Am I on the right track?

improvedchristine
improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm new to all this and would like serious advice if I am doing it in a healthy way. I am a 6' tall, 54 yr old woman. Mobility has been an issue due to back and leg injuries from a car accident and being over 200 lbs over weight now. I'm eating between 1000-1200 calories a day and burning about 300-400 calories a day exercising with light aerobics and stationary bike twice a day. Is this going about it the right way?

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
  • improvedchristine
    improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.

    good advice, thank you
  • improvedchristine
    improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
    improvedchristine wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.

    good advice, thank you
    I want to make sure I understand this correctly. My doctor suggested I eat approx. 1200 calories. So if I burn 400 calories working out, I should be eating approx 1600 calories? (MFP says to eat about 2400
    a day and that is a lot of food) But The main goal is to do it healthy and make a lifestyle change
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    If you are working with your doctor on a VLCD or a LCD, and he is monitoring you and running regular blood tests, that is a completely different kettle of fish. You need to talk to your doctor and get a recommendation for a licensed dietitian.

    If you are burning 400 cals working out, and you are logging it in MFP then eating back 200-300 of those calories would probably be an adequate amount.

    If you stick to the 1200, as per doctor, eat back your exercise calories, otherwise you will be quite undernourished. So 1400-1500 cals.

    I think it would be really good to talk this through with your doctor further. Show him the number MFP has given you and ask if 2400+the 200-300 exercise calories will work.

    Doctors dot have a lot of weight loss education, so he may have given you the general 1200 number as it is the minimum a woman needs to get her nutritional needs met.

    Cheers, h.
  • djspacecaptain
    djspacecaptain Posts: 366 Member
    Yes i think that is right.
  • improvedchristine
    improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    If you are working with your doctor on a VLCD or a LCD, and he is monitoring you and running regular blood tests, that is a completely different kettle of fish. You need to talk to your doctor and get a recommendation for a licensed dietitian.

    If you are burning 400 cals working out, and you are logging it in MFP then eating back 200-300 of those calories would probably be an adequate amount.

    If you stick to the 1200, as per doctor, eat back your exercise calories, otherwise you will be quite undernourished. So 1400-1500 cals.

    I think it would be really good to talk this through with your doctor further. Show him the number MFP has given you and ask if 2400+the 200-300 exercise calories will work.

    Doctors dot have a lot of weight loss education, so he may have given you the general 1200 number as it is the minimum a woman needs to get her nutritional needs met.

    Cheers, h.

    I appreciate this. I did not realize you have to eat back the calories. I will be making an appoint. with a dietitian. Thank you
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Talking to your doctor to get more information, and working with a dietician will get you off on the right foot Christine.

    If you are experiencing medical problems that are exacerbated by your weight a VLCD/LCD may be what is needed to get you to a healthier weight initially. In that case the doctor weighs the risk factors involved.

    If you stay on the 1200 and have frurther questions for the community it would be good to mention that it is a doctor monitored diet. Otherwise your low calorie intake will get people concerned :)

    Cheers, h.
  • improvedchristine
    improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Talking to your doctor to get more information, and working with a dietician will get you off on the right foot Christine.

    If you are experiencing medical problems that are exacerbated by your weight a VLCD/LCD may be what is needed to get you to a healthier weight initially. In that case the doctor weighs the risk factors involved.

    If you stay on the 1200 and have frurther questions for the community it would be good to mention that it is a doctor monitored diet. Otherwise your low calorie intake will get people concerned :)

    Cheers, h.

    I am educating myself right now on macros, BMR, TDEE, VLCD, LCD, IIFYM etc. and I see I have a lot to learn to do this correctly and a dietitian is my first stop. Thank you for showing me the correct path.
  • improvedchristine
    improvedchristine Posts: 39 Member
    since posting this I have been educating myself and learned how wrong I was, and how dangerous this is long term. Im grateful for MFP and the community.
  • the_raptor
    the_raptor Posts: 24 Member
    This is excellent advice for a beginner. How did you work out that MFP overestimates calorie burns though?

    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You are not doing this correctly at all.

    Put your stats into MFP and set it to 2lbs a week.

    Start logging your food. Just the food you normally eat- for a week.

    Then decrease your calories to the goal MFP gave you over a few weeks.

    Initially eat your normal diet, just less of it.

    Eventually try to fulfil your nutritional needs by meeting your macro and micro goals.

    MFP is set up so you log and eat back your exercise calories, your deficit is in your basic calories, the exercise calories are to fuel your work outs.

    MFP overestimates calorie burns, eat back 50-75% adjusting that number so that you are losing at your desired rate.

    You may not need it initially, but a digital scale is good for portion acuracy, as are liquid measuring cups and spoons.

    Please, start eating an adequate amount of food. You will get ill not eating enough, if not in the short term, then in the long term.

    Cheers, h.

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    It is common knowledge on the forums that the exercise calories run high. They are just estimates so can't apply to everyone.

    I also worked out my own TDEE from the data collected on MFP and saw that I was being given more than the data indicated for a lot of exercises

    Cheers, h.
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