Need some advice/opinions from the MFP family

Draculza
Draculza Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone

I'd like some opinions from the MFP family with regards to calorie intake. Let me give you some background info and some numbers.

Being in South Africa we do metric but I'll do some conversions.

I started my weight loss journey in Jan 2019 and was at 180kg/396lbs and managed to get down to 137kgs/302lbs in March of 2020. Lockdown hit and things went south. My diet fell by the wayside and I at a bunch of junk food all the time. I wasn't able to exercise the way that I was due to us being confined to only going to the shops for the first few months and Parkruns not happening etc. (some have only just re-opened in South Africa). This lead me to where I am today.

Age: 42

Height 188cm/6'2"

Weight 160kg/352lbs

According to most calorie calculators, including MFP I should be hitting around 2550 calories a day to loose about 500g/1lbs a week. I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle but do try and get out and walk some (though I have been bad of late) and have been doing around 15km/9.1miles of cycling over a weekend.

According to what I have read online, my body type is endomorph and in terms of macros I should be eating, I should be eating 35% protein/ 40% fat/ 25% carbs and this is how I have set my meal tracker on MFP.

Everything I have read online suggests that I should get as close to the 2550 calories as possible. My question is how important is it to get to the calorie number? I find it to be a lot of food and I am quite easily able to feel comfortably full on 1500 calories a day and sticking to the macros as set out above. I've been getting to within 10 grams of the recommended intake and I have lost 1kg/2.2lbs this week so it clearly works but as I say, it is a lot of food for me. I eat a lot of vegetables and whole foods wherever possible and eat a lot of meat.

Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated.

Replies

  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    Hi, thanks. Yes, everything is weighed on an electronic food scale. I've been weighing food for quite a while and know the importance of checking portions because I was overestimating portions by a long way before the food scale. Im trying to stick to macros as I've read one gets best results from this.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited October 2021
    If you've just recently switched over to that macro split, that could explain why you feel satisfied at 1500 calories. That macro split is close to what I used when I was obese and trying to lose. It seems for a lot of us that cutting carbs is the best thing since I know for myself I would live on wheat, sweets, and grains if left to my own preferences. Cutting carbs meant lower grains and virtually no sweet baked things, very rarely cereal or crackers etc. Those things were doing me no favors anyway. Too easy and too easy to over-eat.

    I agree with snowflake954, you may find that with a little time at those macros you start feeling hungrier. 1500 is pretty low, but you have quite a lot of weight to lose and for right now I think you're okay. Just really focus on getting all that protein and fat every day - and I would suggest getting your carbs from whole vegetables and whole fruit. Nutrition is really important when you are on a low calorie plan. I don't think you should go more than 2-3 months that low, because it can start to have a negative effect if you stay on it for a long time.

    Read through the first couple pages of this, "Of Refeeds and Diet Breaks," thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    :)




    .
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You have enough weight to lose - that even 2 lb a week could be reasonable - unless your body is under some other stress from bad health issues.

    So a 1000 cal deficit could be reasonable, but you are taking 500 for your eating goal.

    So long as you are within 500 under your eating goal then, at this point I'd suggest not that bad.
    Later that would be undesired, say with less than 50 lbs to lose, but your eating goal would have gone down by then.

    Because you feeling full, and your body being fed fully enough - are not the same thing and not related.
    So for now, eat 2000 or above to goal.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    If you are low enough on carbs to be going into ketosis, then that can murder your appetite at the beginning.

    But 1500 calories is quite low for your weight and it's possible your body might start fighting back a bit, even if right now you don't feel hungry.

    Whatever you do, focus on what is sustainable. I personally lost from obese down to healthy weight range just by focusing on a way of eating that was sustainably healthy. Conveniently, that meant I never had to learn how to maintain, I had been doing it the whole time.

    I've been in healthy weight range for 6 years now.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys. Really appreciated
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    One point not mentioned - make sure you're eating your exercise calories on top of the 1500 you're consuming.

    Although the 2550 that you're allocated now will reduce as you also lose weight, if you do find yourself in a position where 1500 isn't enough, you have plenty of scope to increase and still be at a deficit.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    Strudders67 wrote: »
    One point not mentioned - make sure you're eating your exercise calories on top of the 1500 you're consuming.

