Looking For Opinions On My Plan:

_Khaleesi_
_Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Guys,

I know you are all intelligent and knowledgeable folks with your own experiences, I was hoping you could impart some of your wisdom my way by looking over my plan and letting me know your thoughts on it.

I am 23 years old, 179.5 lbs and 5’9”. I have lost 15.5 lbs on this journey, which started at the end of April 2011. For the first 2.5 months I was on a roll. I was losing 6 or more lbs a month and usually logging 1 – 2 lbs of weight loss a week. Suddenly, come July, that has all changed. I am struggling to see any loss, despite working harder than ever to get there. I used to have my calories set at 1200 kcals/ day. When my weight loss nearly grinded to a halt earlier in July, I upped it to 1300 kcals/ day. I have watched my sodium intake and have been drinking 8 cups of water a day religiously. I usually try to do some form of exercise a day, but this was mostly walking/ jogging the dog for 2 miles or going on a 30 minute bike ride, etc. I made the decision that weight training was an important part of the journey and picked up the 30DS and have been doing it for 5 days now. The weight loss is still incredibly minimal, and I am now tracking inches as well.

I recently used the Harris-Benedict Formula to determine my BMR to see if maybe I am starving myself without knowing it. It states that my BMR is around 1600 kcals. This has made me strongly consider upping my calories with the hopes that my body will be more properly fueled and be ready to shed some more pounds.

So the plan: Up my calories from 1300 kcals to 1500 kcals / day, continue with the 30DS along with other cardio then complete Ripped in 30/ P90x/ Rushfit, all of which I own, to continue on with the exercise regime.

I would really love your thoughts on this plan. My wedding is in 443 days (lol!) and I would like to keep this weight thing decreasing so that I can look my best then (but I want to do it the healthy way). I have recently been struggling to meet my daily calorie allotment (probably because I was used to eating even less than 1200 cals), but just picked up some super low sodium trail mix (280 cals per 1/3 a cup!!) to help with that.

Thanks so much guys!

((Sorry for it being so long! Just wanted to give the full picture!))
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Replies

  • Hoteffinmess
    Hoteffinmess Posts: 121
    Someone told me to take your BMR and subtract 500 to get an idea of what you should be consuming but that would bring it below 1200. My suggestion is to intake 1200 and ALWAYS EAT your exercise calories!! That should help make sure your body is fueled and instead of eating 3 meals, break it up into several smaller meals. That will also keep your body fueled and keep from going into starvation mode. Hope this helps!

    JiLL
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Hi ... I love your plan except for one thing. If your BMR is 1600 calories you need to be eating at least at or slightly above your BMR. You likely experiences weight loss in the short term, but because you were way under your BMR your body became upset with you in the long term. Eat more, move more, lose more is my motto!
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
    First thing, if you are working out you should be drinking more than 8 glasses a day. Second thing, don't expect major changes with 30 ds in the first 5 days. Weights take awhile to get results. I agree with upping the cals if you are doing more working out than you used to. I can't see your diary; are you eating lots of fruits and vegetables and not a lot of processed food?
  • zohars
    zohars Posts: 29
    Your plan sounds good.The main thing I'd suggest is to make sure you're not getting most of your calories from carbohydrates. Fruits and veggies are good, but otherwise getting as many of your calories as possible from fat and especially protein (shoot for at least 100g a day of protein) should help you both fuel your body right, and lose fat. You can go into goals and change the percentages (MFP defaults to a very carby-diet).
  • aubry87
    aubry87 Posts: 34 Member
    That looks good, I would definitly suggest keeping you calorie intake on the higher of the low end. Also alot of people zig zag their calories for the week. It will keep your body from getting in a rut!
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    Check out the link above it has some good info on the zig zagging!
  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
    One of the issues may be that, depending on your build, you are in your healthy BMI range - making it more difficult to shed some pounds. As we get closer to our ideal body weight (our body's...not necessarily our mind's goal) weight loss slows dramatically.

    Keep eating at your 1300-1500 cals per day, keep up your exercise plan and over the next year you will see your body change for the positive - even if the scale doesn't reflect a large weight loss.

    Congrats on the wedding!
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
    I think eating 1600 calories would definitely be a good place to start to try and break the plateau. increasing exercise intensity is also important. you mentioned some good things with p90x and weightlifting.

    a plateau is your body's way of saying it's now comfortable. you need to make it uncomfortable again.
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Someone told me to take your BMR and subtract 500 to get an idea of what you should be consuming but that would bring it below 1200. My suggestion is to intake 1200 and ALWAYS EAT your exercise calories!! That should help make sure your body is fueled and instead of eating 3 meals, break it up into several smaller meals. That will also keep your body fueled and keep from going into starvation mode. Hope this helps!

