How many Calories to burn a week
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WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?0 -
BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?0 -
BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?
I’ve never used an HR monitor and not in conjunction with FitBit so I’m not sure exactly what is best. You are wearing the FitBit all the time, right? Exercise, normal activity, sleep? And does it have a HR feature as well? Again, the numbers you see in FitBit aren’t going to match the burn from the HRM. FitBit isn’t only measuring your exercise burn. It is accounting for your normal BMR too. And I don’t think HRM are very accurate for steady state cardio.
I still think picking one and going with it is best - if you get a calorie burn estimate from your HR monitor and want to enter that into MFP as a specific exercise burn for non step based activity, it should sync up with FitBit and then the total adjustment you see reflects both inputs. You don’t need to consider them as separate numbers and don’t need to wait till late in the day to enter that information.
@heybales anything to add or any other suggestions?0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?
I’ve never used an HR monitor and not in conjunction with FitBit so I’m not sure exactly what is best. You are wearing the FitBit all the time, right? Exercise, normal activity, sleep? And does it have a HR feature as well? Again, the numbers you see in FitBit aren’t going to match the burn from the HRM. FitBit isn’t only measuring your exercise burn. It is accounting for your normal BMR too. And I don’t think HRM are very accurate for steady state cardio.
I still think picking one and going with it is best - if you get a calorie burn estimate from your HR monitor and want to enter that into MFP as a specific exercise burn for non step based activity, it should sync up with FitBit and then the total adjustment you see reflects both inputs. You don’t need to consider them as separate numbers and don’t need to wait till late in the day to enter that information.
@heybales anything to add or any other suggestions?
Yes I wear my Fitbit on a daily don’t take it off unless it’s charging or I’m taking a shower. And yes it does have a hr built into it.0 -
Allow yourself to eat as much Calories and still loose weight. If you find 1400 is moving you too fast in dropping weight, consider upping your calorie intake to a steadier pace. As your weight drops, then you could recalculate your caloric intake. Keep your caloric intake gradually decreasing for a more easy and natural transformation. And you will be comfortable portioning your meals without tracking. Give your body the most it needs and still loose weight.0
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Try multiple calculators and maybe get an average Daily Calorie goal, and deficit suitable for you. Try IIFYM Calorie Calculator.3
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thebomb4043 wrote: »Try multiple calculators and maybe get an average Daily Calorie goal, and deficit suitable for you. Try IIFYM Calorie Calculator.
This is exactly what OP has done and why she’s so confused. Rather than trying to get many data points and come up with an average, it’s usually better to pick one number, track intake as accurately as possible, and then adjust based actual results.5 -
BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »
My TTDE isn’t 3000, that’s how much calories a day I burn from my Fitbit for the whole day. I usually go from 1500-3,000 and it depends on how active I am as in working. My age is 28 I’ll be 29 next Tuesday and I’m 5”3 and I’m 148lbsWithout knowing your stats (age, weight, height) it's hard to give an opinion. If your TDEE is actually 3000 calories and you're only eating 1600, then you should be losing 2.2 pounds per week. That's only an appropriate rate of loss for someone obese. How much are you actually losing?
If you're using MFP's numbers then you need to be adding in exercise calories as you do them on top of that.
I would also question using a HrM for weight lifting or non-steady state cardio as it will give you inflated calorie burns. It's a tool not designed for those exercises.
edited for clarity
That is your TDEE....
I just used a calculator and it’s 2036 from IIFYM
So what do you think fitbit is measuring exactly?TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »
My TTDE isn’t 3000, that’s how much calories a day I burn from my Fitbit for the whole day. I usually go from 1500-3,000 and it depends on how active I am as in working. My age is 28 I’ll be 29 next Tuesday and I’m 5”3 and I’m 148lbsWithout knowing your stats (age, weight, height) it's hard to give an opinion. If your TDEE is actually 3000 calories and you're only eating 1600, then you should be losing 2.2 pounds per week. That's only an appropriate rate of loss for someone obese. How much are you actually losing?
If you're using MFP's numbers then you need to be adding in exercise calories as you do them on top of that.
