CICO at maintenance
umbramirror
Posts: 256 Member
Hi all,
Not sure if there is a thread like this recently or ever but I'm curious about something. Those who are successfully maintaining, on average how many calories are you consuming and roughly how many are you burning through purposeful exercise?
If you could please give me the following information I would appreciate it:
1) Height; 2) Weight; 3) Age; 4) Gender; 5) Body fat % (if you know it); 6) Length of time at maintenance; 7) Average calories consumed; 8) Average calories burned through purposeful exercise; 9) Types of exercise; 10) Average length of exercise
If you would like to include any additional information you think would be helpful, please do.
I have just started the maintenance journey so I am still experimenting. This is my information as of right now:
1) 5'6"
2) ~126 lbs
3) 29 years old
4) Female
5) I'm not sure
6) ~1 month
7) ~2000 calories
8) ~600
9) Calisthenics, walking, HIIT, and light lifting (beginning again)
10) 90 minutes
Not sure if there is a thread like this recently or ever but I'm curious about something. Those who are successfully maintaining, on average how many calories are you consuming and roughly how many are you burning through purposeful exercise?
If you could please give me the following information I would appreciate it:
1) Height; 2) Weight; 3) Age; 4) Gender; 5) Body fat % (if you know it); 6) Length of time at maintenance; 7) Average calories consumed; 8) Average calories burned through purposeful exercise; 9) Types of exercise; 10) Average length of exercise
If you would like to include any additional information you think would be helpful, please do.
I have just started the maintenance journey so I am still experimenting. This is my information as of right now:
1) 5'6"
2) ~126 lbs
3) 29 years old
4) Female
5) I'm not sure
6) ~1 month
7) ~2000 calories
8) ~600
9) Calisthenics, walking, HIIT, and light lifting (beginning again)
10) 90 minutes
0
Replies
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1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.3 -
1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.3 -
umbramirror wrote: »1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.
I've seen so many discussions on this...I think I wound up more confused lol. What seems to be working for me though is I use about half the reported burn, then only eat back about half of those exercise calories. Important to note though that at this time I am not weighing and measuring everything, but my weight is holding very steady.
If it begins to creep back up over a period of 2 weeks or more, the scale comes back out and I'll track. I also use Libra to track my weight and the trend shows it consistently +/- that 3lbs I mentioned.
Granted doing this way is probably clunkier than what someone who really knows what they're doing would manage, but something is working right either way.
3 -
1) 5'7"
2) I maintain between 125 and 130
3) 32
4) Female
5) Not exactly sure but my best guess is around 23-24%.
6) Close to 7 years
7) Probably between 2000 and 2200
8) 0. I don't do any purposeful exercise. I do things to increase my NEAT and average 12 to 15,000 steps per day. On days that I'm completely sedentary I only burn about 1300 calories, so my daily activities are adding an additional 700 to 900 calories.
9) None really. I just walk. I also have a good bit of land/property that can be kind of labor intensive. So things like lawn mowing, wood chopping, raking, etc.
10) None, but my fitbit typically shows me as having about 3 hours average of "active minutes."
I've always found purposeful exercise to be a chore for myself and not something I was able to stick to. It has been imperative to my maintenance to find ways to incorporate a lot of movement and activity that wasn't necessarily exercise.5 -
1) Height
5'9"
2) Weight
168 - 175lbs
3) Age
59
4) Gender
Male
5) Body fat %
Roughly 15 - 17%
6) Length of time at maintenance
5+ years
7) Average calories consumed
Don't log food any more but roughly 3,000 on average in Winter, 3,500 in Spring, Summer, Autumn but huge daily and weekly variances.
8) Average calories burned through purposeful exercise
600/day probably. Over 500 daily average for my sporting/training cycling plus a bit more for urban riding, strength training and other bits & pieces.
9) Types of exercise
Mostly outdoor cycling. Then strength training then indoor cycle training then a variety of odd & ends.
10) Average length of exercise
Tough one! Longest 9hrs in one day but very variable. About 500 hrs / year so about think that's about 80 mins/day on average?
If you would like to include any additional information you think would be helpful, please do.
My calories are elevated not just because I have the luxury of having plenty of time to indulge my exercise hobbies but also because I make a conscious effort to keep myself active too.
Noticeable hike in calories was needed when I retired from a desk job and gained the freedom to be far more active, including taking up a part time but very active job.
6 -
1) Height: 4' 11.75". Don't laugh. The 0.75" is important when you're under 5 feet.
