Question for the veterans - calorie counting
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There is a book "Calorie Queens" it is about a mother and daughter. One lost 100lbs the other 50 lbs doing exactly that. As I understand it, the mom is married to a doctor, so I doubt he went along with anything that would harm their health.
I actually bought that book and also Fat 2 Fit and followed the plan for about a month. I was losing, but was hungry all the time.
Now I'm following Eat More to Weigh Less and much happier.0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »Just purely out of curiosity what are your maintenance calories now, and what will they be when you switch to eating maintenance at your future weight?
Remember a big black limo won't come and run you down if you decide to change how you approach your goal.
I think it will be very important to eat back your exercise calories as you take this approach- they too will drop as you lose. Decide if you want to eat back current weight, which will give you wiggle room, or future weight.
I don't know much about math, but @seska422 is correct it could take a long time to lose the last few lbs. it took me 6 months of diligent logging and cutting back exercise cals to lose the last 5-8.
Cheers, h.
So, here are my stats:
I'm 5'4'', 23 years old female and weigh about 237 lbs. At sedentary (which I pretty much am), mfp gives me around 2200 calories to maintain my weight.
My goal weight is between 125-135 lbs (as of now; I have always been obese and I have no idea how I would look and feel at those weights). Maintenance calories at the lower end of goal weight, with sedentary settings would be around 1550 calories.
However, I don't plan on being sedentary, so I'll probably be eating more than that.
I have to say that " last few pounds" is right now far, far away for me. Right now, I'm just looking at first few pounds and after that, the middle few pounds. Yes, I can and probably will have to change my approach based on what does or does not work for me.
Thank you for your suggestions
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Thank you for sharing. I do intend to be more physically active; I'll join a gym in April and will walk back from office.
FWIW, not my intention to exercise-shame you or make you feel like you have to exercise.
I just meant that because I ended up being much more active than I thought I would, my calorie needs for maintenance are much higher than I would have estimated back in the day. Plus my needs to fuel that activity have impacts on meal timing and macros. All stuff I didn't originally plan for. Any "eating for future me" estimate would not have ended up reflecting the way I eat now.
That being said, my calorie target back then (1850/day) probably was pretty close to what that might have been. Nowadays I eat more like 2200/day. Considering that I'm >45 yo, both of those targets are a lot higher than a many obese people trying to lose weight would think.
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Thank you for sharing. I do intend to be more physically active; I'll join a gym in April and will walk back from office.
FWIW, not my intention to exercise-shame you or make you feel like you have to exercise.
I just meant that because I ended up being much more active than I thought I would, my calorie needs for maintenance are much higher than I would have estimated back in the day. Plus my needs to fuel that activity have impacts on meal timing and macros. All stuff I didn't originally plan for. Any "eating for future me" estimate would not have ended up reflecting the way I eat now.
That being said, my calorie target back then (1850/day) probably was pretty close to what that might have been. Nowadays I eat more like 2200/day. Considering that I'm >45 yo, both of those targets are a lot higher than a many obese people trying to lose weight would think.
You did not exercise shame me at all
I perfectly understood what you were trying to tell me, and I agree. I want to exercise, partly because of all the extra calories
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My start weight was 145.6kg ( 321lb), so I used to TDEE calculator to work out how many calories I'd need when I got to my (planned) goal weight, then I just aimed to eat around that figure, I managed to lose 74.8kg (164lb) in 2 years - I exercised to give myself a few extra calories and at first I would eat those calories back, but as time went on I didn't always eat them back.
I've been maintaining my weight since November 2014 and for the most part I have been doing really well, but in October 2016 I became unwell and my weight has been a bit erratic, so I'm now feeling better and I am getting back on track, so I will get back down to my goal weight in time.
My calorie intake has remained pretty much the same throughout, but it's just where those calories have come from that changed - because not all calories are made equal, I get a lot more of my calories from proteins, healthy fats and fibre now, but in the early days I relied heavily on carbs and protein, because i wanted to follow a low fat diet, but as my body has changed so have my nutritional needs.
Losing a lot of weight is a learning curve and I loved the journey ... I wish you well on your journey, just remember this is YOUR journey, it's YOUR body and you have to do what works for YOU, just because our methods worked for us, doesn't mean that they will work for you, you need to find what works for you and stick with that.
If you approach your weight loss journey with an open mind you can't go far wrong, always remember that as long as you're trying you're not failing, failure only happens when you quit trying - I have a quote that got me through my weight loss journey and I have it tattooed on my back:
"I may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination"
xXx5 -
middlehaitch wrote: »Just purely out of curiosity what are your maintenance calories now, and what will they be when you switch to eating maintenance at your future weight?
Remember a big black limo won't come and run you down if you decide to change how you approach your goal.
I think it will be very important to eat back your exercise calories as you take this approach- they too will drop as you lose. Decide if you want to eat back current weight, which will give you wiggle room, or future weight.
I don't know much about math, but @seska422 is correct it could take a long time to lose the last few lbs. it took me 6 months of diligent logging and cutting back exercise cals to lose the last 5-8.