    Although the 2550 that you're allocated now will reduce as you also lose weight, if you do find yourself in a position where 1500 isn't enough, you have plenty of scope to increase and still be at a deficit.

    I'm going to try to stick to within 10g of goal for my macros for a few weeks (I've only been really diligent with this for the past week) and eating close to 2450 calories per day, to see how the body feels. As you say, my calorie requirement will drop as the weight comes off. Eating the exercise calories is a challenge though but something that I need to work on and make happen.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Here's my thinking on the exercise calories for you, Dracuza:

    If you're only eating 1500, then absolutely you need to eat every Exercise Calorie. 1500 is rock-bottom and exercise just increases your need for fuel, protein, and all nutrition. It's like a car running on fumes...


    If you are going to hit that 2450, then high-number exercise calories become less critical and most online calculators (maybe even body worn devices too, I never used one) over-estimate exercise calories once you are in that 300+ weight range.

    I think it will become abundantly clear to you fairly quickly if you're under-eating. It may manifest as general fatigue, lots of couch-sitting, lack of desire to do any exercise at all, wearing out quickly during moderate exercise. You may be sleeping more, are more irritable, cranky, having trouble focusing, depressed, anxious. In time that will show up as hair loss and brittle nails...been there. Pay attention to body cues. If you're feeling "off" you probably need to eat more.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Here's my thinking on the exercise calories for you, Dracuza:

    If you're only eating 1500, then absolutely you need to eat every Exercise Calorie. 1500 is rock-bottom and exercise just increases your need for fuel, protein, and all nutrition. It's like a car running on fumes...


    If you are going to hit that 2450, then high-number exercise calories become less critical and most online calculators (maybe even body worn devices too, I never used one) over-estimate exercise calories once you are in that 300+ weight range.

    I think it will become abundantly clear to you fairly quickly if you're under-eating. It may manifest as general fatigue, lots of couch-sitting, lack of desire to do any exercise at all, wearing out quickly during moderate exercise. You may be sleeping more, are more irritable, cranky, having trouble focusing, depressed, anxious. In time that will show up as hair loss and brittle nails...been there. Pay attention to body cues. If you're feeling "off" you probably need to eat more.

    Thanks for the advise. I'm sticking to getting at least 2450 calories a day at the moment as MFP calculated BMR at around 2950 and suggested I eat +-500 calories below to lose weight at an even and sustainable rate. I've been bad with exercise this week so haven't needed to eat extra calories but as you say, definitely good to keep an eye out on the body cue.

    Thanks again to everyone for the comments, much appreciated.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited October 2021
    Just as an FYI, BMR is probably not what you mean unless you specifically asked MFP for BMR in the tools.

    What it uses for your calorie allotment is your BMR + Your daily activity which includes everything you do in a day like work, showering, laundry, etc. and it can be anywhere from a couple hundred calories above BMR for a small woman to thousands above BMR for an active large man (Not including exercise.) It then deducts 500 calories per day from that calculation to give you a Net Calorie weight loss goal equal to one pound per week and then it asks you to input your purposeful exercise on top of that when you do exercise.


    Here's the explanation:
    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited October 2021
    Congrats on your progress so far.

    It sounds like you have a great attitude and focus, and you're on the right path. I agree with others that 1500 is far too low. Don't focus too much on one weeks weight loss. You will fluctuate based on water weight etc. If you want to keep watching that closely, then weigh daily at the same time in the same conditions, and look at the 7-day average.

    No doubt it seems like you're taking in a lot of food, but remember that's because you're probably getting more protein now than before, which is good and will help satiate you, and you're presumably eating far less of those empty garbage calories from high carb snacks, which just leave you craving for more.

    If that 2.2 pounds lost in a week is your trend that's perfectly healthy at your weight. Keep it up!

