Yes, another TDEE/MFP question. Sorry!
soccerkon26
Posts: 596 Member
I am constantly really hungry and I'm not sure if it's because I think I am weak when it comes to stopping myself from eating, or if it is because I really am not eating enough.
I am: female, 21 years old, 5 feet 5 inches and about 135 lbs. Only trying to lose 5 more pounds.
On MFP I entered in: Sedentary lifestyle, 6 workouts (25 mins per week), and aiming to lose .5 lbs per week...it gives me 1,470 calories. Every time I work out I am only burning about 200-300 calories. So, I try to eat around 1570-1600 calories (eating half of my exercised calories back)
For the IIFYM calculator I entered in 6 workouts/week and it gives me a BMR of 1380 and a TDEE of 2078. If I choose the "Fat loss: suggested 15%" button on the website it says I should consume about 1766 per day.
So, I am not sure if I should stick with what MFP gives me or the higher numbers that IIFYM gives. Any thoughts?
I am: female, 21 years old, 5 feet 5 inches and about 135 lbs. Only trying to lose 5 more pounds.
On MFP I entered in: Sedentary lifestyle, 6 workouts (25 mins per week), and aiming to lose .5 lbs per week...it gives me 1,470 calories. Every time I work out I am only burning about 200-300 calories. So, I try to eat around 1570-1600 calories (eating half of my exercised calories back)
For the IIFYM calculator I entered in 6 workouts/week and it gives me a BMR of 1380 and a TDEE of 2078. If I choose the "Fat loss: suggested 15%" button on the website it says I should consume about 1766 per day.
So, I am not sure if I should stick with what MFP gives me or the higher numbers that IIFYM gives. Any thoughts?
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Replies
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... here for the answer. It *is* very confusing. The best answer I've heard so far is that there's really no good answer. Some people tell me I'm not losing because I'm not eating *enough* and on the other hand, I see some people are reducing their calories even further to lose. I'm not willing to go under 1200 - it just feels very unhealthy to me. I'm at 1200 with exercise calories (which I do eat), but my TDEE has me at many more calories a day than MFP does, even after you consider the exercise calories (for MFP).0
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The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.0
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Maybe try eating things that are lower in energy but higher in volume like salads, they seem to fill me up for little KJ.
Or I hear protein fills you up for longer.0 -
The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.
May I ask how much cardio you do?0 -
It's really only an extra 150 calories a day. Try it out for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. You only need to lose five pounds, why be hungry? At worst it slows you down a bit.0
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arditarose wrote: »The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.
May I ask how much cardio you do?
I walk on the treadmill 4x/wk for about 50 minutes each time. I'm following this plan (the beginner, week 6 right now) right now. Then I weight train 4x/wk.
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It's really only an extra 150 calories a day. Try it out for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. You only need to lose five pounds, why be hungry? At worst it slows you down a bit.
For me 150 calories could be 2 snacks for me that would make me less hungry. And, then my numbers wouldn't be in red on MFP!
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Thank you all, I really appreciate the advice!0
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arditarose wrote: »The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.
May I ask how much cardio you do?
I walk on the treadmill 4x/wk for about 50 minutes each time. I'm following this plan (the beginner, week 6 right now) right now. Then I weight train 4x/wk.
Okay, thanks. I always ask people this because I have a hard time gauging my exercise with those calculators. I lift 4 times a week and probably get only 2 hours tops of cardio. Even if I go in 5 days, I'm very reluctant to enter it that way.0 -
Also, unless you're sitting on the couch/in bed a huge majority of the day and don't ever move, you should at least be lightly active, not sedentary. 0
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KrissyMuree wrote: »Also, unless you're sitting on the couch/in bed a huge majority of the day and don't ever move, you should at least be lightly active, not sedentary.
I work in an office 3 days a week and the other days I'm in college...so I don't do much walking! Except for the last few days I've been walking 10,000 steps. But usually it's about 6,0000 -
arditarose wrote: »The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.
May I ask how much cardio you do?
I walk on the treadmill 4x/wk for about 50 minutes each time. I'm following this plan (the beginner, week 6 right now) right now. Then I weight train 4x/wk.
Hey, that's a great plan!