Cheers, h.
So, here are my stats:
I'm 5'4'', 23 years old female and weigh about 237 lbs. At sedentary (which I pretty much am), mfp gives me around 2200 calories to maintain my weight.
My goal weight is between 125-135 lbs (as of now; I have always been obese and I have no idea how I would look and feel at those weights). Maintenance calories at the lower end of goal weight, with sedentary settings would be around 1550 calories.
However, I don't plan on being sedentary, so I'll probably be eating more than that.
I have to say that " last few pounds" is right now far, far away for me. Right now, I'm just looking at first few pounds and after that, the middle few pounds. Yes, I can and probably will have to change my approach based on what does or does not work for me.
Thank you for your suggestions
Thanks for sharing your stats. I was a bit worried you may have been terribly underfueled. I am not worried anymore
I do think you have a good outlook, and will probably be very successful because you have thought out your approach, but still have an open mind.
Cheers, h.1 -
My start weight was 145.6kg ( 321lb), so I used to TDEE calculator to work out how many calories I'd need when I got to my (planned) goal weight, then I just aimed to eat around that figure, I managed to lose 74.8kg (164lb) in 2 years - I exercised to give myself a few extra calories and at first I would eat those calories back, but as time went on I didn't always eat them back.
I've been maintaining my weight since November 2014 and for the most part I have been doing really well, but in October 2016 I became unwell and my weight has been a bit erratic, so I'm now feeling better and I am getting back on track, so I will get back down to my goal weight in time.
My calorie intake has remained pretty much the same throughout, but it's just where those calories have come from that changed - because not all calories are made equal, I get a lot more of my calories from proteins, healthy fats and fibre now, but in the early days I relied heavily on carbs and protein, because i wanted to follow a low fat diet, but as my body has changed so have my nutritional needs.
Losing a lot of weight is a learning curve and I loved the journey ... I wish you well on your journey, just remember this is YOUR journey, it's YOUR body and you have to do what works for YOU, just because our methods worked for us, doesn't mean that they will work for you, you need to find what works for you and stick with that.
If you approach your weight loss journey with an open mind you can't go far wrong, always remember that as long as you're trying you're not failing, failure only happens when you quit trying - I have a quote that got me through my weight loss journey and I have it tattooed on my back:
"I may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination"
xXx
Wow, you are truly an inspiration!! 0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »middlehaitch wrote: »Just purely out of curiosity what are your maintenance calories now, and what will they be when you switch to eating maintenance at your future weight?
Remember a big black limo won't come and run you down if you decide to change how you approach your goal.
I think it will be very important to eat back your exercise calories as you take this approach- they too will drop as you lose. Decide if you want to eat back current weight, which will give you wiggle room, or future weight.
I don't know much about math, but @seska422 is correct it could take a long time to lose the last few lbs. it took me 6 months of diligent logging and cutting back exercise cals to lose the last 5-8.
Cheers, h.
So, here are my stats:
I'm 5'4'', 23 years old female and weigh about 237 lbs. At sedentary (which I pretty much am), mfp gives me around 2200 calories to maintain my weight.
My goal weight is between 125-135 lbs (as of now; I have always been obese and I have no idea how I would look and feel at those weights). Maintenance calories at the lower end of goal weight, with sedentary settings would be around 1550 calories.
However, I don't plan on being sedentary, so I'll probably be eating more than that.
I have to say that " last few pounds" is right now far, far away for me. Right now, I'm just looking at first few pounds and after that, the middle few pounds. Yes, I can and probably will have to change my approach based on what does or does not work for me.
Thank you for your suggestions
Thanks for sharing your stats. I was a bit worried you may have been terribly underfueled. I am not worried anymore
I do think you have a good outlook, and will probably be very successful because you have thought out your approach, but still have an open mind.
Cheers, h.
Thank you so much for the kind words.1 -
Wanted to wish you luck, and also to mention that since you are considering increasing your activity level and factor in those earned calories, adding something like a Fitbit or Garmin to your plans may be a motivator.1
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TimothyFish wrote: »It is theoretically possible to eat at maintenance for your goal weight the entire journey, but I don't think many have succeeded at that. Something you might consider is whether you really want to maintain your weight by tracking your calories in the same way that you do when you are losing weight. That doesn't work for me. Also, most people don't have a set maintenance weight but a range of about +/-5 lbs. Are you going to calculate your calories based on the midpoint? The low side? The high side? It would work better if you use the low side, but you will have to increase your calories at some point. At the midpoint it will take you a very long time. At the high point you will never get there.
But part of my theory is that once I have eaten a particular amount of calories long enough ( and it will be long enough, considering I have about 110lbs to lose), I'll be able to eat without exactly counting all the calories ( I mean I'll be able to tell, say after 2 years, isn't it?) That way, I thought maintenance will also be easier, because I'll know when I'm going over.
I too have a range for goal weight, not an exact weight, and yes, I'll stick to the lower end to calculate calories.