    As you lose weight and your maintenance calorie level drops, you should try to increase the cardio, and then transition into strength straining too as you get back to the 200's. All at a sustainable level of course.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    Right, I'm with you. I think I probably phrased it incorrectly. Below is an extract from a BMR calculator which shows and intake of 3000 calories for a sedentary activity level. That 3000 less the 500 for weight loss comes to the 2500 calories. MFP asks for all the info originally when you sign up and I filled in the necessary and it spar out 2590 calories to be exact, in order for me to lose at around 500g/1lb per week. Below based on my age, height and current weight. Sorry if I got my terms mixed up :D

    Daily calorie needs based on activity level
    Activity Level Calorie
    Sedentary: little or no exercise 3,084
    Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534
    Exercise 4-5 times/week 3,765
    Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week 3,984
    Intense exercise 6-7 times/week 4,433
    Very intense exercise daily, or physical job 4,883

    I'll continue the 2500 within the macros for the next week or two and see how it pans out. If it doesn't work I'll adjust down.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited October 2021
    Draculza wrote: »
    Right, I'm with you. I think I probably phrased it incorrectly. Below is an extract from a BMR calculator which shows and intake of 3000 calories for a sedentary activity level. That 3000 less the 500 for weight loss comes to the 2500 calories. MFP asks for all the info originally when you sign up and I filled in the necessary and it spar out 2590 calories to be exact, in order for me to lose at around 500g/1lb per week. Below based on my age, height and current weight. Sorry if I got my terms mixed up :D

    Daily calorie needs based on activity level
    Activity Level Calorie
    Sedentary: little or no exercise 3,084
    Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534
    Exercise 4-5 times/week 3,765
    Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week 3,984
    Intense exercise 6-7 times/week 4,433
    Very intense exercise daily, or physical job 4,883

    I'll continue the 2500 within the macros for the next week or two and see how it pans out. If it doesn't work I'll adjust down.

    I'm going to highly encourage you to use Myfitnesspal's numbers if you're going to use this site.

    I have no way to know what site gave you those numbers, but it is also including exercise, so it's way different from MFP. "Sedentary" on MFP means sedentary - all day every day. If you have any kind of job or take care of kids or go to school I'm going to strongly suggest you don't use Sedentary on MFP, it's just very low calories. If you exercise you get more calories. Almost every other online calculator uses that calculation you posted and they are assuming you will do that exercise IN THE CALCULATION. They're rolling Exercise Calories into your daily food goal, regardless of whether or not you actually do the exercise. MFP gives you the option to add when you need to.

    There can be a huge calorie discrepancy. It probably won't make a lot of difference at your current weight but as you lose it will really benefit you to have read and understand the difference.


    They are very different. You can Google BMR to understand what that is.

    Read that link, please. This is one of the most discussed and misunderstood things on this site.


  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited October 2021
    So assuming your CI is tracked correctly, and assuming that 2.2 pounds is a trend not a one-off, then it makes sense that you lost that amount. Half of it comes from the calorie deficit below maintenance, and the other half from the various exercise you're doing that you're not eating back the calories from. You should try to log those exercise calories too. I choose "sedentary" for the basic calculation and then add my exercise cals daily after each workout.

    EDIT: There it is in your own post,

    "Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534"

    So you're 1,000 under per day, which is 7,000 per week, which is two pounds.

    Others can chime in here, but isn't two pounds per week a healthy amount to lose from 350? I mean, why target just one pound? As you get lower, yes you'd want to transition to one pound target, then eventually 0.5 target, but right now you can do better than one pound.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited October 2021
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    So assuming your CI is tracked correctly, and assuming that 2.2 pounds is a trend not a one-off, then it makes sense that you lost that amount. Half of it comes from the calorie deficit below maintenance, and the other half from the various exercise you're doing that you're not eating back the calories from. You should try to log those exercise calories too. I choose "sedentary" for the basic calculation and then add my exercise cals daily after each workout.

    EDIT: There it is in your own post,

    "Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534"

    So you're 1,000 under per day, which is 7,000 per week, which is two pounds.

    Others can chime in here, but isn't two pounds per week a healthy amount to lose from 350? I mean, why target just one pound? As you get lower, yes you'd want to transition to one pound target, then eventually 0.5 target, but right now you can do better than one pound.

    Yes, but his question was more about eating at 1500 and not being hungry.

    I think we have a case of apples and oranges here. That calculator is probably a TDEE calculator AND he's been knocking off another 1000 calories below that.

