Increased my calories

huggit
huggit Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I watched a health and fitness coach talking about calories about a week ago, and he explained how to work out a calorie deficit. I was quite surprised by the ammount of calories this worked out that I should be eating, as it was more than my fitness pal was suggesting for me. Anyway I changed my activity to high and this matched what I the calculation showed, it was a little lower to be honest, but still more than I had been eating. I am 203 pounds, and I am now set at 1900 calories a day. This week I have felt calmer, healthier and more like I can do this eating pattern for the long haul. Normally I would be not seing results on the scales, be hungry, and probably would have had some kind of melt down half way through the week. I did lose 1 pound in the first day, and have stayed stable for the rest of the week, I would normally go up and down throughout the week. Is this the way I should have been doing dieting all these years, where I have been struggling mentally and physically with yoyo dieting with too little calories? Interested on anyones thoughts and experiences. Thank you.

Replies

  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
    Time will tell with your rate of loss whether it suits you
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Did the method the fitness coach include an estimate up front for your average exercise (TDEE method)?
    Did you select the same desired rate of weight loss?

    Good news your higher allowance makes you feel calmer and happier, sustainability is key.
  • huggit
    huggit Posts: 32 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Did the method the fitness coach include an estimate up front for your average exercise (TDEE method)?
    Did you select the same desired rate of weight loss?

    Good news your higher allowance makes you feel calmer and happier, sustainability is key.

    Yes I think so?

  • huggit
    huggit Posts: 32 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    I think the chosen rate of weight loss is an important factor, but I don't know what rate you had chosen on MFP previously and at what rate you are set now based on this health and fitness coach. I also wonder if you have a 'flat' calorie goal now (TDEE method, same number of calories every day) instead of adding exercise calories separately (MFP method: NEAT +exercise).

    Generally speaking, I find that a lot of people choose a weight loss rate that is too aggressive, which leads to an unsustainable calorie goal and often frustration at stalled weight loss (most likely water retention from the stress of an excessive deficit), to which some people respond by wanting to lower their calories even more. Etc. And a lot of times giving up in the end.

    A less aggressive weight loss rate/a higher calorie goal is a lot easier to stick to. I've had my weight loss rate set at 0.5lbs per week since the beginning (BMI of 34), giving me a goal of 1750 calories at the beginning, now down to 1500 calories. But I also eat back all of the calories my tracker gives me, so I'm actually eating 1900 calories a day on average (more on days when I exercise, less on days when I don't). At this rate of loss, it takes some patience to see the long-term weight trend through the daily fluctuations. But I've lost 42lbs this way and I rarely feel deprived.
    And another thing that helps me not feel deprived is not having any forbidden foods, not following any fad diets, not making any temporary changes to how I eat, etc. I eat in a way that I can see myself eating for the rest of my life, except that I have a bit less calories now than I will have at maintenance.

    Patience and a sustainable approach are key!

    Thank you that makes me feel better, I might reduce my calories by a bit next week, just need to stop the yoyo
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited July 2020
    huggit wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Did the method the fitness coach include an estimate up front for your average exercise (TDEE method)?
    Did you select the same desired rate of weight loss?

    Good news your higher allowance makes you feel calmer and happier, sustainability is key.

    Yes I think so?

    That's shifting the exercise estimate to an average daily amount instead of MFP's method of adding it on the day you exercise. It's not that the overall weekly allowance is different - it's just divided up into a same every day goal instead of a variable daily goal in line with exercise.

    TDEE method is your BMR x a combined daily activity & exercise multiplier.
    MyFitnessPal method is your BMR x a daily activity only multiplier but then + exercise estimate.
    They should end up in the same place over an extended period of time.

    TDEE method suits people who prefer a same target every day and have a somewhat regular exercise routine and/or don't want to estimate each exercise session.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    You don't state whether you were previously adding your exercise (and eating those calories) as you should have been. If you weren't, you were under-eating previously anyway.

    If you were adding exercise and eating those cals, now that you've changed your activity level to Active, you shouldn't also be adding in your exercise as that would be double counting it.

    Time will tell whether it works for you but as sijomial says, it's just shifted the calories per week to be divided equally across the days. It also assumes you do the same level of activity each day.

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