What do you mean by "workout credit", though?0 -
Maybe so. But, if you're technically "sedentary" but can still lose on "lightly active", I think that's better.0
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I work in an office. If you have an adjustable desk you can use it to stand while working good parts of the day. Drinks lots of water and you run to the bathroom all the time.Tips to get in more exercise at work cold be use the copyer at another floor /another part of the floor to move more. 0
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I have found all the online calculators to be pretty inaccurate in terms of the actual activity I do every day. Have a look at this thread, and download/use the spreadsheet shown via a link on there. It's the only thing which has given me a truer idea of my activity:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/813720
In addition I am now using a Fitbit, mainly so that I can try and increase my activity level outside of workouts as I'm very sedentary. Before I got the Fitbit or used a Pedometer a couple of weeks ago I was getting 3500-4500 steps most days maximum. I am now exceeding 10,000 every day and still doing the same amount of exercise from workouts etc.
This means that while my TDEE was around 1800 (as per the spreadsheet posted via the link above) it is now a bit higher at around 2000 so this allows me to eat a little more than before. I am aiming to lose 1lb per week at the moment so it means the difference between eating 1300 and 1500 most days which can be a lot.
The online calculators and MFP had me at a much higher TDEE so it meant I thought I was able to create a large enough deficit to lose 1.5lbs per week but in reality this was not the case.
If I were you I'd be careful about what the calculators say because you may find you are giving yourself too many calories to eat and you won't lose at the rate you want.
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arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »The guideline I follow with the iifym.com calculator is 1 workout "credit" for every 60 minutes of exercise. I workout for around 450-475 minutes per week. Divided by 60, that is 7.5-8. So I choose the "every day" option, which gives me 2257. Through trial and error, I've found that I maintain at 2200ish so it's pretty close for me.
May I ask how much cardio you do?
I walk on the treadmill 4x/wk for about 50 minutes each time. I'm following this plan (the beginner, week 6 right now) right now. Then I weight train 4x/wk.
Okay, thanks. I always ask people this because I have a hard time gauging my exercise with those calculators. I lift 4 times a week and probably get only 2 hours tops of cardio. Even if I go in 5 days, I'm very reluctant to enter it that way.
I like the iifym calculator because it is more conservative than others. For example, the scooby calculator gives me 2350 for 6 hours of exercise and 2600 for 7+ hours.0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »I am constantly really hungry and I'm not sure if it's because I think I am weak when it comes to stopping myself from eating, or if it is because I really am not eating enough.
I am: female, 21 years old, 5 feet 5 inches and about 135 lbs. Only trying to lose 5 more pounds.
On MFP I entered in: Sedentary lifestyle, 6 workouts (25 mins per week), and aiming to lose .5 lbs per week...it gives me 1,470 calories. Every time I work out I am only burning about 200-300 calories. So, I try to eat around 1570-1600 calories (eating half of my exercised calories back)
For the IIFYM calculator I entered in 6 workouts/week and it gives me a BMR of 1380 and a TDEE of 2078. If I choose the "Fat loss: suggested 15%" button on the website it says I should consume about 1766 per day.
So, I am not sure if I should stick with what MFP gives me or the higher numbers that IIFYM gives. Any thoughts?
FYI - the bolded part has no impact on the calorie goal MFP sets for you. It's just a statement and not part of the calculation.
If you are hungry all the time and losing weight too fast (bearing in mind you are close to goal so should be aiming to lose slowly) then eat more. If you are losing at a slow but steady rate then experiment with different foods and eating patterns to find something that makes it easier to stick to your allowance.
The answer to "So, I am not sure if I should stick with what MFP gives me or the higher numbers that IIFYM gives." depends on your current rate of weight loss and if you prefer to estimate exercise in advance or afterwards.
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Thank you all, I really appreciate! Sounds like I need to experiment with both.0
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I've been trying to eat about 1470 2 weeks ago and lost 2 pounds...this past week I ate over 1470 a few times and lost 2 pounds again...I'm thinking I should increase my calories to 1680 to have a slower weight loss
(Weighed myself the same time Monday morning on each week)0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »I've been trying to eat about 1470 2 weeks ago and lost 2 pounds...this past week I ate over 1470 a few times and lost 2 pounds again...I'm thinking I should increase my calories to 1680 to have a slower weight loss
(Weighed myself the same time Monday morning on each week)
I'm no authority except with personal experience, but don't forget as you think about this week to week that your monthly cycle can monkey with success. Don't assume if you *don't* lose - or even gain - one week that it's necessarily due to caloric intake alone. xo0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »I've been trying to eat about 1470 2 weeks ago and lost 2 pounds...this past week I ate over 1470 a few times and lost 2 pounds again...I'm thinking I should increase my calories to 1680 to have a slower weight loss
(Weighed myself the same time Monday morning on each week)
You should absolutely slow down your weight loss. At 5'5" and 135 pounds you're already in the normal/healthy end of your weight chart. Lose .5 a week. I swear you will be happier and you'll still lose the last 5 before bikini season.
