMAZING support and a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for creating this group. I know to come here for the straight truths..no sugar coating.
Hi! So sorry, it looks like your post was overlooked. My preferred method (as well as SSs) is actually to come up with an estimate of your TDEE based on actual results and eat to a static number, then tweak up or down based on actual results.
If you do want to eat your calories back, just pick one of the estimates from the MFP database and then eat about 50% of them back to account for over-estimations and for the double count of your BMR while doing them. Again, tweak based on actual results when looking at a trend over a few weeks.0 -
Sara and/or SS, I joined this group a while ago and have been lurking in the posts... But I wanted to make sure I got my calculations correct.
I just weighed myself at 178 pounds and estimated my bodyfat, since I have had it measured previously, at around 40%... I am using the calorie deficit target 1600.
Anyway when I calculated out my protein and my fat it came out as 27% and 35% respectively. Does the fat percentage seem too high?
Protein: 1x178x0.6=106gx4cal=427.2/1600=27%
Fat: 0.35x178=62.3x9=560/1600=35%
I would limit the fats a little - to about 50g, unless you have any medical issues that would indicate lower carbs and/or higher fats would be preferable.0 -
Since looking it up, now I'm even more confused. MFP seems to change my protein target from day to day? Today it has my target at 49, yesterday at 77, the day before at 64. What's going on there?
I'm also still super curious to hear how you get so much protein on a vegetarian diet. My partner and are I are both vegetarian and he's definitely interested in getting more when he weight-lifts.
The protein calculations you did are correct.
The macros change when you add exercise calories (which is one of the reasons I prefer eating to a static number - the macros stay static as well. If you hit you minimum protein and fats, most of the balance should come from carbs, unless there is a reason to restrict carbs.
How much were you grossing (i.e. ignore net and look at how much you were actually eating)? The TDEE calculators include exercise (i.e. are gross and not net) which is where a lot of the differences may be coming from.
My protein mainly comes from:
Greek yogurt
Milk
Quest bars (kind of addicted to them)
"Fake meat' made from seitan/soy
with the balance from
- eggs
- cheese
- veggies (mushrooms are surprisingly high)
- protein powder, when needed, which is not that often0 -
Hi,
I know this has probably been done to death but I'm also new and confused lol
I'm 29, Male, around 205lbs (14stone 9lbs here) and 5ft 10inches
I calculated my BMR to be 2042 calories per day and,with my daily activity level, my calorific need to then be 2807 calories per day (using Harris Benedict). I would like to lose between 1.5 and 2lbs per week.
MFP is saying I need to take in 1300 calories per day net, surely this is too high a deficit is it not? 1500 or so less than I need to just function?
Many Thanks
James
Which activity level did you select when calculating your TDEE?
Which settings did you give MFP? Which activity level and what was the weight loss per week.0 -
Since looking it up, now I'm even more confused. MFP seems to change my protein target from day to day? Today it has my target at 49, yesterday at 77, the day before at 64. What's going on there?
I'm also still super curious to hear how you get so much protein on a vegetarian diet. My partner and are I are both vegetarian and he's definitely interested in getting more when he weight-lifts.
The protein calculations you did are correct.
The macros change when you add exercise calories (which is one of the reasons I prefer eating to a static number - the macros stay static as well. If you hit you minimum protein and fats, most of the balance should come from carbs, unless there is a reason to restrict carbs.
How much were you grossing (i.e. ignore net and look at how much you were actually eating)? The TDEE calculators include exercise (i.e. are gross and not net) which is where a lot of the differences may be coming from.
My protein mainly comes from:
Greek yogurt
Milk
Quest bars (kind of addicted to them)
"Fake meat' made from seitan/soy
with the balance from
- eggs
- cheese
- veggies (mushrooms are surprisingly high)
- protein powder, when needed, which is not that often
Ah, hm. Taking a random sampling from June...1264, 1417, 1711, 1524, 1621, 1779, 1503
I guess the scary part is the TDEE being more general, because my activity level does vary quite a bit, and what if my calculations are off and then I end up gaining?
