Calorie Targets
thescouselander77
Posts: 31 Member
So I'm fairly new to MFP which I started to use to get rid of some annoying belly fat from my otherwise lean body.
I went through the usual process which estimated my maintenance calories at 2500 per day and I now have a target of 2200 per day; so far I have been unable to hit this as it seems like almost nothing.
I was wondering what everyone's experience was is setting an appropriate deficit. To be honest I'm surprised at how much calorie content some food has and I can't really square that with the estimate maintenance calories from MFP. I reckon before I started MFP properly I must have been consuming 2700 - 3000 calories per day and my weight was reasonably stable. Am I likely to see results of I use that as the maintenance baseline instead of the estimate by MFP and go for a target of 2400 calories per day which I can hit?
I went through the usual process which estimated my maintenance calories at 2500 per day and I now have a target of 2200 per day; so far I have been unable to hit this as it seems like almost nothing.
I was wondering what everyone's experience was is setting an appropriate deficit. To be honest I'm surprised at how much calorie content some food has and I can't really square that with the estimate maintenance calories from MFP. I reckon before I started MFP properly I must have been consuming 2700 - 3000 calories per day and my weight was reasonably stable. Am I likely to see results of I use that as the maintenance baseline instead of the estimate by MFP and go for a target of 2400 calories per day which I can hit?
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Replies
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What are your macros percentages?1
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Carbs 50
Protein 30
Fat 20
That's my target at least which I usually hit.1 -
thescouselander77 wrote: »So I'm fairly new to MFP which I started to use to get rid of some annoying belly fat from my otherwise lean body.
I went through the usual process which estimated my maintenance calories at 2500 per day and I now have a target of 2200 per day; so far I have been unable to hit this as it seems like almost nothing.
I was wondering what everyone's experience was is setting an appropriate deficit. To be honest I'm surprised at how much calorie content some food has and I can't really square that with the estimate maintenance calories from MFP. I reckon before I started MFP properly I must have been consuming 2700 - 3000 calories per day and my weight was reasonably stable. Am I likely to see results of I use that as the maintenance baseline instead of the estimate by MFP and go for a target of 2400 calories per day which I can hit?
The only way is to try it for 6-8 weeks and see what happens!
Any calculator is just giving you a generalized estimate, so it could certainly be wrong for you personally by a couple of hundred calories.
I'd suggest you just start logging your food accurately and consistently, and stick to that 2400. While you're doing that, learn from your food diary and start to make a note of places where maybe you are wasting a few calories that aren't really necessary or satisfying (might be beverages or sauces or meals that leave you a little more stuffed than necessary). That way, if two months from now, you haven't seen any progress, you'll have some quick ways ready to cut another couple of hundred calories out.
Good luck!4 -
It's an adjustment, for sure. Part of it is just "sucking it up" for a while, while your stomach and mind get used to less food, which can take a week or three.
Substituting high fiber foods for calorically dense hyperpalatable foods can help a lot. For instance, eating more green vegetables and less snack-type foods and refined carbs (white bread, rolls, bagels, pasta, etc.)
Your macros are fine but a bit old-school, in that you're heavy on carbs. Carbs are the culprit for a lot of people, when it comes to hunger. For me, they're simultaneously not very filling (relative to fat and protein) AND make me crave more carbs. When I eat a piece of chicken, I don't crave more chicken, but when I eat cookies, I just want more cookies. If you reduce the ratio to something like 35-35-30 or thereabouts, you may find yourself less hungry.
Drink more water.
Try to distract yourself and not think about food.
Most importantly, learn to be a little hungry. There is nothing wrong with being hungry. We are trained to respond instantly with shock and awe to the slightest hunger pang, by stuffing ourselves with food until the pang is completely eradicated. Learning to feel a little hungry without responding to it by eating food is a core dieting skill you're gonna need on your diet journey.2 -
Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.1
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?0 -
thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
Yes, you should add back and eat the exercise calories. MFP will estimate them. If you want to be conservative, start with eating only 75% of them. That probably explains the difference between MFP's estimate and what you think were your maintenance cals.7 -
thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
What did you select as your activity level? MFP is designed to establish a non-exercise calorie target...meaning your 2500 maintenance wouldn't include deliberate exercise if you set your activity level as MFP intends. Your actual maintenance calories would be higher with regular exercise which is why you log it after the fact and get additional calories to account for that otherwise unaccounted for activity.
