Do I really need all this food?

joeywreck
joeywreck Posts: 7 Member
edited September 2015 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello, I am new to maintaining and I’ve recently lost around 56 lbs during my diet. I’m 5’4, male, and I’m 132.8 lbs on a good day! I walk a lot at work, about 7 miles a day apparently. I’m in retail and I’m a supervisor and I mainly walk the floor all day. Myfitnesspal says I lose 500 calories doing it (I’m using my iPhone to track my steps)..

Here’s my issue. I try to work out once in a while lifting small weights but mostly this is how I get my exercise since I’m a really busy person, so in my goal I put that I’m “Lightly Active”. Since I’ve always been distrustful of step trackers (which is why I usually try not to eat my exercise calories even on days I ate 900 calories during my diet). MFP says I’m supposed to eat 2,100 calories a day? I don’t see how I need that to maintain 133 lbs. I’m also supposed to eat the calories I burn through walking which I can’t even be sure is accurate? So far, I haven’t gained or lost a pound, but I’m concerned that it’s just the beginning. Should I be concerned? Do I really need to eat 2100 calories a day? I thought that’s what got me to gain weight (but then again I never tracked calories when I was 190 lbs)..

Should I also eat my exercise calories? Or just some of it?
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Replies

  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
    If you are counting your steps as part of your "lightly active" you don't want to count them again as exercise. Your working out which is not part of your daily routine is exercise.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    What was your calorie deficit when you were losing, and how much weight did you lose per week?

    You should be able to do the math to figure out what you will maintain at based on how much you ate to lose at whatever rate you were losing at.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    The scale will tell, but I will say yes, you probably do need that many calories.
  • joeywreck
    joeywreck Posts: 7 Member
    edited September 2015
    MissJay75 wrote: »
    What was your calorie deficit when you were losing, and how much weight did you lose per week?

    You should be able to do the math to figure out what you will maintain at based on how much you ate to lose at whatever rate you were losing at.

    I was losing about 2 lbs a week while eating 1200 calories, then about 1 lb a week with 1500 calories. This is from looking at my progress on the MFP app right now.

    I'm okay trying 2100 calories a day for 2 weeks, but I would really like to know from anyone if I really should pay attention to the 500 calories I lost from today for example from walking (520+ calories, i don't remember).. It would be nice to be able to have an extra snack once in a while but I also don't want to get back to where I was.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
    If it is part of your daily activities, then no, don't eat those back. That would be double dipping. If you want to have an extra snack, go ahead, just cut back somewhere else. A lot of people eat less during the week so that they can eat more on the weekend.

    Also, you may want to give it more than 2 weeks. Many people see the scale jump a bit when they start maintenance as they hold on to a bit more water. Give it a month or so to stabilize.
  • joeywreck
    joeywreck Posts: 7 Member
    edited September 2015
    From what I'm hearing, I shouldn't eat my calories back because it's included in the 2100? If I had my goal as Sedentary, it says I'm supposed to eat 1800 calories. Would it be better to just eat that on days I'm not walking around as much? Or should I eat 2100 calories on days I'm not walking as much?

    Sorry I'm kind of really worried. Weight loss has been a really big deal for me :(
  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
    Looking at the math, you should maintain at 2000 calories daily. (1 pound loss a week is 500 calorie defecit daily). But since maintenance is a range, 2100 also sounds about right.
    Did you track steps and exercise while losing weight? If so, keep doing the same thing and let MFP add back exercise calories.
    If you have the same activity while losing weight, but you ate 1500 daily without extra steps or exercise being corrected for, eating at 2100 daily sounds okay. This is the TDEE method, look it up.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    First you 7 miles a day walking IS exercise and its just about all the exercise you need. I bet you could jog a fair way if you decided to try it out. If you want to increase your fitness at all, you could do some sort of sprint thing.

    7 miles is not light activity either. I'd call it moderate exercise.

    As to calories, Increase you calories slowly from your low point and stop where your weight settles fairly easily. Its ok to go up a little, it will come down again so long as you keep eating right. If you have been eating a very restricted diet for a long time, you weight will go up but this is part of resetting your metabolism which may have gotten a bit sluggish due to restricting.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    joeywreck wrote: »
    MissJay75 wrote: »
    What was your calorie deficit when you were losing, and how much weight did you lose per week?

    You should be able to do the math to figure out what you will maintain at based on how much you ate to lose at whatever rate you were losing at.

    I was losing about 2 lbs a week while eating 1200 calories, then about 1 lb a week with 1500 calories. This is from looking at my progress on the MFP app right now.

    I'm okay trying 2100 calories a day for 2 weeks, but I would really like to know from anyone if I really should pay attention to the 500 calories I lost from today for example from walking (520+ calories, i don't remember).. It would be nice to be able to have an extra snack once in a while but I also don't want to get back to where I was.

    The bold part is showing that your current maintenance calories are probably around 2000 - 2200 calories.
    Let the anxiety go and just give that a go for at least four weeks. Ignore temporary blips in weight and find the trend.

    Then simply make adjustments from there. After a prolonged period with such a severe calorie deficit your maintenance calories could well end up higher.

    Would suggest forgetting about steps, exercise, activity settings and just eat that ballpark figure each day (or averaged over course of a week if you prefer) and let your actual weight trend be your guide. Not because that's a better way to eat and maintain for everyone but purely to take away some of the very obvious stress you are feeling. Enjoy your success.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    As above.

