Thyroid and loosing fat???

I do about 23% protein (it stays fixed at 130g a day); then fat about 22% and carbs fill out the rest. my diary is open and you are welcome to take a look at it. I do work with a Registered Dietician to figure out my nutrition and they give me the macros that I aim for

the one thing they tell me - as they increased my food (when I started working with them, I was only taking in about 1400cal a day) - is that in order to perform to your best ability, you need to fuel your body and by performing better, you will accomplish goals/work hard - eat more, do more - something to think about

deannalfisher wrote: »

with your height and weight (ignoring the hypothyroidism for a minute) - you might be better to focus on recomp rather than losing weight - slowly building lean muscle and losing fat - its a slow process and involves eating at/close to maintenance while doing progressively overloaded training (strong lifts etc)

IRT hypothyroidism once you get your meds dialed in - and for it me took close to a year for the initial stabilization and even then I still get occasionally tweaks as things change - you should have no issues losing weight

the 1226 is your BMR that isn't what you need to eat to lose weight, its what you need for your body to maintain basic function. I wouldn't recommending going below that for an extended period of time - you'll likely end up losing muscle as well as fat

I have similar stats to you - I'm heavily 148, also work out heavily (endurance triathlete) and I take in between 22 and 2500 calories each day and I've been fairly weight stable and focusing on recomp. its been a slow process - but in the last 5 months, I've gone from a size 8 pants that were tight, to a size 6 that are loose(ish). so I know I'm seeing progress even if the scale isn't changing

I agree, recomp might be a good idea considering OP's stats. And slowly adding some more cals in over time like you mentioned in your other post.

I think sometimes people get stuck in the cycle of under eating to lose weight, then going over board and putting weight back on very quickly, repeat.

I've kept my calories as high as I can while trying to lose weight, and then when I need a break I shift to maintenance. I think this has helped me keep my calories pretty high (in addition to being very active and training hard 4-6 days a week).

As far as macros, I like protein around 1 gram per pound of lean body mass, fats are about 30 % of my calories, and the rest is carbs. I mainly aim to hit a certain amount of protein and my overall calories though.

As others said, levels will take a bit to level out and also, if you do level off and loose weight - your meds will need adjusting. I'm hypo (thyroidectomy Feb 2014) and over the last six months have been going through tests to find my right levels after losing some weight. I'm now at the lowest dose (100 mg) and if I think about chocolate, I again an ounce! But CICO and yes, macros are important. Best of luck!

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!

I am in the same situation. I urge you to RUN out and buy the book Hashimoto's Protocol. I highly recommend it for anyone with thyroid issues!!! My weight would not budge and I was getting so frustrated, to the point of tears. But I have finished her first protocol & started on the second phase and have had amazing results so far, not just with the weight finally coming off but also more energy, better sleep, better digestion, etc. etc. etc.

The author also has a documentary out called something like... "the thyroid secret", or something like that.
Which was extremely informative and helpful.

Good luck!! I hope this helps you too.

she hasn't been diagnosed with Hashi's - so recommending she start a protocol that (as far as I can tell) - hasn't been evaluated by the FDA or other governing body could end up causing more issues than not

in fact taking supplements can directly affect the absorption of any thyroid medications into your blood and cause issues down the road

unless they have been evaluated in an INDEPDENT lab (not HER research), no assessment on effectiveness/efficiacy can truly be assessed...heck, you could even had placebo effect

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!

I am in the same situation. I urge you to RUN out and buy the book Hashimoto's Protocol. I highly recommend it for anyone with thyroid issues!!! My weight would not budge and I was getting so frustrated, to the point of tears. But I have finished her first protocol & started on the second phase and have had amazing results so far, not just with the weight finally coming off but also more energy, better sleep, better digestion, etc. etc. etc.

The author also has a documentary out called something like... "the thyroid secret", or something like that.
Which was extremely informative and helpful.

Good luck!! I hope this helps you too.

This book does nothing but market the author's line of supplements and product line. This is nothing but a marketing scam, has nothing to do with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, and is a basic diet book.

Buyer beware - you have been scammed.