I'm all for eating without knowing the exact number of calories. That's what I do when I'm maintaining my weight. But we don't need the same amount of food all the time. Most days, I need over 3,000 calories, but if I sit all day I need less than that. On other days I burn enough calories that 4,000 is closer to what I need.0 -
I primarily used MFP data, but double checked with multiple other sites to confirm the information I received here.
A great site I found (and enrolled in) is the National Weight Control Registry: http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm
As this is an issue of behavior I modeled the behavior of those who were successful - just tweaked this a bit to suit my needs and goals. Those who are successful in this first realize that they have the control in this and can make changes.1 -
Since you're asking people years in you're probably going to get a lot of similar replies; their own data. You can guess your tdee to get you started but if you're tracking everything and tracking it accurately you will be able to use your own data to adjust your goals accordingly.2
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Interesting question!0
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TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »It is theoretically possible to eat at maintenance for your goal weight the entire journey, but I don't think many have succeeded at that. Something you might consider is whether you really want to maintain your weight by tracking your calories in the same way that you do when you are losing weight. That doesn't work for me. Also, most people don't have a set maintenance weight but a range of about +/-5 lbs. Are you going to calculate your calories based on the midpoint? The low side? The high side? It would work better if you use the low side, but you will have to increase your calories at some point. At the midpoint it will take you a very long time. At the high point you will never get there.
But part of my theory is that once I have eaten a particular amount of calories long enough ( and it will be long enough, considering I have about 110lbs to lose), I'll be able to eat without exactly counting all the calories ( I mean I'll be able to tell, say after 2 years, isn't it?) That way, I thought maintenance will also be easier, because I'll know when I'm going over.
I too have a range for goal weight, not an exact weight, and yes, I'll stick to the lower end to calculate calories.
I'm all for eating without knowing the exact number of calories. That's what I do when I'm maintaining my weight. But we don't need the same amount of food all the time. Most days, I need over 3,000 calories, but if I sit all day I need less than that. On other days I burn enough calories that 4,000 is closer to what I need.
Yes, that's why I bought a Fitbit today. It'll help me in giving a more precise idea of how much more I can eat in a day.0 -
Just be aware that the estimates provided by those things is not necessarily accurate. When I had a Fitbit, it overestimated calorie burns from step-based exercise and under-estimated burns from HR-based workouts.
Not to slam fitbit specifically, but it's important to remember that
1) The wrist-based HR monitors are not actually great at capturing HR accurately, sorry.
2) HR is not a magical way to determine calorie burn. It's still algoritm-based, and there's variation between individuals that is not accounted for by age, height, and weight. Particularly: VO2 max. Unless you have had a medically-administered VO2 max test (and there are lots of non-medically-administered "at home" tests you can do for an estimate, but those too are algorithmically based guesses), the calorie burn estimate provided by any HRM is going to just be pretty close to what you'd see on a database like MFP anyway.
They're fun, especially when you're new to exercise, and I'm always in favor of establishing quantifiable baselines, tracking changes over time, and setting goals, but as for weight loss I'd advise against jumping in to start eating back 100% of fitbit exercise cals. DO eat more on days you burn more, eat less on days you burn less, but keep a skeptical eye on the calorie number as a magic bullet. It's really more like a FICO score for activity vs sedentariness than actual real food calories LOL.1 -
Just be aware that the estimates provided by those things is not necessarily accurate. When I had a Fitbit, it overestimated calorie burns from step-based exercise and under-estimated burns from HR-based workouts.
Not to slam fitbit specifically, but it's important to remember that
1) The wrist-based HR monitors are not actually great at capturing HR accurately, sorry.
2) HR is not a magical way to determine calorie burn. It's still algoritm-based, and there's variation between individuals that is not accounted for by age, height, and weight. Particularly: VO2 max. Unless you have had a medically-administered VO2 max test (and there are lots of non-medically-administered "at home" tests you can do for an estimate, but those too are algorithmically based guesses), the calorie burn estimate provided by any HRM is going to just be pretty close to what you'd see on a database like MFP anyway.
They're fun, especially when you're new to exercise, and I'm always in favor of establishing quantifiable baselines, tracking changes over time, and setting goals, but as for weight loss I'd advise against jumping in to start eating back 100% of fitbit exercise cals. DO eat more on days you burn more, eat less on days you burn less, but keep a skeptical eye on the calorie number as a magic bullet. It's really more like a FICO score for activity vs sedentariness than actual real food calories LOL.
Yes, I'm new to fitness trackers and I was thinking about starting a discussion in the forums and asking Fitbit charge HR users what amount of accuracy they have had while using the device. I would eat back 50%of exercise calories anyway, and adjust from there.0 -
Do a search for questions on your particular device. There are questions with lots of answers posted almost daily.
There are also Fitbit 'groups' you would probably get a lot of detailed knowledge from them.
Cheers, h.0 -
There's hours of reading pleasure (and confusion
) on mfp's fitbit group, also check out the FAQ section.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »There's hours of reading pleasure (and confusion ) on mfp's fitbit group, also check out the FAQ section.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
Thanks
0
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