Confused - setting goals and calorie deficits.
lycheelu
Posts: 42 Member
I'm getting confused by all the different numbers and calculators out there and need some advice with setting achievable goals from those of you that have it down already! I've lost weight before eating at 1200 (or less), but I'm too aware of the arguments for eating more to just go straight into the very low numbers again. I want this to be healthy and sustainable and I am willing to be patient - but at the same time, I want to lose at the maximum pace that is sustainable. So:
My BMR is 1533. (25yo, female, 177lbs)
For a sedentary lifestyle (I work from home and prefer to add exercise calories using MFP and a FitBit) multiplying that by 1.2 gives a TDEE of 1780. (I am exercising 5x week for about 40 minutes a time on Fitness Blender's FB Fit plan, but I'm unsure as to whether I should factor that in to the equation, assuming it's better to just add with MFP & FitBit to allow for days I don't work out.)
What's a realistic daily intake/weekly loss goal to work towards a loss of 32lbs? Initially I assumed I could lose 2lbs per week (and set a date in June for this), but a 1000 calorie deficit leaves my daily goal at 780 which is, of course, too low.
Instead I thought I'd try TDEE-20%, giving me 1424 cals. But that's only a deficit of 356 calories, and I'd really like to aim to lose at least 1lb a week. I'm guessing it's not possible without creating too high a deficit, so I should stick with TDEE-20%, or even -15%, right? Or am I wrong?
edit: also, 1424 is below BMR, should I worry about that??
Thanks so much for any responses!
Eagerly awaiting them!
My BMR is 1533. (25yo, female, 177lbs)
For a sedentary lifestyle (I work from home and prefer to add exercise calories using MFP and a FitBit) multiplying that by 1.2 gives a TDEE of 1780. (I am exercising 5x week for about 40 minutes a time on Fitness Blender's FB Fit plan, but I'm unsure as to whether I should factor that in to the equation, assuming it's better to just add with MFP & FitBit to allow for days I don't work out.)
What's a realistic daily intake/weekly loss goal to work towards a loss of 32lbs? Initially I assumed I could lose 2lbs per week (and set a date in June for this), but a 1000 calorie deficit leaves my daily goal at 780 which is, of course, too low.
Instead I thought I'd try TDEE-20%, giving me 1424 cals. But that's only a deficit of 356 calories, and I'd really like to aim to lose at least 1lb a week. I'm guessing it's not possible without creating too high a deficit, so I should stick with TDEE-20%, or even -15%, right? Or am I wrong?
edit: also, 1424 is below BMR, should I worry about that??
Thanks so much for any responses!
Eagerly awaiting them! 0
Replies
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Set your goal to lose a pound a week. Connect your Fitbit to MFP. Eat the base calories you're given plus a portion of your Fitbit calories earned.
When I do TDEE with my Fitbit, I disconnect them and take an average of my calories burned over the past month. TDEE is intended to include exercise in its goal.1 -
Connect your Fitbit to MFP. Eat the base calories you're given plus a portion of your Fitbit calories earned.
Keep in mind that the calories on a wearable is just an estimation and can differ from the real burned calories.
There is much discussion about this topic about wearables and there calorie count.
Most of the time I don't believe my watch and use it is a approach.
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Set your goal to lose a pound a week. Connect your Fitbit to MFP. Eat the base calories you're given plus a portion of your Fitbit calories earned.
When I do TDEE with my Fitbit, I disconnect them and take an average of my calories burned over the past month. TDEE is intended to include exercise in its goal.
Thanks for the reply
So I shouldn't try to calculate my own TDEE without exercise? Leaving the activity fields blank on MFP and selecting -1lbs/week gives me 1412.
I think I overcomplicated things for myself didn't I!
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firstly, choose one method, TDEE or MFPs NEAT calculation...
then chose a reasonable calorie deficit - 1lb is probably best with 32lbs to lose.
3, buy some scales, weigh and measure everything you eat, be consistent in your deficit, and you're good to go!2 -
Is it right to leave the activity field blank? Also should I or should I not wear my FitBit while working out, and if I do, how do I not double-add calories burnt when logging the workout?0
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Is it right to leave the activity field blank? Also should I or should I not wear my FitBit while working out, and if I do, how do I not double-add calories burnt when logging the workout?
doesn't matter - the activity field doesn't affect your calorie goal.
