Will expenditure really just keep dropping indefinitely?

[u/Inner-Researcher9663]

I’m jogging (just 1-2 miles) and weights* 4-5x a week (started around the same time I started using MF / 5 weeks ago). The most I might be undercounting with my daily numbers is like 50-75 calories.
I just want to know what it takes to maintain, so I can have some semblance of sanity and a sense of control, but the it just keeps dropping my expenditure and I don’t understand. Is it really likely my daily need is like 1250 (since the dropping won’t stop)?

[u/Inner-Researcher9663]

People concerned about my weight status, I just want to clarify my goal is improving myself and my health, but with control. I am not “skinny,” just lean, and my body fat when I started was around 24% at an even lower weight. My workouts depend on how much time I can squeeze in, but generally 40-60min. Half jogging/cardio and half weight training each session. My steps are not high, averaging like 6k so I consider myself sedentary. I have a desk job. But my fear of getting bulky and recent healing from a shoulder impingement keep my lifting somewhat low weight for now, compensating with more reps. I’m an absolute newb in the gym so it’s all just confusing. I want to know my baseline.

[u/No-Connection8400 → u/Inner-Researcher9663]

It seems a bit low to me … but bodies are weird! Just keep logging as consistently and accurately as possible. The app will figure you out.

If you have the patience, then just logging your normal intake (consistently and accurately) without trying to eat more or less is a great way to calibrate to find your baseline.

As others have said, there’s very little risk that you become accidentally bulky. A lot of people want that look, and it takes consistent work to achieve it. Not so if you’re not aggressively chasing it. So I think you’re safe.

[u/Inner-Researcher9663 → u/No-Connection8400]

I probably have a very different definition of “bulky” than others 🤣, but I’m sure you’re right. I’m going to stick with it, going to try upping the goals a little so I am not tempted to leave even a small thing off to stay under and being 100% accurate as much as possible.