The allowance tool should be shot and buried!

After seeing so many people using the allowance tool number and then complaining about not losing or gaining I cannot stand it anymore!

The tools on this site use a BMR equation to figure out what you burn, the number it actually gives has an activity factor already calculated into it.  This is the first thing that confuses people.  If you want your flat out BMR, calculate it yourself, CC will not give it to you.

The allowance tool (ugh makes me cringe to even think about it)  simply subtracts a deficit somewhere between 500-1000 cals from whatever you burn (depending on goal date)  This is where the mistake comes in.  There is no brain to this tool that tells the calculation to go "no stop, the number you calculated goes below the bmr!" 

Me for example.  I'm 5'5, 133 lbs, 22 years old.  When I started on this site I was 128 lbs.  I was losing weight slowly but healthy and got a little too excited when I fit in a size 4 dress one day (the only size 4 I have ever fit in, normally i'm bigger 6, small 8)  So plugged in my stats to CC and put my burn on sedentary.  I wasn't able to get to the gym very often because of school and I horseback rode 1 time per week.  I figured I would rather underestimate my burn than overestimate.  so the allowance tool told me to eat 1200 cals.  At sedentary I burn 1700 so this gave me a 500 deficit.

BIG MISTAKE!!!!

I started this 1200 cal/day diet in November 06.   By Christmas I was 135.  I had gained 7 lbs and I was not overeating.  By January 07 I was 143/4.  What??? how could I have gained 15 lbs by eating only 1200 cals.  For the next several months I started going to the gym more, but not consistantly and stayed close to the 1200-1300 cal range, I  would lose a few lbs here and there and then would be back up to 144.  At one point I went to 138 and thought I was finally losing, but within weeks I was back at 142 consistantly. 

I had always read about BMR but I never really put two and two together.  So one day while at work I sat down and researched and realized i'm starving my  body... I need to allow myself to eat.

Around Oct 2007 I wasn't counting cals, but since cal counting is pretty much engrained in my head I knew I was eating about 1400-1600/day sometimes more on the weekends.  I was still not excersing regulary.  Dec 2007 I had a schedule that allowed me to go to the gym everyday.  The first day I went, I weighed myself and the scale read....134!  10lbs gone, by eating more.  Turns out my BMR is 1450.  CC Allowance tool told me 1200, it set me up for failure.  I'm not saying to not use this tool, just be more knowledgable than I was and know your BMR first.  If it gives you a number less than your BMR, ignore it and stick to the BMR.

WOW!!! So how do you calculate your BMR??

You can go here:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

or you can divide the sedentary burn CC+ gives you by 1.2

Wow! I am sorry to hear that you have had the same issue that I have read so many others have had. I have said before that the tools need to be set up better but what do I know I am just a newbie who doesn't know any better then to follow what CC says or at least that is what I was told a number of times.

The whole 1200 thing is a crock! I went to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to get my BMR and then put that into the CC tools. I am having problems with the burn meter tool because not only is it too low for my BMR but the other day I lost 10 off the total estimate (top number)

Ok so the BIG question is would I factor in my exercise in on TOP of my BMR. I have heard so many opinions about it.

If I have a BMR of 1800 and exercise 5 days a week burning 387 calories each time and lift weights 3 days a week burning approx. 250 calories how much should I eat?

Ok, so my CC BMR reads 2060 and the BMR I got from the link is 1738.75. Quite a difference!! So on days that I dont exercise I should only be eating around 1200 calories to try to lose a pound a week, right???

Liz, my situation is very similar to what yours was.  For nearly 3 months now I'm fluctuating between the same 4 or so pounds over and over.  Just when I think I've lost, it comes right back.  I exercise intensely for about 4 - 6 hours per week.  I'm 198 lbs and I've calculated my actual BMR at about 1700 - all along I'd been eating less than that - sometimes as low as 1400 per day, even on days of 2 hours of exercise.  Starting today, I'm aiming for 1850 calories eaten per day given that I will continue to exercise 4-6 hours per week.  Perhaps I'll break it down further and do 1750 on non-exercise days, 1850 when I exercise for 1 hour, and 2000 when I exercise for 2 hours.  I really hope this helps.  Thanks for the post.

