Should I up my calorie intake? Grrrr

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  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I would eat your exercise calories back, or at least half of them back for now until you've transitioned all the way to 1700 -2200 calories. I've always eaten them back when I use MFP's method because I'm starving if I don't. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like! I can also give you suggestions for healthy foods.

    You have the right mindset of trying to fuel your body properly and you really shouldn't feel like you are hungry every day.
    Awesome, thank you so much. I changed my macros to 40/30/30 like you suggested. How do I monitor this? I'm adding you!

    In your food diary, you can customize what categories show along with the calories. I have mine set to track protein/carbs/fat and sodium and potassium.
  • dawlschic007
    dawlschic007 Posts: 636 Member
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    I would eat your exercise calories back, or at least half of them back for now until you've transitioned all the way to 1700 -2200 calories. I've always eaten them back when I use MFP's method because I'm starving if I don't. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like! I can also give you suggestions for healthy foods.

    You have the right mindset of trying to fuel your body properly and you really shouldn't feel like you are hungry every day.
    Awesome, thank you so much. I changed my macros to 40/30/30 like you suggested. How do I monitor this? I'm adding you!

    Go to Goals then select Change Goals. Once there, click Custom. Then you can change your calorie intake and macro percentages from there. Don't be frightened of the projected weight loss section because remember MFP's settings do not take exercise into account when setting goals, even though they ask for it.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    OK, I had to make a few assumptions, but I figure your TDEE before exercise is around 2150 calories. If you average about 300 calories a day in exercise (that accounts for the days off) and don't eat back the calories, 1350 intake will give you about 2.2 pounds a week weight loss. That seems awfully aggressive still. I'd bump up to closer to 1450 intake (but log *everything*), which is still 2 pounds a week.
    What do you think? I posted my stats above. Both of you seem like you know what you're talking about, I'd like to hear what you think as well. Thank you!!

    OK, my assumptions were close enough to reality that the numbers really don't change. I still think 1450 or 1500 intake (not net intake, but total intake) gives you a good short-term target. I'd recommend not eating back the exercise calories (or at most 25% back), on the assumption that you're underestimating your calorie intake by at least 10% a day (which, if you're not weighing everything, is a pretty conservative number). If you're still really tired or grumpy at 1500, then maybe bump it up a bit -- you could go as high as 2000 and still be losing in the neighborhood of a pound a week average.

    If her BMR is 1769, then she really should not be eating under that. Even 1500 GROSS calories is way too low for her. She should at least be eating above her BMR.

    Well, IFYM gives a BMR of 1687. I figured if she wasn't weighing food and had a MFP target of 1500 she's looking at a "real" intake of roughly 1650 (1500 + 10%), which is "close enough" to BMR for gov't work -- I doubt she'd be running into any health issues as long as she's within spittin' distance of her BMR. After that, tweek as necessary -- there's a whole heap off fudge factor in those numbers anyhow.
  • ripzone13
    ripzone13 Posts: 83 Member
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    OK, I had to make a few assumptions, but I figure your TDEE before exercise is around 2150 calories. If you average about 300 calories a day in exercise (that accounts for the days off) and don't eat back the calories, 1350 intake will give you about 2.2 pounds a week weight loss. That seems awfully aggressive still. I'd bump up to closer to 1450 intake (but log *everything*), which is still 2 pounds a week.
    What do you think? I posted my stats above. Both of you seem like you know what you're talking about, I'd like to hear what you think as well. Thank you!!

    OK, my assumptions were close enough to reality that the numbers really don't change. I still think 1450 or 1500 intake (not net intake, but total intake) gives you a good short-term target. I'd recommend not eating back the exercise calories (or at most 25% back), on the assumption that you're underestimating your calorie intake by at least 10% a day (which, if you're not weighing everything, is a pretty conservative number). If you're still really tired or grumpy at 1500, then maybe bump it up a bit -- you could go as high as 2000 and still be losing in the neighborhood of a pound a week average.

    If her BMR is 1769, then she really should not be eating under that. Even 1500 GROSS calories is way too low for her. She should at least be eating above her BMR.

    Well, IFYM gives a BMR of 1687. I figured if she wasn't weighing food and had a MFP target of 1500 she's looking at a "real" intake of roughly 1650 (1500 + 10%), which is "close enough" to BMR for gov't work -- I doubt she'd be running into any health issues as long as she's within spittin' distance of her BMR. After that, tweek as necessary -- there's a whole heap off fudge factor in those numbers anyhow.
    Thanks for taking the time to look into this- I really appreciate all the help!
  • ripzone13
    ripzone13 Posts: 83 Member
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    I would eat your exercise calories back, or at least half of them back for now until you've transitioned all the way to 1700 -2200 calories. I've always eaten them back when I use MFP's method because I'm starving if I don't. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like! I can also give you suggestions for healthy foods.

    You have the right mindset of trying to fuel your body properly and you really shouldn't feel like you are hungry every day.
    Awesome, thank you so much. I changed my macros to 40/30/30 like you suggested. How do I monitor this? I'm adding you!
    Got it! Thanks =)

    Go to Goals then select Change Goals. Once there, click Custom. Then you can change your calorie intake and macro percentages from there. Don't be frightened of the projected weight loss section because remember MFP's settings do not take exercise into account when setting goals, even though they ask for it.
  • softncudly
    softncudly Posts: 722 Member
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    I don't know if you mentioned how tall you were in the previous posts, but I have my calories set at 1740. (5'4", sedentary, work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes to lose 0.5 LBS.) I know this is slow, but I don't like being hungry...:happy:
  • softncudly
    softncudly Posts: 722 Member
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    I don't know if you mentioned how tall you were in the previous posts, but I have my calories set at 1740. (5'4", sedentary, work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes to lose 0.5 LBS.) I know this is slow, but I don't like being hungry...:happy:

    Before I changed my settings, MFP originally had me at 1590 calories at 0.8 LBS per week.
  • grapefruithero
    grapefruithero Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been seriously exercising and counting calories since the end of January. I initially was eating 1200 calories, not eating exercise calories back because I wasn't sure how many calories I burned (MFP overestimates, and I didn't want that to sabotage me). I lost about one pound a week, which I was very happy with. About two weeks ago, I upped my calories to 1460, eating exercise calories back (I got a HRM for more accurate numbers) and I've lost four pounds since then. So, in my admittedly limited experience, "eat more to weigh less" does work. At least for now!

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