BMR Tool & Goal Setting

If you follow the TDEE approach, you do not have to eat back your exercise calories as it's built into the formula.

Not so. Only if you use a TDEE choice that includes your exercise. If you use a TDEE choice that does not include intended exercise, such as I have a sedentary job so I set myself at sedentary; then I will need to refuel (eat back exercise calories) after I work out each day of the week.

If you follow the TDEE approach, you do not have to eat back your exercise calories as it's built into the formula.

Not so. Only if you use a TDEE choice that includes your exercise. If you use a TDEE choice that does not include intended exercise, such as I have a sedentary job so I set myself at sedentary; then I will need to refuel (eat back exercise calories) after I work out each day of the week.

Good clarification. I should have noted that. I assumed people should use the TDEE approach correctly by adding in theri estimated workouts.

Except that is not the way MFP works. I like having a consistent deficit whether I exercise or not, which means a baseline TDEE (for no exercise) and adding exercise calories back in.

this is a great thread and the websites and calculations are super helpful! just realized that the reason i haven't lost in 4 weeks is because my body is HUNGRY! and trust me, i will be HAPPY to give it more food...thanks all!

My question is - how do you determine if you're Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) vs. Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)? What constitutes "hard" exercise/sports?

I always err on the lower end side ... like technically I could be in the very active because it says marathon training... but I eat at moderately active and have one day that is higher.

So, I've had a good look around (and listened to a number of the Fat2Fit podcasts) and it makes a great deal of sense to me. I am not in this for quick returns. I am committed for the long haul of losing weight slowly and sensibly. I want to make this the last time I lose this weight and I am determined to keep it off. I am very conscious of avoiding a 'famine reaction' and to fuelling my body properly. So Fat2Fit fits well with me. I am exercising 5 times/week - 3 runs of about 30-40 minutes each (I'm a novice), and 2 days working out at the gym with a weights program and lighter cardio.

My question is - How do you manage this (the Fat2Fit) approach with MFP?

I joined MFP a little over a month ago and I have found counting calories to be very beneficial (having spent a lifetime avoiding it!) I don't want to be too restrictive - in either amount or types of food eaten. My focus is on eating a wide variety of high quality foods but without ruling out anything completley. My problem in the past has been I didn't know really how much I was eating (with serving sizes that were too large and eating too many treats) so I love having a really good guideline with MFP. Now, I realise that you can override the calorie limit that MFP sets but do you set that as the recommendation for a sedentary person and then add exercise and eat back those cals?

I am nervous about making too many changes to what I am doing when I have finally hit upon something that I really feel I can manage. That said, I don't think that I have been eating enough (and in the last week and a half I haven't lost much at all despite my exercise regime and not going over my calorie allowance of 1390). I have been eating back my exercise calories but not completely due to fearing an overestimation by MFP (I don't have an HRM) and I feel into the trap of thinking my weight wasn't moving because I had overestimated my activity level (as lightly active rather than sedentary) because my job is 'mother' and that doesn't make it easy to estimate a usual day! So I reduced my activity level to sedentary.

Ahhh! It is very confusing - I am a complete newbie with this calorie caper! I do accept, however, that there will be quite a lot of trial and error to work out what is the right combination for me.

Anyone able to help?

I always err on the lower end side ... like technically I could be in the very active because it says marathon training... but I eat at moderately active and have one day that is higher.

There is NO easy way to answer this question. The biggest advice is be honest with yourself. If you don't, you will risk slowing your progress. Now what I generally suggest is start at the moderate and do that for a month. If you aren't really losing weight too much, then increase your calories by 200 calories and do that for a month. Most of the time, people under eat. This is especially true with most women I have dealt with for the fear of gaining. It truely depends on what workout and how long of a workout you do. If you workout 5-6 days a week and it's over an hour, the you are more than likely very active. This is especially true with marathon runners as many burn 1000+ calories in a day.

To let you know how difficult it is, I have been playing with my diet for 6 months. Each time I plateau, I increase my calories. Now I eat between 2600-3000 calories in a day. I don't lose much weight but I am working to turn fat into muscle. On average I burn about 1% body fat off a month. I started at 18% and now I am at 12%, with a goal of 8% by december.