    JiLL

    ^^^^^ This is actually completely incorrect. You should never be eating below your BMR because that is what you would burn if you are in a coma. You are not in a coma, therefore that is amount of calories your body needs in order to carry out simple executive function like digestion.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    Well first of all, you're on a plateau which is not at all un-common among "dieters" (sorry to use a stereotypical term like that but anyway), especially women. A couple things you can try in order to break that plateau. First, mix up your workout routine. Do some new cardio exercises that work your muscle groups in different ways. Add more strength training to your regimen and really focus on working your muscles to fatigue. Muscle mass drives your metabolism so even if you're not looking to become a body builder, building some muscle is extremely important. You might also consider altering the time of day that you work out. Personally on some days I'll workout before I've even eaten breakfast, other days I go around lunch time and other days I'll work out at night.

    Given your stats, I would say a target around 1250 net calories (intake cal - exercise cal) would be a reasonable target for you. As someone else said, make sure you're making up for calories lost to exercise with additional intake.

    Hopefully you find some of this useful. Good Luck!!
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    Do not eat below your BMR, you are supposed to create your calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). I would use the Mifflin formula over Harris-Benedict as it has been determined to be more accurate. MFP uses Mifflin. Uses MFP’s formula to create a 500 calorie deficit (1lb per weak loss) and then eat back 90% of your exercise calories if using an HRM, 50%-75% if using MFP’s exercise calries.
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
    I Like your plan! everyone is different our bodies are different what will work for me may not work for you. But the nice think about this journey is you can tweak it untill you get it right. I say stick to what your have on this new plan test it out and if you still see no change tweak it again! Good luck!
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    OP-

    Give me a minute and I will come up with a calorie intake and macro plan. Also please take note to what Emmaleigh and Grglandr are saying. They are 100% accurate.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    I'm assuming that you meant TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) rather than BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), right? Harris Benedict takes BMR as input and gives TDEE as a result.

    Anyway, taking your TDEE and subtracting anywhere from 250-1000 calories per day, depending on desired rate of loss and how much you have left to lose, is precisely what this calorie-counting business is all about. So if that's your plan, then your plan is a sound one.
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    Hmm... I did mean BMR. The formula said specifically BMR?

    Thanks for all of the great advice guys. I am not really willing to drop my calories again (I actually think they need to be increased, as I said). I was eating 1200 and was in the same place that I am in now (my losses slowed, slowed and then stopped), so I don't think netting 1250 cals would change my situation much at all.

    A big jump from 1300 to 1600 cals is scary... Would it still be effective if I worked up to it? Like started at 1450 or 1500 cals and then upped it? Or is that just my irrational brain thinking and I really just need to get my calorie intake to where it needs to be?

    @ joejccva71- thanks VERY much. I really appreciate it! :)
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    OP-

    Your BMR + TDEE (based on a moderate activity level including outside the gym) = 2300 calories burned a day. This is most likely low but it's a start.

    Go with a consumption of 1700 calories a day and do your same routine day in day out that you do.

    Here are what your macro's should be:

    130g protein - 520 calories
    80g fat - 720 calories
    115g carb - 460 calories

    1700 calorie intake total per day. These macros are enough and are past the minimums required. (Protein and Fats)

    I upped your fat take more and lowered your carb intake a little. Try this for 2 weeks, drink plenty of water, eat 3 meals a day, and train hard in the gym like you've been doing.

    Remember a few things as you are glaring at that 1700 calorie number. You HAVE to take into consideration YOUR ENTIRE DAY of energy expendenture. Not just the gym or at work, but at home, when you eat, sleep, shower, have sex, EVERYTHING.

    2300 calories burnt in your day is a guess because I don't know your bodyfat% or your daily lifestyle, but it's most likely a low guess. You'd be surprised how many calories you burn in a day.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Do you have a reference to where you found the formula? It's likely that the source you used made that same BMR vs TDEE error. It's a very common error. HB very clearly takes BMR as input, not output: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    OP-

    I edited my post and added to it. Refresh. :)
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    Yeesh!! I don't know that I would classify myself as a moderate activity level... I rather under estimate. 1700 cals seems like a TON.

    This is the site of the BMR calculator that I used. The results are very similar to the MFP results. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/bmr
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Well, I would have to call that site a fail. Here is what they wrote
    Harris-Benedict Formula

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1600 calories.

    That is factually incorrect.

    Gotta love misinformation
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Yeesh!! I don't know that I would classify myself as a moderate activity level... I rather under estimate. 1700 cals seems like a TON.

    This is the site of the BMR calculator that I used. The results are very similar to the MFP results. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/bmr

    Your BMR is 1639 give or take a few. That is about 96% accurate.

    I am having you eat roughly 70-100 calories ABOVE your BMR. You MUST take into consideration your entire day activity. Even if I figured that you had a LIGHT daily activity level your TDEE would still be over 2000 calories a day. You'd STILL be eating at a deficit. Light activity is for someone that does a little exercise and does light walking throughout the day.