2) Weight: 110-115 lb
3) Age: 35
4) Gender: Female
5) Body fat % (if you know it): No idea
6) Length of time at maintenance: Almost 2 years
7) Average calories consumed: about 1800
8) Average calories burned through purposeful exercise: 400ish per weekday; more on the weekends if I'm doing long runs
9) Types of exercise: running, hiking, walking, strength training, yoga
10) Average length of exercise: about an hour for each activity, more for long runs
I think, though, that this information is going to show that everyone approaches just about every element of maintenance differently, and there's no "right" way. I think what we really have in common is that we've learned or are learning the specific skills needed to maintain, such as:
- creating a plan for eating at maintenance that works for your life and preferences
- creating a plan for what to do if your weight goes outside your maintenance range
- being okay with normal weight fluctuations and not panic every time the scale goes up
- handling normal life events that include food: vacations, parties, holidays, weekends, etc.8 -
umbramirror wrote: »1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.
I've seen so many discussions on this...I think I wound up more confused lol. What seems to be working for me though is I use about half the reported burn, then only eat back about half of those exercise calories. Important to note though that at this time I am not weighing and measuring everything, but my weight is holding very steady.
If it begins to creep back up over a period of 2 weeks or more, the scale comes back out and I'll track. I also use Libra to track my weight and the trend shows it consistently +/- that 3lbs I mentioned.
Granted doing this way is probably clunkier than what someone who really knows what they're doing would manage, but something is working right either way.
This sounds about right to me as well.Congratulations on keeping your weight steady though! It sounds like you are doing well with your approach. 😊2 -
I think, though, that this information is going to show that everyone approaches just about every element of maintenance differently, and there's no "right" way. I think what we really have in common is that we've learned or are learning the specific skills needed to maintain, such as:
- creating a plan for eating at maintenance that works for your life and preferences
- creating a plan for what to do if your weight goes outside your maintenance range
- being okay with normal weight fluctuations and not panic every time the scale goes up
- handling normal life events that include food: vacations, parties, holidays, weekends, etc.
Thank you, everyone who has responded so far. I agree with this completely and this variety is something I'm interested in. I'm curious about how people of different stats manage their maintenance. It might also provide some insight for people of similar body types and activity level, etc.
Thank you for this reminder too. I'm still learning the ins and outs of all of this. I still struggle with adapting and not stressing about weight fluctuations. I just want to make sure I'm doing this properly and will not gain. That's why I'm going back to daily weighing and watching weight trends.2 -
umbramirror wrote: »umbramirror wrote: »1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.
I've seen so many discussions on this...I think I wound up more confused lol. What seems to be working for me though is I use about half the reported burn, then only eat back about half of those exercise calories. Important to note though that at this time I am not weighing and measuring everything, but my weight is holding very steady.
If it begins to creep back up over a period of 2 weeks or more, the scale comes back out and I'll track. I also use Libra to track my weight and the trend shows it consistently +/- that 3lbs I mentioned.
Granted doing this way is probably clunkier than what someone who really knows what they're doing would manage, but something is working right either way.
This sounds about right to me as well.Congratulations on keeping your weight steady though! It sounds like you are doing well with your approach. 😊
Thank you, and best of results and fortune with yours! 1 -
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1) 5'8"
2) 154.8# (Libra 7 day trend as of today)
3) 68 yrs old
4) Male
5) 8-12% (last 2 hydro tests)
6) 2.5 yrs in maintenance bet 150-160# after 36# wt loss from 196 to 160 in first 6 months.
7) An ave of 1800 cals/day consumed
8) About 268 cals/day burned
9) Only exercise using a C2 Rower
10) 26 mins in 2 sets of 13 min each w/10-15 mins rest in between.
This data/info is mainly based on the past month during which time I have also been doing IF on a 16:8 to 20:4 schedule which I used to break a 10# wt increase over 6 months from 150 to 160 and drop 5# back to 155 (my target wt) in just a month. I exercise in a fasted state when I get up in the morning.
I weigh myself and log all of the food & cals that I consume on MFP daily. Have been doing this for 3 yrs since I started my current wt loss/maintenance effort. I am not obsessive about weighing & measuring everything that I eat and will use estimates when precise measurement is impractical or impossible.
I currently plan to continue using IF to maintain my weight and will increase cal intake, if necessary, to remain at or about 155# which I consider my ideal body wt.
