Does this really work?

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kschramm7
kschramm7 Posts: 72 Member
in Getting Started
New to MyFitnessPal but not to dieting. I've lost 80 lbs using Weight Watchers and am at a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life (and I just turned 50!). I go to the gym 3+ x a week, take spin and Ab & Glut classes mostly but just started working out with a trainer (just once a week for now). If I can't get to the gym, I have a treadmill, stationary bike & elliptical at home to use.

So I'm 5'6", 152 lbs and 50 yrs old. I work as a programmer so I'm on my butt most of the day. Weather permitting I do go for a pretty good walk at lunch. MapMyWalk calculated it at 3.75 miles at 15.4 mph, with a 300 foot change in elevation and said I burned 697 calories, which I find REALLY hard to believe.

I wear a pedometer daily and make sure to get in at least 10,000 steps a day also, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a couch potato.

When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?
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Replies

  • rph2t
    rph2t Posts: 34 Member
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    I would say try it. Eat at that level, weigh and measure carefully so you can be sure that's what you're getting, and do it for a couple of weeks. You will probably see results. I've lost weight eating over 2000 calories some days, due to exercise and activity.

    It really does work. Once you start honestly logging, to the best of your ability, you see a direct relation between how you eat, your exercise, and your weight. If you aren't seeing the results you want, tweak it. Feel hungry all the time? Set your goal to a lower weight loss, like 1 pound a week instead of 2. Any weight loss is better than none, and loss you can sustain is really important for keeping you from falling off your program. Not seeing the loss you expect? Try cutting back, as little as 50 or 100 calories a day could do the trick.

    It sounds like you already have some great habits. Just do your best with estimating your calories burned, and PLEASE eat those calories back. It really makes so much difference in the way you feel. The calorie estimate on MapMyWalk may be a bit off, but it usually gets pretty close. If you're walking for a full hour at a moderate speed, that's not that hard to believe.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
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    As long as you stick to it and make eating changes for life, not just do a diet. The problem with WW, that I have seen anyways, is that once someone loses the weight they go back to eating like they did before- regular food and not the WW brand food. Also, if you eat to little when you start eating normal again, your body freaks out and packs on the fat cells because it think you just went through a famine or something and wants to have extra fat in case that happens again (a dr. told me that when we were discussing low cal eating)

    I am 5'7'' about 180 pounds and want to lost a lb a week. My calories at at 1470. And if I stick to it, I do lose.
  • YaGirlMaddi
    YaGirlMaddi Posts: 88 Member
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    I always had to play around with it. At first it would say 1500 cal, but I didn't lose any weight. So I recalculated and it brought me to 1200 cal which did work! But I felt I was starvingggg and I would end up binge eating. But for now I keep it at the 1200 and also eat back my excersise calories which seems to be working for me
  • kschramm7
    kschramm7 Posts: 72 Member
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    I did use "sedentary" as my activity level when I went through the set up as I ride a desk all day. I didn't want any over-estimations of activity levels. I worked out at home last night...just 30 minutes on my stationary bike at a high intensity level. The bike's calorie counter said 125 calories burned. MFP said something like 300, so the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I have a heart rate monitor...probably needs batteries (it's 8+ years old), but it would be interesting to see what that says.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
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    karenpillionschramm wrote: »
    I did use "sedentary" as my activity level when I went through the set up as I ride a desk all day. I didn't want any over-estimations of activity levels. I worked out at home last night...just 30 minutes on my stationary bike at a high intensity level. The bike's calorie counter said 125 calories burned. MFP said something like 300, so the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I have a heart rate monitor...probably needs batteries (it's 8+ years old), but it would be interesting to see what that says.

    This will work if you follow the way MFP works. Best advice to make the most out of those calories is buy a food scale. Also eat back a portion of those exercise calories. MFP way over estimates calorie burns. So take an average, use the HR calories or just take a percentage like 40%. If after 3 - 4 weeks you are loosing weight per your goal, no need to change a thing. If you are loosing slower, might want to eat back a little less calorie burns from exercise.

    Your MFP NET calories goal is MFP calories you consume - exercise = NET GOAL.

    EXAMPLE: calories consumed 1600 - 200 (exercise) = 1400 NET calories.
  • cschmitz110515
    cschmitz110515 Posts: 3,492 Member
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    karenpillionschramm wrote: »
    Thank you! Weight Watchers isn't one of those diets that makes you eat packaged food. I've cooked, packed, planned and tracked my food for the last 18 months....every day. They tweak/change their plan every few years, and did so again this past January. They concentrate on "clean eating" to the point that the plan has become more restrictive than I'm happy with. Every food has a points value, but when 150 calorie serving of chicken = 2 points, 150 calorie martini = 6 points and a 150 calorie light ice cream cone = 8 points, there's a problem IMO. And when I converted "points" to calories, there were days I was eating 1000 calories and days I was eating 1600 calories...it just depended on how "clean" I ate that day.

    I've struggled to maintain my weight on their newest plan, and am thinking I might be happier counting calories and not feeling guilty for having that occasional sweet.

