✅ Exercise: 35 minutes walking, 20 minutes swimming
✅ Calories
✅ Tracked

1 passday used (Mar 13)

I set my calorie goal at what I suppose is maintenance level and then after I exercise I usually usually find I achieve a 500-1500 calorie deficit below that. I did it this way because I fast for up to 24 hours on an irregular schedule and plan to eat at my maintenance level the day after a 24 hour fast. However many maintenance days I need is ok with me though, even if I did not fast the day before, but I am eager to be slimmer so usually have to make myself eat at maintenance levels the day after a fast. I dont want to change my calorie goals that often. Doing it this way does makes it fairly easy to stay within ¨my calorie budget¨ so it probably makes it easier on me for the purposes of this group than people who set harder daily goals. If I get to where I am not losing satisfactorily than I will reduce the calorie goal.

Personally I dont think the calculations are that accurate so I really do not obsess about the numbers and am getting more casual about the measurements as well. I try to record everything so that I am mindful of my choices. What I expect is that the weight loss will slow down as I get closer to my healthiest weight.

March 28, 2022

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes

Habits to maintain this month:
Kitchen Closed? Yes
Did you go "nuts" with nuts today? No (26 days -free)
Within Sugar macro today? Yes (26 days)

Pass day 1/3 (this is for accountability to myself and my records).

✅ Exercise - 1 hour of Jazzercise
✅ Calories -
✅ Tracking -

Closed all my Apple watch rings today
3 Pass days used

Documenting consistency (if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
UAC: 1-2-3-4-P-6-7-8-9-P-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-P-25-26-27-28

As far as the calorie settings, I used MFP's guided setting. Originally I said I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds/week and with 35 pounds to lose, it had me at 1200 calories/day (excluding exercise calories). Somewhere along the way, I change my weight loss goal to 1 pound/week and it still came out to 1200 calories/day. Just recently, I dialed it back some more to 0.5/pounds/week and lo and behold MFP gave me a whopping 1280/day!! So just now, I put myself at maintenance, and it gives me 1540 calories. I don't know how all this gets calculated.

That being said, I have generally between 1300-1500 calories depending on how much exercise I get.

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? 22 minute walk, 68 minutes on the Peloton, 5 minute post-ride stretch
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes

Pass days used - 6

When I first started in Jan 2021, I let MFP set my calorie target for me based on weight loss of 2 pounds a week. I have always tracked and ate back my exercise calories because I didn't want to feel like I had to exercise a certain amount to justify my base calories. I personally find it easier to have my base calories based on no intentional exercise and then to eat beyond that to fuel whatever workouts I might have. I have totally fallen back in love with exercise and I want to move my body for more than weight loss so this allows me to exercise as much as I want and not feel under-fueled.

Anyway, I was losing more than 2 pounds a week on that calculation, so eventually I started weighing daily and tracking my net calories against that weight loss trend to find my own estimated maintenance calories. I now take a deficit equal to up to 1% of my current weight on the days I'm taking a deficit.

Until I'm done losing, I do toggle into periods of eating at maintenance - 10% if there is a special occasion that I know taking my normal deficit will be difficult at. I decide this intentionally before the day begins so I don't make any occasion a reason to be near maintenance.

The nice thing about having my spreadsheet of data is that over time I have lots of validation of what my maintenance will be and/or how it's adjusting over time. I sort of do a revolving estimate based on the last 7 weeks or so, so as I lose weight and my body adapts I will be adjusting in relation to that.

That's all that goes into it for me - I don't track any other macros so my net calorie allotment is all I worry about.

3 x yes

Number has varied greatly- as I shrink and become more active the calories really shift. I am trying to pay more attention to my macros and hydration right now.

Date: 03/28/22

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes 👍🏻
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day 👍🏻
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank?👍🏻

(Documenting consistency (if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
[UAC: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 -16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-P-28-29-30-31]

March goals
1 Miracle Morning ~ S.A.V.E.R.S
2 Wake up EARLY for meditation
3 Yoga (4 times weekly)
4. Minimum sweets (work them in my calorie goal)
5. 30 day squat challenge

Monday March 28

✔️✔️✔️
Exercise was two power walks: one outdoors and one on the treadmill; squats and pushups; deep stretching. A good day.

75 active minutes
13,500+ steps

One pass day used March 18.

28/03/2022
Exercise – yes, bike ride, gym and cardio.
Tracking – yes
Calories – yes
3 pass days used

Thanks everyone for your comments on my starting question. Real food for thought.

@jamcnewman
Working with a dietician sounds like it’s been really helpful for you. Maybe that’s something I should do.
I also like that you don’t feel you’re denying yourself – I would like that feeling too!

@TerriRichardson112
I am glad that you have found a good maintenance number that you feel like you can stick with

@snowshoe072
I like the idea of tweaking based on what the scale says

@SummerSkier
I am glad you’ve found the TDEE method helpful

@Mrs_Hoffer
I am having maybe a similar situation, that seeing where the trend is going over time can be tricky

@ideas2
I like the idea of having your calories set at maintenance level and then having an occasional fast day. Kind of the opposite of what I am doing – setting calories at below maintenance and having an occasional “treat” day.

@enlightenme3
Yeah, MFP also wants me to be at 1200 calories regardless of what I say, and I find that completely un-doable. Glad it is working for you.

@ashleycarole86
I love your idea of tracking net calories and weight on a spreadsheet to get some real data – that would be the way to do it! I have been trying to learn that this month but in more of an impressionistic way – I did not bring out the spreadsheet and I have not honestly tracked every day, so that’s some missing data too.
I also love your preplanning when to go up in calories but still below maintenance – that’s a great idea.
I also love that you make sure to fuel your exercise. I know you do a lot of exercise so that is important.

@loopydo2017
I am glad the calorie level you set for yourself is working for you

@Jan1936
My calorie level is also clearly a moving target

@MadisonMolly2017
That is so great – and I think unusual – that you are able to eat more calories a day now than before you started losing weight! Definitely walking 4.5 miles a day has something to do with that. I wish I had time/energy for that – I think I’d feel great and be able to eat so much!

Mon March 28
Exercise: Did all 3 of my movement goals - 15 minutes MommaStrong, 1 hour walking in the woods, 30 minutes stretching
Tracking: Preplanned the day except for brunch with friends which I couldn't preplan - then also did a lot of untracked nibbling after the brunch, I guess because I felt like since I wasn't tracking accurately I might as well keep going... (ugh)
Calories: For sure over
And a 1.4 pound gain
Discouraging
I've been calling it my learning month but I am not sure what I have learned.