Which reading should i believe?

quackers82
quackers82 Posts: 55 Member
edited August 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Now I only want to lose just over 1 stone and free time is getting tighter i want reduce my deficit. So i will go from 2lb a week to 1lb a week as i won't be able to do as much walking. Obviously when you have a bigger deficit there is greater room for error and it not having too much of an effect. My issue is such massive differences in reading between the devices i can use to track my energy expenditure.

Here are the different readings for today which was one of my less active days. (Makes sense for the phone to log less steps than the watch as i don't always have my phone on my person, but not for the calories to be more on the lower reading.)

iPhone 6 pedometer 13,552 steps, 6.94 miles, MFP logs it as 731 Calories.
Apple Watch steps 15,438 steps, 9 miles, MFP logs it as 520 calories
Apples Activity App logs 15,438 steps 14.4 KM and 920 calories
MFP Manual entry of the walking has it as 650 calories.

So the lowest is 520, highest is 920, thats a 400 calorie difference which can really screw things up when on a smaller deficit.

So which is the most accurate? I'm 6ft 3 , Male, and 173lbs.

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Take the average calorie burn, then check your weight for a month. Adjust up or down accordingly.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited August 2015
    Believe your scale, over time.

    I'd use half of the lowest to start.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    May I ask what your primary objective is? 6'3" and 173lbs is right in the middle of the healthy BMI range. Why specifically are you looking to drop 1 stone, and so focused on calories burned via steps? At your height, if you are displeased with appearance, it could possibly be from a lack of muscle mass, and if that's the case, worrying about the variance in caloric calculations from different tech devices is just causing you to get lost in the details.
  • quackers82
    quackers82 Posts: 55 Member
    mantium999 wrote: »
    May I ask what your primary objective is? 6'3" and 173lbs is right in the middle of the healthy BMI range. Why specifically are you looking to drop 1 stone, and so focused on calories burned via steps? At your height, if you are displeased with appearance, it could possibly be from a lack of muscle mass, and if that's the case, worrying about the variance in caloric calculations from different tech devices is just causing you to get lost in the details.

    I've still got a spare tyre around my stomach, and I'm a 34" waist. I won't be happy until I'm at least down to 32" waist and the tyre has gone. With my height i think anything below 11 stone would be too low.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    How much have you lost thus far, and what has your exercise program been?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    quackers82 wrote: »
    Now I only want to lose just over 1 stone and free time is getting tighter i want reduce my deficit. So i will go from 2lb a week to 1lb a week as i won't be able to do as much walking. Obviously when you have a bigger deficit there is greater room for error and it not having too much of an effect. My issue is such massive differences in reading between the devices i can use to track my energy expenditure.

    Here are the different readings for today which was one of my less active days. (Makes sense for the phone to log less steps than the watch as i don't always have my phone on my person, but not for the calories to be more on the lower reading.)

    iPhone 6 pedometer 13,552 steps, 6.94 miles, MFP logs it as 731 Calories.
    Apple Watch steps 15,438 steps, 9 miles, MFP logs it as 520 calories
    Apples Activity App logs 15,438 steps 14.4 KM and 920 calories
    MFP Manual entry of the walking has it as 650 calories.

    So the lowest is 520, highest is 920, thats a 400 calorie difference which can really screw things up when on a smaller deficit.

    So which is the most accurate? I'm 6ft 3 , Male, and 173lbs.

    The lower Apple numbers are intended to subtract out the calories you'd burn anyway, which is a better approach.

    That said, I think those suggesting that you'd be better off focusing on muscle mass/recomp vs. trying to get down to the bottom of your BMI range are likely correct.
  • quackers82
    quackers82 Posts: 55 Member
    edited August 2015
    mantium999 wrote: »
    How much have you lost thus far, and what has your exercise program been?

    I got up to a 42" waist and 250lbs back in 2011 from doing diet after diet and yoyoing. I decided to do something different and tried Paul Mckennas i can make you thin which was more phycological and tries to get you to be intune with your bodys hunger signals, control emotional hunger, and be more active, so i started walking a lot and following his rules. That worked and i got down to 205lbs by 2012 following his system. I then just seem to stall and hover around 15 stone and 36" waist (which is better than the weight i was and at least it was not going up).

    I then found MFP and decided to give it a blast and got down down to the low 12 stones and 34" waist and I've been hovering between the top end and bottom end of the 12 stones for the last 2 years. Using MFP to get back to the lower 12s when i find my jeans getting a little tight again.

    Its just been walk, walk, walk and walk. Its the only form of exercise i seem to enjoy. Aiming for between 20,000 and 40,000 steps a day in the more pleasant months. My weight seems to come back on a little over the winter when i cannot be as active as i would like due to the rain/snow.

    I have tried gyms quite a few times but i don't last long they bore me and i don't really know what I'm doing with weights.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    If you have not been doing any resistance training, there is a strong probability that you have and will continue to lose muscle mass along with fat as you lose weight. As such, the "spare tyre" will not go away by default, just because you lose yet another stone, if too much of that weight is more lost muscle. I would highly suggest you learn about some form of resistance training. Skinny fat is a real thing, have been there myself (had a more pronounced gut at 145 lbs than I do now at 165, especially since I am the same waist size at this heavier weight).
  • quackers82
    quackers82 Posts: 55 Member
    Thanks mantium, looks like I'm better changing direction then. Do i still eat at a deficit when doing resistance training? Any decent articles/guides on the net to follow? Take it i need to look more closely at my protein too then? As i seem to get around 70g a day or 15% of my calories on average.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    I would reduce your deficit to account for .5 lbs per week.
    Increase protien intake to .8-1g per lb of body weight.
    Learn resistance training of some sort. Doesn't have to be weights if you don't want to, or dont have access to them. Body weight training can provide adequate resistance, especially to an untrained individual.

    If you want to start weight training, I suggest looking into Starting Strength or Stronglifts as a solid starting point. Both use just a few good compound lifts, with a solid built in progression model. You won't get overwhelmed trying to learn too much.

    If you prefer body weight training, I have heard good things about You Are Your Own Gym, and Convict Conditioning. Can't speak to either from personal experience though.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Half of the lowest.
  • eshnna
    eshnna Posts: 109 Member
    I trust the lowest number. I also have an apple watch and always use the numbers coming from the watch.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Remember, they are all ESTIMATES. There really is no way to scientifically know exactly how many calories you consumed or used. i.e, there is no "correct".
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    The lowest

    But you are a healthy weight ...your problem is body composition and you need a progressive resistance programme

    Try bodyweight if you can't get to gym

    But ideally something like stronglifts 5x5 or starting strength

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