Disgusting the depths supposed medical professionals will sink to for personal profit. The author is a pharmacist, reviewed no clinical data to support this nonsense, and preying on people with potentially serious medical issues.

Obviously you haven't read it.

I really don't understand people who make these kinds of angry rant negative posts without doing their research. The book is functional medicine which looks at the entire health of your body, holistically. Not like traditional medicine which looks at you as only a collection of individual body parts & symptoms.

The author actually has hashimoto's and her first book outlined her own trials with overcoming the symptoms after she found no relief through traditional treatment methods and medication.

The second book is basically an easier to read version of the first book, which she lists several reputable companies for supplements (not just her own). She makes these brand suggestions because of purity (no GMO, no gluten, no soy, no dairy etc.) because many supplements contain these allergens.

Many of her protocols deal with treating food sensitivities such as gluten and soy.

But whatever. You obviously know everything...insert eyeroll.

Again, if I have been "scammed" ... well it's working well for me. And I will keep recommending it. My husband also has lost a little weight and now his blood pressure is down in the normal range for the first time in over 3 years.

*kitten* ...It's working.

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!

I am in the same situation. I urge you to RUN out and buy the book Hashimoto's Protocol. I highly recommend it for anyone with thyroid issues!!! My weight would not budge and I was getting so frustrated, to the point of tears. But I have finished her first protocol & started on the second phase and have had amazing results so far, not just with the weight finally coming off but also more energy, better sleep, better digestion, etc. etc. etc.

The author also has a documentary out called something like... "the thyroid secret", or something like that.
Which was extremely informative and helpful.

Good luck!! I hope this helps you too.

This book does nothing but market the author's line of supplements and product line. This is nothing but a marketing scam, has nothing to do with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, and is a basic diet book.

Buyer beware - you have been scammed.

Disgusting the depths supposed medical professionals will sink to for personal profit. The author is a pharmacist, reviewed no clinical data to support this nonsense, and preying on people with potentially serious medical issues.

Obviously you haven't read it.

I really don't understand people who make these kinds of angry rant negative posts without doing their research. The book is functional medicine which looks at the entire health of your body, holistically. Not like traditional medicine which looks at you as only a collection of individual body parts & symptoms.

The author actually has hashimoto's and her first book outlined her own trials with overcoming the symptoms after she found no relief through traditional treatment methods and medication.

The second book is basically an easier to read version of the first book, which she lists several reputable companies for supplements (not just her own). She makes these brand suggestions because of purity (no GMO, no gluten, no soy, no dairy etc.) because many supplements contain these allergens.

Many of her protocols deal with treating food sensitivities such as gluten and soy.

But whatever. You obviously know everything...insert eyeroll.

Again, if I have been "scammed" ... well it's working well for me. And I will keep recommending it. My husband also has lost a little weight and now his blood pressure is down in the normal range for the first time in over 3 years.

I have read this and deal with the ramifications of this every day. As a medical professional and scientist I deal with the aftermath of people who decide for themselves to fix medical issues with diet, supplements, and other popular woo.

Functional medicine has no scientific basis - provides no evidence, provides no results. This is marketed to people with no scientific background under a clever and insidious manipulation of the regulations on medicine. Even the term "traditional medicine" is a term concocted by the alternative medicine community to attempt to marginalize medicine as it cannot stand the test of providing reproducible results.

I don't claim to know everything, but I know what is provable and what is not. The author of this book failed to prove her hypothesis.

What is working for you and your husband is weight loss through a caloric deficit. Hormones are free cycling and highly dependent upon body weight, so being overweight will compound and exacerbate hormonal issues.

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

Are you in the UK?

Request a full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, rT3. The new normal for TSH is 0.2-2.0, but this is largely dependent on how you feel. For example I was likely hyperthyroid most of my life so this "feels" normal to me. Others feel normal with a TSH of 10 - this is an extremely variable number and dependent upon the other critical diagnostics tests.

Regarding your BMR of 1226. This is what your body burns if you were at rest all day - no physical activity. The caloric intake number MFP generates is based on population average and is dependent upon what level of activity you input - this is the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and incorporates your exercise.