    Regardless, 2500 is good. Net. So on exercise days he would eat more than 2500, theoretically, and still be averaging 2 pounds per week loss (if I'm understanding what's going on here.)
    I don't think worrying about exercise calories is the issue.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks again for all the comments/advice/pointers.

    @cmriverside, I've gone back and checked what my goals setup was when I joined MFP and I see that I put lightly active in the exercise bit. The calculation that MFP did shows that my nutrition goal in order to get to my goal weight of 130kg from 166kg (when I started) should be 2590 calories per day. This is the reason that I keep coming back to the 2590 calories per day.

    With regards to to BMR, I understand that this is the amount of energy that the body uses at rest, when the digestive system has been inactive. Basically what your body needs if you do absolutely nothing at all. Any activity would then add to that number. So for example if my BMR is x calories per day, in theory I would need x + y calories in order to maintain. Anything less would the be a deficit and would result in weight loss. Have I got the gist of it or am I waaaayyyyy off base there?

    @Retroguy2000, I agree that 2lbs is good but I'm skittish purely based off the fact that I managed to lose almost 30kg (66lbs) and then everything went pear-shaped when lockdown happened. Maybe I shouldn't be afraid to fall of the wagon again though...
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Draculza wrote: »
    Thanks again for all the comments/advice/pointers.

    @cmriverside, I've gone back and checked what my goals setup was when I joined MFP and I see that I put lightly active in the exercise bit. The calculation that MFP did shows that my nutrition goal in order to get to my goal weight of 130kg from 166kg (when I started) should be 2590 calories per day. This is the reason that I keep coming back to the 2590 calories per day.

    With regards to to BMR, I understand that this is the amount of energy that the body uses at rest, when the digestive system has been inactive. Basically what your body needs if you do absolutely nothing at all. Any activity would then add to that number. So for example if my BMR is x calories per day, in theory I would need x + y calories in order to maintain. Anything less would the be a deficit and would result in weight loss. Have I got the gist of it or am I waaaayyyyy off base there?
    Okay, I think you understand BMR. If you use "BMR" on this site when what you mean is "Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)" you'll get pushback. We're pedantic like that, to avoid talking out of our backsides. :lol:

    Good on the 2590 as a base level, too. "Lightly Active" is a good setting - BUT again, it doesn't mean "exercise." It's just your regular daily routine.

    When you exercise - add that to the Exercise tab and eat more. (So 2590+Exercise calories = what you eat)
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    Know that when you tell MFP "lightly active", that's going to introduce a huge variable into the tracking. What if you don't exercise as many days that week? What if your exercise is far more or less calorie burning than that estimate? That's why I choose "sedentary" and track the exercise myself. It's still not perfect, but at least it gives me a better number on any given day. That way, on days I don't work out, I know to eat less because my target is shown correctly, and on days when I do work out, which includes 60+ minutes of weights, I can add an estimate for those calories for that day and eat them back. MFP updates the target with a little asterisk to acknowledge you earned X calories from exercise today.

    Why did you fall off the wagon? It's OK to pause for a bit imo at some intermediate target, so long as you don't go back to old eating habits and plan to get back on track.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Know that when you tell MFP "lightly active", that's going to introduce a huge variable into the tracking. What if you don't exercise as many days that week? What if your exercise is far more or less calorie burning than that estimate? That's why I choose "sedentary" and track the exercise myself. It's still not perfect, but at least it gives me a better number on any given day. That way, on days I don't work out, I know to eat less because my target is shown correctly, and on days when I do work out, which includes 60+ minutes of weights, I can add an estimate for those calories for that day and eat them back. MFP updates the target with a little asterisk to acknowledge you earned X calories from exercise today.

    Why did you fall off the wagon? It's OK to pause for a bit imo at some intermediate target, so long as you don't go back to old eating habits and plan to get back on track.

    The bolded is not at all how MFP works - choosing lightly active (or any other activity) setting has absolutely nothing to do with someone's exercise. Separate categories.

    My setting is active because of how much daily movement I do - exercise is on top.
    I'm active whether I do purposeful exercise or not, I eat more when I exercise, not less because I don't.

