people who have had success by upping their calories!

Thank you so much for this post! I've stalled on my weight loss (could be from just starting Turbo Jam- I have lost a couple inches), so I've raised my net to 1565 which is my current BMR. Will be happy if I can eat more & lose Thanks again for all of this info, it was fun to read.

Okay. So I was wondering if I could get some help. This is all confusing me a little bit.

I eat 1440 - or I'm supposed too.

Bmr according to mfp is 1399. My TDEE is estimated at 2525. I am floating just under 150 at 5'5". (I put my activity level as very active as I just started running again and I have 2 kids under 3 so lots of lifting and on my feet all day? Don't know if this is right?)

According to everything on this thread, I should probably be eating 2000 or so calories?

I started fasting once a week for personal reasons, not weight loss and quit losing weight. That was four weeks ago. Since then I have put on 3 ish lbs. but in that same amount of time I have eaten over 2000 calories 2 times. So did I super screw up my metabolism? I was losing like crazy there for a while. I just want my body fat percentage to go down. I don't care so much about the weight.

Can somebody give me some tips?

First off, congrats on selecting a goal that was NOT 2lb weekly. And selecting 1.5 lbs left you with NET goal above your BMR.

Question is, have you been logging true exercise and eating back the majority of those calories?

Because 1440 is already a big deficit. If your avg calorie use from JUST running was say 400 cal daily, that means your body is actually only getting about 1000 to do basic functions of metabolism with (BMR).
When you miss a whole day fasting, and don't make it up by every other day being slightly more, that's a big hit too.
If you exercise on that day or the next (please say you don't), you are digging into muscle breakdown for conversion to glucose.

Shoot, if you slept all day you fasted (impossible with 2 kids), your BMR calories would be 30% carbs, or 1399 * .3 = 420. Your liver, which supplies your blood sugar, only holds 400-450 cal of glucose. If you start moving that day, or the next for exercise, more glucose can only come from muscle.
So you can fast, but gotta fast smart. And don't exercise that day or the next, until you top off that carb storage. If you eat 400 cal worth of carbs before you exercise the next day, that should be fine.
And you want to go into the fast day totally topped off too, which means no big intense run burning off carbs mainly that you don't eat back by bedtime.
And that will be tough on eating so close to your BMR - unless you are feeding your workouts what they burn.

And of course, bad news, when you burn off muscle, lower metabolism. And running that close to BMR, about impossible to put it back on too, so it's gone until you eat at maintenance and start lifting.

So if you trust that TDEE figure, and you were honest there, your are exactly correct, 2000, nice easy to remember goal.
Now, with that method of everyday, you do NOT eat back exercise - it's already included in your selection of activity level.

But, with fasting a whole, you got some other work to do, because this 2000 everyday makes up for some days more workout, rest days allowing a recovery. If one rest day has no food, that's no good.

So you probably should increase that 2000 missed / 6 other eating days = 333, so really 2333. Not as nice a round number, bummer.

Probably didn't screw metabolism up, because your normal eating level has been pretty good. Well, depends on how long you have been running and if not eating back calories anyway.

And you did lose like crazy, because 1440 compared to what you were eating before starting the diet, what, above 2500 you think? So 1000 deficit, 2lbs weekly.

Best bet for your body to know it can increase metabolism when it sees extra food:
Increase by 200 per day for a week. And don't run that week. Take the time and do a gentle walk, less than 3mph. That is just more fat-burning daily activity level movement. May even lose some fat that week since still eating so close to BMR, and all your substantial daily activity is creating your true deficit.

Bump

thanks!

I upped mine last week after several people advised me that it would help break my plateau. I was up when I weighed this morning so I'm a little nervous but I'm willing to weight a while to see what happens. :-/

This, but after gaining 2.8 lbs. last week, I lost 3.8 so far this week.

yay! how many calories are you netting?

About 1450!

Heybales, thanks so much for your reply to my query! in fact all of your replies are super interesting and its really nice of you to take the time to answer everone with such in depth answers, it seems your pretty knowledgable on this stuff, so high five for sharing it with us!!

so do i have this right, i either hang out at around 1500 cals and log and eat my exercise cals and stick my activity levels at sedentary. OR i up my activity levels to active, and dont log or eat my exercise cals! eeeek that would make me anxious in case i had a super busy week and didnt get all my exercising done, then i'd be over eating at those levels right.

in general as well though, its been so interesting reading this topic, thanks to everyone for thier input!

