Figuring out my calorie goal and macros
xStrawberryBubblegumx
Posts: 24 Member
Hi guys! I could really use your help in figuring out my calorie goal and macros. About a 1.5 years ago, I started lifting to lower by bf% and increase my BMR (which was low according to a RMR test), as I was suddenly gaining weight without eating more. I was actually eating less then before (around 1700 calories a day vs. 2100 before). In the summer, I started training for a half marathon. This was the moment for me to try to get my calories back up (to 2000), because I thought they were too low, especially now that I was starting to run 3x a week and lift 2x a week. In the next three months of exercising more than I ever have in my life, I gained 10 lbs of fat (measured in a hospital). I was devastated. In November 2015, my bodyfat was measured at 30%, even though I do not look like that. My RMR was around at 1315. I am a 5 ft 9 girl and at that time I weighed 145-147 lbs. In January, I decided to lower my intake to 1500 and my weight finally started going down slowly. Mid-February, I went from two to four workouts a week and my calories were between 1200-1500. Then my weightloss stopped for two months. Does this mean that I was eating too little and/or exercising too much now?
Mid-april, I suddenly lost 3 lbs in two weeks and have been stuck there. Right now, I am still eating between 1200-1500 calories a day, working out every other day (45-60 mins of heavy lifting followed by 30 mins of interval training on elliptical trainer). On rest days, I ride my bike for at least 30-45 mins. Since Mid-april, I work as a waitress for about 16 hours a week. That's when the weight went down fast, so I thought this was due to the increased activity, but it stopped after two weeks, so I guess it was a coincidence. Outside of my work and exercise, I am sedentary. It is so hard for me to determine my calorie goal using websites and calculators, because there is no combination of 3/4x hard workouts with sedentary lifestyle. Ofcourse my low RMR also means that I cannot really really on the results, since these are based on people with healthy metabolisms.
Does anyone have any idea what I should do? Does anyone understand what has been going on the last couple of months, because I definitely don't. By the way, the heavy lifting does not seem to increase my muscle mass. Am I doing something wrong? Should I start paying more attention to macros instead of just calories? Could it be that I am eating too little, seeing as two years ago (before this all started) I ate 600 calories a day more, exercised only 2 instead of 4 times a week (also way easier workouts) and weighed 20 lbs less?
Mid-april, I suddenly lost 3 lbs in two weeks and have been stuck there. Right now, I am still eating between 1200-1500 calories a day, working out every other day (45-60 mins of heavy lifting followed by 30 mins of interval training on elliptical trainer). On rest days, I ride my bike for at least 30-45 mins. Since Mid-april, I work as a waitress for about 16 hours a week. That's when the weight went down fast, so I thought this was due to the increased activity, but it stopped after two weeks, so I guess it was a coincidence. Outside of my work and exercise, I am sedentary. It is so hard for me to determine my calorie goal using websites and calculators, because there is no combination of 3/4x hard workouts with sedentary lifestyle. Ofcourse my low RMR also means that I cannot really really on the results, since these are based on people with healthy metabolisms.
Does anyone have any idea what I should do? Does anyone understand what has been going on the last couple of months, because I definitely don't. By the way, the heavy lifting does not seem to increase my muscle mass. Am I doing something wrong? Should I start paying more attention to macros instead of just calories? Could it be that I am eating too little, seeing as two years ago (before this all started) I ate 600 calories a day more, exercised only 2 instead of 4 times a week (also way easier workouts) and weighed 20 lbs less?
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Replies
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Was your RMR actually measured with gas analysis sitting in share calmly - or calculated off the BF% measurement?
If indeed an actual test, then indeed your RMR is slower than it needs to be outside the normal 5% variance.
So either health issue, or you caused it.
Measured RMR - 1315
Calculated based on BF% Cunningham RMR - 1520
Corresponding measured BMR - 1170
Calculated based on BF% Katch BMR - 1371
Yes - you are doing something wrong.
Eating way too little for how active you are - your body has suppressed about as max as it can get, leaving your workouts pretty worthless for making changes. Body doesn't make improvements that require more energy when it's already suppressing to compensate for undereating.
The few times you've lost weight, you probably went under this suppression level, which is one way to keep losing weight. But then body suppressed more.