I'm trying to stay off milk as I was told it could contribute to my acne and I sometimes get throat issues with yogurt..I do like fake meat but haven't been using it as much since my partner gets grossed out by it (same with eggs). I love cheese, though it's still dairy, and often high in fat, and am not a fan of the texture of mushrooms :-/ So I tend toward beans, lentils, cous cous, cottage cheese, tofu..
This may be a remedial question, but what's the benefit of high protein over carbs, or rather, the big concern of me running below my target?0 -
Saving to read the helpful info later.0
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Let me first say, I just joined this group and I want to thank Sara and SS for all the information provided. I've learned so much. Most of what I thought was right is really just BS (saying goodbye to ice cream, measuring vs weighing, calorie intake...) which gives me hope for accomplishing my goals without having to nibble on carrots and celery for the rest of my life.
Moving on to this specific post... I know I have been doing things all wrong so I am trying to start from scratch. By using TDEE with light activity, and a 20% cut, my calorie goal came to about 1600. After doing my macros, I'm even more concerned so here's what I calculated those to be... 20% protein, 45% fat, and 35% carbs. Please note that previously I had set my calorie goal at 1200 and unfortunately I was not using this as the net calorie goal so with exercise it was closer to 1000 (at least I think it was-measuring cups, EEK). Questions...
1. Should I immediately start eating at the new calorie goal or gradually increase from 1200 to the new goal?
2. After customizing MFP, I assume that I am ignoring net calories as "your daily goal" includes exercise calories. Am I correct?
3. Should I take a larger cut than just 20% considering I am aiming for a 2lb week loss?
4. My macros seem off, specifically for fat. Should I decrease the fat macro and balance it between others?
My Stats:
Female
29 yrs
193 lbs
5'7''
trying to lose about 60 lbs
full time desk job + 3 kids to run after
Thanks for the help. I've done ok over the past 3-4 months but I have really been struggling with staying on target (overeating, lack of energy, decreasing motivation...) and of course it has resulted in a yo-yo of 2-3 lbs so here I am trying to figure out how to stop.0 -
I just joined this group. This is a great thread; thank you so much for all the information! I am 4 lbs from my weight loss goal and really wanting to focus on strength training/building muscle.Hi!
If you don't mind saying, how tall are you and how much do you weigh. I do not usually see females calculating out to much less than 100g, which is why I was surprised by the number.
I have a question about this. I've been curious about my BF% for a while (but not sure if I'm brave enough to post pics for an estimate
). I'm a 37 y/o female, 5'7" and 132 lbs. I would say I have a small frame and not a lot of muscle; I've been running 3-4x/wk for the past year (~30 mins) and done strength training sporadically the past 4-5 months. After recent weight loss (hadn't really weighed below 139 since I was 21), my arms and legs (other than upper thighs) are fairly slim but I still have a significant belly. Not sure how much of that is fat versus the lingering effects of carrying twins full-term (they just turned 5) and a weak core. My Tanita scale says my body fat percentage is around 30-31% which would make my LBM only 91 lbs. Do you think that is possible? If my LBM is likely at least 100 lbs, my BF% would be closer to 24%, which would be a lot more encouraging. 
0 -
I just joined this group. This is a great thread; thank you so much for all the information! I am 4 lbs from my weight loss goal and really wanting to focus on strength training/building muscle.Hi!
If you don't mind saying, how tall are you and how much do you weigh. I do not usually see females calculating out to much less than 100g, which is why I was surprised by the number.
I have a question about this. I've been curious about my BF% for a while (but not sure if I'm brave enough to post pics for an estimate). I'm a 37 y/o female, 5'7" and 132 lbs. I would say I have a small frame and not a lot of muscle; I've been running 3-4x/wk for the past year (~30 mins) and done strength training sporadically the past 4-5 months. After recent weight loss (hadn't really weighed below 139 since I was 21), my arms and legs (other than upper thighs) are fairly slim but I still have a significant belly. Not sure how much of that is fat versus the lingering effects of carrying twins full-term (they just turned 5) and a weak core. My Tanita scale says my body fat percentage is around 30-31% which would make my LBM only 91 lbs. Do you think that is possible? If my LBM is likely at least 100 lbs, my BF% would be closer to 24%, which would be a lot more encouraging.
bump
I did also PM you both a link to pics I took for your body fat % estimation if it would be better to look at those and give me a less general answer. Would love your input on both or either when you get a chance.