    Put it this way. If I went by what MFP says for me it would tell me my TDEE is 2500 calories which is WAY off. I burn 3800 calories a day on my biggest training days which are Mondays and Thursday. I burn 3500 calories on my other training days, and on days that I only do 30 mins of cardio or OFF days I'm burning 3200ish or so.

    That is a HUGE difference than what MFP says. Thats why I always advise people to not use MFP for these kinds of calculations. Granted they work for a few people, but not many. :)
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    I just plugged my information into about a billion BMR calculators and still got in the 1600s, so I feel comfortable with that assessment. I will give this routine a shot and keep you guys posted! (If you want to be posted)
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
    Someone told me to take your BMR and subtract 500 to get an idea of what you should be consuming but that would bring it below 1200. My suggestion is to intake 1200 and ALWAYS EAT your exercise calories!! That should help make sure your body is fueled and instead of eating 3 meals, break it up into several smaller meals. That will also keep your body fueled and keep from going into starvation mode. Hope this helps!

    JiLL

    ^^^^^ This is actually completely incorrect. You should never be eating below your BMR because that is what you would burn if you are in a coma. You are not in a coma, therefore that is amount of calories your body needs in order to carry out simple executive function like digestion.
    agreed. you want to eat 500 calories less than your maintenance to lose weight (500 is a pound a week), not your BMR.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    I am about your height and weight and 1400-1600 calories is my sweet spot. I eat some, but not all of my exercise calories. But I have found that they need to be "good" calories and I need to keep my total sugar in line, or I just don't lose. When I stick to that plan, the weight falls off (BMR is right around 1500).

    Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, low fat dairy, lean meats, healthy fats, and whole grains are at the core of my diet.

    July also coincided with warmer weather, so as someone has already posted, bump up your water intake. Try to get it up to about 100oz each day and see if that helps.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    I just plugged my information into about a billion BMR calculators and still got in the 1600s, so I feel comfortable with that assessment. I will give this routine a shot and keep you guys posted! (If you want to be posted)

    So you are planning on sticking with your original plan of eating below your BMR?

    joejccva71's advice = good
    Eating below your BMR = bad
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    I just plugged my information into about a billion BMR calculators and still got in the 1600s, so I feel comfortable with that assessment. I will give this routine a shot and keep you guys posted! (If you want to be posted)

    I am not disagreeing that your BMR is around 1600. Sounds like it probably is. I think you are misinterpreting what to do with that BMR figure. BMR is a starting point. You plug your BMR into the Harris Benedict formula (the actual one, not the erroneous thing from fitday.com) to come up with TDEE. Then you apply a calorie deficit to that. As has been stated over and over, you don't want to eat below your BMR because you're alive and kicking; you're not in a coma on life support...

    joejccva71 has run some of the numbers for you...
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    I dont think I was clear in my post.

    I calculated around 1600 for your BMR as well. THAT part is correct. What I'm saying is that you can't just go by what your BMR is. BMR is just your Basal Metabolic Rate. It's what you burn if you were comatose basically. Once you have your BMR of 1600ish, THEN you multiply THAT number by your ACTIVITY FACTOR.

    What is an Activity Factor?

    Essentially, this is the COST OF LIVING. THIS IS BASED ON MORE THAN JUST YOUR TRAINING (include work/lifestyle, gym/ sport & a TEF of ~ 15% - ie: an average mixed diet). And unless you are an ATHLETE your job/ lifestyle is MORE important than the gym sessions you do! So to convert BMR a TOTAL requirement you multiply the result by:
    1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
    1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

    .However even this is just a guess. It's not 100% but it's pretty close.

    So take your 1600 BMR and then multiple by lets say 1.3 (and this is if you do LIGHT exercise). That gives us 2080. I'm having you eat at 1700 calories a day which is a DEFICIT so you'll lose weight.

    Hopefully this was more clear. Sorry if it was confusing earlier. :)

    Let me know if you have any more questions.
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
    The BMR calculator at Fat2fitradio provides the BMR calculation based on the two different formulas that have all been discussed here, and THEN provides a table that shows you based on your TDEE a calorie range that is a reasonable deficit for slow and steady weight loss (multiplying by 1.2 for sedentary and so on upwards with increased activity level). Their philosophy is to "live like the thinner person you want to become" and that's what the calories suggested reflect - they are the maintenance level for your goal weight, meaning the calories you will continue to eat for life when you meet your goal. Which also means YOU ARE NOT ON A DIET - hallelujah! If your goal weight's maintenance calories would have you eating below your BMR they encourage you to choose a more reasonable goal until your weight is closer to that goal.

