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%

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

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?

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!

I am so grateful I found this forum. Following the OP's TDEE and Macro calculations, I got:

TDEE: 1700cals/day
My current weight is 103lbs.
I workout 2 to 3x a week (HIIT and weights), but I just started 2 months ago, and I lost 5lbs then. I eat clean like 80% of the time. I make sure I get enough Protein, and monitor my carbs. I set MFP to 1200 cals a day but I dont stress myself if I go over a few. I also eat my exercise back. Problem is I don't know my body fat percentage. I have a small frame (5'1" and 25 yrs old), a lot of people's telling me that I'm too skinny but I still have fats around my thighs, arms and most specially my mid section. If it would help, leggings from Abercrombie kids would fit me(probably the largest size) and for adult size I usually get size 2 for jeans and XS for tops. I have seen some gains since I started lifting weights, I'm more toned now (but i want more lean gains so I dont look like Im a 25 yr old girl locked in a body of a 16 yr old) and I'm aiming to work on my abs. I do have "morning abs" most of the time (when I eat healthier) but it disappears after my first heavy meal, so I think I still have to lower my BF%.

My questions are:
-Should I still do caloric deficit so I can lower my BF%? I'm scared I'll be too skinny and also, I've read that trying to gain muscles while in a caloric deficit isn't such a good idea. Im scared to go caloric surplus to get more lean gains but I am thinking about doing a maintenance.
-do i still lose BF% in my mid section if I do caloric maintenance and works out like 3x a week?

I have no idea on really settng or understanding some of this but I have been told more than a few times and it seems to help to up my protein to 100 grams or more a day and I found myself sluggish the day after strength training and instead of waitng til I got home to eat I have changed it up and am now drinking protein shake as I leave gym and it has helped The whys I do not understand completely and this is making me realize there is a lot more to nutrients and balance that I am totally clueless on. It makes it harder that I still have a problem and do not feel hunger on a consistant basis so I really have to rely on MFP and alarm on phone to remind mme to keep eating. So why is upping protein that much so important for me and I can feel it helping?