Body fat is nothing more than an energy reserve. To lose body fat you need to maintain a caloric deficit. If your maintenance calories are at 1600, then you need to eat less than 1600 calories/day.

I am not in the U.K., I live in Greece)

I have to take these hormonal tests in order to start my medication.. The doctor has prescribed them.

The number 1600 in according to MFP..which doesn't know that my BMR is really really low.. And most of the time when I overeat I gain some fat..

I only ask as past experience of others living in the UK it is difficult to get these critical tests completed. If your physician has already ordered this and a series of tests - rejoice! You have found a good doctor!

I am also very happy to hear that you have active metabolics testing - very encouraging. Do not get discouraged by the 1226 number as this is you metabolism if you were bedridden and did no physical activity. The MFP number of 1600 is likely more accurate and as I said if you want some extra protection, lower this by 5% to account for hyperthyroidism.

Thank you for the update and please keep us posted on your progress.

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!

I am in the same situation. I urge you to RUN out and buy the book Hashimoto's Protocol. I highly recommend it for anyone with thyroid issues!!! My weight would not budge and I was getting so frustrated, to the point of tears. But I have finished her first protocol & started on the second phase and have had amazing results so far, not just with the weight finally coming off but also more energy, better sleep, better digestion, etc. etc. etc.

The author also has a documentary out called something like... "the thyroid secret", or something like that.
Which was extremely informative and helpful.

Good luck!! I hope this helps you too.

This book does nothing but market the author's line of supplements and product line. This is nothing but a marketing scam, has nothing to do with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, and is a basic diet book.

Buyer beware - you have been scammed.

Disgusting the depths supposed medical professionals will sink to for personal profit. The author is a pharmacist, reviewed no clinical data to support this nonsense, and preying on people with potentially serious medical issues.

Obviously you haven't read it.

I really don't understand people who make these kinds of angry rant negative posts without doing their research. The book is functional medicine which looks at the entire health of your body, holistically. Not like traditional medicine which looks at you as only a collection of individual body parts & symptoms.

The author actually has hashimoto's and her first book outlined her own trials with overcoming the symptoms after she found no relief through traditional treatment methods and medication.

The second book is basically an easier to read version of the first book, which she lists several reputable companies for supplements (not just her own). She makes these brand suggestions because of purity (no GMO, no gluten, no soy, no dairy etc.) because many supplements contain these allergens.

Many of her protocols deal with treating food sensitivities such as gluten and soy.

But whatever. You obviously know everything...insert eyeroll.

Again, if I have been "scammed" ... well it's working well for me. And I will keep recommending it. My husband also has lost a little weight and now his blood pressure is down in the normal range for the first time in over 3 years.

I have read this and deal with the ramifications of this every day. As a medical professional and scientist I deal with the aftermath of people who decide for themselves to fix medical issues with diet, supplements, and other popular woo.

Functional medicine has no scientific basis - provides no evidence, provides no results. This is marketed to people with no scientific background under a clever and insidious manipulation of the regulations on medicine. Even the term "traditional medicine" is a term concocted by the alternative medicine community to attempt to marginalize medicine as it cannot stand the test of providing reproducible results.

I don't claim to know everything, but I know what is provable and what is not. The author of this book failed to prove her hypothesis.

What is working for you and your husband is weight loss through a caloric deficit. Hormones are free cycling and highly dependent upon body weight, so being overweight will compound and exacerbate hormonal issues.

I actually do understand the urge to take things into one's own hands. As the patient, who may or may not be listened to by a doctor who may or may not eye-roll the patient's insistence that she's NOT feeling better although her TSH is at (whatever count), or that she is having trouble losing weight, or whatever...and who does not have the power to actually do something about it like the doctor, who refuses to do anything, does, I can FULLY see it. To be fair.

With that said, AFAIK, for Hashi's people as with anyone, it comes down to CICO.

