Calorie calculations .... aaaaargh!!! :)

booboo54321
booboo54321 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all

hopefully someone can help :) I'll give you a quick run down:

My stats:
Height: 5' 2"
Weight: 140 lbs
Age: 32
Goal weight: 125-130 lbs (I'm getting married in Sept!!)

I do Insanity 6 days per week (I'm just about finished week 4) and I cycle to work 4 days (6 mile round trip, 40 mins)
Also I work full time and am on my feet most of the day in work.

I've worked out my BMR is 1400 so multiplied by my activity level (moderately active x 1.55) I should be eat 2170 to (very active x 1.725) 2415 to maintain my weight.
Therefore to lose weight -20% = 1736 -1932 cals per day

Am I right so far?

I have always been active and exercised my whole life so am not new to fitness.

Before starting insanity I was only walking to and from work and eating 1400 cals a day and I was losing weight (about 1 - 2 lbs a week) my weight went down to 135 lbs but I put some back on while on holiday (damn sangria!!) and now I seem to be stuck at 140 lbs for the last 4 weeks.

My average daily calorie intake for the last month (weekly total divided by 7):

Week 1: 1715
Week 2: 1842
Week 3: 1687
Week 4: 1663

My weight has not budged all month and i've only lost 2cm from my waist so no great loss there!

My body doesn't feel more toned, in fact I feel chubby :( although my fitness has greatly improved!

My big question is what to do about my daily calories???

Up them or down them???

Any help would be great :)

Thanks!!

Replies

  • JessicaPippen
    JessicaPippen Posts: 21
    Since you're doing Insanity and running, your calorie intake needs to go up. Or elimnate running. You're eating enough for Insanity but not enough to do Insanity and running.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    Stay the course and re-evaluate how accurate your food log is. I don't doubt you are trying, but it takes a lot of diligence to get it all right. If after another 4 weeks you aren't happy and your confident you are logging as accurately as you can, then consider dropping your target by 100 calories per day.

    Here is the standard starting point for re-evaluating your logging accuracy:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    BTW, a 2cm reduction in your waistline after just 4 week isn't too shabby IMHO. At that pace you'd be down 10 cm total by your wedding.

    Good luck!
  • booboo54321
    booboo54321 Posts: 4
    Thanks for replying!

    Its scary to think about eating more lol its kind of drummed into you to eat less/lose weight but from all I'm reading thats just not true!

    I'm worried that if I up my cals I'll end up even further from goal :(

    How much more do you think i should eat? 1900 per day?
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Are you 99.99% sure about your calorie intakes? you weigh everything on a digital scale?

    Also, you may be over-estimating how many calories you burn. 3 miles on the bike, though good, is barely enough to break a sweat, and your body adapts to that fast. If you have a well-tuned bike, biking is the most efficient form of self propulsion, i.e. it burns the least amount of calories by distance because you're harnessing momentum. And your intensity while you do insanity is very dependent on a lot of factors. Do you use a heart rate monitor to estimate your calories burned?
  • booboo54321
    booboo54321 Posts: 4
    I track all my calories on here and weigh all my food so I am quite confident in my calorie consumption.

    I don't have a heart rate monitor but guestimate that i burn 350-400 cals with insanity (i work flat out with it!) and a few online calculators work out my cycling to be 200 ish calories so around 600 in total.

    I don't know whether to drop my cals to 1600 per day or up them to 1900 ???
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    Most people don't see results in the first month of Insanity.. I would give it time before changing anything.
  • courtjade84
    courtjade84 Posts: 12 Member
    I could only think maybe over estimating exercise or underestimating food. Do you have yourself at moderately active plus log your exercises?
    I am also doing insanity 6 days a week and just finished my 4th week. I am 5'7" 145 lbs and according to hrm burn 300-400 cals per workout (in month 1) I also walk 5 k five days a week and am on my feet at work 8 hrs a day. I have myself as lightly active and ONLY log my insanity. I have myself set to lose 1 lbs a week and my goals without exercise is 1490 and with Insanity I usually eat 1490-1700 (cycle). I have lost pretty consistently as well as over 10" in a month.
    Maybe play with your settings a bit and see?
    Good luck!
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I don't know whether to drop my cals to 1600 per day or up them to 1900 ???

    Personally? If I didn't find myself in a bad mood every day, I'd cut to 1600. But that's me.

    Here's the thing, if your BMR is 1400 and you guess your TDEE at 2170, that means it doesn't matter if you eat 1600 or 1900 every day. You'll lose at both. As long as your numbers are accurate. (If it takes you 20 minutes to ride 3 miles by bike, honestly I wouldn't even count that as exercise I'd log, if I wasn't going uphill, just my opinion)
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    I track all my calories on here and weigh all my food so I am quite confident in my calorie consumption.

    But are you also confident the entries that you submit match the food you are consuming? For example if you log 225g of cottage cheese, does the entry in your diary match the label of the food you are eating? You can track calories and weight all your food, but it doesn't guarantee that it is all accurate. I can't see your diary, so I can't comment further. If you want to friend me or make it public I would be happy to review it for you for ideas.

    It seems you have dismissed this as a possibility but you really should turn a critical eye on your food log.

    Here is another link to perhaps convince you otherwise.

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    Good luck regardless of what you try to do.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    I do Insanity 6 days per week (I'm just about finished week 4) and I cycle to work 4 days (6 mile round trip, 40 mins)
    Also I work full time and am on my feet most of the day in work.

    I've worked out my BMR is 1400 so multiplied by my activity level (moderately active x 1.55)

    Hun, that's not moderate activity by any stretch of the imagination! I maintain at 2600, and workout a LOT less than you. Try the strenuous activity modifier.

    Also, what are your macros like? Are you getting enough protein?
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    Does your calorie calculation match what MFP would give you for your weight and activity level? Could be worth running the figures here if not to see which direction you should be going.
  • booboo54321
    booboo54321 Posts: 4
    I do Insanity 6 days per week (I'm just about finished week 4) and I cycle to work 4 days (6 mile round trip, 40 mins)
    Also I work full time and am on my feet most of the day in work.

    I've worked out my BMR is 1400 so multiplied by my activity level (moderately active x 1.55)

    Hun, that's not moderate activity by any stretch of the imagination! I maintain at 2600, and workout a LOT less than you. Try the strenuous activity modifier.

    Also, what are your macros like? Are you getting enough protein?


    I know the cycling isn't much (as has been pointed out in previous replies - btw it is uphill!! lol) but its still burns more than if I drove to work :) and in general I am pretty active with 3 big dogs that need a lot of exercise!

    I try to keep my macros 40/40/20 (c/p/f) looking back its been more or less that (the odd 50/30 c/p) and I have a protein shake after working out and eat a pretty clean diet, staying away from processed food as much as possible. If I do have a treat at the weekend i'll track it too (like a glass of wine or chocolate)

    Thanks for all the replies everyone else too :0)

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