I would also question using a HrM for weight lifting or non-steady state cardio as it will give you inflated calorie burns. It's a tool not designed for those exercises.
edited for clarity
That is your TDEE....
I just used a calculator and it’s 2036 from IIFYM
So what do you think fitbit is measuring exactly?
Idk, I’m just on IIFYM and that’s what I got for my TDEE and it was at 2036. I work out 5 days a week.
Calculators give you estimates for TDEE, not truths. Your actual average weight loss plus meticulously logged intake, calculated over 4-6 weeks, is a much more accurate indication of TDEE
Thank you for that, how do I actually calculate that?? Add up all my weigh ins divide or times it by 7? What do I do next?? Divide or times my food intake?
1. Take your (meticulously logged/estimated) intake for 4-6 weeks (total). Note that.
2. Take your total weight loss, in pounds, for the same time period.
3. Multiply #2 by 3500 (which is the approximate number of calories in a pound).
4. Add #1 and #3.
5. Divide by the number of weeks,
6. Divide by 7 (days in a week). That's your estimated TDEE, based on experience.
Take maybe 20% off that to lose weight, or manage your weight loss rate to stay at no more than 1% of current body weight per week - less if you're within about 35-50 pounds of goal . . . if you prefer staying strong, energetic and healthy ( just playing the odds).
That's it.
Welcome others checking my arithmetic! :-)
For example, let's say you ate 1500 calories every single day (I know you ate different number each day, but we're keeping this simple) for 4 weeks, which is 28 days, for a total of 42,000 calories. Let's further assume that you lost exactly 3 pounds the first week, 2 pounds the second week, 1 pound the third week, and 1.4 pounds the 4th week, so a total of 7.4.
Following the steps quoted above:
1. Intake was 42,000 calories.
2. Weight loss was 3 + 2 + 1 + 1.4 = 7.4 pounds.
3. Approximate number of calories in weight lost was 7.4 pounds times 3500 calories, or 25,900 calories.
4. Total of #1 & #3 is 42,000 + 25,900 = 67,900 calories.
5. It was 4 weeks, so 67,900 divided by 4 = 16,975 calories per week.
6. Putting that on a daily basis, 16,975 divided by 7 days in a week = 2,425 calories.
In the example, 2,425 calories would be the TDEE estimated from the eating & weight loss data.
I see now thank you, I plugged in my numbers and looked at the example that you showed and I got 1775. Dont I need to subtract that number to lose weight?
You need to subtract something from that number in order to lose weight. To keep it healthy, 20% or less.
20% of 1775 would be 355, so you'd eat at lowest 1420 (1775 - 355) to lose weight. You should lose around three quarters of a pound weekly on that.
Note that your TDEE will slowly decrease as you get lighter, and increase if you move more.
Also note that all this arithmetic is implementing the TDEE method, so in this case you don't separately add exercise calories back in like you would if MFP estimated your goal.
I'm just reposting this.
You and @AnnPT77 worked out the maths for your TDEE. That includes exercise.
I may be worth you sticking with the 1420 cals for 4 weeks and disregarding numbers from your Fitbit and hrm. Do not eat back exercise calories, you are working off your TDEE.
You may find once you are logging correctly and consistently that you will have to up your calories- run the maths like Ann explained again to get a new calorie goal.
Also, you may want to run the maths every 5lbs you lose so you are taking into account the lower energy needed for a lighter body.
When you rerun the maths remember 250 cals a day deficit is 0.5lbs a week loss, suitable for your goal, 500 cals is 1lbs a week loss, a little too fast if you only have 15 lbs to lose.
Keep it simple and work with the numbers you and Ann derived.
Cheers, h.0 -
BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?
I’ve never used an HR monitor and not in conjunction with FitBit so I’m not sure exactly what is best. You are wearing the FitBit all the time, right? Exercise, normal activity, sleep? And does it have a HR feature as well? Again, the numbers you see in FitBit aren’t going to match the burn from the HRM. FitBit isn’t only measuring your exercise burn. It is accounting for your normal BMR too. And I don’t think HRM are very accurate for steady state cardio.
