Just want to get a better understanding..

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Cheriesaurus
Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
G'day MFPerssss °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

I was looking up calorie calculators to determine what I should do and this is the result I got:

(Stats: F, 24yo, 167cm, 73kg, bout 30% BF according to my WW scales *Cries a little*)
Sedentary - Little to no exercise selected.
-
Basal Metabolic Rate 1493
You need 1,791 Calories/day to maintain your weight.
You need 1,291 Calories/day to lose 0.5 kg per week.
You need 791 Calories/day to lose 1 kg per week.

Does this mean the ONLY way to lose 1kg a week I need 791 calories NET? Yet my body uses 1493 just to survive..? ヽ(´□｀。)ﾉ

I have a desk job and I'm a gamer so my activity level is minimum besides when I do a constant 20min Jog on Wii Island Free run couple times a week (Hoping to slowly increase this..)

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  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I think the term you mean is Sedentary, not Sedimentary :)

    Alright, you don't have much weight to lose, so probably 0.25-0.5 kg goal per week would be your best goal. 1500-1600 kcals/day might be a good place to start.
  • Cheriesaurus
    Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
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    Oh oops thanks lol I hope to lose 13kg before October since I want to go to England (‘-’*) so that's about 0.5kg a week. I have lost 10kg already but I did that without knowing nutrition and ate under 800 calories until my iron crashed along with my energy and had no idea why lol
  • Cheriesaurus
    Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
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    I just don't get how it says I need 1493 to survive yet 791 to lose 1kg
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Just look at your maintenance calories, the amount you use normally every day based on your activity level. I got 1860 for you, but I entered you as 5'6" so its more likely 1820.

    The min you should eat per day is 1200. Some people do that but imo its too little and am happier to see people on 1400-1600 range. Its your choice though, just dont go below 1200. Try it and you will see.

    To lose weight you need to eat less than maintenance 1860.
    For every 500 calories below that equates to 1lb of weight loss a week in theory.

    I would go similar to above and see how it feel just logging for a week and then decide on a deficit of.5-1lb a week. If you do some exercise then you can burn off some calories to supplement this, start by walking, swimming and just moving more in daily life.

    Weighing and logging your food is important. The most common reasons for people not losing is underestimating what they eat and overestimating what they burn.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    That this means is that 1kg per week is not a good or realistic goal for you, based on the scenario you described.

    option a) aim for a more realistic goal of .25-.5kg per week with a 250-500 deficit per day; best results will require very accurate logging of food

    option b) in addition to a), make an effort to move more. If you're physically able, of course. Does not mean you need an official exercise program - though exercise is good for the heart, etc. You can easily burn an extra 100-300 calories per day, without a great deal of effort, by being on your feet more. Walking more.

    Sometimes you need to adjust priorities. Does not mean you need to give up your current hobbies but you may need to carve out more time for being active.
    Cheriesaurus wrote: »
    G'day MFPerssss °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

    I was looking up calorie calculators to determine what I should do and this is the result I got:

    (Stats: F, 24yo, 167cm, 73kg, bout 30% BF according to my WW scales *Cries a little*)
    Sedentary - Little to no exercise selected.
    -
    Basal Metabolic Rate 1493
    You need 1,791 Calories/day to maintain your weight.
    You need 1,291 Calories/day to lose 0.5 kg per week.
    You need 791 Calories/day to lose 1 kg per week.

    Does this mean the ONLY way to lose 1kg a week I need 791 calories NET? Yet my body uses 1493 just to survive..? ヽ(´□｀。)ﾉ

    I have a desk job and I'm a gamer so my activity level is minimum besides when I do a constant 20min Jog on Wii Island Free run couple times a week (Hoping to slowly increase this..)

  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
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    Ok....so as an American, I don't do kilos. We will call it 2 pounds a week since you are trying to lose 1 kilo a week. One pound equals a 3500 calorie deficit. So in order to lose 2 pounds a week, you need a 7,000 calorie deficit or 1,000 calories per day. If you maintain at 1791 a day, 791 would be what you would need to lose 2 pounds per week based on calories alone (you could eat more but then exercise like craxy for example). Obviously that is a ridiculous goal. You are already small so your loss should be much slower than 2 pounds per week...more like .5 pounds a week. I would aim for 1500-1600 as girlviernes suggested.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    1493 BMR is not 'to survive' at status quo. Its basic bodily functions, what it would take to keep your weight stable in a coma. You burn more thru moving. A sedentary lifestyle does not burn a huge # more, but you're looking at another 200-300 per day at least. To move your body thru your day.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Cheriesaurus wrote: »
    I just don't get how it says I need 1493 to survive yet 791 to lose 1kg

    To "survive" is the wrong terminology.