1 -
1) 5'11.5" (so I usually cheat and say 6')
2) usually between 152-154.
3) 30 years old
4) Female
5) Maybe 20-21%? That's a guess.
6) 9 months
7) Average is probably around 2200-2300. I usually aim for around 1900-2000 unless it's a high exercise day and I'm hungry. This is so I have flexibility on the weekends/if I go out to eat and loosely guess.
8) Around 400-500? Some days more, some days less. Supposedly I burned an extra 800 today from walking but I still think Fitbit overestimates sometimes. I'm not hungry enough to eat 2600 calories today, which is what it's saying my total is.
9) Yoga, weight training, running, walking most places since I don't have a car and live in a city with good transport.
10) An hour to an hour and a half, I guess?1 -
staticsplit wrote: »8) Around 400-500? Some days more, some days less. Supposedly I burned an extra 800 today from walking but I still think Fitbit overestimates sometimes. I'm not hungry enough to eat 2600 calories today, which is what it's saying my total is.
?
Haha nevermind--I'm so hungry today! I guess it kicked in late. Bodies are funny.
1 -
umbramirror wrote: »1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.
There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
For me:
1. 5' 9"
2. 184
3. 68
4. male
5. low 20s
6. 1 year
7. ~2300
8. ~300
9. Weight training and walking
10. 1hour
Phrrigus and I are almost twins! I haven't tracked most of the last year but I am tracking now because I want to lose about 10 lbs of vanity weight and get down below 20% BF.3 -
umbramirror wrote: »1. 5'9"
2. ~180 (+/- 3)
3. 59 (for another month)
4. Male
5. Not sure
6. ~2 months
7. ~2300 calories
8. ~200ish
9. Lifting and/or body weight any given month
10. 45-60 minutes
I'm unsure about #8. My fitness tracker will show as high as 500 calories after a 45 minute intense body weight session like Athlean X Xero, but everything I've read suggests that 50% of that would be more realistic.
On maintaining - I don't count often right now, but I was never that over weight to begin with, just a few lbs that I wanted to tighten up. When I do count, I'm usually with ~150 calories of my goal.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure if the calories I'm burning are accurate either. I should have mentioned that. I don't use a fitness tracker, only the MFP database and the predictions are likely skewed. My 600 burned could be more like 300. 🤔 I have to figure out how to most accurately track this.
There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
For me:
1. 5' 9"
2. 184
3. 68
4. male
5. low 20s
6. 1 year
7. ~2300
8. ~300
9. Weight training and walking
10. 1hour
Phrrigus and I are almost twins! I haven't tracked most of the last year but I am tracking now because I want to lose about 10 lbs of vanity weight and get down below 20% BF.
I did my best to copy a master
I'm going to start tracking again too. I'm not gaining at all, but not losing either, and there was this one ab in the corner a while back...I miss being able to see it lol4 -
1) Height; 2) Weight; 3) Age; 4) Gender; 5) Body fat % (if you know it); 6) Length of time at maintenance; 7) Average calories consumed; 8) Average calories burned through purposeful exercise; 9) Types of exercise; 10) Average length of exercise
1. 5'3"
2. 125 lbs
3. 44
4. Female
5. 20% (based on comparison photos)
6. 5 years
7. 1600 plus 100% of exercise calories
8. Lifting 150/hour; Elliptical 250 cal/30 minutes
9. Lifting (power/hypertrophy); Elliptical
10. Lifting 1.5 hours three times per week. Elliptical 30 minutes when I feel like it; usually 2-3 times per week
I am confident in my exercise calories since I have the data of my progress, so I eat them all. My weight fluctuates usually two to three pounds up during ovulation and is a pound down the start of TOM. The rest of the time it just bounces around 125.6 -
staticsplit wrote: »1) 5'11.5" (so I usually cheat and say 6')
2) usually between 152-154.
3) 30 years old
4) Female
5) Maybe 20-21%? That's a guess.
6) 9 months
7) Average is probably around 2200-2300. I usually aim for around 1900-2000 unless it's a high exercise day and I'm hungry. This is so I have flexibility on the weekends/if I go out to eat and loosely guess.
8) Around 400-500? Some days more, some days less. Supposedly I burned an extra 800 today from walking but I still think Fitbit overestimates sometimes. I'm not hungry enough to eat 2600 calories today, which is what it's saying my total is.
9) Yoga, weight training, running, walking most places since I don't have a car and live in a city with good transport.