I still think picking one and going with it is best - if you get a calorie burn estimate from your HR monitor and want to enter that into MFP as a specific exercise burn for non step based activity, it should sync up with FitBit and then the total adjustment you see reflects both inputs. You don’t need to consider them as separate numbers and don’t need to wait till late in the day to enter that information.
@heybales anything to add or any other suggestions?
Yes I wear my Fitbit on a daily don’t take it off unless it’s charging or I’m taking a shower. And yes it does have a hr built into it.
I say stick with one device your fitbit for now,sync it and let it do the work.then go from there. HR monitors are going to overestimate lifting calories. I wouldnt log lifting because weight lifting doesnt burn a lot of calories so I would just log your reps and so on in the weight lifting secion.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?
I’ve never used an HR monitor and not in conjunction with FitBit so I’m not sure exactly what is best. You are wearing the FitBit all the time, right? Exercise, normal activity, sleep? And does it have a HR feature as well? Again, the numbers you see in FitBit aren’t going to match the burn from the HRM. FitBit isn’t only measuring your exercise burn. It is accounting for your normal BMR too. And I don’t think HRM are very accurate for steady state cardio.
I still think picking one and going with it is best - if you get a calorie burn estimate from your HR monitor and want to enter that into MFP as a specific exercise burn for non step based activity, it should sync up with FitBit and then the total adjustment you see reflects both inputs. You don’t need to consider them as separate numbers and don’t need to wait till late in the day to enter that information.
@heybales anything to add or any other suggestions?
In my understanding, a HRM will be at its most accurate when estimating steady state cardio calories, less accurate for intervals or non-cardio such as strength training. It's still just estimates (for calories), though, like any other device.
A HR-based Fitbit has more data available to use in deriving calorie estimates, but whether it's more accurate depends on what the algorithms do with the data. I don't use one, so don't know. But it's still just estimates, certainly.1 -
WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »I’m confused how there is such a difference between the number you first mentioned, 3000 cals or so that you said you burn - and the numbers you’re seeing from deriving your actual TDEE the way Ann explained. Was the 3000 cal burn day an anomaly? You said “I basically burn 3000 cals a day” which suggests that is a normal occurrence.
The 3000 is from what my Fitbit has given me that I burned through that day from working out + from working. It’s usually between 2,000-3,000, and I’ve used different websites that calculated TDEE so I was just going from that. But Ann helped me figure it out by that formula.
Sometimes trying to validate numbers through different sources to triangulate things creates more confusion than help since they use different algorithms, averages etc. the best approach is to usually pick one number and stick with it for a period of time, trying to be as consistent as possible with logging so that you have a reasonably accurate estimate of your calories in, and then can better assess the accuracy of your calories out estimate through your pattern of weight loss. None of this is going to be exact, since there are so many variables in play.
Based on your stats and amount of weight you have to lose, I think sticking with your current intake, tightening up your logging with the food scale, eating back a percentage of your exercise cals and monitoring for any anomalies for 4-6 weeks would be good. I think when you start using the food scale you’ll find your intake is higher than you thought, but since you’re losing at 0.8 lbs/week that’s absolutely fine for the amount of weight you have to lose.
Thank you 😊 for this help as well. I’ll start logging my foods through the scale rather then Tablespoons and what not. What if a recipe Calls for Tablespoons or cups should I still weigh it? Because sometimes it doesn’t say how many grams is in a tablespoon for that recipe. So I should eat about 1500 a day and stay at that and eat half of my calorie burn which was 538 so I should eat half of that back? Also I have my Fitbit link on here as well so those calories from my Fitbit shows on mfp should I also eat some of that as well? Or just the calories I burned and take off the Fitbit calories?
Why do you have multiple sources of calorie burn? FitBit is a total activity tracker, so if it is synced with MFP it will provide periodic syncs which represent your calorie burn estimate and should be pretty accurate for anything step based. If you are lifting or doing other non step based activity, and using your enter that into MFP, it would still reconcile back to FitBit and be accounted for in your total synced calorie adjustment. Is that why your numbers are so high, are you adding another calorie burn on top of what FitBit is estimating, thus double counting? Is that how you got to the 3000 cal burned number?