ETA, do you mean activity level, or estimated number of times you plan to work out?0 -
As the poster above says, MFP has all of those calculations built in. Plug in your numbers and your goal weight and it will give you a calorie target. If you connect your Fitbit to it, it will add in your exercise calories. Many people seem to find it best to eat back somewhere around half of the calculated exercise calories.1
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TavistockToad wrote: »firstly, choose one method, TDEE or MFPs NEAT calculation...
then chose a reasonable calorie deficit - 1lb is probably best with 32lbs to lose.
3, buy some scales, weigh and measure everything you eat, be consistent in your deficit, and you're good to go!
What is NEAT? (Assuming it's an acronym and you don't just mean it's great!) I wasn't aware of this, what are the differences with TDEE?
Preaching to the converted about the scale
Thanks!
edit: will google
0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Is it right to leave the activity field blank? Also should I or should I not wear my FitBit while working out, and if I do, how do I not double-add calories burnt when logging the workout?
doesn't matter - the activity field doesn't affect your calorie goal.
ETA, do you mean activity level, or estimated number of times you plan to work out?
Oops sorry, I mean the number of times I plan to work out.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Is it right to leave the activity field blank? Also should I or should I not wear my FitBit while working out, and if I do, how do I not double-add calories burnt when logging the workout?
doesn't matter - the activity field doesn't affect your calorie goal.
ETA, do you mean activity level, or estimated number of times you plan to work out?
Oops sorry, I mean the number of times I plan to work out.
doesn't matter, doesn't affect your calorie goal.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »firstly, choose one method, TDEE or MFPs NEAT calculation...
then chose a reasonable calorie deficit - 1lb is probably best with 32lbs to lose.
3, buy some scales, weigh and measure everything you eat, be consistent in your deficit, and you're good to go!
What is NEAT? (Assuming it's an acronym and you don't just mean it's great!) I wasn't aware of this, what are the differences with TDEE?
Preaching to the converted about the scale Thanks!
TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure,
MFP uses NEAT is Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which is pretty much everything else - similar to your BMR. So with MFP you eat exercise cals back, and you don't with a TDEE calculation
the overall numbers should be the same, its just whichever method suits better - i like the extra exercise cals personally, some people prefer having a set number of cals every day.0 -
Connect your Fitbit to MFP. Eat the base calories you're given plus a portion of your Fitbit calories earned.
Keep in mind that the calories on a wearable is just an estimation and can differ from the real burned calories.
There is much discussion about this topic about wearables and there calorie count.
Most of the time I don't believe my watch and use it is a approach.
Which is why I said to only eat a portion back. Some people can eat 100% of their exercise or activity tracker calories back, some can only do half.0 -
Ok, so I think I'll just go with MFP's NEAT calculations and eat back some of my exercise cals.
Can anyone answer my question about whether you should wear a FitBit while working out, and how not to double-add calories burnt if you then also log the workout?0 -
Ok, so I think I'll just go with MFP's NEAT calculations and eat back some of my exercise cals.
Can anyone answer my question about whether you should wear a FitBit while working out, and how not to double-add calories burnt if you then also log the workout?
if you use a fitbit, you wouldn't need to add the workout as well, would you?
i'm not a fitbitter so i don't really know!0 -
Just for reference, I am a bit lighter than you currently, looking to lose a little less and am 10 years older. Also doing FBFit and have done two rounds before, completely sedentary for the most part outside of purposeful exercise. I lose 1lb per week when I average 1600 calories a day. I use a Garmin device and eat pretty much all of my calories back.
The most important thing is to pick a method and stick with it for 6-8 weeks and then reassess (I recommend this long because as women it's harder to see through water fluctuations in a shorter time period). Using your own real world data is the most important thing if your data is good (accurate logging).0 -
Oh and if you are using your Fitbit you don't log exercise separately, just let the Fitbit do its thing and make the necessary adjustment.0
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Ok, so I think I'll just go with MFP's NEAT calculations and eat back some of my exercise cals.
Can anyone answer my question about whether you should wear a FitBit while working out, and how not to double-add calories burnt if you then also log the workout?
Hi OP. Sounds like you are getting good information and trying to do this the right way, kudos to you!
So I second the recommendation to use the MFP NEAT method, with a goal of 1 lb/week and a sedentary activity level with your FitBit synced (also negative calorie adjustments enabled).
As to whether you should add in exercise, it depends on the type of exercise. FitBit is great at measuring step based activity, so for walks or runs you don't need to enter exercise, but for other types it may register that you're doing something (especially if it has a HR component) but may not know exactly what it is. You mentioned the Fitness Blender workouts, are those like a circuit routine, with weights and stuff? When I do exercise videos that include weights as well as some aerobic type activities I log that on MFP as circuit training. It doesn't double count with FitBit, it's kind of amazing but the tools are smart enough to reconcile and adjust accordingly.
