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I need help on how many Calories I should Consume and how many calories i should burn

2

Replies

  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    If BMR is 1821, next step is to estimate your normal activity level. If sedentary and no exercise then your TDEE would be about 2185. A safe & easy method is to take 500 off this number, aim to eat about 1685 per day. That's a 1 pound per week loss. Then make an effort to NOT be sedentary. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Take a Zumba or dance class. Find things you like to do, and do them. The extra movement/activity/exercise (whatever you want to call it) will increase your TDEE so you're burning more than 2185 per day, meaning you'll create extra deficit based on moving more. But still eat around 1685 and not 'eat back' exercise calories.

    Thanks so much for the help :smile: So i eat the 1685 per day. but how much should i be burning a day i am going to do Leslie Sansone's Walk at home videos I did a 3 mile walk today the problem is i'm not sure how many calories i am even burning and i am going to start zumba tomorrow And again thanks so much for the help i have been so confused i have been driving my self crazy researching this stuff lol

    You could just make it easy if you just started - plug your stats and goals into MFP. Eat what MFP tells you to eat. Log food accurately. Enter your exercise. Eat 50-75% of your exercise calories (because they're generally overestimated). Readjust after 4-6 weeks if necessary.
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    veganbaum
    I have been logging since yesterday And do i need to be burning off more than 1685 calories a day? to lose a pound I'm still a little confused about that part of it There's no way i could burn that much off in a day with having 2 kids lol Again thanks so much for all your help :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    veganbaum
    I have been logging since yesterday And do i need to be burning off more than 1685 calories a day? to lose a pound I'm still a little confused about that part of it There's no way i could burn that much off in a day with having 2 kids lol Again thanks so much for all your help :)

    I second the suggestion to stick your stats in MFP, ask for 2 lbs (if that's what you want--at your weight it's fine, although if you want a few more calories as for 1.5), and eat what it says. Doing it that way you'd add in the exercise calories and eat back some of them (I'd say start with about 50-75%). For the Sansone videos you can either log walking or they are likely in the database.

    Most of the 1685 you burn is what you burn just by being alive. In fact, the BMR number you quoted in the first post is how much you'd burn if in bed all day. So you burn more than that just doing your normal activities. Exercise is on top of that, and is going to be more like 200-300, probably.
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    lemurcat12
    ok Thanks :) I am going to move my stats down to 1.5 pound even though I want to burn 2 pounds i just don't think i can burn that much i have been reading i need to burn more than what i am eating so if i eat 1600 i can't burn that much in a day i am doing the 3 mile walks and it says i am burning 391 calories so if i do Zumba i think i could burn another 300-500 and i want to aim for burning 600-800 a day
  • jacoblp
    jacoblp Posts: 13 Member
    You should aim to eat about 150-200 over your BMR.
    Burn as many calories as you like. The more you burn, the more results you will see (body fat % and weight).

    Try www.iifym.com to figure out your optimal calories and macros. Remember to set exercise to zero if you're using that calorie goal on MFP (so you can adjust total based on calories burned).
  • jacoblp
    jacoblp Posts: 13 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Plug your info into he MFP and follow the recommendations.

    Eating under your BMR is no great tragedy, but try to eat as much as you can while still losing. You're going to want to cut back on calories later and you're going to want to have some to cut! So enjoy eating as much as you can right now. :)

    Thank you so much for your Advice I just started this Diet today so far i did a 3 mile walk with Leslie Sansone and i plan on also doing Zumba and i have been putting my Calories in on here and it says i still have 600 but i dont have room for anything else but a snack lol my problem is finding food to add up to all the calories i need but thanks again for your help :)

    Sorry to double-post but I just saw this. Eating under your BMR can have same seriously negative consequences. You will lose muscle and Your metabolism will rapidly slow making it more difficult to lose weight. If your metabolism slows, you will need to take a break from your diet to repair your metabolism.
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    jacoblp
    Will i lose weight if i eat below my BMR? Everyone says take 500 off that number my BMR is 1821.75
    should i eat at 1500 to 1600 calories i am so Confused! I just don't see how i can lose weight if i am eating 1900 calories lol And don't i need to burn off more than 1900 calories if i'm eating them? Please help me figure this out
    :(
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    jacoblp so i need to eat lets say 1900 right? so where is everyone getting take 500 off for a Calorie Deficit Im confused about that part of it and how many calories i should burn a day Thanks again for your help and Advice
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    edited July 2015
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    lemurcat12
    ok Thanks :) I am going to move my stats down to 1.5 pound even though I want to burn 2 pounds i just don't think i can burn that much i have been reading i need to burn more than what i am eating so if i eat 1600 i can't burn that much in a day i am doing the 3 mile walks and it says i am burning 391 calories so if i do Zumba i think i could burn another 300-500 and i want to aim for burning 600-800 a day

    You are seriously making this too complicated (I don't mean that in a harsh way - you're just making it harder on yourself!).