No, I'm not on any thyroid-specific eating protocol, in case you're wondering. But until you're on our side of things, where we have no pull or ability whatsoever to help ourselves in the face of the doctors who insist what they're willing to dole out "should" be working, ergo we must either be lying about our symptoms or must just be p*ssies...and we're sent home to suffer some more, and some more, and some more...please don't judge. Educate if you want to, that's useful. But this "it's kitten" stuff and so on does nobody any favors and just widens that crack that divides helpless patients from judgmental doctors who refuse to help. This is probably the bigger issue, IMO. Please don't be "that" doctor.

I'll be honest, it's this kind of jeering, put up or shut up attitude that has thyroid patients literally buying "desiccated pig hormone" from God knows where on the web and potentially REALLY harming themselves. I would urge you as a medical "professional" to do more judging and less listening. If more medical professionals did you'd probably encounter LESS dramatic fallout from patients desperately reaching for the latest craze. Just sayin'.

deannalfisher wrote: »

@CSARdiver is a scientist and has thyroid issues - so I'm sure he knows what he is talking about...

no one is saying don't be your own advocate and you need to find a dr who listens to you - I went back to a PCM vs. an endocrinologist because two endo's wouldn't listen to me when I said I didn't feel right and my PCM did (and we adjusted my dose - it was night and day difference)

we are encouraging to actually look at the science (and not the science from someone with a vested interest in selling a product - be it book or supplements) - but verifiable, published peer-reviewed scientific documentation - until something like that exists that supports the claims being made, I'm going to be skeptical of anything put forward to support.

I believe he knows what he's talking about. And I agree with looking at the science.

I disagree with all the "such and such is kitten" jeering stuff that does nothing to help anybody and only causes yet more of a divide. Because a doctor may know what he or she is talking about, but slamming a person and offering nothing as a substitute simply does jack to help the person who is suffering right now.

And once again, I am not on, and don't advocate any hypo T-specific diet or non-medicated protocol at all. I am simply pointing out that the "WTF, are you an idiot or something?"-esque posts are doing jack to help the poster who has been desperate enough to lower herself to seeking some stranger's book on the internet. A LOT of us have been that low and have succumbed to snake oil, or not. I didn't, and I suffered for many years. A less judgmental, more open and understanding discourse could potentially help heal that gap that, as I see things, only gets bigger between unheard patients, and impatient doctors.

BTW, I missed where anyone was encouraging anyone else to look at the science, but I'll go back and look. I didn't see any actual science refuting the book being spoken about...just vague "you're totally wrong and I see people who hurt themselves all the time doing other vague things that may or may not be this book" stuff. But as I said...I'll go back and look.

CSARdiver wrote: »

LAWoman72 wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

TheSkyBlushed wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!

I am in the same situation. I urge you to RUN out and buy the book Hashimoto's Protocol. I highly recommend it for anyone with thyroid issues!!! My weight would not budge and I was getting so frustrated, to the point of tears. But I have finished her first protocol & started on the second phase and have had amazing results so far, not just with the weight finally coming off but also more energy, better sleep, better digestion, etc. etc. etc.

The author also has a documentary out called something like... "the thyroid secret", or something like that.
Which was extremely informative and helpful.

Good luck!! I hope this helps you too.

This book does nothing but market the author's line of supplements and product line. This is nothing but a marketing scam, has nothing to do with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, and is a basic diet book.

Buyer beware - you have been scammed.

Disgusting the depths supposed medical professionals will sink to for personal profit. The author is a pharmacist, reviewed no clinical data to support this nonsense, and preying on people with potentially serious medical issues.

Obviously you haven't read it.

I really don't understand people who make these kinds of angry rant negative posts without doing their research. The book is functional medicine which looks at the entire health of your body, holistically. Not like traditional medicine which looks at you as only a collection of individual body parts & symptoms.

The author actually has hashimoto's and her first book outlined her own trials with overcoming the symptoms after she found no relief through traditional treatment methods and medication.

The second book is basically an easier to read version of the first book, which she lists several reputable companies for supplements (not just her own). She makes these brand suggestions because of purity (no GMO, no gluten, no soy, no dairy etc.) because many supplements contain these allergens.

Many of her protocols deal with treating food sensitivities such as gluten and soy.

But whatever. You obviously know everything...insert eyeroll.