For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and started with MFP about 4 years ago with about 30 lbs to lose, I followed the Standard recommendations for losing 1 lb/week initially, while eating back exercise calories from MFP at first, then later when I got my FitBit and synced that I ate back those exercise adjustments. I lost the weight I set out to lose in about a year, lost a little more, and am currently maintaining a weight range of 118-122. It turns out my TDEE is higher than the calculators estimated, I'm around 2200 cals according to my FitBit and actual results.
Logging consistently and accurately is key. Good luck!2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Ok, so I think I'll just go with MFP's NEAT calculations and eat back some of my exercise cals.
Can anyone answer my question about whether you should wear a FitBit while working out, and how not to double-add calories burnt if you then also log the workout?
Hi OP. Sounds like you are getting good information and trying to do this the right way, kudos to you!
So I second the recommendation to use the MFP NEAT method, with a goal of 1 lb/week and a sedentary activity level with your FitBit synced (also negative calorie adjustments enabled).
As to whether you should add in exercise, it depends on the type of exercise. FitBit is great at measuring step based activity, so for walks or runs you don't need to enter exercise, but for other types it may register that you're doing something (especially if it has a HR component) but may not know exactly what it is. You mentioned the Fitness Blender workouts, are those like a circuit routine, with weights and stuff? When I do exercise videos that include weights as well as some aerobic type activities I log that on MFP as circuit training. It doesn't double count with FitBit, it's kind of amazing but the tools are smart enough to reconcile and adjust accordingly.
For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and started with MFP about 4 years ago with about 30 lbs to lose, I followed the Standard recommendations for losing 1 lb/week initially, while eating back exercise calories from MFP at first, then later when I got my FitBit and synced that I ate back those exercise adjustments. I lost the weight I set out to lose in about a year, lost a little more, and am currently maintaining a weight range of 118-122. It turns out my TDEE is higher than the calculators estimated, I'm around 2200 cals according to my FitBit and actual results.
Logging consistently and accurately is key. Good luck!
Thanks for this! It's the cheapest FitBit (a Zip) so no heart rate capability, but it's good to know I can just add circuits or strength training on top and it won't double log (you're right, fitness blender tends to be circuits, weights and HIIT). How do you use the FitBit to get your TDEE? I'm going to use the MFP calculations for now, but as I have a FitBit it would be great to know. 0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Ok, so I think I'll just go with MFP's NEAT calculations and eat back some of my exercise cals.
Can anyone answer my question about whether you should wear a FitBit while working out, and how not to double-add calories burnt if you then also log the workout?
Hi OP. Sounds like you are getting good information and trying to do this the right way, kudos to you!
So I second the recommendation to use the MFP NEAT method, with a goal of 1 lb/week and a sedentary activity level with your FitBit synced (also negative calorie adjustments enabled).
As to whether you should add in exercise, it depends on the type of exercise. FitBit is great at measuring step based activity, so for walks or runs you don't need to enter exercise, but for other types it may register that you're doing something (especially if it has a HR component) but may not know exactly what it is. You mentioned the Fitness Blender workouts, are those like a circuit routine, with weights and stuff? When I do exercise videos that include weights as well as some aerobic type activities I log that on MFP as circuit training. It doesn't double count with FitBit, it's kind of amazing but the tools are smart enough to reconcile and adjust accordingly.
For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and started with MFP about 4 years ago with about 30 lbs to lose, I followed the Standard recommendations for losing 1 lb/week initially, while eating back exercise calories from MFP at first, then later when I got my FitBit and synced that I ate back those exercise adjustments. I lost the weight I set out to lose in about a year, lost a little more, and am currently maintaining a weight range of 118-122. It turns out my TDEE is higher than the calculators estimated, I'm around 2200 cals according to my FitBit and actual results.
Logging consistently and accurately is key. Good luck!
Thanks for this! It's the cheapest FitBit (a Zip) so no heart rate capability, but it's good to know I can just add circuits or strength training on top and it won't double log (you're right, fitness blender tends to be circuits, weights and HIIT). How do you use the FitBit to get your TDEE? I'm going to use the MFP calculations for now, but as I have a FitBit it would be great to know.
Not sure about the Zip but if you look at FitBit dashboard where it says Total Calories Burned you can look at each day, a weekly average, and a monthly average - that is a good representation of your TDEE especially after a period of time.1 -
I don't use Fitbit as mentioned but I assume that if the apps are synced then they "talk" to each other so Fitbit will add in your logged exercise from here to create a more accurate TDEE?0
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