Original Post by kristinedaqueen:

Ok so the BIG question is would I factor in my exercise in on TOP of my BMR. I have heard so many opinions about it.

If I have a BMR of 1800 and exercise 5 days a week burning 387 calories each time and lift weights 3 days a week burning approx. 250 calories how much should I eat?

 BMR is the minimum number of calories you should eat in a day, it's essentially the number of calories you would burn if you were in a coma.  Just getting out of bed and sitting at a desk all day will increase your number of calories burned above your BMR.  To get an estimate of the number of calories you would burn if you were sedentary multiply your BMR by 1.2.

Once you know how many calories you would burn if you were sedentary, you can add the calories you burn through exercise to that number to get your total burn.  You should eat less than your total burn (500-1000 calories less is often recommended) but DON'T EAT LESS THAN YOUR BMR!!!, if you don't burn enough calories to get your deficit as high as you want, you can either increase the number of calories you burn (i.e. exercise more) or just accept that you'll have a smaller than desired deficit.

Original Post by keb1984:

Ok, so my CC BMR reads 2060 and the BMR I got from the link is 1738.75. Quite a difference!! So on days that I dont exercise I should only be eating around 1200 calories to try to lose a pound a week, right???

 CC does not tell you your BMR!!!!!, CC will tell you the number of calories you would burn if you were totally sedentary, but this number is higher than your BMR because just getting out of bed, taking a shower, sitting at a desk all day, etc burn additional calories.  CC calculates your sedentary burn (for you 2060) by multilying your BMR (for you 1738) by 1.2.

You should not eat less than your BMR, for you that means not eating less than 1740, if you want a deficit that's greater than the 300 or so you're getting by being sedentary, you need to increase your exercise.

That 1200 minimum rule is BS.

My BMR is 1766.  I eat 1350 a day, I burn 2100 a day using C-C tools on sed level and I've lost 7lb in a week.  No one can tell me the tool don't work on this site and I bet there's loads more people can say the same.  I think people are forgetting you have to eat less than you burn to lose weight. If I ate 1766 a day and laid in bed all day I wouldn't lose any weight.  I'm on sed level so I'm not very active if I eat 1766 my deficit would be in the 300's and that's not enough.

How much of the 7 pounds was fat? how much was water?

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by keb1984:

Ok, so my CC BMR reads 2060 and the BMR I got from the link is 1738.75. Quite a difference!! So on days that I dont exercise I should only be eating around 1200 calories to try to lose a pound a week, right???

 CC does not tell you your BMR!!!!!, CC will tell you the number of calories you would burn if you were totally sedentary, but this number is higher than your BMR because just getting out of bed, taking a shower, sitting at a desk all day, etc burn additional calories.  CC calculates your sedentary burn (for you 2060) by multilying your BMR (for you 1738) by 1.2.

You should not eat less than your BMR, for you that means not eating less than 1740, if you want a deficit that's greater than the 300 or so you're getting by being sedentary, you need to increase your exercise.

That 1200 minimum rule is BS.

 Wow! Thanks floggingsully. I have been trying to get more information about how many calories I should be consuming but I didnt get any replies.

OKAY! I am so confused this might be my problem! I am 5'5 130. I have been eating about 1400 calories per day more or less by 100. I really want to be 120 soo bad, and I think I may be losing inches but I didn't take measurements before I started this. I have been doing jogging/walking everyday, and every other day been doing a full muscle workout with 5 lbs. 

M-F I go to school for an auto body technician sometimes were in the class all day, and on weekends I dont really do anything but my workout. So on M-F I am lightly active, and on saturday and sundays and maybe a monday or tuesday i will be sedentary. SO sedentary says I burn 1700 a day and lightly active says 1900. The calorie target on here says to eat 1200 if i am sedentary, and lightly active says 1400. 

