Should I listen to IIFYM and MFP, or my mind?

soccerkon26
soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Last Monday I weighed in at 139, being 5ft 5in and 21 years old.

I am a college student, but labeled myself as having a sedentary lifestyle on MFP because I only walk a little around campus, along with wanting to lose only .5 lb per week....it gave me 1490 calories per day. So, I end up eating around 1700 because I run about 2.5 miles 5 days a week.

I have been eating that much (or more when I work out) and have been doing well. I wish I could eat more because I love food, but I am not feeling starved at all.

Well I weighed myself today (8 days later) and I am about 1.8 lbs lighter....WHAT?? I feel like that is way too much in a short period of time.

I am thinking about changing my MFP to say a lightly active lifestyle, which would bring me to 1690 calories per day (not including exercise)

Note: IIFYM says my BMR is 1389 and my TDEE is 2031

What do you think I should do...?

Replies

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    1.8 pounds in 8 days is slightly fast, but not scary fast. It's probably best to just go with the lightly active choice and see what the results are.
  • holyfenix
    holyfenix Posts: 99 Member
    If you are feeling good I wouldn't be worried. Could just be some water weight. Heck it could just be because you possibly ate before your first weigh in. My weight can fluctuate up to 2 lbs in the same day.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Its probably just water weight, it happens in the beginning....I had a overly carbfest combined with salty snacks and alcohol filled weekend, weighed 3 lbs more on Monday than I did on Friday...Had a good eating and regular exercise day yesterday and is 2lbs down this am....
    Stick to what you are doing and give it a few weeks.....
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    The 1.8lb is probably partly due to weight fluctuation of some sort.

    If you're running 2.5mi/week, and also walking about campus daily, I wouldn't put your level to sedentary. I would put it to at least lightly active, and then subtract 500cal/day from that number. Keep at it for a few weeks, and see where your weight is. Adjust accordingly from there.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Yes, it's probably water weight. But eating slightly more wouldn't be a bad thing either. I'm of the opinion that I want to eat as much as possible while still losing. Food is yummy.
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    Thank you all for your help! Sounds like I will try this out for a week or so longer and then maybe increase my calorie intake :)
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    edited December 2014
    If you're a typical American "dieter," in the first week you made changes you probably decreased your carbohydrate consumption, decreased your sodium intake, increased your intake of fiber (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and increased your intake of water. All of these things will lead to a drop in water and "waste" weight from your body, which will cause a noticeable drop in weight beyond what you would expect in fat loss. (Another example is when contestants on The Biggest Loser lose 30+ pounds in the first "week" - that's not fat, that's water retention and waste products leaving their body.) It's totally normal in the first week or two to see such things, and, honestly, when you move to maintenance, that water weight will come right back (also normal).

    Give it another week or so. If you're still seeing losses beyond what you'd expect, then definitely increase your calories. In the first week, though, your scale loss isn't going to accurately reflect your calorie deficit.

    (Edited - le sigh, I have GOT to learn to be less wordy - everyone else said it best while I was typing :smile: .)
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    edited December 2014
    Try weighing in daily if you don't get obsessive, and look at the trend weekly rather than worrying every day. I lost 6 pounds in my first week...which sounds absurd but apparently I was super bloated and PMSing HARD at my first weigh in...it's settled to a pound a week since, LOL.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    You always drop a lot at the beginning. Stick to the plan for six weeks, then measure your average weekly loss. If it still looks too fast, adjust.

    If you start adjusting now based on one data point, you're never going to get it right. Most people can easily fluctuate 2lb of water weight in one day, never mind one week.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,864 Member
    If you're comparing apples to apples, the MFP NEAT method and the TDEE method are pretty much 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. The difference between the two methods is where you account for exercise activity.

    With TDEE (IIFYM website) you account for exercise activity in your activity level and your calorie goals reflect that activity. With MFP, your activity level should actively reflect your day to day hum drum...but exercise is "extra" and you account for those calories when you log that activity and get those calories to "eat back". The other mistake people make when comparing the two methods is comparing apples to oranges in RE to loss rate goals...people often compare a 2 Lb per week rate of loss goal with MFP to a goal of TDEE - 20% with a TDEE calculator. A quick bit of math with easily show you that TDEE - 20% is usually closer to a 1 Lb of rate loss goal...so obviously your calorie goals would be wildly different.

    There are pluses and minuses to each method. The NEAT method is great for people unaccustomed to regular exercise and those who are inconsistent. If they get in a little exercise, they are rewarded by getting a bit more to eat...if not, they can still eat to their goal and lose weight. It can also be a good teaching tool to help people understand how to properly fuel exercise activity.

    The downsides to this method are that it is very difficult to estimate calories out with exercise. Most people vastly overestimate their exercise calorie burns and at the same time, the underestimate their intake...thus, "it's not working" threads.

    The TDEE method is great for people who exercise regularly and for which exercise is just part of their daily and they are consistent. It is also highly beneficial to people who spend a time in the weight room because that activity can be nearly impossible to estimate using the NEAT method. This method is nice in that you just eat the same amount whether you have a rest day or you are working out as everything is netted out over the course of a week.

    The downside to the TDEE method is that people have difficulty estimating activity levels. A lot of people also tend to set a particular activity level, but don't actually live up to it consistently. Consistency in your exercise activity is important for this method to work.

    At any rate, if you're doing it right, your calorie goal (gross) should be pretty close with either method.
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
    I lost four pounds the first week I started tracking again (set to 1lb per week loss.) However, in the ten weeks I've been doing this, it's evened out to an average of 1.26#. It will slow down. It's always super fast in the beginning because of water weight.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Your mind first above all. You can adjust for a week and see what effect it has.
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