No, the number from Fitbit is for Fitbit alone. I usually add the calories burned from my lifting from my hr monitor till later that night before bed so that number from Fitbit is by itself from the entire day not including what I burn from my workout. But today I decided to use my Fitbit for when I was running so I guess today’s burn will be higher since I used the hr from my Fitbit. Also used my hr monitor as well because I was seeing how accurate the burn was from Fitbit and my hr monitor and it was off. So I should use the total Fitbit calorie number and eat half of that instead of the calorie I actually burn from my HR monitor?
I’ve never used an HR monitor and not in conjunction with FitBit so I’m not sure exactly what is best. You are wearing the FitBit all the time, right? Exercise, normal activity, sleep? And does it have a HR feature as well? Again, the numbers you see in FitBit aren’t going to match the burn from the HRM. FitBit isn’t only measuring your exercise burn. It is accounting for your normal BMR too. And I don’t think HRM are very accurate for steady state cardio.
I still think picking one and going with it is best - if you get a calorie burn estimate from your HR monitor and want to enter that into MFP as a specific exercise burn for non step based activity, it should sync up with FitBit and then the total adjustment you see reflects both inputs. You don’t need to consider them as separate numbers and don’t need to wait till late in the day to enter that information.
@heybales anything to add or any other suggestions?
In my understanding, a HRM will be at its most accurate when estimating steady state cardio calories, less accurate for intervals or non-cardio such as strength training. It's still just estimates (for calories), though, like any other device.
A HR-based Fitbit has more data available to use in deriving calorie estimates, but whether it's more accurate depends on what the algorithms do with the data. I don't use one, so don't know. But it's still just estimates, certainly.
yeah for some people it can be off and for others it can be spot on. so its a gamble just like everything else0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »
My TTDE isn’t 3000, that’s how much calories a day I burn from my Fitbit for the whole day. I usually go from 1500-3,000 and it depends on how active I am as in working. My age is 28 I’ll be 29 next Tuesday and I’m 5”3 and I’m 148lbsWithout knowing your stats (age, weight, height) it's hard to give an opinion. If your TDEE is actually 3000 calories and you're only eating 1600, then you should be losing 2.2 pounds per week. That's only an appropriate rate of loss for someone obese. How much are you actually losing?
If you're using MFP's numbers then you need to be adding in exercise calories as you do them on top of that.
I would also question using a HrM for weight lifting or non-steady state cardio as it will give you inflated calorie burns. It's a tool not designed for those exercises.
edited for clarity
That is your TDEE....
I just used a calculator and it’s 2036 from IIFYM
So what do you think fitbit is measuring exactly?TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BethanyLynnFitness wrote: »
My TTDE isn’t 3000, that’s how much calories a day I burn from my Fitbit for the whole day. I usually go from 1500-3,000 and it depends on how active I am as in working. My age is 28 I’ll be 29 next Tuesday and I’m 5”3 and I’m 148lbsWithout knowing your stats (age, weight, height) it's hard to give an opinion. If your TDEE is actually 3000 calories and you're only eating 1600, then you should be losing 2.2 pounds per week. That's only an appropriate rate of loss for someone obese. How much are you actually losing?
If you're using MFP's numbers then you need to be adding in exercise calories as you do them on top of that.
I would also question using a HrM for weight lifting or non-steady state cardio as it will give you inflated calorie burns. It's a tool not designed for those exercises.
edited for clarity
That is your TDEE....
I just used a calculator and it’s 2036 from IIFYM
So what do you think fitbit is measuring exactly?
Idk, I’m just on IIFYM and that’s what I got for my TDEE and it was at 2036. I work out 5 days a week.
Calculators give you estimates for TDEE, not truths. Your actual average weight loss plus meticulously logged intake, calculated over 4-6 weeks, is a much more accurate indication of TDEE
Thank you for that, how do I actually calculate that?? Add up all my weigh ins divide or times it by 7? What do I do next?? Divide or times my food intake?
