Calorie deficit with body bug?

angp7711 · May 2011

If you have a body bug do you use the deficit given from the device to decide your caloric intake? If so how much of a deficit are you running? What have been your results? I have noticed MFP would have me eating a lot less to get the deficit that body media fit is giving me.

I'm trying to figure out if I am eating at the right level for my lifestyle. I think I may be a lot more active, or have a better BMR than what is taken into account for in MFP. My average calorie burn for a 24 hr period is 2800-3300 cals, that is with about 500 cals of intentional exercise. I am a SAHM with a 30lb toddler to chase and carry

. I just don't want to overeat. I am averaging about 1700 cals a day. The scale bounces around like a ping pong ball so it is hard to know where I am weight loss wise. my body fat has been measuring 3% lower so i would think that means I am doing something right but I have gained and lost the same three lbs for the past 3 weeks.

Thanks!
Ang

skeene07 · May 2011

It's my opinion to use your BB numbers but not to exceed a 1000cal per day deficit.
Myfitnesspal is an estimate. BB actually measures and takes into account several factors...therefore making it a better source of actual info.

downtome · May 2011

I had the same questions when i first got mine back in March which no one could really answer. It says i burn anywhere from 3200-over 4000 a day and I'm eating anywhere from 1100-2300 calories a day as i have some better days than others and that is with walking/jogging or the elliptical for 30-40 minutes. My deficits have always been high, anywhere from 1100-2600 a day and a few times, 3500 for the day and i have been losing a steady 2lbs a week, sometimes more. I believe they are pretty accurate since i have been losing at a steady rate since i started wearing it. i agree, we may be more active then we think, even while sleeping, it seems that we are burning many calories according to the armband. I do love my armband, it really keeps me motivated and i know what to expect from my body each day. If you have anymore questions or just want to compare, feel free to message me anytime. Take care.
Denise

marianne_s · May 2011

I've got a KiFit (same as BodyMedia Fit, but just named differently in UK), and the first thing I noticed is that my BMR is a lot higher than what MFP or the normal average is for a female of my height / weight / age.

I've got my calories manually set to 1640, this is based on what I was allocated by the diet club that I was a member of - actually it was 100 calories higher, but I dropped it so I could get 1.5 lb per week loss.

The KiFit has recommended a daily 750 calorie deficit for me to achieve a weekly 2lb loss, and I'm happy with that.... in fact my deficit is a lot larger than that even when I don't exercise!

Personally, I'm going to leave all of my settings as they are, because even though I may not be achieving that 2 lb weekly loss - I am still losing, and more importantly I am able to be quite flexible with my diet (calories zig-zagging).

angp7711 · May 2011

Thank you all for replying. It is good to know that I am not the only with such a big deficit. It seems a little unhealthy considering I only have 19lbs left until goal. It feels like the armband might not be accurate for me but I also know I burn WAY less than most when I do the elliptical or cardio videos. The only things that I am higher than MFP are walking hills or running. I am still a little at a loss as to where to go from here calorie wise only because the scale has been acting like a ping pong ball and I never seem to know where it is going to land. If I look at my weight 1 month ago to now I have lost 4lbs but all four of those were in the first week and the scale hasn't stayed any lower than that.

marianne_s · May 2011

Thank you all for replying. It is good to know that I am not the only with such a big deficit. It seems a little unhealthy considering I only have 19lbs left until goal. It feels like the armband might not be accurate for me but I also know I burn WAY less than most when I do the elliptical or cardio videos. The only things that I am higher than MFP are walking hills or running. I am still a little at a loss as to where to go from here calorie wise only because the scale has been acting like a ping pong ball and I never seem to know where it is going to land. If I look at my weight 1 month ago to now I have lost 4lbs but all four of those were in the first week and the scale hasn't stayed any lower than that.

Maybe you DO need to eat more...? I couldn't tell how much your deficit was from your previous post.

If the deficit is 1000+, then I would say drop it down to 750... or if it is 500+, then drop it to 500.

Play around, see what your body says... Remember, you will need to stick with the calorie change for 2 weeks to see if it's working.

baisleac · May 2011

I ignore the "Burn X calories" and "Consume X calories" goals and just make sure my consumed calories is higher than my RMR and my deficit is between 450 and 550... actually I aim for 350-400 by the time I go to bed and RMR takes care of the rest.

angp7711 · May 2011

I just ran a report for the last 2 weeks. My average burn has been 2852 and consumes is 1803 so just slightly over 1000 cals. I actually did start eating more these last two weeks (from 1600 cals to 1800). I could go back down but it kind of goes against everything I am reading to have an even bigger deficit. I have lost nothing in three weeks. I am going to give it one more week at 1000 cals deficit. From there I just don't know whether to go up or down, lol...

To end on a positive. I haven't missed a work out (6 days a week) for 5 weeks and I have lost inches and my bodyfat % is going down.

Calorie deficit with body bug?

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