    You can survive on ZERO ... some of us for days, most of us for several weeks, and many can survive on zero calories for months.


  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    As I said you need to look at your mainetance and then its just 500 off for every 1lb, . 2lb a week is unhealthy and unrealistic for someone with a maintenance as low as yours , but more likely for someone with a higher maintenance level.

    You cna lose more if you exercise.
  • Cheriesaurus
    Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
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    Oh I guess I didn't understand the term BMR properly, thanks everyone lol.

    0.5kg is my aim but 1kg is nice too :P

    I did try once in the past for a few weeks to eat 1500 but didn't lose anything I think I actually put on weight, but a lot of foods make me bloated and nauseous so it's hard for me to tell sometimes. So finding a balance is so hard. I've been trying 1200 but I get so tired early in the night.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Before when you were eating at 1500, were you using a food scale? As in for all solid food? If not then you were easily eating more than you thought. On the other hand, keep in mind the online calculators are estimates. Maybe your BMR is 1393, or maybe its a little lower. When you a low daily burn # and you want to lose weight: accuracy is the only way to succeed. If you estimate, its easy to consume an extra 50 here, 25 there without meaning to.

    So... Use a food scale for anything solid. Log accurately. And make an effort to move more. Run in place for 5 minutes here and there. Park at the back of the lot (if its safe to do so) and walk further to get into the office, the store, etc. Don't 'count' those, but know that moving more means you burn more.

    Me: Right now I'm 5'5.5" and 127ish pounds. I lost 50+ pounds between 12-25-13 and 10-11-14 and have been maintaining since. Right now I'm maintaining on 1800-2000 per day, but I also make an effort to move. At a minimum I get 10k steps per day. I walk when & where I can, I run in place, I walk at lunch time. I move. If I didn't, I'd only burn 1600 or so per day total and that's just not a normal intake range. I know that if I let myself go back to being sedentary, I'll put the weight back on AND lose the health benefits that come with an active lifestyle.
  • Cheriesaurus
    Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
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    I don't weigh actually, been looking for a scale..store was out of stock but I'm planning on getting one most of the food I eat has the weight on the packet even chicken breasts I buy so never bothered with scales and veggies I get steam bag ones so Im not sure what I'll even weigh o.o Slowly making an effort to move more too.

    Nice on the weight loss :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Cheriesaurus wrote: »
    I just don't get how it says I need 1493 to survive yet 791 to lose 1kg

    You need 1493 to maintain your weight with absolutely no activity other than basic bodily functions. That doesn't mean you can't safely eat less than 1493--that number means nothing to your regular, somewhat more active body, as it's both theoretical and an estimate. Moreover, you are expected to eat less than your actual maintenance (somewhere around 1800 if your numbers are right).

    But more important, what the 791 to lose 1 kg is saying is that at your current weight and size (which is not that large) and activity level (sedentary), you can't safely or reasonably aim for such a steep rate of loss. Neither can I, it's not the end of the world.

    (Oh, and I see everyone already covered all this. ;-) Good luck!)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Need to be careful of packaging as it can be off by 10-20% and still meet FDA guidelines. Bread slices may say 1 slice = 35g, then a slice is 40g. Some prepackaged food will save 1 serving =200g, servings per package approx. 2. Then the content total shows 440g. Which is 2.2 servings. And even prepackaged chicken is not always uniform. I buy prepackaged salmon and they're supposed to be 4 oz each, but tend to be 4-5.5.

    Those little details are not significant each on its own. But add them up and while you were aiming for 1500, you may have landed at 1700-1800.

    Last detail - prepackaged food has high sodium which can lead to bloating. Drinking extra water can help with the sodium effects.
    Cheriesaurus wrote: »
    I don't weigh actually, been looking for a scale..store was out of stock but I'm planning on getting one most of the food I eat has the weight on the packet even chicken breasts I buy so never bothered with scales and veggies I get steam bag ones so Im not sure what I'll even weigh o.o Slowly making an effort to move more too.

    Nice on the weight loss :)

    Thanks. :) I think for me, identifying the activity (or lack thereof) problem was key. Have tried to lose weight many times before, make a little progress then fall off the wagon. Logging food was easy. But I didn't stick to any kind of 'exercise' plan. Finally identifying my overall activity level as being low, and making activity the goal somehow made a difference. Taking time that I'd be sitting and converting some of it into doing something. Moving more means burning more, and therefore I can now eat 'normal'. We're not meant to be sedentary, is my conclusion. :)

  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Cheriesaurus wrote: »
    I just don't get how it says I need 1493 to survive yet 791 to lose 1kg

    Your BMR isn't what your body needs 'to survive', it's what you'd need to maintain your current weight with absolutely no movement ie if you were in a coma. If you were in a coma and receiving less than 1493 calories, you would lose weight.

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