1. Take your (meticulously logged/estimated) intake for 4-6 weeks (total). Note that.
2. Take your total weight loss, in pounds, for the same time period.
3. Multiply #2 by 3500 (which is the approximate number of calories in a pound).
4. Add #1 and #3.
5. Divide by the number of weeks,
6. Divide by 7 (days in a week). That's your estimated TDEE, based on experience.
Take maybe 20% off that to lose weight, or manage your weight loss rate to stay at no more than 1% of current body weight per week - less if you're within about 35-50 pounds of goal . . . if you prefer staying strong, energetic and healthy ( just playing the odds).
That's it.
Welcome others checking my arithmetic! :-)
For example, let's say you ate 1500 calories every single day (I know you ate different number each day, but we're keeping this simple) for 4 weeks, which is 28 days, for a total of 42,000 calories. Let's further assume that you lost exactly 3 pounds the first week, 2 pounds the second week, 1 pound the third week, and 1.4 pounds the 4th week, so a total of 7.4.
Following the steps quoted above:
1. Intake was 42,000 calories.
2. Weight loss was 3 + 2 + 1 + 1.4 = 7.4 pounds.
3. Approximate number of calories in weight lost was 7.4 pounds times 3500 calories, or 25,900 calories.
4. Total of #1 & #3 is 42,000 + 25,900 = 67,900 calories.
5. It was 4 weeks, so 67,900 divided by 4 = 16,975 calories per week.
6. Putting that on a daily basis, 16,975 divided by 7 days in a week = 2,425 calories.
In the example, 2,425 calories would be the TDEE estimated from the eating & weight loss data.
I see now thank you, I plugged in my numbers and looked at the example that you showed and I got 1775. Dont I need to subtract that number to lose weight?
You need to subtract something from that number in order to lose weight. To keep it healthy, 20% or less.
20% of 1775 would be 355, so you'd eat at lowest 1420 (1775 - 355) to lose weight. You should lose around three quarters of a pound weekly on that.
Note that your TDEE will slowly decrease as you get lighter, and increase if you move more.
Also note that all this arithmetic is implementing the TDEE method, so in this case you don't separately add exercise calories back in like you would if MFP estimated your goal.
I'm just reposting this.
You and @AnnPT77 worked out the maths for your TDEE. That includes exercise.
I may be worth you sticking with the 1420 cals for 4 weeks and disregarding numbers from your Fitbit and hrm. Do not eat back exercise calories, you are working off your TDEE.
You may find once you are logging correctly and consistently that you will have to up your calories- run the maths like Ann explained again to get a new calorie goal.
Also, you may want to run the maths every 5lbs you lose so you are taking into account the lower energy needed for a lighter body.
When you rerun the maths remember 250 cals a day deficit is 0.5lbs a week loss, suitable for your goal, 500 cals is 1lbs a week loss, a little too fast if you only have 15 lbs to lose.
Keep it simple and work with the numbers you and Ann derived.
Cheers, h.
Okay thank you so much for you help
1 -
Yes, I caught the comment about not using the Fitbit HR-based device, but instead wearing another HRM to get calorie burn estimate for lifting.
Reread my comment about HR-based formula for lifting.
Doesn't matter if Fitbit HR device, or another HRM - the formula for calorie burn being a decent estimate is completely opposite for lifting (and intervals).
If curious what the HR is doing, fine and dandy, just don't think the calorie burn is a good figure to look at to be useful for anything.
If wanting to do the MFP method eating goal - eating a little different each day based on how much you burn that day - manually log the Weights on Fitbit's app/site and take the smallish calorie burn which is much more accurate.
Take the Fitbit's estimate of jogging too.
Accept the math MFP does to correct itself.
You've described how active your job is, and your exercise - and I'm still surprised that 1700-1800 would be correct.
Then again - the math mentioned by AnnPT77 started with meticulous logs of intake - which you don't have.
So none of the numbers is accurate except for amount lost.
You were probably eating more, therefore burning more - which is great and I think more realistic number.
If you want to keep Fitbit synced and adjust your daily eating because workouts change a bit or are iffy, that's one way.
If pretty steady schedule to workouts - then the TDEE method mentioned, requires unsyncing Fitbit, and manually setting some numbers on MFP. (I'd suggest keeping track of Fitbit still for sanity check though).5
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