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soccerkon26 wrote: »I am constantly really hungry and I'm not sure if it's because I think I am weak when it comes to stopping myself from eating, or if it is because I really am not eating enough.
I am: female, 21 years old, 5 feet 5 inches and about 135 lbs. Only trying to lose 5 more pounds.
On MFP I entered in: Sedentary lifestyle, 6 workouts (25 mins per week), and aiming to lose .5 lbs per week...it gives me 1,470 calories. Every time I work out I am only burning about 200-300 calories. So, I try to eat around 1570-1600 calories (eating half of my exercised calories back)
For the IIFYM calculator I entered in 6 workouts/week and it gives me a BMR of 1380 and a TDEE of 2078. If I choose the "Fat loss: suggested 15%" button on the website it says I should consume about 1766 per day.
So, I am not sure if I should stick with what MFP gives me or the higher numbers that IIFYM gives. Any thoughts?
pick one and go with it...make adjustments per your real world results. Nobody has a TDEE of exactly XXXX calories. These calculators give you a reasonably good starting point, but they aren't gospel.
Just pick one and track your progress over the course of a month or so and adjust as necessary at that point. Remember, weight loss isn't linear and if you're trying to lose slowly (which you should be), scale losses can and will be masked by fluid and waste retention and release. You need to track the trend over a month or so to see how you're actually doing at that rate of loss.0 -
1470 calories is your weight loss budget for 0.5 lbs. a week. You can eat 1720 (+250) without gaining weight. So, this week, do your best to stay less than 200 over your budget. Next week, stay less than 100 over your budget. Ease into it. You won't gain weight and you will lose very slightly (probably not enough to notice most days). But you will ease into it a little better.0
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arditarose wrote: »soccerkon26 wrote: »I've been trying to eat about 1470 2 weeks ago and lost 2 pounds...this past week I ate over 1470 a few times and lost 2 pounds again...I'm thinking I should increase my calories to 1680 to have a slower weight loss
(Weighed myself the same time Monday morning on each week)
You should absolutely slow down your weight loss. At 5'5" and 135 pounds you're already in the normal/healthy end of your weight chart. Lose .5 a week. I swear you will be happier and you'll still lose the last 5 before bikini season.
I have mine set to .5 already! That's why I don't know why I'm losing so fast0 -
Thanks everyone for the advice! 0
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Make sure you're eating enough protein! protein helps boost your metabolism AND makes you feel more full0
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soccerkon26 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »soccerkon26 wrote: »I've been trying to eat about 1470 2 weeks ago and lost 2 pounds...this past week I ate over 1470 a few times and lost 2 pounds again...I'm thinking I should increase my calories to 1680 to have a slower weight loss
(Weighed myself the same time Monday morning on each week)
You should absolutely slow down your weight loss. At 5'5" and 135 pounds you're already in the normal/healthy end of your weight chart. Lose .5 a week. I swear you will be happier and you'll still lose the last 5 before bikini season.
I have mine set to .5 already! That's why I don't know why I'm losing so fast
Oh sorry, I read this post last night but should have re-read it again before posting. Good luck!0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »I am constantly really hungry and I'm not sure if it's because I think I am weak when it comes to stopping myself from eating, or if it is because I really am not eating enough. [...] Any thoughts?
When you're hungry, then check your macro nutrition, it looks like this
If your Carbohydrates are above 65%, try making food selections that have more fat or protein.
Carbohydrates are a "fast" fuel source. The satisfaction from carbs does not last very long. You get a spike of blood sugar followed by a rapid fall of blood sugar, leaving you feeling hungry and wanting more.
If that is you, try a fruit-flavored Greek yogurt in replacement to your high-carb choice. The Greek Yogurt will have some carbs, but also has some protein. You get the fast satisfaction of the carb plus the long-lasting fuel of the protein.
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soccerkon26 wrote: »I am constantly really hungry and I'm not sure if it's because I think I am weak when it comes to stopping myself from eating, or if it is because I really am not eating enough. [...] Any thoughts?
When you're hungry, then check your macro nutrition, it looks like this
If your Carbohydrates are above 65%, try making food selections that have more fat or protein.
Carbohydrates are a "fast" fuel source. The satisfaction from carbs does not last very long. You get a spike of blood sugar followed by a rapid fall of blood sugar, leaving you feeling hungry and wanting more.
If that is you, try a fruit-flavored Greek yogurt in replacement to your high-carb choice. The Greek Yogurt will have some carbs, but also has some protein. You get the fast satisfaction of the carb plus the long-lasting fuel of the protein.
Thanks for the help!
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