confused on how may calories to eat to lose weight
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Barbosas77
Posts: 100 Member
I'm so confused on how many calories I should be eating to lose weight. I weigh 150 and I'm 5'0 female and I want to get to 130 and toned. I was at 120 before my daughters but I felt too small for a Latin curvy woman lol. Please please help me on how many calories to eat to lose at least 2 pounds. My day consist of sitting 8 hour a day (desk job) but I lift 4 days a week and do 30 min of hiit kick boxing 1day a week. Rest for 2 days. I calculated my TDEE and it says 1877 but MFP says 1200 calories to eat a day, I think that's so low. So you see, I need help. All of this is so confusing to me. Thank you!!
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Replies
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Sorry...meant to say 2 pounds a WEEK.0
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MFP uses the NEAT method, which doesn't include exercise, so you're expected to eat some of those calories back.0
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With only 20 lbs to lose, your goal should be closer to 0.5-0.75 lb loss per week.
Also, recognize that the MFP calculator doesn't take exercise into account, so you'd need to eat back at least a portion of those calories burnt in addition to what the calculator estimates.
I didn't crunch the numbers, but I'm guessing somewhere in the 1600 calorie range would be a good place to start. In the end, the online calculators and such are just estimators based on population averages, so you'll have to use trial and error to nail down the right amount for you.0 -
It's because of a) your goal (if you chose 2 lbs a week) and b) the fact that MFP takes exercise into account AFTER you do it. So at 1200, you'd log your exercise, and get more calories to eat.
If you think your TDEE is 1877, then set a custom target of 1377, to lose 1 lb a week. (500 deficit per day) If you choose this method, don't eat back exercise calories -- just eat 1377 (or thereabouts).
If your TDEE is 1877, you cannot healthily lose 2 lbs a week. You'd be eating 877, which is way, way too low.0 -
Barbosas77 wrote: »I'm so confused on how many calories I should be eating to lose weight. I weigh 150 and I'm 5'0 female and I want to get to 130 and toned. I was at 120 before my daughters but I felt too small for a Latin curvy woman lol. Please please help me on how many calories to eat to lose at least 2 pounds. My day consist of sitting 8 hour a day (desk job) but I lift 4 days a week and do 30 min of hiit kick boxing 1day a week. Rest for 2 days. I calculated my TDEE and it says 1877 but MFP says 1200 calories to eat a day, I think that's so low. So you see, I need help. All of this is so confusing to me. Thank you!!
If your TDEE is 1877 then to lose two pounds per week you will need to eat 877 calories. Because you will die if you eat only 877 calories the minimum MFP suggests is 1200. If you want to lose 1 pound per week you can consume 1377 calories.
fwiw; I'm not sure why buy everyone wants to lose 2 pounds per week when they start. They soon realize it's not the smartest thing to do. It's not like loosing 2 pounds per week is just a little bit harder. It's A LOT harder.0 -
I think your TDEE is what you want to eat to maintain your weight....not to lose weight. You should find out your BMR. http://iifym.com/ has a good calculator for that and you can log in exercise time, for how much to eat and still lose!0
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Well, MFP expects you to log your exercise and eat the calories the workouts give you. So MFP is 1200+exercise calorie burns.
You shouldn't be aiming for more than 2lbs per week. 1-2 lbs per week is the amount recommended for safe healthy weight loss.
The differences:- TDEE gives you the same number of calories everyday regardless of what you do (MFP adds calories when you workout so you eat more some days and less others)
- TDEE is likely not giving you 2lbs per week loss. 20% off mine gives me 19xx calories for a little less than 1lb per week loss. Most TDEE calculators I know of give you a goal taking 10-20% off (and a few go up to 30% off), but generally these percentages don't get you 2 lbs per week loss.
Just follow MFP and eat 50-75% (adjusting up or down as needed after a month) of your exercise calorie burns. Try not to make it any more confusing than it has to be.0 -
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That's the website I went to get my TDEE.
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ncboiler89 wrote: »Barbosas77 wrote: »I'm so confused on how many calories I should be eating to lose weight. I weigh 150 and I'm 5'0 female and I want to get to 130 and toned. I was at 120 before my daughters but I felt too small for a Latin curvy woman lol. Please please help me on how many calories to eat to lose at least 2 pounds. My day consist of sitting 8 hour a day (desk job) but I lift 4 days a week and do 30 min of hiit kick boxing 1day a week. Rest for 2 days. I calculated my TDEE and it says 1877 but MFP says 1200 calories to eat a day, I think that's so low. So you see, I need help. All of this is so confusing to me. Thank you!!
If your TDEE is 1877 then to lose two pounds per week you will need to eat 877 calories. Because you will die if you eat only 877 calories the minimum MFP suggests is 1200. If you want to lose 1 pound per week you can consume 1377 calories.
fwiw; I'm not sure why buy everyone wants to lose 2 pounds per week when they start. They soon realize it's not the smartest thing to do. It's not like loosing 2 pounds per week is just a little bit harder. It's A LOT harder.
Yes I would die! But you and another person said the same as far as just adjusting it to 1377. I'm gonna try that and not eat my calories burned
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Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
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Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
No. BMR is not a figure you should be basing anything on. There are a lot of myths about BMR.
She understands that you eat less than your TDEE. Specifically, 500 calories less per day, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Hence 1377.
She could eat her BMR, or any other calorie target between 1200 and her TDEE. But there's no reason to eat her BMR, specifically. Your TDEE gives the WHOLE picture of what you burn. To lose weight, you eat less than you burn. To predict and plan your weight loss, you need to know your total burn, and subtract from that... aka your TDEE.