I have been fascinated reading this thread, but am still a little confused. I am 5ft 3 and weigh 150lbs my goal is 120lbs. not only do I want to lose weight (the healthy safe way) but I want to tone up my wobbly bits and be able to see some muscle definition (but NOT be muscly/bulky I want a soft yet defined body) I currently do at least 30 minutes a day of 30DS (on day 6 of level one) plus at least 2 times a week I will do Zumba for between 20 - 45 minutes plus most evenings I do some work on my arms with weights (only 2.5lbs weights) plus ab work. I have been fighting with the same 2-3lbs for the past few months now, so need a kick start, and thought this may help IF I know what to do properly.

MFP puts me at 1200 a day, but when I work out my BMR is states 1360. I have also worked out my TDEE I was not sure what activness to put as Mon - Fri I am sitting at a desk all day, so I worked it out for little or no exercise and that was 1743 (*0.8) 1394, light exercise was 1990 (*0.8) 1592 and moderate was 2243 (*0.8) 1794.

In all of your opinions what would you recommend I do? Apologies if this is a repeat of what somebody else has asked, I am pretty new here and getting slightly confused lol Jen x

You are not at Sedentary level with that much exercise. Definitely Moderate level. Could round down to nearest hundred.

What site did you use for TDEE estimate, because those values don't work out?
For instance, Moderate is BMR * 1.55, which ends up 2108 * 0.8 = 1686 (or round to 2100 * 0.8 = 1680).

Then you would eat to that every day, workout or not. You would NOT eat back exercise calories since already in there. And if you spot checked calories burned with HRM, would likely be at or slightly under BMR for those days. Rest days allows recovery.

And since you have been so underfeeding your system for that workout level - you will see great body improvements first, weight loss will come later until body catches up with what you are asking it to do.

I think it was fitness frog?! But my BMR I also got on here?!

You may want to go to this link and ask Helloitsdan to run your numbers - should help with the confusion.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map?

You just need to give the stats data asked for in the first post in the thread.

Think I've worked it all out now lol oh and it looks like I've lost 2.5% body fat since starting lol x thank you x

Dan has said

"visit http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/
Do the Military Body Fat Calc first, then the BMR tool.
The Military BF calc is accurate up to about 2%.
The BMR tool will give EXACT calories to eat on a daily basis.
This number is static and I only recommend eating back so your NET is at least 200 above BMR.
Add 20% to suggested calories to know your TDEE.
Use the Katch McGardle BMR number to know your BMR.
Never eat at or below BMR.
For Fat loss plans set up macros at 30% Protein/Fat.
This % is only because MFP wont allow single %."

So if I take my KM BMR 1332 and add 20% to get my TDEE that makes 1598, yet on the fat2fitradio website it 2051, I also read that I can or should minus 15% -20% and aim to eat that to lose weight? (Can't find where it was now) if that is so 2051-15% = 1743 or 2051 - 20% = 1640

Do I change my base calories on MFP as 1332 and then eat back all my exercise calories? I average betwwen 220 and 440 a day?!?!? I am a bit confused HELP!!!! Lol

I am 32 years old, 5ft 3 and weigh 150lbs at present. My BF% was 34.9% last Monday (will not be checking it again till beginning of next week) Katch-MaCardle gave me a BMR of 1332 the TDEE that was given from the fit2fatradio website was 2051 (moderate) I work out 6-7 days a week for at least half an hour to an hour (doing 30 day shred, Zumba & some strength with weights) normally do half hour 1 day and then an hour the next (am doing 30 Day Shred every day for half hour)

Jen x
HELPPPPPPPP lol

Bump for later

people like u get on my nerve LOL jkk I have to k ill myself at the gym and eat very little to drop a couple lbs and the worst part is IM ten lbs away what can b more frustrating than that nothing that I Know of. So any tips would b great . I do exercise daily 30 min in the gym and of course everyday cleaning for about an hour not sure if that counts but it says it does anywho Im to the point of screaming if this plateu don't break soon.