An easier way to setup goal calories - eating for who you wi

This is long because of extra explanation, the actual method is simple, but please read and understand too. This can get you over the dreaded plateau effect too.

So many different methods of setting up goal calories.
MFP suggestions, which may not always be the safest or smartest. (ie net calories below your BMR)
Bringing in outside calculations and just manually adjusting goals.
Eating back exercise calories, or some, or none.
Selecting activity level.
Another method.

Why not just tell MFP the weight you want to end up at, select the activity level you are really at, select weight loss goal of maintenance or no loss, and just eat at the recommended, and don't enter exercise calories?

You would be eating at the level for the person you want to be. Isn't that what you will do eventually?

Because then there would be no tracking available that would show current level and how much to go, or how much lost, ect.

Can you manually adjust the goal calories to accomplish the same thing?

You bet.

Couple of interesting points, in case not known.
BMR, why so many recommend not eating below it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, the heart, lungs, nervous system, kidneys, liver, intestine, sex organs, muscles, and skin.
If you provide less than BMR in net calories, your body can NOT get this from itself, it will slow it down to require less.

And considering a healthy BMR probably burns more calories than your exercise, perhaps your exercise and normal daily activity, do you really want it slower?

The Harris calculation (gender, age, weight, height) for BMR is pretty accurate for those already in the healthy average range - meaning when you get to goal weight. When you are outside of it, it loses accuracy.
The Katch calculation (weight, bodyfat %) for BMR is more accurate during all times, and doesn't need exact BF% to be within 50 calories of BMR.

So the MFP BMR calc is probably as accurate as you need it - when you are at your goal weight. But probably not right now.

The activity level decision is 4 broad categories which can make it difficult to get right.
But using sedentary and entering all exercise calories could be very off too.
Having a big amount of calories on some days to make up is difficult to eat.

So here is a much simplier method.
1. Calculate your BMR for the weight you want to be.
2. Calculate your activity level with better accuracy and include exercise in that estimate, spread the extra exercise calories across the week, no big surprises each day.
3. Arrive at maintenance calories for the person you will be.
4. Set MFP Goal calories to that level (you can disregard all weight loss goals, ect MFP suggests).
5. Don't worry about entering exercise calories, just type and time for tracking if desired, zero out calories.

1. Use this site for calculating BMR for your goal weight.
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Use the gender, age, height, and goal weight.

2. Enter in your normal sleep, normal desk job, normal walking, normal weight lifting, normal intense exercise time, avg hours per day. This method WILL underestimate the calories you probably actually do, if you work out intensely.

3. There is the maintenance calories you would probably be eating at your goal weight doing that level of activity on avg each day.

4. Now in MFP, My Home - Goals - Change Goals - Custom - Continue - change Net Calories Consumed to that value.
Change your Workouts / Week and Minutes / Workout to what you estimated in your activity level calculation (good to see that goal), change Calories Burned / Week to 0, and click Change Goals.

5. Now when you enter Exercise, just enter activity and time for tracking if desired, but 0 out calories burned. Put in the notes if really desired to know calories. Might be good for spot checks.

You may want to review your Exercise Diary a month down the road to confirm the hours spent match the estimate you gave for activity level, and if it should be updated up or down.

And now your Food Diary Daily Goal Calories will always reflect the same number, no credits for exercise, no big makeups to eat, ect.

And you are eating for the person you will become.

BTW, I tested a bunch of different body types, and only infrequently did the maintenance calories for the person you will become, end up lower than the current BMR, so safe. Only in obese situations, and that is exactly when that is safer.

Otherwise, do you really want to lose 20-30% of your daily calorie burn by lowering your BMR because of under eating?

Hope this helps with simplicity.

My current calorie goal is 1,600 and I burn about 225 a day in exercise. I tend to not eat back the exercise calories. By your method, I should be eating a little over 1,800, which would be the same as I am doing now but also eating back my exercise calories. If the scale is still stuck next week, I will start eating my exercise cals and see if that makes the difference.

You probably aren't that far off your net being around your BMR perhaps then, so it's working for you, probably be on the safer side if you did eat back all accurately calculated exercise calories.

This method just makes it easier on daily basis for what to eat, no exercise credits, nor exact exercise calculations.

And your scale may not be stuck next week. You may indeed lose unless it's stopped already.

If your goal loss was too aggressive and MFP took away not only all the maintenance calories but just past the BMR a little bit, you likely won't have a problem unless your real BMR is much higher than estimated. Than you'll be lowering it.

But if regular exercise causes you to constantly net below by a decent 200-400 calories, it'll slow down to compensate.
Now, it'll take a few weeks, plus or minus depending on how quick your metabolism is at adjusting. So during that time you will indeed lose. It's what comes next is the problem. Keep cutting and exercising more?

You can check your suggested activity level calories that MFP thinks right now, and if the goal you selected (all on the same page) is 200 or more than those activity calories, that means you are dipping below your BMR very much, add in exercise, you are just compounding the problem.

This is long because of extra explanation, the actual method is simple, but please read and understand too. This can get you over the dreaded plateau effect too.

