lord_emperor
Golden Member
About 2 months ago I started a serious attempt to improve my health, I have a strong motivation. At that time I weighed 274lbs and physical activity was next to nothing outside some half-hearted attempts once in a while.
Anyway I read a lot and started using myfitnesspal to track my calories and set goals. It calculated I should consume ~1700 net calories / day to lose 2lbs/week. This was accounting for my weight and activity level (I work a desk job and my hobbies mostly involve sitting as well). I am really precise about logging my food to the extent of pouring drinks with a measuring cup and food on a digital scale.
I found that I was not eating enough "food" left to my own devices even if I didn't choose to exercise. I started eating more good food and exercising, I've worked my way up from 20 minutes on a stationary bike every day at the "easy" setting to 30 minutes on the stationary bike on "medium" to riding a real bike 14Km each way to work. I push myself every second I ride to go faster / work harder / get a better time (improved 5 minutes since I started).
I've lost 28lbs in 9 weeks.
Now at this point I am a bit confused about how to calculate my food needs. My net goal at this weight is 1600 calories/day. Subjectively my activity level isn't "sedentary" any more - just getting to & from work is more than 8 hours and 140Km, but increasing my "lifestyle" adds a load of calorie requirement. It's confusing because it seems like my exercise is calculated independently. Should I increase the "activity level" and eat more?
As an aside is the calorie calculation I'm getting for my workout realistic? I use mapmywide to track and calculate my rides. I weigh 246lbs and ride ~8.67 miles in ~50 minutes with an average speed of ~10.5MPH with an elevation change of 193ft. The sum of both ways is usually 1100-1200 calories. Any online calculator that factors in weight seems to agree +/- 10% - does that sound right?
FWIW I actually find it difficult to eat the ~2800 calories accounting for a deficit and workout. Each morning I have oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts (ever increasing amount of nuts), lunch is dinner leftovers or something my wife gets form work - today is carrot soup and pasta with vegetables, dinner is home cooked food with a much stronger focus on vegetables than before. I don't eat candy/snacks, didn't drink soda to begin with. I sometimes have cake or pastry but a ridiculously small piece - one does not simply decline cake his wife bought for him. I often fall >500 calories short and I'm already full at lunch/dinner and can't stand eating more in the morning.
So, do the numbers seem accurate and am I eating enough?
Anyway I read a lot and started using myfitnesspal to track my calories and set goals. It calculated I should consume ~1700 net calories / day to lose 2lbs/week. This was accounting for my weight and activity level (I work a desk job and my hobbies mostly involve sitting as well). I am really precise about logging my food to the extent of pouring drinks with a measuring cup and food on a digital scale.
I found that I was not eating enough "food" left to my own devices even if I didn't choose to exercise. I started eating more good food and exercising, I've worked my way up from 20 minutes on a stationary bike every day at the "easy" setting to 30 minutes on the stationary bike on "medium" to riding a real bike 14Km each way to work. I push myself every second I ride to go faster / work harder / get a better time (improved 5 minutes since I started).
I've lost 28lbs in 9 weeks.
Now at this point I am a bit confused about how to calculate my food needs. My net goal at this weight is 1600 calories/day. Subjectively my activity level isn't "sedentary" any more - just getting to & from work is more than 8 hours and 140Km, but increasing my "lifestyle" adds a load of calorie requirement. It's confusing because it seems like my exercise is calculated independently. Should I increase the "activity level" and eat more?
As an aside is the calorie calculation I'm getting for my workout realistic? I use mapmywide to track and calculate my rides. I weigh 246lbs and ride ~8.67 miles in ~50 minutes with an average speed of ~10.5MPH with an elevation change of 193ft. The sum of both ways is usually 1100-1200 calories. Any online calculator that factors in weight seems to agree +/- 10% - does that sound right?
FWIW I actually find it difficult to eat the ~2800 calories accounting for a deficit and workout. Each morning I have oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts (ever increasing amount of nuts), lunch is dinner leftovers or something my wife gets form work - today is carrot soup and pasta with vegetables, dinner is home cooked food with a much stronger focus on vegetables than before. I don't eat candy/snacks, didn't drink soda to begin with. I sometimes have cake or pastry but a ridiculously small piece - one does not simply decline cake his wife bought for him. I often fall >500 calories short and I'm already full at lunch/dinner and can't stand eating more in the morning.
So, do the numbers seem accurate and am I eating enough?