Either become more active and/or eat even less - because the body can only suppress so much then it stops. Then you can keep losing weight.
But - it's much easier to eat in excess with lower numbers and actually gain fat - which you've done.
It's a bigger stress to the body and can cause injuries or at least water retained from elevated cortisol.
It makes maintenance harder since numbers are so low and less margin for error.
It makes maintenance harder because if you get sick or go on vacation, the required activity and eating level to not gain fat will be very low.
Or ......
Get your healthy body back.
Burn max what you can burn, get the most from your exercise.
Then take a reasonable deficit, not the close to 50% you were taking.
Use this for better potential TDEE estimate. Use averages, like 3-4 workouts lifting for 45-60 min (can't get more accurate than that for total minutes in a week?) is 3.5 x 53 = 186.
And is riding the bike 131 min equal in effort on average to walking 3-4 mph, or a harder workout than that like running?
You also didn't mention kids, so no idea on that part.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing
Now this is potential TDEE, getting your RMR back up, and body making a full day's burn - which it isn't right now.
If your logging food is accurate per weighing, then your suppressed TDEE right now is whatever your average eating level is (1200-1500 isn't very accurate average, hopefully food logging is more accurate), so don't start eating at potential TDEE yet, or you will gain fat until your body decides to speed up.
Eat 100 more daily for a week at a time. Following week, eat 100 more daily, ect. Until eating at potential TDEE.
And is there any reason why you are training the carb burning system only doing intervals on the elliptical, considering you may have more endurance goals in the future of running?
Using another spreadsheet where I can use your BF% (since you gave no age) - I see estimated TDEE as 2234.
Now, since you are actually at decent weight for medium framed gal your height - what is your goal exactly?
Sounds like at the least lower BF%.
But do you think you still need to actually lose weight, or just not be skinny fat?
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Good advice! You definitely need to be eating more for how active you are
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Thanks for the advice!
Just to clarify, I ran the half marathon last september, so I'm not running anymore now. To answer your questions:- My goal indeed is to lower my BF% and I'd like to loose a few pounds as well, but I know that BF% is more important.
- I have no kids
- I'm 23 years old
- My foodlogging is indeed more accurate than the 1200-1500 range, but I do not have an exact calorie goal right now, that is why the total varies between those numbers
- Workouts were 4 per week, but I now want to do them every other day (so one week 4, next week 3). Usually I end up doing 60 mins heavy lifting and 30 mins interval training
- Bike riding is not really intensive, more like a leisure activity
Last year I experienced that suddenly upping calories (+300) can lead to 10 lbs of fat gain in three months (even when compensated by increased exercise), so I will never do that again. I was indeed thinking about adding 100 calories and seeing what happens over the following week(s). However, since I still want to loose some weight, isn't it too early for reverse dieting? Should I first reach my goal weight before adding calories or will I still lose weight, even after upping calories? Also, what do you think my TDEE is approximately?0 -
I gave your estimated potential TDEE in my post. Might reread for anything else missed that is important to get.
But you aren't interested in potential TDEE and healthy body. Not by your goals and desires.
Therefore, keep eating less and less until you start losing again. And hopefully the body doesn't get so stressed out with elevated cortisol that you pack on 20 lbs of water during the process.
That could stress you out.
10 lbs fat gained in 13 weeks would mean....
10 x 3500 / 13 wks / 7 days = 384 calorie surplus each and every day over maintenance, so you are saying your body never sped up over that entire time and your maintenance was 384 calories less than you ate for whatever you were doing?
I couldn't help but notice you mentioned you didn't have stats for actual eaten calories goal.
It's not the goal that's important, it's what you actually ate that is.
And that includes binge meals or days for accuracy - do those happen? Do you log them?
And I'd suggest you rethink that reverse dieting is for when you reach goal weight. How long is that going to take you at your current rate of loss?
You might reread many of the stickies, pretty sure you don't understand the concept of why a reasonable deficit is better.0 -
I agree with Heybales, I think you are way undereating. You aren't doing yourself any favors by doing that. In order for your body to be efficient in both workouts and fat burning, you need to fuel it. Take some time to read the posts above because they are seriously helpful. If you haven't already done so, download the starter kit, it is full of a ton of info!! Don't undereat, you'll never do yourself any favors. Trust me.0
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