Rounding up my calories

Okay so I'm 5'2 and I'm 18 and 97lbs my doctor said my daily calories are 1500 but she rounded it up . I don't understand ... To maintain I need 1470 but if I eat 1500 I'd gain slowly . So should I eat 1470 or just round it up ? I really don't want to gain weight that's Definetly not the goal

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Your ideal weight is 109 to 136, definitely round up! You need to gain 9 pounds, I'd start at 1900 at least. Good luck!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    At 5"2 and 97 pounds you're underweight so you could do with putting a few pounds on.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Round up. That is a good idea.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    _Zardoz_ wrote: »
    At 5"2 and 97 pounds you're underweight so you could do with putting a few pounds on.

  • 21million
    21million Posts: 113 Member
    I am not concerned that you are a little under weight because BMI charts are loose, sucky guidelines and I don't know your body composition but I am a little interested in your fear of 30 calories extra per day. It sounds like a precursor to anorexia.

    If you don't want to gain and your doctor isn't recommending you gain and asked you to eat 1500 cals you will be fine. The extra 30 calories won't kill you. If you're super worried about 30 calories walk through your house an extra time per day, or something.
  • MscGray
    MscGray Posts: 304 Member
    21million wrote: »
    I am not concerned that you are a little under weight because BMI charts are loose, sucky guidelines and I don't know your body composition but I am a little interested in your fear of 30 calories extra per day. It sounds like a precursor to anorexia.

    If you don't want to gain and your doctor isn't recommending you gain and asked you to eat 1500 cals you will be fine. The extra 30 calories won't kill you. If you're super worried about 30 calories walk through your house an extra time per day, or something.
    true story, good catch.
    OP you could stand to gain a few pounds too, I'm sure that's why he "rounded up"
    although if your really that worried, consider that it would take you over 3 months eating these 30 extra cals to put on a single pound, maybe that will help you relax a little about it :wink:
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    30 calories a day are not going to pack on the pounds. I'm sure you're fine to round up.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited October 2014
    mo624 wrote: »
    Okay so I'm 5'2 and I'm 18 and 97lbs my doctor said my daily calories are 1500 but she rounded it up . I don't understand ... To maintain I need 1470 but if I eat 1500 I'd gain slowly . So should I eat 1470 or just round it up ? I really don't want to gain weight that's Definetly not the goal
    You have your ticker set to lose 7 more pounds, which would put you at 90 pounds. You are afraid 30 extra calories a day is going to make you gain weight and you want to lose 7 pounds, which means you either have an eating disorder or you are on the road to one. Hopefully your doctor sees this.

    The best of luck to you.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    You don't need exactly 1470 calories every day to maintain. Ito's fine to round up and you do need to gain weight.

    According to one calculator, assuming 8hrs sleep and 1hr standing/walking (which is easily feasible for anyone who isn't bed-ridden - I have had 4hrs on a Sunday from just cooking food and showering), you could maintain at around 1650-1750. So... I'd actually recommend using the first two calculators linked on my profile, be honest with your daily activity, and then average those two numbers out and add 50 calories every week until you reach that number and to not weigh yourself at all after that. Once you have reached your estimated maintenance, eat that for a month, and THEN weigh yourself. If you are the same weight (1-2lbs heavier is nothing to freak out over, as it'd likely be water weight) then add another 100 cals to that and monitor your weight, if you gain 0.5lbs every week then stay at that until you stop gaining. Once you reach a healthier weight, whatever your doctors believe will work best for you, then you can recalculate with the calculators I will link below and see what your estimated maintenance should be, and lower it to that if it's lower than what you are eating.

    1900 cals as rec'd above might be higher than you need, though. You don't need to gain at the same rate that people lose, so calculate and see what is recommended.

    exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
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