So many different methods of setting up goal calories.
MFP suggestions, which may not always be the safest or smartest. (ie net calories below your BMR)
Bringing in outside calculations and just manually adjusting goals.
Eating back exercise calories, or some, or none.
Selecting activity level.
Another method.

Why not just tell MFP the weight you want to end up at, select the activity level you are really at, select weight loss goal of maintenance or no loss, and just eat at the recommended, and don't enter exercise calories?

You would be eating at the level for the person you want to be. Isn't that what you will do eventually?

Because then there would be no tracking available that would show current level and how much to go, or how much lost, ect.

Can you manually adjust the goal calories to accomplish the same thing?

You bet.

Couple of interesting points, in case not known.
BMR, why so many recommend not eating below it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, the heart, lungs, nervous system, kidneys, liver, intestine, sex organs, muscles, and skin.
If you provide less than BMR in net calories, your body can NOT get this from itself, it will slow it down to require less.

And considering a healthy BMR probably burns more calories than your exercise, perhaps your exercise and normal daily activity, do you really want it slower?

The Harris calculation (gender, age, weight, height) for BMR is pretty accurate for those already in the healthy average range - meaning when you get to goal weight. When you are outside of it, it loses accuracy.
The Katch calculation (weight, bodyfat %) for BMR is more accurate during all times, and doesn't need exact BF% to be within 50 calories of BMR.

So the MFP BMR calc is probably as accurate as you need it - when you are at your goal weight. But probably not right now.

The activity level decision is 4 broad categories which can make it difficult to get right.
But using sedentary and entering all exercise calories could be very off too.
Having a big amount of calories on some days to make up is difficult to eat.

So here is a much simplier method.
1. Calculate your BMR for the weight you want to be.
2. Calculate your activity level with better accuracy and include exercise in that estimate, spread the extra exercise calories across the week, no big surprises each day.
3. Arrive at maintenance calories for the person you will be.
4. Set MFP Goal calories to that level (you can disregard all weight loss goals, ect MFP suggests).
5. Don't worry about entering exercise calories, just type and time for tracking if desired, zero out calories.

1. Use this site for calculating BMR for your goal weight.
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Use the gender, age, height, and goal weight.

2. Enter in your normal sleep, normal desk job, normal walking, normal weight lifting, normal intense exercise time, avg hours per day. This method WILL underestimate the calories you probably actually do, if you work out intensely.

3. There is the maintenance calories you would probably be eating at your goal weight doing that level of activity on avg each day.

4. Now in MFP, My Home - Goals - Change Goals - Custom - Continue - change Net Calories Consumed to that value.
Change your Workouts / Week and Minutes / Workout to what you estimated in your activity level calculation (good to see that goal), change Calories Burned / Week to 0, and click Change Goals.

5. Now when you enter Exercise, just enter activity and time for tracking if desired, but 0 out calories burned. Put in the notes if really desired to know calories. Might be good for spot checks.

You may want to review your Exercise Diary a month down the road to confirm the hours spent match the estimate you gave for activity level, and if it should be updated up or down.

And now your Food Diary Daily Goal Calories will always reflect the same number, no credits for exercise, no big makeups to eat, ect.

And you are eating for the person you will become.

BTW, I tested a bunch of different body types, and only infrequently did the maintenance calories for the person you will become, end up lower than the current BMR, so safe. Only in obese situations, and that is exactly when that is safer.

Otherwise, do you really want to lose 20-30% of your daily calorie burn by lowering your BMR because of under eating?

Hope this helps with simplicity.

Can you just check my figures please?

I'm 41 but 42 in April so used 42 for calc. Female
I'm 158lbs and want to be 138lbs (Started at 190 on MFP but have got complacent since before Xmas and stayed the same weight)
I sleep for 8 hours but watch tv for about 2-3 hours
I work 5 days in an office
I have 3 children under 8 years
I run about 20-25 miles per week at approx 11 min miles (4 hours approximately per week)
I do about 2 hours housework per week
I am always active at the weekend, probably walk for an hour/housework for an hour/cooking/playing with kids etc. rarely sit down except when the kids go to bed.

I used:
Rest 10 hours
Very light 13 hours
Light .5
Heavy .5

This gave me at my current weight BMR 1453, exc cals 621 and total cals 2074. At my goal weight of 138 it gave me BMR 1367, exc cals 584 and total cals 1951.

Compared to MFP - if I put in my current weight and click maintain weight, it gives me 2050 cals so very similar, but I have to be on ACTIVE setting to get that much. From my description above would I really be active? I would never have set myself to that on MFP, I was on sedentary at first then changed it to lightly active because I was starving!

My new weight on MFP - gives me 1920 cals to maintain with activity level set at active.

Is this just because MFP activity calculator isn't accurate? What cals per day do you suggest I use? Thanks a lot!!

Also, when setting up MFP do I put my weight at what it is now or what I want it to be? If I put 158 current and 138 goal weight and set up at maintenance and cals at 1951 (as per the other website) and exercise sedentary it says I will lose minus 0.4 per week, so gain........ do I change activity level to active? If I do that then it says a loss of 0.2 lbs per week.

I've started eating more (had lovely beans on toast for lunch with an egg on top) at least 200 calories more than my usual lunch of salad and now at 5.30 pm my tummy is rumbling - is that normal?