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Old 01-11-2017, 12:24 AM   #1  
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I just got my TDEE and BMR from an online calculator... but I don't really know how to apply it to my diet??? I'm currently using MFP and it has been helpful in counting my calories. My school semester just started so unfortunately right now I'm pretty sedentary (will work on soon)

My TDEE is 2244 and the BMR is 1951.

I am 5'6, 29 years old, and weigh 266 (down from 274!)

MFP has my calorie limited around 1900 but I've easily been staying under that. Probably averaging closer to 1200 or 1300.

I want to lose one hundred pounds but I want to do it safely, I'm done crash dieting! Any advise is appreciated.
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Old 01-11-2017, 06:57 AM   #2  
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Hi there. I think you should follow the calorie limits that MFP gives you. They are based on the same TDEE and BMR calculations you have done. Notice that MFP's recommendation is pretty similar to the BMR result you got? That's not an accident! Aiming to eat your BMR in calories each day is a pretty good rule of thumb for calorie counting.

You might be finding it easy to stick to 1200 now, but you're better off eating more than that while you are at your current weight. It will allow you to get more nutrients, be more sustainable in the long term, and will give you room for further calorie restriction as your weight comes down and it gets harder and harder to lose.

I started out at fairly similar stats to you and what I found was the nice thing about being that size is that the process is very forgiving early on. So go ahead and eat more - add some oils, nuts, extra protein, good nutritious extra calories to your diet. The most important thing is that you stick with it, long-term - if you slip up or go over your calories , just get right back on plan with the next bite of food. Good luck and good strength.

Last edited by carter; 01-11-2017 at 06:58 AM.
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Old 01-11-2017, 12:04 PM   #3  
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Originally Posted by carter View Post
Hi there. I think you should follow the calorie limits that MFP gives you. They are based on the same TDEE and BMR calculations you have done. Notice that MFP's recommendation is pretty similar to the BMR result you got? That's not an accident! Aiming to eat your BMR in calories each day is a pretty good rule of thumb for calorie counting.

You might be finding it easy to stick to 1200 now, but you're better off eating more than that while you are at your current weight. It will allow you to get more nutrients, be more sustainable in the long term, and will give you room for further calorie restriction as your weight comes down and it gets harder and harder to lose.

I started out at fairly similar stats to you and what I found was the nice thing about being that size is that the process is very forgiving early on. So go ahead and eat more - add some oils, nuts, extra protein, good nutritious extra calories to your diet. The most important thing is that you stick with it, long-term - if you slip up or go over your calories , just get right back on plan with the next bite of food. Good luck and good strength.
Thank you so much!!! I was wondering if MFP took those numbers into account! And you are absolutely right, I should probably take advantage of those extra calories while they are allowed. I have just been nervous to do so bc of my lack of exercise at the moment.

You said you started with similar stats. What is your goal? Have you been successful so far? I have my goal set at 175 right now, but I'm unsure if that's realistic or not.
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Old 01-11-2017, 04:09 PM   #4  
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You said you started with similar stats. What is your goal? Have you been successful so far? I have my goal set at 175 right now, but I'm unsure if that's realistic or not.
I started out at 275, and lost 120 pounds between roughly August 2009 and October 2012. I have since gained about 40 of that back, and I'm working off the regain now. I'm a little shorter than you are - 5'5" when I stand very straight.

I never set a numerical goal. I had no idea when I started what the right goal weight would look like or feel like. And more than that, whether I declared my goal weight to be 170 or 160 or 150 just had no bearing at all on the choices I made or the work I had to do until I got very close to those numbers. So I put the goal weights out of my mind until I was actually down around 170 and making decisions about what to do next.

As one gets closer to a healthy weight, it becomes more difficult to lose. There is only so much calorie restriction and exercise one can practically and sustainably do. That's why the last 20 pounds of the 120 I lost took a whole year, after losing ~50 each of the previous two years. So when I reached my lowest weights and started thinking about transitioning from weight loss into maintenance, I considered how I looked and felt, and how much work I thought I could comfortably do to maintain a loss. I was very pleased with my body at a muscular 155, but it was very difficult to maintain. It may turn out that 160 is a more realistic maintenance weight for this middle-aged woman!

The point is that I am not in a position to make those decisions now, when I am around 200 pounds. The time to make those decisions in when I am at or near those weights, and in a position to try out different approaches and see what feels most sustainable. So my advice is, don't fret too much about your ultimate goals. Concentrate instead on what you are going to do today to help you stick to your plan.
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Old 01-12-2017, 12:37 PM   #5  
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I started out at 275, and lost 120 pounds between roughly August 2009 and October 2012. I have since gained about 40 of that back, and I'm working off the regain now. I'm a little shorter than you are - 5'5" when I stand very straight.

I never set a numerical goal. I had no idea when I started what the right goal weight would look like or feel like. And more than that, whether I declared my goal weight to be 170 or 160 or 150 just had no bearing at all on the choices I made or the work I had to do until I got very close to those numbers. So I put the goal weights out of my mind until I was actually down around 170 and making decisions about what to do next.

As one gets closer to a healthy weight, it becomes more difficult to lose. There is only so much calorie restriction and exercise one can practically and sustainably do. That's why the last 20 pounds of the 120 I lost took a whole year, after losing ~50 each of the previous two years. So when I reached my lowest weights and started thinking about transitioning from weight loss into maintenance, I considered how I looked and felt, and how much work I thought I could comfortably do to maintain a loss. I was very pleased with my body at a muscular 155, but it was very difficult to maintain. It may turn out that 160 is a more realistic maintenance weight for this middle-aged woman!

The point is that I am not in a position to make those decisions now, when I am around 200 pounds. The time to make those decisions in when I am at or near those weights, and in a position to try out different approaches and see what feels most sustainable. So my advice is, don't fret too much about your ultimate goals. Concentrate instead on what you are going to do today to help you stick to your plan.
Congrats!!! You have a phenomenal job!!! I think you are right about not concentrating so much about the number. The real goal is to get healthy and feel good in my body.
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