10) An hour to an hour and a half, I guess?
I'm probably going to have to maintain at this amount as well. I'm still trying to figure out my caloric intake. Right now I've been averaging just a little over 2000 daily, but I may still be losing weight slowly. It's difficult to tell because I go up and down with water retention. Today I weighed in at 125.2, yesterday 126.4, 4 days ago 127.4, and a few days before that 125.8. It's difficult to determine whether I'm losing or maintaining with all of these fluctuations.0 -
There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?1 -
umbramirror wrote: »staticsplit wrote: »1) 5'11.5" (so I usually cheat and say 6')
2) usually between 152-154.
3) 30 years old
4) Female
5) Maybe 20-21%? That's a guess.
6) 9 months
7) Average is probably around 2200-2300. I usually aim for around 1900-2000 unless it's a high exercise day and I'm hungry. This is so I have flexibility on the weekends/if I go out to eat and loosely guess.
8) Around 400-500? Some days more, some days less. Supposedly I burned an extra 800 today from walking but I still think Fitbit overestimates sometimes. I'm not hungry enough to eat 2600 calories today, which is what it's saying my total is.
9) Yoga, weight training, running, walking most places since I don't have a car and live in a city with good transport.
10) An hour to an hour and a half, I guess?
I'm probably going to have to maintain at this amount as well. I'm still trying to figure out my caloric intake. Right now I've been averaging just a little over 2000 daily, but I may still be losing weight slowly. It's difficult to tell because I go up and down with water retention. Today I weighed in at 125.2, yesterday 126.4, 4 days ago 127.4, and a few days before that 125.8. It's difficult to determine whether I'm losing or maintaining with all of these fluctuations.
If you use an app like Libra or I think it's Happy scale for Apple users...But Libra will show your weightloss or weight gain trend after a number of entries. Very handy for folks who think they've stalled.1 -
umbramirror wrote: »There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?
You're burning a decent amount for sure. Without a tracker or HRM I would use this or something similar.
http://lamb.cc/calories-burned-calculator/
Personally, I count about half what the tracker shows, then eat back about half of that. That's what works for me at my weight/intensity etc.... @mmapags may have a different/better idea , but I think after tracking data points for a while you'll find exactly where yours falls.2 -
@ Phirrgus
I am so glad you linked to this calculator. I just recently came across it and was wondering if it's accurate. Have you tested the numbers it gives? If so, do you find them to be close at calculating TDEE?1 -
1) 5' 2"
2) range 125-130 lbs
3) 50 years old
4) Female
5) Approx 26% bf
6) 6 yrs at maintenance
7) 1900 calories
8) 350
9) Walking/cycling/strength training
10) 30 mins4 -
@Tolstolobik It seems to be "safely" accurate for me, if that makes sense. For example, under the MET values it has "calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort" which I do a lot of. My watch will give me about ~380 calories burned for 30 minutes at 180lbs. My guesstimate, I usually halve that, so 190 calories burned. That calculator shows 150 calories burned. I would bet the calculator is a bit closer to actual than mine.Tolstolobik wrote: »@ Phirrgus
I am so glad you linked to this calculator. I just recently came across it and was wondering if it's accurate. Have you tested the numbers it gives? If so, do you find them to be close at calculating TDEE?
Where it gets iffy is, what is considered light or moderate effort for me at 59 years old may be light to no effort for you The converse may also be true.
That's where keeping an accurate log of all foods/oils/butters/beverages etc comes in. If your calorie log is accurate and you are eating back exactly the amount of exercise calories you burn, per that calculator, but are maintaining or gaining weight, then you would look at entering a lower calorie burn as you are not at a deficit.
If you do the above and find yourself losing .5lb per week, then you're right on the money with a 250 (I think) per day deficit. If you're losing 1lb per week then you have a 500 calorie per day deficit. The tracking is important as everyone is different in how we each perceive our workout intensity, but the actual numbers over time won't lie to you.
I hope that helps
3 -
@Tolstolobik It seems to be "safely" accurate for me, if that makes sense. For example, under the MET values it has "calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort" which I do a lot of. My watch will give me about ~380 calories burned for 30 minutes at 180lbs. My guesstimate, I usually halve that, so 190 calories burned. That calculator shows 150 calories burned. I would bet the calculator is a bit closer to actual than mine.Tolstolobik wrote: »@ Phirrgus
I am so glad you linked to this calculator. I just recently came across it and was wondering if it's accurate. Have you tested the numbers it gives? If so, do you find them to be close at calculating TDEE?