And MFP does not give 1200 calories as a general guide. It gives it as a minimum.
IMO, she should choose between MFP at sedentary, 1 lb per week, eating back exercise calories, or TDEE - 500 calories. (-20% would be even slower, and if she can manage the 1377, she'll be at a pace I think she'll be happier with) -- BMR is largely irrelevant, and primarily used by calculators as a starting figure to help get your TDEE (or NEAT).
And I see she's chosen to try 1377, which is a great, simple starting point.0 -
futuremanda wrote: »Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
No. BMR is not a figure you should be basing anything on. There are a lot of myths about BMR.
She understands that you eat less than your TDEE. Specifically, 500 calories less per day, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Hence 1377.
She could eat her BMR, or any other calorie target between 1200 and her TDEE. But there's no reason to eat her BMR, specifically. Your TDEE gives the WHOLE picture of what you burn. To lose weight, you eat less than you burn. To predict and plan your weight loss, you need to know your total burn, and subtract from that... aka your TDEE.
And MFP does not give 1200 calories as a general guide. It gives it as a minimum.
IMO, she should choose between MFP at sedentary, 1 lb per week, eating back exercise calories, or TDEE - 500 calories. (-20% would be even slower, and if she can manage the 1377, she'll be at a pace I think she'll be happier with) -- BMR is largely irrelevant, and primarily used by calculators as a starting figure to help get your TDEE (or NEAT).
And I see she's chosen to try 1377, which is a great, simple starting point.
Now I AM confused . LOL For me my BMR is the same as 500 calories less than my TDEE. So basically, we are saying the same thing in different ways.0 -
futuremanda wrote: »Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
No. BMR is not a figure you should be basing anything on. There are a lot of myths about BMR.
She understands that you eat less than your TDEE. Specifically, 500 calories less per day, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Hence 1377.
She could eat her BMR, or any other calorie target between 1200 and her TDEE. But there's no reason to eat her BMR, specifically. Your TDEE gives the WHOLE picture of what you burn. To lose weight, you eat less than you burn. To predict and plan your weight loss, you need to know your total burn, and subtract from that... aka your TDEE.
And MFP does not give 1200 calories as a general guide. It gives it as a minimum.
IMO, she should choose between MFP at sedentary, 1 lb per week, eating back exercise calories, or TDEE - 500 calories. (-20% would be even slower, and if she can manage the 1377, she'll be at a pace I think she'll be happier with) -- BMR is largely irrelevant, and primarily used by calculators as a starting figure to help get your TDEE (or NEAT).
And I see she's chosen to try 1377, which is a great, simple starting point.
Now I AM confused . LOL For me my BMR is the same as 500 calories less than my TDEE.
For YOU. Not for everyone.0 -
futuremanda wrote: »Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
No. BMR is not a figure you should be basing anything on. There are a lot of myths about BMR.
She understands that you eat less than your TDEE. Specifically, 500 calories less per day, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Hence 1377.
She could eat her BMR, or any other calorie target between 1200 and her TDEE. But there's no reason to eat her BMR, specifically. Your TDEE gives the WHOLE picture of what you burn. To lose weight, you eat less than you burn. To predict and plan your weight loss, you need to know your total burn, and subtract from that... aka your TDEE.
And MFP does not give 1200 calories as a general guide. It gives it as a minimum.
IMO, she should choose between MFP at sedentary, 1 lb per week, eating back exercise calories, or TDEE - 500 calories. (-20% would be even slower, and if she can manage the 1377, she'll be at a pace I think she'll be happier with) -- BMR is largely irrelevant, and primarily used by calculators as a starting figure to help get your TDEE (or NEAT).
And I see she's chosen to try 1377, which is a great, simple starting point.
Now I AM confused . LOL For me my BMR is the same as 500 calories less than my TDEE.
For YOU. Not for everyone.
Well, if you calculated hers, you would see it is also the same. You may be correct but I was talking about her specifically.0 -
I get your point though. It differs for everyone...0
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If your TDEE is 1877, then losing 2 pounds per week is NOT realistic. Here is why:
1877 TDEE - 1000 (to lose 2 pounds per week) = 877. Meaning you'd need to eat a crazy low # of calories to have any chance at it. MFP bottoms out at 1200, which is what happened with you.
Two things you can do: aim to lose a lesser # per week and aim to move more. A 1 pound per week goal would put you at 1377 per day consumption: 1877 - 500 = 1377. And look for ways to walk an additional 15-30 minutes a day, even if its not super aggressive, to fit in more activity.0 -
Your BMR is more important...it's what your body uses to burn energy naturally, with no exercise. I have a similar TDEE as you (around 1860), and my BMR is 1360... With no exercise, I can eat that much and still be in 500 calorie deficit (to burn a pound a week).
Your TDEE is the MOST you could eat, without gaining weight.
To LOSE weight, you have to eat less than that. MFP does 1200 calories a day as a general guide for weight loss (and yes you can eat back exercise calories)
All I'm saying is that you can eat a little more if you want and still lose weight! lol but it's up to you...both methods work. If you do your BMR, you can still eat back half of your exercise calories too.
MFP does not do 1200 calories as a general guide for weight loss. It's a calculator. A person enters their stats and goals, MFP calculates the users daily TDEE and subtracts from that to meet the goal the person enters. 1200 is also where MFP bottoms out. In this case, as pointed out earlier, for the OP to meet their goal they would need to eat 877 calories per day. MFP won't go that low, so it displays the default basement (1200).
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