If you exercise regularly you might be better off using a TDEE calculator that takes into account your exercise in your activity level and just customizing your calorie targets with MFP. This is also why you think your maintenance would be higher than MFP suggest...because with regular exercise it would be.2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
What did you select as your activity level? MFP is designed to establish a non-exercise calorie target...meaning your 2500 maintenance wouldn't include deliberate exercise if you set your activity level as MFP intends. Your actual maintenance calories would be higher with regular exercise which is why you log it after the fact and get additional calories to account for that otherwise unaccounted for activity.
If you exercise regularly you might be better off using a TDEE calculator that takes into account your exercise in your activity level and just customizing your calorie targets with MFP. This is also why you think your maintenance would be higher than MFP suggest...because with regular exercise it would be.
I wasn't sure about the activity level. I have a desk job but on the other hand I work on a big site so a walk to a meeting could be a half mile round trip. Add to that I have a young son which sees me running around a bit. I put lightly active in the end.4 -
thescouselander77 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
What did you select as your activity level? MFP is designed to establish a non-exercise calorie target...meaning your 2500 maintenance wouldn't include deliberate exercise if you set your activity level as MFP intends. Your actual maintenance calories would be higher with regular exercise which is why you log it after the fact and get additional calories to account for that otherwise unaccounted for activity.
If you exercise regularly you might be better off using a TDEE calculator that takes into account your exercise in your activity level and just customizing your calorie targets with MFP. This is also why you think your maintenance would be higher than MFP suggest...because with regular exercise it would be.
I wasn't sure about the activity level. I have a desk job but on the other hand I work on a big site so a walk to a meeting could be a half mile round trip. Add to that I have a young son which sees me running around a bit. I put lightly active in the end.
Lightly active seems about right. But on top of that, you do need to eat back your exercise calorie burns. That would account for the difference you are seeing with what you think is your maintenance level, vs what MFP says. Because MFP doesn't include any exercise, while your body does.
2 -
Yes you should account for your exercise as your daily goal excludes exercise until you log it.thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
If the rowing was on a Concept2 you can use their calorie estimator which you adjust for your bodyweight.....
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/calculators/calorie-calculator
(The machine's readout assumes you are 175lbs.)
Log the hour of lifting in the Cardiovascular part of the exercise diary for a rough calorie estimate - search for "strength training".4 -
thescouselander77 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
What did you select as your activity level? MFP is designed to establish a non-exercise calorie target...meaning your 2500 maintenance wouldn't include deliberate exercise if you set your activity level as MFP intends. Your actual maintenance calories would be higher with regular exercise which is why you log it after the fact and get additional calories to account for that otherwise unaccounted for activity.
If you exercise regularly you might be better off using a TDEE calculator that takes into account your exercise in your activity level and just customizing your calorie targets with MFP. This is also why you think your maintenance would be higher than MFP suggest...because with regular exercise it would be.
I wasn't sure about the activity level. I have a desk job but on the other hand I work on a big site so a walk to a meeting could be a half mile round trip. Add to that I have a young son which sees me running around a bit. I put lightly active in the end.
Light active before purposeful exercise is probably about right, but you need to account for purposeful exercise as it isn't included in your activity level.2 -
Yes you should account for your exercise as your daily goal excludes exercise until you log it.thescouselander77 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose weight? If so, the 2500 kcal goal it gave you already had a deficit for weight loss built into it. Also, MFP does allow for intentional exercise in the calorie goal out gives you, so even if you told MFP.you want to maintain, it would still expect you to eat more if you exercise.
Yeah, to be clear MFP thinks my maintenance amount is around 2500 and the weight loss goal is 2200.
But, for example today I went to the gym and did 1000m of rowing and an hour of heavy compound lifting. I've no idea how many calories that is so I haven't accounted for it - should I?
If the rowing was on a Concept2 you can use their calorie estimator which you adjust for your bodyweight.....
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/calculators/calorie-calculator
(The machine's readout assumes you are 175lbs.)
Log the hour of lifting in the Cardiovascular part of the exercise diary for a rough calorie estimate - search for "strength training".
Thanks, that's a real help! I didn't realise you could enter strength training as cardio exercise. I just put it into today's diary and everything seems to balance out much better.3 -
Active. + Exercise.
Pedometer can give you an idea.
If you're walking around a construction site or large lumber yard plus kid you're probably hitting very active before exercise.
Log and eat normally is one option to figure out your weight stable calories and then cut a little bit.
Or you've maybe already identified a few high calorie low reward (satiation and satisfaction) items? Swap them out and see how your weight trend shapes up after a few weeks.
Don't expect weight drops every day or every week without ups and downs. If you get them you're losing too fast for someone already lean.1
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