Again, if I have been "scammed" ... well it's working well for me. And I will keep recommending it. My husband also has lost a little weight and now his blood pressure is down in the normal range for the first time in over 3 years.

I have read this and deal with the ramifications of this every day. As a medical professional and scientist I deal with the aftermath of people who decide for themselves to fix medical issues with diet, supplements, and other popular woo.

Functional medicine has no scientific basis - provides no evidence, provides no results. This is marketed to people with no scientific background under a clever and insidious manipulation of the regulations on medicine. Even the term "traditional medicine" is a term concocted by the alternative medicine community to attempt to marginalize medicine as it cannot stand the test of providing reproducible results.

I don't claim to know everything, but I know what is provable and what is not. The author of this book failed to prove her hypothesis.

What is working for you and your husband is weight loss through a caloric deficit. Hormones are free cycling and highly dependent upon body weight, so being overweight will compound and exacerbate hormonal issues.

I actually do understand the urge to take things into one's own hands. As the patient, who may or may not be listened to by a doctor who may or may not eye-roll the patient's insistence that she's NOT feeling better although her TSH is at (whatever count), or that she is having trouble losing weight, or whatever...and who does not have the power to actually do something about it like the doctor, who refuses to do anything, does, I can FULLY see it. To be fair.

With that said, AFAIK, for Hashi's people as with anyone, it comes down to CICO.

No, I'm not on any thyroid-specific eating protocol, in case you're wondering. But until you're on our side of things, where we have no pull or ability whatsoever to help ourselves in the face of the doctors who insist what they're willing to dole out "should" be working, ergo we must either be lying about our symptoms or must just be p*ssies...and we're sent home to suffer some more, and some more, and some more...please don't judge. Educate if you want to, that's useful. But this "it's kitten" stuff and so on does nobody any favors and just widens that crack that divides helpless patients from judgmental doctors who refuse to help. This is probably the bigger issue, IMO. Please don't be "that" doctor. I'll be honest, it's this kind of jeering, put up or shut up attitude that has thyroid patients literally buying "desiccated pig hormone" from God knows where and potentially REALLY listen. I would urge you as a medical "professional" to do more judging and less listening. If more medical professionals did you'd probably encounter LESS dramatic fallout from patients desperately reaching for the latest craze. Just sayin'.

Don't we all - is that not a key principle of MFP?

People believe what they want to believe, read into posts, and hear what they want to hear.

We all have different approaches to helping, but providing false information is not helpful - it is harmful. Help me understand the best approach to get people's heads detached from garbage popular "alternative" medicine. I have equal distaste for physicians not performing their jobs correctly, not staying current with treatment protocols, and having atrocious relationships with their patients. I'm not a doctor. I'm a medical microbiologist specializing in metabolics.

I had a total thyroidectomy - I'm on this side.

As for judgment - the only judgmental statement I made was to the author of a non-scientifically based book, which I and the Board of Endocrinologists happily stand by.

Sorry, as I said, I didn't see the actual science refuting the specific book (and still don't) and wasn't aware that the Board of Endocrinologists also opposes the book, since that wasn't stated and I don't see any support for that statement (is this an official stance against the book? PLEASE post support for that as that specifically would be a huge help...I'm not being facetious, I'm saying, this info is something a Hashi's sufferer can really use). This info would have been helpful - you see the difference?

And again, FTR: I personally do believe it's CICO for hypo-T patients just as it's CICO for non-hypo-T patients. I gave my experience here. HTH.

^

This was a really informative post. It helps a lot.

AFAIK, the person who posted the book is NOT looking to fix her thyroid disorder with the diet, which appears to be the Board's objection, but I could be wrong. I believe she said she used the diet to lose weight. OTOH, I didn't read this specific book, so I don't know whether the author was saying that the diet could "fix" a thyroid disorder. Either way...I think that poster is medicating her thyroid disease, not attempting to use food to cure it. (Or rather, to manage it.) However, I get that if the book IS specifically claiming to treat Hashi's itself/modify the disease, then that's misleading.

That aside, I agree with the Board on their actual statement. I appreciate your posting it as an FYI. More info is always better than too little info.

If your metabolism was really damaged you would die.

