Counting calories, simple math?

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AshleeBoruff
AshleeBoruff Posts: 10 Member
in Getting Started
Ok I thought losing weight was simple math with calories. I work a desk job and sit all day, per my research I burn 2300 a day with my regular activity, days I go to gym add at least 500 calories to that. =2800 give or take. I strive not to eat over 1700 calories and do good about 6/7 days. So how am I not losing weight at all if I'm getting rid of more calories than taking in!?! So frustrated!

To sum it up I burn more than I take in....
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Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Your diary of the past week says different - you're well over your calories on quite a few days.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think?hl=You're+probably+eating+more

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
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    2300 per day for just sitting at a desk seems really high to me. My TDEE for a desk job is around 2100.

    500 for your exercise also seems pretty high unless you're doing an hour of cardio without stopping.
  • ChrisMullis
    ChrisMullis Posts: 73
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    What do you class as your activities which are burning 2300 cals a day?

    As far I can see looking at your diary you are eating far too many calories but I see no excercise?
  • ChrisMullis
    ChrisMullis Posts: 73
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    How do you calculate this? I cant see as I'm burning any calories whilst sat at my desk?
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
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    I would use this calculator as a general guideline and set the exercise level to desk job. This will let you add in your exercise on the days you do it.

    Fill in your gender, age, height and weight, then just switch the exercise to no exercise.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
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    How do you calculate this? I cant see as I'm burning any calories whilst sat at my desk?

    Desk job is still more calories than BMR.
  • benaddict
    benaddict Posts: 1,381 Member
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    I agree with the others, looks like you're having way more than 1700 most days this past week, including lots of fast food and restaurant meals.

    I lost weight for a while on MFP by eating about 1400 cals a day and exercising 4-5 days a week with a burn of 200-300 calories per workout. I ate back some of my exercise calories, my net each day was around 1000-1400. Then I tried the TDEE method (TDEE -20%) which put me at about 1700 cals a day. Ate like that for a few weeks, exercising the same or more than before but not eating back any of my exercise calories, and didn't lose anything at all. Went back to my goal of 1400 cals a day and now I'm losing again. I'm sure with TDEE my math was off somewhere, but rather than try to figure all that out, I just subtracted a few hundred calories from my daily goal and boom, losing again. My point is, once you decide on a goal, stick to it or you won't know if it's working. If you stick with it a few weeks (and really stick with it, not go over by 400 calories of McDonald's several days a week) and nothing happens, try reducing your calorie intake by 100-200 calories a day and see if it helps.

    It all boils down to this: If you're not losing weight, it's because you're eating too much and not burning enough. The solution is to eat less and burn more. Good luck.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    I would use this calculator as a general guideline and set the exercise level to desk job. This will let you add in your exercise on the days you do it.

    Fill in your gender, age, height and weight, then just switch the exercise to no exercise.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    This defeats the purpose of TDEE -20%. The idea behind using this method is you do not have to worry about calculating exercise calories. You just have to be honest with what your weekly exercise is and it works great without the hassle of adding calories back in for exercise.

    OP, please read the links below. These are posts from some people that have been very successful with weight loss as well as helping others with their weight loss.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • stevee290
    stevee290 Posts: 85 Member
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    What everyone else said. try eating 1700 calories EVERYDAY not just once in a while and don't eat back your exercise calories.
  • AshleeBoruff
    AshleeBoruff Posts: 10 Member
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    I just googled and put in my stats on a few different sites to get the 2300. One said more than that even and that surprised me. I was trying to find out what is the correct number, since I have a seditary job.
  • AshleeBoruff
    AshleeBoruff Posts: 10 Member
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    I havent been logging the exercise, because then I see where I get more calories...therefore I think "Oh I'll just have a snack Im still under goal".
    I work out 3-4x a week. At least 30 min cardio and 45 min weights.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
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    I don't even pay any attention to normal daily activity calories burned. To me they don't count because they are normal daily calories burned. I only count what I put in and what I exercise off. I also don't eat back my calories I burned during exercises. That just doesn't work for me.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I just googled and put in my stats on a few different sites to get the 2300. One said more than that even and that surprised me. I was trying to find out what is the correct number, since I have a seditary job.
    Tighten up your food logging (A lot!!! Weigh and measure everything.).
    Hit your calorie goal every day and not just once in a while.
    After a few weeks you will know what your true TDEE is by how much you have gained or lost.

    (BTW - you do know the difference between how TDEE sites work and MFP works I hope?)
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    online calculators figure out what you'd burn if you had an average amount of lean body mass for your height and weight. in my case, i have higher body fat and lower lean mass, so i burn less calories than that average - a lot less, actually, as i was when i started out just over 40% body fat rather than the the 30.5% the online calcs figured for me, and that's about a 25% difference. which means i burn a lot less calories.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
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    Are you tryng to do TDEE? If so, eat the 1700/day but don't eat your exercise calories back, it is already part of the equation.
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
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    I would use this calculator as a general guideline and set the exercise level to desk job. This will let you add in your exercise on the days you do it.

    Fill in your gender, age, height and weight, then just switch the exercise to no exercise.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    This defeats the purpose of TDEE -20%. The idea behind using this method is you do not have to worry about calculating exercise calories. You just have to be honest with what your weekly exercise is and it works great without the hassle of adding calories back in for exercise.

    OP, please read the links below. These are posts from some people that have been very successful with weight loss as well as helping others with their weight loss.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I prefer to log my exercises in MFP and use the TDEE calculator to setup my calorie goal on MFP instead of using their own calculator. If I only use TDEE with the exercises calculated in I'd have to log all my exercise as zero calories, which isn't what I want to do.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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  • AshleeBoruff
    AshleeBoruff Posts: 10 Member
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    I need to start measuring out my food I know =(
    It's very depressing to do that.

    Also, I didnt know the differenace between the two but am reading up as we speak. Thank you for everyones help.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    Options
    I would use this calculator as a general guideline and set the exercise level to desk job. This will let you add in your exercise on the days you do it.

    Fill in your gender, age, height and weight, then just switch the exercise to no exercise.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    This defeats the purpose of TDEE -20%. The idea behind using this method is you do not have to worry about calculating exercise calories. You just have to be honest with what your weekly exercise is and it works great without the hassle of adding calories back in for exercise.

    OP, please read the links below. These are posts from some people that have been very successful with weight loss as well as helping others with their weight loss.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I prefer to log my exercises in MFP and use the TDEE calculator to setup my calorie goal on MFP instead of using their own calculator. If I only use TDEE with the exercises calculated in I'd have to log all my exercise as zero calories, which isn't what I want to do.

    If everyone is using the calculators honestly, they will come pretty close to each other. TDEE method calculates intake with exercise built in, MFP calculates without exercise built in. I have tried multiple TDEE calculators and they all come pretty close to each other. Then if I remove the exercise portion of the TDEE calculator I then come pretty close to what MFP is giving me for a daily goal without exercise.

    Another thing to keep in mind they are all estimates based on averages. Everyone is different so just because the calculators may say someones TDEE is one number, it probably is not true. They need to try it and if they don't lose adjust the number down 100 calories and try again for a couple weeks.

    I personally use the TDEE method and still use MFP to track my exercise as well. I put in the amount of time and that I only burned 1 calorie. This way I can see how much exercise I did. I then post a comment on my news feed announcement about my exercise with what my actual burn was. This again is so I can see what I actually did.

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