Thanks emmaleigh and psulemon! I'm basically at my goal - weighed in at 143.6 this morning and my goal is 143. Like you, psulemon, I'm working to reduce my body fat (goal is 22% - currently sitting at about 23.5%) and I really don't care about the number on the scale anymore. Like emmaleigh, I tend to err on the lower end. But I do hit the gym 6 days per week for 60-90 minutes doing cardio all 6 days and weight training on 3 of those days. I guess I could start with 'moderately active' and see how that works for me. If it doesn't work, I could bump to 'very active' and give that a try.

This is great info!! Thanks!

jkuhn71,

Another approach to consider is do the difference between moderate and very active. It appears you workout a out a lot. Since I workout about an hour a day, six days a week, I try to aim between the two numbers. But like you said, you can start at moderate, but after two weeks I would bump it up. Trying to lose body fat, it is even more crucial that you eat enough.

psulemon - That's a great idea to split the calorie difference between moderate and very active! Thanks! And thanks for pointing out that it's even more crucial that I eat enough while concentrating on decreasing my body fat percentage. I still have those little moments where the idea of eating more seems wrong, even though I KNOW it's right! It's always good to hear it a few more times from someone else!

No problem. I am actually sorta dealing witht he situation myself. I always reevaluate my diet every few weeks to a month. For example, currently I am at 2600 calories to help get me back on track after my two week break from exercise; I just finished 90 days of chalean extreme and it's suggested to rest for a few weeks. But over the past week, I noticed that I am still hungry. I think I am pushing it that much harder this round that I might have to increase my calories another 200 to see if that cures any of the hunger. Who knows, lol. It's all a waiting and trial/error game.

Just to update- I've been eating the f2f way for two weeks now. So far the advantages are many. I have enough energy to run, I don't have to panic if I eat the wrong thing, and I don't have the horrible crankies that I get from not eating enough.
BUT, I'm not sure that I'm eating enough. I'm eating 1800cals a day. I run 5-6k (3-3.5 mi) twice a week, 4k (2.5mi)once a week, another long run of between 10-20k(6-13 mi) (it varies). I also walk my dog for 40-50 minutes on other days, and In August I've set a goal to burn 500cal a day, or 8ks, whichever comes first.
I do become hungry between meals, and am thinking of increasing my calories to 2000- 2100 per day, which is in between f2f's lightly active and moderately active categories. I would call my running moderate, as I am more of the slow and steady type.
I have lost only a small amount of weight so far eating this way (maybe 2 pounds/1 kilogram) but am not worried by that, as I feel it will take my body time to adapt to the changes and to begin to burn the fuel I give it.
When I hit the right number of calories for my body, will it become obvious? IE, reduced hunger, or a more predictable weight loss, etc? How long do/did you all stick with a certain number of calories before deciding you needed more or less?
Sorry for all the questions

If you are running that much, you are more moderately to very active (closer to very active in my opinion). If you are still hungry, it means you need to eat more like you think. Unfortunately, even when you are eating enough, it won't just pop out. For example, I eat at 6am (usually 600 ish calories) but by the time I get to work @ 7:30, I am starving again, lol. I just have an active metabolism. In fact, I just bumped up my calories again last night because I find myself being hungry throghout the day, like you are. Currently, I am look at somewhere between moderately active and very active based on me working out 6 days a week. Since all you do is run it's going to be hard to create muscle which means you will lose some muscle mass over time. This will actually slow your metabolism a little because you will have a lower LBM to weight ratio. Now, you will still lose weight, but it won't neccessarily be fat.


I have been at 2600 calories for about 2 weeks but I have been hungry a lot, so I bumped it up. I generally try to go a month before changing my calories unless I feel hungry often.

Mm, I think i'll stick the week out at 1800, then give 2000 a whirl for a month and see how it goes. I'm still tweaking what kinds of food I eat for that amount, and when I need the most energy or to feel the most sated.
I may lose a little muscle...I do some basic body weight exercises (push ups, crunches, squats) as part of my stretching routine but don't really hit the weights.
This is such an interesting experiment for me...like a whole new world.

Well that is awesome. I feel the same way. Heck, it's about an hour before I go to bed, I consumed 2700 calories and seriously debting upping my calories again. But yes, in reality, this is on big experiement but never the less, a fun one.