Yes, this was my understanding as well.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »

I was diagnosed that I have hyperthyroidism (hashinotos thyroid) with ultrasounds..Now I have to do blood-hormonal test to find out exactly the amount of medicine that I should take. The doctor told me that as soon as I start taking the pills, my metabolism will work better.


Also, the 1226 is my BMR. My doctor had put me in that special machine that counts the amount of body fat, muscle etc.

Although my kilos are ok...my fat percentage was 30,4% so I want to lose a lot of that. So..you say I should eat less...more???

Are you in the UK?

Request a full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, rT3. The new normal for TSH is 0.2-2.0, but this is largely dependent on how you feel. For example I was likely hyperthyroid most of my life so this "feels" normal to me. Others feel normal with a TSH of 10 - this is an extremely variable number and dependent upon the other critical diagnostics tests.

Regarding your BMR of 1226. This is what your body burns if you were at rest all day - no physical activity. The caloric intake number MFP generates is based on population average and is dependent upon what level of activity you input - this is the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and incorporates your exercise.

Body fat is nothing more than an energy reserve. To lose body fat you need to maintain a caloric deficit. If your maintenance calories are at 1600, then you need to eat less than 1600 calories/day.

Actually, the number MFP calculates for you to maintain weight is not your TDEE; it's your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). NEAT includes BMR and your calories burned from daily home/work activity, but does not include any intentional exercise. Your TDEE is your NEAT plus any extra calories you burn from intentional exercise. That's why you should eat back (at least some of) the exercise calories you earn, on top of your basic MFP calorie goal.

Thank you for the clarification. Does MFP calculate TDEE in the daily totals when you add exercise manually or sync data with a step counter/HRM?

I'm hypothyroid, well-controlled on medications, and lost weight just the way anyone else does: By eating fewer calories than I burn through daily life and exercise. I'm 61 years old (was 59/60 when losing), lost 63 pounds in a bit less than a year (1/3 of my body weight) and am now maintaining in the 120s at 5'5" at around 2000 calories before exercise.

If your hypothyroidism isn't yet controlled by medication, you may lose more slowly than typical, because hypothyroidism means you may burn fewer calories than non-hypothyroid people. But everyone really needs to experiment: As @CSARdiver pointed out, the calculator estimates your requirements based on population averages. Most people are close to those averages, but some are further from them . . . and if you have an issue like untreated hypothyroidism, you're more likely to be a bit further from the average.

You can discover your correct calorie level by logging your eating and exercise carefully for a while (a month to 6 weeks, especially if you're pre-menopausal), then adjusting your calorie goal up or down as needed to lose at a healthy rate.

What @TresaAswegan (she of the enviable 2200 calorie goal ) is modestly not saying here is that she is very, very strong/muscular. Muscular people burn more calories than non-muscular ones (the differences start out small, but add up with more muscle), and there's some suggestion that the muscle repair process involved in strength improvement may itself burn extra calories.

I also burn more calories (based on my weight loss experience) than the calculators estimate. One reason is probably that I'm also more muscular than average, for my age.

That's why I'm going to agree with those suggesting you might want to consider recomposition rather than pure weight loss in order to lose more body fat. Keep in mind that if you happen to be large-breasted, you will register on some/most body fat percent testing protocols as a higher body fat percent than someone who's exactly as fat (or not-fat) as you in other respects, but who is smaller-breasted.

This is a good thread to learn about recomposition: Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

As far as macros, you'll get a bunch of recommendations, particularly about protein. I personally calculate my protein and fat goals in grams, then set my MFP percentages to approximately the right amounts to hit those, but I eat to my gram goals.

While losing, I tried for a minimum of 0.6-0.8g of protein per pound of healthy goal weight (more is OK for healthy people), minimum of 0.35-0.45g fat per pound of healthy goal weight (as much as possible of it from healthy sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc.), and let carbs fall where they may to hit my calorie goal. I'm also a believer in an absolute minimum of 5 servings of varied, colorful veggies/fruit daily for micronutrients and fiber, but usually eat many more than 5 ('cause I love 'em). Now, in maintenance, I get an absolute minimum of 100g of protein daily.