I went on the website to find out my BMR and it is 1446.1

So does that mean I should eat 1447 calories a day with working out, like everyday or whhhat? I am so confused! I want to be 120, I am wondering if I cant get the scale to budge because I do weight lifting three days a week. Oh and I eat very healthy usually. I MAYBE eat white potaotes or white rice like once a week. Lots of fruits, take fiber chewables, and I usually get a A or B or grading on here.

 

Am I doing anything wrong or shall I start seeing results soon? UGH!

Also I am 17 if that matters.

I heard/read somewhere that you should calculate the BMR of your goal weight.  If I calculate my current BMR it is 1809.  If I put 150 pounds as the weight I get 1453.  I am trying for 1600 per day.  Should I be eating my current BMR to lose or my goal weight BMR? 

I was doing pretty good with steady loss until this week.  I went up by 2 pounds.  My highest calorie day this past week was 1870.  I have lost 18 pounds total. 

Would you say the exercise you do is included in the light activity level? if not log your exercise and eat more cals.

According to the link above (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ ), I have a BMR of 1560.75. I had a professional BMR assessment done and I KNOW my BMR is 1788. Untill you have a professional assessment, consider all online tools to be an estimation only.

Wait, does this mean I should be eating around 1800 calories a day? That seems so high. According to cc if I do nothing I burn around 2000 calories a day (ew). However, I usually go to the gym and burn 300-700 calories (usually somewhere around 500 rounded down). However, when I insert that excercise, it only ups the amount I burn the day to about 100-200 calories less than I just burned at the gym. The site says my daily calorie intake goal is 1900, which really makes no sense to me. I've been eating ~1500 calories a day, sometimes varying up to 1700 (rarely). I find this all rather confusing.

I say use whatever works for you.  If eating at your BMR works then do that, if using the cc tools work do that.  You can listen to how everyone else loses weight, but everyone is different and loses in different ways.  Just do what's best for you.

Original Post by steffiesue75:

I heard/read somewhere that you should calculate the BMR of your goal weight.  If I calculate my current BMR it is 1809.  If I put 150 pounds as the weight I get 1453.  I am trying for 1600 per day.  Should I be eating my current BMR to lose or my goal weight BMR? 

I was doing pretty good with steady loss until this week.  I went up by 2 pounds.  My highest calorie day this past week was 1870.  I have lost 18 pounds total. 

You should use your current weight, current age, current height, current gender in calculating your BMR. However, if you have a high body fat percentage online calculators will most likely overestimate your BMR.  It's best to have it tested professionally, but you can get a ballpark idea using an online calculator. 

According to my Tanita scale I do have a high body fat%.  So Maybe it does overestimate.  I guess I should shoot for 1700 a day for a week or so and see what that does for me. 

I also workout 5 days a week.  3 spin classes a week and 2 days on other cardio machines and some weights.  Some days I walk 3 miles with the neighbor after the gym too.

Thanks flogg.

Original Post by loislain:

My BMR is 1766. I eat 1350 a day, I burn 2100 a day using C-C tools on sed level and I've lost 7lb in a week. No one can tell me the tool don't work on this site and I bet there's loads more people can say the same. I think people are forgetting you have to eat less than you burn to lose weight. If I ate 1766 a day and laid in bed all day I wouldn't lose any weight. I'm on sed level so I'm not very active if I eat 1766 my deficit would be in the 300's and that's not enough.

i'm new here, but i checked out your great weight loss (congrats!) and see that you have alot of weight to loose -- and has been attested to over and over on this website, you are losing alot of water weight right now and some fat.  over time, as you approach your ideal weight (or maybe sooner) your body will see that you keep starving it by not feeding its BMR and your weight loss will come to a screeching halt.

thats the point of everyone posting here and talking about upping calorie intake to their real BMR. (Not the CC number...)

i for one can attest to the fact that i am within 15lbs of my goal weight, and only by eating MORE food, (my BMR) and exercising, is the weight finally coming off.  i was starving my poor little body with 1200 or less calories for so long and the scales didn't budge one damn bit -- for almost a year.  the second i started not caring and eating MORE, the weight fell off.  ad naseum..this seems to be the story around here.

so congrats!  and when you hit your plateau you will see what we are talking about.  :)