    Forget about eating back exercise calories, activity levels, worrying about steps or anything else.

    Pick what you believe to be a maintenance TDEE (under guess if it worries you as you can adjust up), track and monitor the trend over a few weeks (I use Libra for Android) and adjust as necessary.

    The best thing I ever did was work from a TDEE and get rid of the MFP calorie goals, activity levels and exercise calories.

    You'll get to the point where it all becomes quite intuitive and you'll know when you need to increase your calories for increased exercise etc.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    I think what a lot of people here are missing is you're trying to maintain. In that case yes eat them. You ABSOLUTELY MUST eat them back if you want to maintain your weight.

    My advice is to eat all if them and if your gain eat less, if you lose eat more.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    thankyou4thevenom wrote: »
    I think what a lot of people here are missing is you're trying to maintain. In that case yes eat them. You ABSOLUTELY MUST eat them back if you want to maintain your weight.

    My advice is to eat all if them and if your gain eat less, if you lose eat more.

    Remember TDEE method includes all exercise and activity. It's just averaged out rather than on the day.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Activity level is active for you, as that is your normal daily activity. Exercise is not part of your activity level.
  • zikarra
    zikarra Posts: 16 Member
    edited September 2015
    do I really need to eat 2100 calories a day? I thought that’s what got me to gain weight (but then again I never tracked calories when I was 190 lbs)..

    See this is the problem : I used to think I eat around 1500 calories a day when I was maintaining and possibly putting on a little bit of weight, I WASNT using a scale or counting calories - I was probably eating 2000-2200 a day. Turns out I lose 1.5lb on properly counted 1500 kcal a week and I'm sedentary, 5'4 and female. My boyfriend (5'5) could eat around 3000 calories while working in retail on the shop floor to maintain.It's a a fairly active job. You can definitely stay on 2000 without putting weight on! :)
  • joeywreck
    joeywreck Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to compromise and try 2,000 since my TDEE says something slightly over 2300 and that really concerns me unless I've had a rough day at work (pushing carts, running around, etc). Just trying to clarify one more thing. Today, I don't work and most of my walking would be at the mall and I would lose 70-100 calories from that, depending how much I walk. On days like these, would it still make sense to eat 2000?
  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
    joeywreck wrote: »
    Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to compromise and try 2,000 since my TDEE says something slightly over 2300 and that really concerns me unless I've had a rough day at work (pushing carts, running around, etc). Just trying to clarify one more thing. Today, I don't work and most of my walking would be at the mall and I would lose 70-100 calories from that, depending how much I walk. On days like these, would it still make sense to eat 2000?

    Yup. If you use TDEE method, eat that number every day. The light activity days are balanced out with high activity days.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Seriously, stop worrying about how many calories you are going to use walking around a mall.

    You've picked 2000 calories. Eat 2000 calories a day (or averaged over a week) for a few weeks whilst observing trends, and change as required.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    If I can maintain on 2200 at 5ft 2" with a desk job (ok I am very active outside of work ) then of course you can.

    why on earth would you only have had days with 900 cals is what I'm wondering...

    guys in general have higher TDEE'S.

    I would suggest you up your cals a few hundred cals at a time until you are eating 2100 cals and maintaining.

    Success is being able to maintain our goal weight eating as many cals as possible :smile:
  • worldofalice
    worldofalice Posts: 148 Member
    I'm 102lb and my maintenance calories are 2000, so I'm surprised that as a significantly heavier male yours aren't much higher! I don't know many men who eat that little. I think there's a chance your metabolism might also need a shake-up, if you were originally at 900 a day but that's your choice.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    joeywreck wrote: »
    MissJay75 wrote: »
    What was your calorie deficit when you were losing, and how much weight did you lose per week?

    You should be able to do the math to figure out what you will maintain at based on how much you ate to lose at whatever rate you were losing at.

    I was losing about 2 lbs a week while eating 1200 calories, then about 1 lb a week with 1500 calories. This is from looking at my progress on the MFP app right now.

    I'm okay trying 2100 calories a day for 2 weeks, but I would really like to know from anyone if I really should pay attention to the 500 calories I lost from today for example from walking (520+ calories, i don't remember).. It would be nice to be able to have an extra snack once in a while but I also don't want to get back to where I was.

    The bold part is showing that your current maintenance calories are probably around 2000 - 2200 calories.
    Let the anxiety go and just give that a go for at least four weeks. Ignore temporary blips in weight and find the trend.

    Then simply make adjustments from there. After a prolonged period with such a severe calorie deficit your maintenance calories could well end up higher.

    Would suggest forgetting about steps, exercise, activity settings and just eat that ballpark figure each day (or averaged over course of a week if you prefer) and let your actual weight trend be your guide. Not because that's a better way to eat and maintain for everyone but purely to take away some of the very obvious stress you are feeling. Enjoy your success.

    Exactly this. Pay special attention to the part that says "Ignore temporary blips in weight and find the trend." You are absolutely not allowed to freak out about anything the scale says for a couple of weeks. A lot of people regain a couple pounds of water weight when they stop eating at a deficit. This is not fat, you don't need to adjust your calories for that. If you gain 3 pounds the first week, and nothing after that, you found maintenance.

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