Confused

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WildWayz
WildWayz Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I am trying to lose weight - lost 11lbs in a month so far, but I really want to go from 306lbs to 252lbs by September 11th.
MFP suggests that based on my weight (306lbs), height (5'11") I should be consuming around 2000 calories a day - burning off about 2lbs a week. I brought myself down to 1800 calories a day.

My excercise is walking our dog twice a day - 40mins each time - about 3.5miles. This is up and down hills. If the weather is nice, we'll walk for longer.

My problem is, if I go on MapMyWalk and put my details in, it says to lose weight, i'll need to eat 4200 calories a day.
Another website says 3,800. Just did another 'report' and it is saying 2,700 with 10hrs of excercise a week.

I don't understand the variance and I havent lost any weight in a week.

April's Stats
screenshot.13.jpg

May's Stats
screenshot.15.jpg

Can anyone advise me what I REALLY need to be doing to lose weight and hit my goal of 252lbs by September?

Thanks!

Replies

  • pithole
    pithole Posts: 75 Member
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    I've been following MFP for the past 6 months and it hasn't steered me wrong.
    If you are serious about losing the weight stick with the low number, less risk there.
    Good luck!
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
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    First of all - congrats to you to getting out and making the commitment. Second - do NOT drop your calories. While I realize it seems logical that to lose weight you need to cut calories, this isn't always the case! While I don't necessarily agree with all of the numbers set forth by this site (and understanding that my goals are different from yours, others, etc.), they're fairly spot on about calories. You need to understand that at your weight, your body needs a certain amount of calories to simply function and maintain. When you workout, you bring that to a a deficit. If you cut your calories too quickly, or bring them to low, your body will think you are beginning to starve, and not only will you NOT lose weight, you may end up gaining as your body begins to keep every calorie you give it (think of a bear going into hibernation.)

    So my suggestion - bring your intake back up to the recommended 2000, and make every one of those calories count. Cut the refined sugars, eat LOTS of veggies and lean meat, eat fruits instead of sweets, and watch the fat melt away. Good luck in your endeavor! Keep up the great work!
  • behindtherabbit
    behindtherabbit Posts: 1
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    All of the calorie intakes are suggestions based on vague information like what they assume is BMR and activity level. What I'd suggest is getting a heart rate monitor watch that does calories too. Get one that figures "continuous" heart rate, probably with a chest strap. This way, by wearing it all day you know exactly how many calories you burned. Then simply consume fewer calories than you burn, but don't go too low because you'll go into starvation mode and burn muscle instead of fat and sugars.
  • WildWayz
    WildWayz Posts: 68 Member
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    Thanks.
    Would you say that whenever I do excercise (and the program gives me a rough reading of calories burned), I eat to burn that off?
    For example, if I was to have a goal consumption of 2000 calories a day, but through excercise, I burn off 500 calories a day, would I then need to raise my goal calorie consumption to 2500 for that day?
  • l3ugjuice
    l3ugjuice Posts: 233
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    The problem with using online calculators is that they are basically just guesses, and could be significantly off for the good or for the worse. I had the same problem with the guesswork. I started my diet in January, and I lost about 20 lbs. In March, I joined this site and bought a bodymedia fit monitor, and have now lost about 35 since March 1. All the sites I was using to figure my estimated calories burned for the day were wildly incorrect.

    edit: you are going to get different answers for the 'eating my calories' question. I, personally, do not eat the calories I exercise. I dont even eat all the calories the site recomends. This is mainly because I'm just not hungry enough to do so. 1500-1800 per day is about all I can handle without feeling gorged. This whole 'diet' thing has been pretty easy for me, once I figured out relatively healthy foods I actually LIKE to eat. The lifestyle change, or diet whatever you want to call it, has for me mainly been "stop eating when you arent hungry". So my advice would be: if you are hungry, eat the calories you burn. If you arent, then dont.
  • WildWayz
    WildWayz Posts: 68 Member
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    Here's my food diary:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/WildWayz

    James
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    Thanks.
    Would you say that whenever I do excercise (and the program gives me a rough reading of calories burned), I eat to burn that off?
    For example, if I was to have a goal consumption of 2000 calories a day, but through excercise, I burn off 500 calories a day, would I then need to raise my goal calorie consumption to 2500 for that day?

    First - congrats the 11 pounds. Second, GO BACK to 2,000 cals a day. I know this is hard to fathom, but you need to eat more to lose weight. And yes, if you burn 500 calories, then you should eat at least half, if not all, of the burned calories back. MFP has set your calorie deficit so that you'll lose 2 pounds per week. Along with diet, the exercise will help you gain strength, improve your heart health, and have more energy.
  • WildWayz
    WildWayz Posts: 68 Member
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    Thanks all.

    Over the Royal Wedding weekend, I put on 3lbs... just weighed myself this morning and i've lost it all and some more!
    Now I am 21st 10lbs (304lbs).
    So it IS coming off!!!

    Fantastic! :)

    I saw a heart rate monitor watch at Tescos for £20. It also works out calories (fat burned, they call it) - would that be good to get or spend a bit more and get this one:
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beurer-PM-Heart-Rate-Monitor/dp/B000I6FN5I/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I26JY0LFW4CWV&colid=6191UJJG37G1

    Thanks!
  • l3ugjuice
    l3ugjuice Posts: 233
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    As with anything, you frequently get what you can pay for....but you can only pay what you can afford. Do you have an Iphone, Blackberry or Android smart phone? If so, there are several free apps you can download that can help you track things like distance, calories burned, etc. They are guesses, too, but since it can keep up with pace from gps/accelerometer it's a more educated guess than an online calculator. I use CardioTrainer on my Android phone, and it's actually fairly accurate on the calories I burn when running (it's generally within ~10% of my HRM & Bodymedia). So if you are looking for something for free to get started, so you can see what kind of options you want on your device, that might be something to try. I mean if you have money burning a hole in your pocket I would strongly suggest a bodymedia FIT monitor...but it's like 200 up front and 7 bucks a month, it's not for everyone.
  • propjetprop
    propjetprop Posts: 60 Member
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    You and I are very similar in our Goals.. My start weight was 314 and my goal is 240 by Christmas!

    I have sent you a friend request as we can probably watch and help each other since our goals are similar!


    Excellent work so far!

    The only think that might be slowing you up would be your choice of foods... Maybe instead of the "all day breakfast sandwich" you could replace that will something less processed..... 10 egg whites and an apple... the calories will me much less, so you will have to eat again in an hour or two...

    Keep up the good work!

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