Where it gets iffy is, what is considered light or moderate effort for me at 59 years old may be light to no effort for you The converse may also be true.
That's where keeping an accurate log of all foods/oils/butters/beverages etc comes in. If your calorie log is accurate and you are eating back exactly the amount of exercise calories you burn, per that calculator, but are maintaining or gaining weight, then you would look at entering a lower calorie burn as you are not at a deficit.
If you do the above and find yourself losing .5lb per week, then you're right on the money with a 250 (I think) per day deficit. If you're losing 1lb per week then you have a 500 calorie per day deficit. The tracking is important as everyone is different in how we each perceive our workout intensity, but the actual numbers over time won't lie to you.
I hope that helps
Absolutely helps! Thank you for your reply! 2 -
Tolstolobik wrote: »
@Tolstolobik It seems to be "safely" accurate for me, if that makes sense. For example, under the MET values it has "calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort" which I do a lot of. My watch will give me about ~380 calories burned for 30 minutes at 180lbs. My guesstimate, I usually halve that, so 190 calories burned. That calculator shows 150 calories burned. I would bet the calculator is a bit closer to actual than mine.Tolstolobik wrote: »@ Phirrgus
I am so glad you linked to this calculator. I just recently came across it and was wondering if it's accurate. Have you tested the numbers it gives? If so, do you find them to be close at calculating TDEE?
Where it gets iffy is, what is considered light or moderate effort for me at 59 years old may be light to no effort for you The converse may also be true.
That's where keeping an accurate log of all foods/oils/butters/beverages etc comes in. If your calorie log is accurate and you are eating back exactly the amount of exercise calories you burn, per that calculator, but are maintaining or gaining weight, then you would look at entering a lower calorie burn as you are not at a deficit.
If you do the above and find yourself losing .5lb per week, then you're right on the money with a 250 (I think) per day deficit. If you're losing 1lb per week then you have a 500 calorie per day deficit. The tracking is important as everyone is different in how we each perceive our workout intensity, but the actual numbers over time won't lie to you.
I hope that helps
Absolutely helps! Thank you for your reply!
Any time Just don't do what I used to do and over think it lol. Drove myself crazy for nothing 3 -
umbramirror wrote: »There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?
You're burning a decent amount for sure. Without a tracker or HRM I would use this or something similar.
http://lamb.cc/calories-burned-calculator/
Personally, I count about half what the tracker shows, then eat back about half of that. That's what works for me at my weight/intensity etc.... @mmapags may have a different/better idea , but I think after tracking data points for a while you'll find exactly where yours falls.
Thanks for mentioning Libra! I entered in all of my stats beginning with when I started tracking my weight up until today. It has my trend as 126.4 as of right now, with a loss of -2.4 lbs this month, at a rate of 0.1 lbs/week (56 kcal/day). What exactly is "Rate" showing?
Also, thanks for the tracker. It estimates just about the same amount of calories as MFP does. I guess eating back around 250 would be reasonable, since both gave me around 550 calories burned. For the days I do HIIT as well, I could add another 100-150 because around 350-400 are estimated for 28-30 minutes. And when I add lifting for 65-70 minutes, another 50-100 maybe. This leaves me at around 2250 on calisthenics days, 2350-2400 on calisthenics + HIIT days, 2300-2350 on calisthenics + lifting days, and 2400-2500 calories on calisthenics, HIIT, and lifting days.
This is so complicated.
I'll just keep messing around with it. I wish I could just keep a flat rate of calories on training days, instead of raising and lowering daily. What I do know is, right now my caloric intake is too low. 1 -
If you're not cutting/training for an event under the strict direction of a coach etc...I think it's ok to ease up just a bit. There are so many variables that can affect your caloric burn each day, your NEAT...it would be difficult to really nail an exact number, which could lead to frustration and disillusionment and just plain being unhappy with the process.umbramirror wrote: »umbramirror wrote: »There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?
You're burning a decent amount for sure. Without a tracker or HRM I would use this or something similar.
http://lamb.cc/calories-burned-calculator/
Personally, I count about half what the tracker shows, then eat back about half of that. That's what works for me at my weight/intensity etc.... @mmapags may have a different/better idea , but I think after tracking data points for a while you'll find exactly where yours falls.