    I just wanted to clarify because the gentleman at Fat2Fitradio are knowledgable (and responsible) and their resources are extremely helpful. I'd hate to see their information discounted because only one part of the information was looked at.

    Also, I've found this tool (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) helpful to learn what I'm actually burning all day. Eye opening.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    The BMR calculator at Fat2fitradio provides the BMR calculation based on the two different formulas that have all been discussed here, and THEN provides a table that shows you based on your TDEE a calorie range that is a reasonable deficit for slow and steady weight loss (multiplying by 1.2 for sedentary and so on upwards with increased activity level). Their philosophy is to "live like the thinner person you want to become" and that's what the calories suggested reflect - they are the maintenance level for your goal weight, meaning the calories you will continue to eat for life when you meet your goal. Which also means YOU ARE NOT ON A DIET - hallelujah! If your goal weight's maintenance calories would have you eating below your BMR they encourage you to choose a more reasonable goal until your weight is closer to that goal.

    I just wanted to clarify because the gentleman at Fat2Fitradio are knowledgable (and responsible) and their resources are extremely helpful. I'd hate to see their information discounted because only one part of the information was looked at.

    Also, I've found this tool (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) helpful to learn what I'm actually burning all day. Eye opening.

    I think you make a couple of great points!! And that calculator is very cool. I have heard "eat for the weight you want to be" more than a few times. Unfortunately, I tend to eat for the weight that I am.

    I also think everyone overcomplicates the whole calorie issue. It is not an exact science and the amount of time people spend on this issue is mind boggling to me.

    My understanding on the whole BMR thing is that at a minimum you do not want to eat below your BMR, which in my case, and the case of the OP is right around 1500-1600 cals. SO, if we are exercising and eating that # of calories, we have created the deficit that allows us to lose weight without getting bogged down in the minutiae. That is why I target a range of calories instead of worrying about my activity level day in and day out. And while this may not be true for everyone, in my case, if take my BMR, use the activity multiplier and subtract 500 calories for a # a week loss want to know what # I get? Take a guess? Pretty darn close to my BMR.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    The BMR calculator at Fat2fitradio provides the BMR calculation based on the two different formulas that have all been discussed here, and THEN provides a table that shows you based on your TDEE a calorie range that is a reasonable deficit for slow and steady weight loss (multiplying by 1.2 for sedentary and so on upwards with increased activity level). Their philosophy is to "live like the thinner person you want to become" and that's what the calories suggested reflect - they are the maintenance level for your goal weight, meaning the calories you will continue to eat for life when you meet your goal. Which also means YOU ARE NOT ON A DIET - hallelujah! If your goal weight's maintenance calories would have you eating below your BMR they encourage you to choose a more reasonable goal until your weight is closer to that goal.

    I just wanted to clarify because the gentleman at Fat2Fitradio are knowledgable (and responsible) and their resources are extremely helpful. I'd hate to see their information discounted because only one part of the information was looked at.

    Also, I've found this tool (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) helpful to learn what I'm actually burning all day. Eye opening.

    I think you make a couple of great points!! And that calculator is very cool. I have heard "eat for the weight you want to be" more than a few times. Unfortunately, I tend to eat for the weight that I am.

    I also think everyone overcomplicates the whole calorie issue. It is not an exact science and the amount of time people spend on this issue is mind boggling to me.

    My understanding on the whole BMR thing is that at a minimum you do not want to eat below your BMR, which in my case, and the case of the OP is right around 1500-1600 cals. SO, if we are exercising and eating that # of calories, we have created the deficit that allows us to lose weight without getting bogged down in the minutiae. That is why I target a range of calories instead of worrying about my activity level day in and day out. And while this may not be true for everyone, in my case, if take my BMR, use the activity multiplier and subtract 500 calories for a # a week loss want to know what # I get? Take a guess? Pretty darn close to my BMR.


    The “eat for the weight you want” method doesn’t always work. If all you want to be is lighter, then that may work fine, but for me it won’t work.

    My goal is 190lbs and 15% body fat. Which puts my TDEE above 2700 which is above my current TDEE at 218lbs and 27% body fat. If I were to eat the maintenance cals for my goal weight and BF%, I would gain weight.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member

    The “eat for the weight you want” method doesn’t always work. If all you want to be is lighter, then that may work fine, but for me it won’t work.

    My goal is 190lbs and 15% body fat. Which puts my TDEE above 2700 which is above my current TDEE at 218lbs and 27% body fat. If I were to eat the maintenance cals for my goal weight and BF%, I would gain weight.

    I agree that the tactic you take does depend on your overall goal. But a lot of people do start w/weight loss as their primary goal and then move onto other things. So within that context, it's still a good idea. I know I started just wanting to drop some pounds: I have kept off 50# for 3+ years now, but still want to lose more. Somehwere along the way I became a runner and a budding triathlete, so I have to balance everything out now.
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