    My son (a builder) would have a setting of very active - exercise is still on top.
    Think for a second if you compared two similar builders doing the same job with the same activity setting, if one exercises and the other doesn't then hopefully clearly one needs more calories than the other. Their base calorie goal for a non-exercise day would however be the same.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    I've been on this site long enough to know that everyone is pedantic LOL. I should have known better. I have my MFP account linked to my Garmin so when I do exercise, it automatically imports my exercise. While I know that it may not be completely accurate, it give a good idea of the calories burned. I have honestly very rarely eaten back calories from exercise.

    @Retroguy2000, I know to be more careful when I'm stuck in meetings the whole day or if I've been stuck doing admin. I used to be more active as a rep when I originally started but got promoted and lead to more office work and less activity. In terms of falling of the wagon, pre-covid I did a 5km parkrun every Saturday and a lot of other exercise during the week. I had my weights at home and I kept busy. When lockdown started on the 27th of March 2020, we weren't allowed to go out for about 5 weeks or so unless you were going to the shop for necessities. I live in an apartment so limited space. I wasn't as strict with my diet and because I was bored, I ate. As restrictions were lifted, we still weren't able to do parkruns and we couldn't go out to exercise without masks which while necessary, are not conducive to a fun walk/run. I also did a reno in my apartment and got rid of my weights as I actually don't have space for them. All of this plus a healthy dose of laziness lead to an increase of 20 odd kgs so now I'm back to eating lots of veg and getting my nutrients from good, whole foods where possible.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited October 2021
    @heybales

    When OP was quoting this stuff below, I misread. He was quoting from some other site, not this one. We are in full agreement about tracking exercise calories separately. I have said that already a couple of times. The variance I referred to is exactly what you posted about, that e.g. spin class is very different to walking. It's too late for me to edit that earlier post, it's been over an hour.

    "Sedentary: little or no exercise 3,084
    Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534
    Exercise 4-5 times/week 3,765
    Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week 3,984
    Intense exercise 6-7 times/week 4,433
    Very intense exercise daily, or physical job 4,883"
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Good ole' lag times, gotta love it.
    Worse than conversing with someone on moon.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    Draculza wrote: »
    Right, I'm with you. I think I probably phrased it incorrectly. Below is an extract from a BMR calculator which shows and intake of 3000 calories for a sedentary activity level. That 3000 less the 500 for weight loss comes to the 2500 calories. MFP asks for all the info originally when you sign up and I filled in the necessary and it spar out 2590 calories to be exact, in order for me to lose at around 500g/1lb per week. Below based on my age, height and current weight. Sorry if I got my terms mixed up :D

    Daily calorie needs based on activity level
    Activity Level Calorie
    Sedentary: little or no exercise 3,084
    Exercise 1-3 times/week 3,534
    Exercise 4-5 times/week 3,765
    Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week 3,984
    Intense exercise 6-7 times/week 4,433
    Very intense exercise daily, or physical job 4,883

    I'll continue the 2500 within the macros for the next week or two and see how it pans out. If it doesn't work I'll adjust down.

    A calculator that takes into account how much you are exercising is, by definition, not a BMR calculator.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    OP - as you are discovering, the folks on here are actually trying to be pretty accurate in terms used, sometimes a whole lot better than external sites that totally foul it up.

    Which makes me believe those sites threw the calc in merely to grab eyeballs to their site for the other things they offer.
    And if that poor for setting up a calc, what's the rest of their material like for accuracy and understanding?
    Just be wary, it's sometimes a good indication rest of their material ain't great either.
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    @heybales Indeed, I have come to realize this and have now started WW3 :D . I've been using the MFP calculation since the start and made the mistake of getting a calculator from another site, in order to explain why I was eating 2500 calories a day, because it was quicker than delving into the data that I had used to set up my profile on MFP. Very poor mistake on my part :s . So we learn and at least the people on here are helpful and correct you where you need correction, which is why this is such a great community
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Good job, Draculza! The food changes take time, so just do your best and don't be too hard/perfectionistic with all of it. Consistency is the best word I can think of to describe the process. Consistency doesn't mean perfect, just mostly-on-track. Keep stepping on the body weight scale and keep working in the right direction.

    You're in this for the long game. :)

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