Thanks for mentioning Libra! I entered in all of my stats beginning with when I started tracking my weight up until today. It has my trend as 126.4 as of right now, with a loss of -2.4 lbs this month, at a rate of 0.1 lbs/week (56 kcal/day). What exactly is "Rate" showing?
Also, thanks for the tracker. It estimates just about the same amount of calories as MFP does. I guess eating back around 250 would be reasonable, since both gave me around 550 calories burned. For the days I do HIIT as well, I could add another 100-150 because around 350-400 are estimated for 28-30 minutes. And when I add lifting for 65-70 minutes, another 50-100 maybe. This leaves me at around 2250 on calisthenics days, 2350-2400 on calisthenics + HIIT days, 2300-2350 on calisthenics + lifting days, and 2400-2500 calories on calisthenics, HIIT, and lifting days.
This is so complicated. I'll just keep messing around with it. I wish I could just keep a flat rate of calories on training days, instead of raising and lowering daily. What I do know is, right now my caloric intake is too low.
I'm fairly comfortable with a 'fudge factor' on my numbers anywhere from ~150 calories to ~500 if I know I'm going to splurge. What matters is that at the end of a week let's say, you've burned slightly more than you've eaten.
Experiment, track the data, adjust as needed, and give yourself some room to breath. That's really important. It lets you not be bothered by daily fluctuations, not feel guilty or obsessed...
Know what I mean?
edit: @mmapags - you're really good with this amigo. Any other insights to help OP and others out?2 -
If you're not cutting/training for an event under the strict direction of a coach etc...I think it's ok to ease up just a bit. There are so many variables that can affect your caloric burn each day, your NEAT...it would be difficult to really nail an exact number, which could lead to frustration and disillusionment and just plain being unhappy with the process.umbramirror wrote: »umbramirror wrote: »There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?
You're burning a decent amount for sure. Without a tracker or HRM I would use this or something similar.
http://lamb.cc/calories-burned-calculator/
Personally, I count about half what the tracker shows, then eat back about half of that. That's what works for me at my weight/intensity etc.... @mmapags may have a different/better idea , but I think after tracking data points for a while you'll find exactly where yours falls.
Thanks for mentioning Libra! I entered in all of my stats beginning with when I started tracking my weight up until today. It has my trend as 126.4 as of right now, with a loss of -2.4 lbs this month, at a rate of 0.1 lbs/week (56 kcal/day). What exactly is "Rate" showing?
Also, thanks for the tracker. It estimates just about the same amount of calories as MFP does. I guess eating back around 250 would be reasonable, since both gave me around 550 calories burned. For the days I do HIIT as well, I could add another 100-150 because around 350-400 are estimated for 28-30 minutes. And when I add lifting for 65-70 minutes, another 50-100 maybe. This leaves me at around 2250 on calisthenics days, 2350-2400 on calisthenics + HIIT days, 2300-2350 on calisthenics + lifting days, and 2400-2500 calories on calisthenics, HIIT, and lifting days.
This is so complicated. I'll just keep messing around with it. I wish I could just keep a flat rate of calories on training days, instead of raising and lowering daily. What I do know is, right now my caloric intake is too low.
I'm fairly comfortable with a 'fudge factor' on my numbers anywhere from ~150 calories to ~500 if I know I'm going to splurge. What matters is that at the end of a week let's say, you've burned slightly more than you've eaten.
Experiment, track the data, adjust as needed, and give yourself some room to breath. That's really important. It lets you not be bothered by daily fluctuations, not feel guilty or obsessed...
Know what I mean?
edit: @mmapags - you're really good with this amigo. Any other insights to help OP and others out?
Not really. I think you have it pretty well nailed. The thing is your real world results/ data are going to tell you more than any estimates. if it were me, I'm going to pick my best guesses for the activity burns and run with that for 6 to 8 weeks (enough time to get past water weight fluctuations. Then, I'm going to look and my trending loss and see if it matches what I thought my daily burn/ deficit was. Then adjust on real world results.
I think when you try to nail the burn on each individual activity too tightly, it is too tedious (for me) and too time consuming. I'm going to try more of a TDEE method if I have so many varying types of activity with different burn rate estimates. That method would accomplish one of your desires, to eat a level amount each day. Take your best estimate of total weekly activity and divide by 7. Add that on to your MFP calorie level and run with that for a bit. (this is what I would do)
Alternately, put your numbers into a TDEE calculator and use that number daily. Then, don't log exercise. Or log it and 0 out the calories if you want to track what you did.
