What should my deficit be? I'm using a bodymedia...

nwrainyday
nwrainyday Posts: 29 Member
edited February 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been using mfp for about a month now consistently. Mfp estimated my TDEE to be 2140 and put me at eating 1500 a day, with a 640 cal deficit, to lose 1.3 lbs/week.

I started wearing a bodymedia device and it puts my TDEE around 2380. It's not a huge difference, but should I account for it with my deficit? Meaning, should I eat back those extra 240 calories? I'd love to eat more, but I also don't want to make my weight loss any slower than it already is. And if you think I should adjust my intake, do I adjust it every day based on the custom TDEE that my bodymedia gives me?

Fyi, i started at 168, my current weight is 162 and my goal is 150ish, and my height is 5'11".

Thanks!!

Replies

  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    Does the BodyMedia sync with MFP? There may be a way to set up your accounts so that each day, any calories you burn above and beyond the MFP-estimated TDEE can automatically be transferred to MFP in the form of exercise calories earned. I know the Fitbit (a similar device in concept, though not execution) has that capability.

    If not, you can credit yourself with exercise calories each day if you want, and eat back some or all of them. Or don't if you're feeling like you're satisfied on 1500 and your energy and weight loss rates are where you want them. (ETA) Though, you're really at almost a 2lbs/week deficit, which is definitely on the aggressive side for how much you have left to lose, so eating them back might be preferable.
  • nwrainyday
    nwrainyday Posts: 29 Member
    Does the BodyMedia sync with MFP? There may be a way to set up your accounts so that each day, any calories you burn above and beyond the MFP-estimated TDEE can automatically be transferred to MFP in the form of exercise calories earned. I know the Fitbit (a similar device in concept, though not execution) has that capability.

    If not, you can credit yourself with exercise calories each day if you want, and eat back some or all of them. Or don't if you're feeling like you're satisfied on 1500 and your energy and weight loss rates are where you want them. (ETA) Though, you're really at almost a 2lbs/week deficit, which is definitely on the aggressive side for how much you have left to lose, so eating them back might be preferable.

    Yep, I have bodymedia synced up with mfp so it is doing calorie adjustments on the exercise page. What you're saying makes sense. I'm not terribly active, so I figured the mfp estimate was accurate, but those extra few hundred calories are probably responsible for my 2lb/wk average weight loss. Thx!!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    This is the beauty of the BodyMedia. You have a better idea of what you burn, so you can adjust your eating accordingly. Burn calories like a madwoman and you can have a nice dessert and still maintain a deficit.
  • pw618
    pw618 Posts: 1 Member
    There are several work arounds to this issue. I recently started using bodymedia fit link armband & my fit pal on Feb 1, 2014.

    I noticed that bodymedia was sending my fit pal my calorie burn info but was not what I wanted to see. Because I wanted to see my deficit.

    To do so do the following. Delete the entry bodymedia sends my fit pal each time body media data is uploaded.

    Enter your actual burn data found on body media as a manual workout entry in my fit pal by doing the following:

    In daily diary press + symbol and at bottom there's cardiovascular exercises tap it.
    In the search field type bodymedia actual burn it will say nothing is found / Then click create exercise. Type 1 in how long and in calorie burn enter your actual burn.

    Once this is done you won't have to set up this part again each day I go in and add cardiovascular exercise and my recent entry comes up I click that add my actual burn and wahlah. This can be updated though out the day by just pressing the workout entry and updating the calorie burn based on what bodymedia shows (lot of toggling but worth it). (i lost 6.2 lbs last week by monitoring my deficit and reaching my deficit goals) The NET Becomes the Deficit and I IGNORE the Remaining.

    This is just my work around would end up the same if I wrote it on a piece of paper. Same concept over all is Actual Burn Minus Food = Deficit as long as burn is more than food. If not will not show as negative number and will be positive and is surplus.

    I covered this in my tips and tricks video.

    This link is to my latest bodymedia & myfitnesspal weight loss progress video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW8OEFQdJNU&list=UUuWwAuFhOFqLTqHbPEtWsnw&feature=c4-overview
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