    I too belonged to WW years ago. It worked for me but I eventually found their various points systems tedious. The big takeaway I got from WW was planning and cooking; as a person who didn't cook much before that, I found I actually enjoyed finding and trying healthy new recipes. It's so much easier now with everything online. I started using MFP last November and have tweaked my settings, but have always used "sedentary" (I too have a desk job). I just log my activity each day (walk the dog 3 miles, yard work, 5K events, etc.). And I eat back some / all of my calories, otherwise I just get too hungry. It's working for me, on a slow and steady basis. Good luck!
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss!!! I also have lost a lot of weight on WW, but way back on their original points plan. That was much more consistent on the calories than their newer P+ plans, which as you say try to drive more towards "clean eating". I actually gained on the original P+ plan because I tend to eat pretty healthy foods so I was eating way too many calories, even staying in my points. That's when I gave up on WW and switched over to here. I love MFP so much better!!! You just have more control over how you combine your food and it's just more transparent. Also, free is nice. ;)

    As for the MapMyWalk calorie burn, that seems REALLY high. A good average (for very simply guestimating calorie burns) is around 100 calories per mile for running and slightly less for walking. Of course, that's an overall population average, age, weight, fitness level, etc. all play roles in adjusting that number up or down. For example, I tend to burn about 85 cal/hour running (5'2" female), while my 6' husband tends to burn more like 110. Either way, though, almost 700 calories for less than 4 miles walking seems out of the range of plausibility.

    I recommend using your HR monitor, but still getting a good feel for it yourself based on weight loss/gain and hunger. I've found that my apple watch is very accurate in calculating my burns but others have had different experiences.

    The recommendation to eat a portion of your exercise calories (according to true hunger and demonstrated results) is a very good one. Good luck!
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Every diet work the same way: by limiting your calories. If you eat 1400 religiously and it doesn't work for you after 4-6 weeks, cut back a little and give it another 4-6 weeks.

    But I'd be willing to bet that 1400-1500 is pretty close to what you need, especially with going to the gym frequently.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I'm 5' 5 1/2", 33 years old, and am actively losing on 1400 net calories a day. And, I eat most of my exercise calories back, so many days I eat more than 1400. It definitely works. I do tend to take a relaxed view of the daily goal. I look at my overall weekly net, and some days I go over and some go under. Still works out the same in the end.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    I just saw your progress pictures--way to go!!! I love how you took those so you can really see the shrinking you. You look fabulous! :smile:
  • Hyperbum
    Hyperbum Posts: 93 Member
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    Awesome photo line up. Major changes you have accomplished! Way to go!
  • naculp
    naculp Posts: 225 Member
    edited July 2016
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    kschramm7 wrote: »
    New to MyFitnessPal but not to dieting. I've lost 80 lbs using Weight Watchers and am at a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life (and I just turned 50!). I go to the gym 3+ x a week, take spin and Ab & Glut classes mostly but just started working out with a trainer (just once a week for now). If I can't get to the gym, I have a treadmill, stationary bike & elliptical at home to use.

    So I'm 5'6", 152 lbs and 50 yrs old. I work as a programmer so I'm on my butt most of the day. Weather permitting I do go for a pretty good walk at lunch. MapMyWalk calculated it at 3.75 miles at 15.4 mph, with a 300 foot change in elevation and said I burned 697 calories, which I find REALLY hard to believe.

    I wear a pedometer daily and make sure to get in at least 10,000 steps a day also, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a couch potato.

    When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

    Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

    Great work on the weight loss! I hope to still be as active as you when I turn 50.

    I think I figured out how the calorie count got so high. Typically when I run I burn about 130-140 calories/mile (5'10" and 205lbs), so it threw me off when you said it was 697 calories for 3.75 miles. But if you were going at 15.4 mph, then that would explain the huge burn. My guess would that the GPS was thrown off somehow, because that's a sub 4:00 min/mile
  • kschramm7
    kschramm7 Posts: 72 Member
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    You're right, I mis-stated the stats. Here they are belowppcwli6syxfr.jpg
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,436 Member
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    kschramm7 wrote: »
    (Good stuff snipped, to reduce quote length)

    When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

    Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

    I'm 5'5", 60 y/o ( and a retired IT system-developer kind of person :) ). I lost most of my weight at 1400-1500 net calories, eating back all my (carefully estimated) exercise calories, going from 183lb to 120lb over about a 10-12 month period.

    Some people find that MFP over-estimates how many calories they can eat, some find it under-estimates, but many ore most seem to find it pretty close to spot on. (I was lucky: I found I could eat more than MFP thought, and still lose.)

    Try the suggested calorie level for a while - I'd say, for at least a month, and see where you end up. If you lose too fast, eat a little more; if you don't lose, eat a little less. Since you're trying for 1/2 pound a week - which is a good rate to use in the last stages of weight loss - it will take a little time to figure out whether you're gaining or losing, in amongst routine random weight fluctuations. That's why I suggested at least a month. Obviously, if something dramatic happens, you'll know sooner, and can adjust sooner. But you're probably used to seeing random fluctuations, from your earlier weight loss accomplishments.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Welcome back! That number sounds right to me, and yeah, no more tickers unless you add it manually -- I believe that was supposed to be a short term issue, heh.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Your calculations for the walk are off. You did not walk at 15.4mph. You walked 3.75 miles at around a 15min mile pace, which is about 4mph. At 150lbs, you probably burn close to 100 calories per mile, so your approximate burn would be 375. I weigh less, and so only burn about 60-70 calories per mile walking. So, as you continue to lose weight, you will burn less calories doing the same exercise.
  • kschramm7
    kschramm7 Posts: 72 Member
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    DancingMoosie, I didn't calculate anything. Just started MMW when I started. I attached a pic of the MMW workout screen. I agree though....not 697 calories. That's crazy for someone my size and fitness level
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Did you input your current weight?

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