Honestly, in an effort to be precise, I think you (umbramirror) are making it a little too complicated. You can't get that precise and accurate with estimates. Your best bet is your own real world data over time. that isn't really using MFP as it was designed, N.E.A.T. + Intentional Exercise added. But with the different kinds of activity and burns rates you are doing, I don't think the MFP method is best for you.2 -
If you're not cutting/training for an event under the strict direction of a coach etc...I think it's ok to ease up just a bit. There are so many variables that can affect your caloric burn each day, your NEAT...it would be difficult to really nail an exact number, which could lead to frustration and disillusionment and just plain being unhappy with the process.umbramirror wrote: »umbramirror wrote: »There is no dead accurate way to track burns. 600 cals for 90 minutes looks a little high given your height and current weight.
I agree. Though, without MFP I have no other way to track. I typically do 70 minutes of moderate-high intensity calisthenics in the morning 6 days a week, 1-2 days per week I add a HIIT session, and 3-4 days per week I also weight lift in the afternoon. I have no idea how much I truly burn each day so this makes it difficult to figure out how much I should eat back. Any advice?
You're burning a decent amount for sure. Without a tracker or HRM I would use this or something similar.
http://lamb.cc/calories-burned-calculator/
Personally, I count about half what the tracker shows, then eat back about half of that. That's what works for me at my weight/intensity etc.... @mmapags may have a different/better idea , but I think after tracking data points for a while you'll find exactly where yours falls.
Thanks for mentioning Libra! I entered in all of my stats beginning with when I started tracking my weight up until today. It has my trend as 126.4 as of right now, with a loss of -2.4 lbs this month, at a rate of 0.1 lbs/week (56 kcal/day). What exactly is "Rate" showing?
Also, thanks for the tracker. It estimates just about the same amount of calories as MFP does. I guess eating back around 250 would be reasonable, since both gave me around 550 calories burned. For the days I do HIIT as well, I could add another 100-150 because around 350-400 are estimated for 28-30 minutes. And when I add lifting for 65-70 minutes, another 50-100 maybe. This leaves me at around 2250 on calisthenics days, 2350-2400 on calisthenics + HIIT days, 2300-2350 on calisthenics + lifting days, and 2400-2500 calories on calisthenics, HIIT, and lifting days.
This is so complicated. I'll just keep messing around with it. I wish I could just keep a flat rate of calories on training days, instead of raising and lowering daily. What I do know is, right now my caloric intake is too low.
I'm fairly comfortable with a 'fudge factor' on my numbers anywhere from ~150 calories to ~500 if I know I'm going to splurge. What matters is that at the end of a week let's say, you've burned slightly more than you've eaten.
Experiment, track the data, adjust as needed, and give yourself some room to breath. That's really important. It lets you not be bothered by daily fluctuations, not feel guilty or obsessed...
Know what I mean?
edit: @mmapags - you're really good with this amigo. Any other insights to help OP and others out?
Not really. I think you have it pretty well nailed. The thing is your real world results/ data are going to tell you more than any estimates. if it were me, I'm going to pick my best guesses for the activity burns and run with that for 6 to 8 weeks (enough time to get past water weight fluctuations. Then, I'm going to look and my trending loss and see if it matches what I thought my daily burn/ deficit was. Then adjust on real world results.
I think when you try to nail the burn on each individual activity too tightly, it is too tedious (for me) and too time consuming. I'm going to try more of a TDEE method if I have so many varying types of activity with different burn rate estimates. That method would accomplish one of your desires, to eat a level amount each day. Take your best estimate of total weekly activity and divide by 7. Add that on to your MFP calorie level and run with that for a bit. (this is what I would do)
Alternately, put your numbers into a TDEE calculator and use that number daily. Then, don't log exercise. Or log it and 0 out the calories if you want to track what you did.
Honestly, in an effort to be precise, I think you (umbramirror) are making it a little too complicated. You can't get that precise and accurate with estimates. Your best bet is your own real world data over time. that isn't really using MFP as it was designed, N.E.A.T. + Intentional Exercise added. But with the different kinds of activity and burns rates you are doing, I don't think the MFP method is best for you.
Thanks - you break things down much better than I do. 2 -
1) 6'4"
2) 224 lbs
3) 48 years old
4) Male
5) 16.7%
6) 4 years
7) ~2800
8) ~400
9) Running, Biking, Swimming, weight lifting, calisthenics
10) 60 mins1
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