Confused - Eating too much or just enough?

Licentia29 · July 2012

When I started MFP it gave me I believe ~1400 calories a day, I didn't track very well at first but I did stick to that for the first week. Then I found the EM2WL group and it made so much sense to me, so I used the Scooby calculators to determine my TDEE -20% and went from there. I used lightly active as the modifier and tracked my exercise. It puts me at 1615 calories a day, and I normally eat back most of my exercise calories to net anywhere from ~1300 to ~1600. I'm close to my goal weight, and I'm not in this for a quick fix, but I want to make sure I'm doing it right. I've been anorexic and I know what not properly feeding your body does to a person.

Stats:
5'8"
147lbs cw
140lbs gw (might go on to 135 but I don't know yet)

I work for myself from home, so I may be sitting at a desk for part of the day or I may be up cleaning the house, out checking on a job site, bidding jobs, etc. My office is upstairs, so I'm also climbing them all day. It varies from hour to hour. I have a FitBit coming so I'm hoping that sheds some light on my true activity.

I started last week on a new exercise plan after doing mainly cardio at first. Now I do body weight strength training MWF on different areas, and 30-45 minutes of cardio five days a week. I consider the weekend my rest days, but I tend to be up and around more then. Last weekend we hiked 2 miles on a camping trip.

My food choices weren't the greatest last week, but I was under calories every day but one and ended up with a 1430 calorie deficit below my already included deficit.

There's just so much conflicting information, and I'm not even sure I have my activity level right. Do I have my calories set too high? Too low? Just right? Will it be impossible to tell until I start using the FitBit? Help! :-)

TavistockToad · July 2012

well you're on MFP, so use MFP! it doesnt really matter which you choose, you just need ot stick to it for more than a week to give it a chance to work!

lizziem90 · July 2012

I would suggest you are moderately active not lightly active. I work at a desk alday and go to the gym 2-3 times a week therefore I am lightly active but you work out 5 times, run up and down stairs as part of your normal life and go hiking - you may need to adjust your calorie intake (higher).

mydeloo78 · July 2012

I think when you do TDEE it calculates in your activity so you don't eat back your exercise calories?

Licentia29 · July 2012

TavistockToad - I don't think you understood my question, but thank you for the input! In my mind it does matter which I choose, because I would like to get on a sustainable plan and stay there instead of yo-yo-ing my calories around. I'm doing it this early in my plan because I found some information that I thought made more sense than the low calorie count MFP gave me, I'm just trying to tweak and make sure I'm doing it right.

mydeloo78 - It does, but I had read what others wrote and I don't want to include my actual exercise in my calories, I want to be able to log it. It's more motivational to me... if that makes any sense. :-)

lizziem90 - Thank you! That makes me feel like at least my count isn't too high, I was worried that I should be set at sedentary, but maybe even not counting my actual exercise I could qualify at lightly active.

I guess I'm jumping the gun and just need to wait until the FitBit gets here in a week or so. I just didn't want to have eaten more than I should for 2 weeks straight because it will feel like I'm depriving myself if I have to drop down a couple hundred calories. Just looking for advice from those who've gone before me. :-)

Confused - Eating too much or just enough?

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