Confused at how many calories I should be eating.

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Shereewhitney88
Shereewhitney88 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Afternoon all. I will try to keep this as short and quick as possible but I am a little confused about my calories. I am a 5'3, 173 pound 27 year old female. I want to lose about 38-40 pounds. I've used a few different calorie calculators and I get a different number each time. I am not too active, I have 2 kids that I stay home with so I am up and down for/with them during the day, I clean and do the shopping etc. I try to workout 5x a week for a least 15 minutes (I know that isn't a lot but I am just now getting in the hang of this and am working my way up.) I've read that my calories should be anywhere between 1200-1700 calories, theres a big difference in those numbers and to be very honest the thought of eating 1700 calories a day makes me a bit nervous, I don't want to gain anymore weight than I already have, but I also don't want to f**k up my metabolism. I was wondering if any of you had any tips/advice/suggestions? Maybe someone who reads this will have the same stats as me or something. I am just looking for advice on how many calories you all think I should be eating a day? Help me make a decision lol

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Well...you can start by entering your stats in MFP. That's what the app is for. Put that you are lightly active perhaps.
  • Shereewhitney88
    Shereewhitney88 Posts: 87 Member
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    Lol, I did put my stats in MFP it gave me a different number than scoobys, calorie king and 2 other websites, hence my issue. But MFP says 1610, I've lost weight before but I was only eating 1200-1300 calories and that made me a little miserable. I was hungry more often than not but I am a little concerned that if I eat more than 1200 I will just gain more weight.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Shereewhitney88 wrote: »
    Lol, I did put my stats in MFP it gave me a different number than scoobys, calorie king and 2 other websites, hence my issue. But MFP says 1610, I've lost weight before but I was only eating 1200-1300 calories and that made me a little miserable. I was hungry more often than not but I am a little concerned that if I eat more than 1200 I will just gain more weight.

    Because scooby's calculates TDEE-Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which includes ALL your exercise plus daily activity level. The number it gives you before the -20% or %15 are your maintenance calories-the amount you eat to stay the same weight.

    MFP uses the NEAT method, which does not include extra exercise. I say go with the 1610. Now, if you are exercising you can input your cardio into your diary and it will allow you to eat a little bit more-but you'll still be netting 1610 and staying in the same deficit. Since you are only doing 15 minutes of exercise I would be careful about the calorie burn MFP gives you as it is typically over estimated and you may only want to eat 50% back.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
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    I go in between what MPF say and what Scoobys says. Plus I only eat maybe half my calories back that I burn. I am losing weight, so it's working for me. Hope you find your balance.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,872 Member
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    Lightly active. 1lb a week if tracking religiously, weighting food by gram, picking correct database entries. + 50% exercise eat back.

    Track weight using weightgrapher.com or similar.

    Re-evaluate based on actual loss in a few weeks.

    Eat as close as you can get to up to 0.8g per lb of bodyweight of protein if no kidney problems, and no less than 0.35 to 0.45g per lb of bodyweight of fats. The rest whatever keeps you full the longest.
  • psucato
    psucato Posts: 71 Member
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    You can eat 1200 and feel full its about what you eat also carbs matter just as much as cal. I know your pain i was 500lb when i started and a huge over eater but now im staying on a good diet at 1100 cal and down 130 lb not feeling hungry ether. If you want i can send over the specs for the diet im on may work for you. The first week sucks but after 7 days of low carb low cal you will stop feeling hungry. Feel free to add me if you want
  • Shereewhitney88
    Shereewhitney88 Posts: 87 Member
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    Wow, thank you guys for the replies!! I really really appreciate it. I think I will stick with 1600 and I probably wont eat the calories back that I burn while exercising, at least not all of them lol. I've recently cut all junk food, processed food and sweets from my diet. I've been focusing more on fruits, veggies and protein so I haven't been as hungry as I used to be eating only 1200 .. thank you guys a lot, really really helpful advice!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Shereewhitney88 wrote: »
    Wow, thank you guys for the replies!! I really really appreciate it. I think I will stick with 1600 and I probably wont eat the calories back that I burn while exercising, at least not all of them lol. I've recently cut all junk food, processed food and sweets from my diet. I've been focusing more on fruits, veggies and protein so I haven't been as hungry as I used to be eating only 1200 .. thank you guys a lot, really really helpful advice!

    Yes, please don't listen to that post about low calorie diets. 1600 should be good. If you are finding you are losing faster than planned, eat back a few of your exercise calories. If you are losing very much slower, tighten up your logging. Remember you can eat all foods in moderation so if you want some of your favorite things, put it on a food scale and make it fit in your day! Good luck.

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