Thanks, Sara and SideSteel!0 -
Since looking it up, now I'm even more confused. MFP seems to change my protein target from day to day? Today it has my target at 49, yesterday at 77, the day before at 64. What's going on there?
I'm also still super curious to hear how you get so much protein on a vegetarian diet. My partner and are I are both vegetarian and he's definitely interested in getting more when he weight-lifts.
The protein calculations you did are correct.
The macros change when you add exercise calories (which is one of the reasons I prefer eating to a static number - the macros stay static as well. If you hit you minimum protein and fats, most of the balance should come from carbs, unless there is a reason to restrict carbs.
How much were you grossing (i.e. ignore net and look at how much you were actually eating)? The TDEE calculators include exercise (i.e. are gross and not net) which is where a lot of the differences may be coming from.
My protein mainly comes from:
Greek yogurt
Milk
Quest bars (kind of addicted to them)
"Fake meat' made from seitan/soy
with the balance from
- eggs
- cheese
- veggies (mushrooms are surprisingly high)
- protein powder, when needed, which is not that often
Ah, hm. Taking a random sampling from June...1264, 1417, 1711, 1524, 1621, 1779, 1503
I guess the scary part is the TDEE being more general, because my activity level does vary quite a bit, and what if my calculations are off and then I end up gaining?
I'm trying to stay off milk as I was told it could contribute to my acne and I sometimes get throat issues with yogurt..I do like fake meat but haven't been using it as much since my partner gets grossed out by it (same with eggs). I love cheese, though it's still dairy, and often high in fat, and am not a fan of the texture of mushrooms :-/ So I tend toward beans, lentils, cous cous, cottage cheese, tofu..
This may be a remedial question, but what's the benefit of high protein over carbs, or rather, the big concern of me running below my target?
Protein is needed to maintain (or gain if at a surplus) muscle mass. If you do not get sufficient protein you run the risk of losing more muscle than you would otherwise.
If your calculations are off and you end up gaining (but look at trends not daily/weekly fluctuations on their own) then just tweak your intake accordingly.0 -
Let me first say, I just joined this group and I want to thank Sara and SS for all the information provided. I've learned so much. Most of what I thought was right is really just BS (saying goodbye to ice cream, measuring vs weighing, calorie intake...) which gives me hope for accomplishing my goals without having to nibble on carrots and celery for the rest of my life.
Moving on to this specific post... I know I have been doing things all wrong so I am trying to start from scratch. By using TDEE with light activity, and a 20% cut, my calorie goal came to about 1600. After doing my macros, I'm even more concerned so here's what I calculated those to be... 20% protein, 45% fat, and 35% carbs. Please note that previously I had set my calorie goal at 1200 and unfortunately I was not using this as the net calorie goal so with exercise it was closer to 1000 (at least I think it was-measuring cups, EEK). Questions...
1. Should I immediately start eating at the new calorie goal or gradually increase from 1200 to the new goal?
2. After customizing MFP, I assume that I am ignoring net calories as "your daily goal" includes exercise calories. Am I correct?
3. Should I take a larger cut than just 20% considering I am aiming for a 2lb week loss?
4. My macros seem off, specifically for fat. Should I decrease the fat macro and balance it between others?
My Stats:
Female
29 yrs
193 lbs
5'7''
trying to lose about 60 lbs
full time desk job + 3 kids to run after
Thanks for the help. I've done ok over the past 3-4 months but I have really been struggling with staying on target (overeating, lack of energy, decreasing motivation...) and of course it has resulted in a yo-yo of 2-3 lbs so here I am trying to figure out how to stop.
Hi! Sorry for the delay in responding. Would you mind starting a thread as there may be some Q&A we need to do to get you on the right track and it's easier to do that in a 'dedicated'' thread. Also, if you do start one, could you answer the questions from here in that thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910257-the-new-and-improved-asking-questions-about-your-intake
Thanks0