    I'll repeat: plug your stats and goals into MFP. Eat what MFP tells you to eat. Log food accurately. Enter your exercise. Eat 50-75% of your exercise calories (because they're generally overestimated). Readjust after 4-6 weeks if necessary. That's it. So long as you are accurate with your food logging, you will have the deficit you tell MFP you wanted.

    As lemurcat said, most of what your body burns is just from living - from keeping your body functioning. You don't have to eat 1600 and burn more than that (edited to add - you don't need to burn more than that through exercise). If you entered your stats into MFP, and told it you want to lose 1 or 2 pounds or whatever, that number ALREADY gives you the deficit you need. So eat the number of calories MFP tells you to eat. Enter your exercise, and eat 50-75% of those calories also.

    Don't make it harder on yourself than it needs to be. That's often what leads people to quitting. Down the line, as you learn more, you can start caring more about TDEE and all that jazz.
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    and what can i possibly eat in a day to get to 1900 healthy calories lol I have a hard time getting up too 1200 calories
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    jacoblp
    Will i lose weight if i eat below my BMR? Everyone says take 500 off that number my BMR is 1821.75
    should i eat at 1500 to 1600 calories i am so Confused! I just don't see how i can lose weight if i am eating 1900 calories lol And don't i need to burn off more than 1900 calories if i'm eating them? Please help me figure this out
    :(

    It sounds like you have BMR and TDEE confused. You want to take the 500-calorie cut from your TDEE. Not BMR.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    jacoblp wrote: »
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Plug your info into he MFP and follow the recommendations.

    Eating under your BMR is no great tragedy, but try to eat as much as you can while still losing. You're going to want to cut back on calories later and you're going to want to have some to cut! So enjoy eating as much as you can right now. :)

    Thank you so much for your Advice I just started this Diet today so far i did a 3 mile walk with Leslie Sansone and i plan on also doing Zumba and i have been putting my Calories in on here and it says i still have 600 but i dont have room for anything else but a snack lol my problem is finding food to add up to all the calories i need but thanks again for your help :)

    Sorry to double-post but I just saw this. Eating under your BMR can have same seriously negative consequences. You will lose muscle and Your metabolism will rapidly slow making it more difficult to lose weight. If your metabolism slows, you will need to take a break from your diet to repair your metabolism.

    Not one size fits all.....the more you have to lose the less relevant this becomes. You have to work really hard to damage your metabolism.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1424507/warning-to-never-eat-below-your-bmr
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    i have been reading i need to burn more than what i am eating so if i eat 1600 i can't burn that much in a day

    You already do. When they say you need to burn more than what you are eating they don't mean from exercise (that would be quite unhealthy!) but from regular life+exercise.

    For example, my BMR is about 1200. I burn that if I just lie around all day. I also walk around a decent amount, so taking that into account I probably burn about 1680. And I exercise for on average around 500 calories/day. So that makes my maintenance (the calories I burn in a day) around 2180. So eating less than what I burn just means eating less than 2180. (I usually eat 1700-1800, since I am close to goal.)

    You said above that your BMR is around 1820, so your real burn even without exercise would be more like 2200, and anything less than that would be eating less than you burn. If you eat 500 calories less than you burn you lose 1 lb/week (on average).

    But the great thing about this app is that MFP figures it out for you.

    As for how much exercise you should do, I think you should do as much as you will actually enjoy or feel good from, but not so much that you burn out or get so tired you aren't doing it effectively (and as you said, you have a life on top of that). The Zumba and Sansone videos both sound fun--see how it goes, but don't go too crazy, as making it fun and not something you dread will be the key in making it part of your life.
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    ok can someone help me figure out my TDEE lol
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    and what can i possibly eat in a day to get to 1900 healthy calories lol I have a hard time getting up too 1200 calories

    What on Earth are you planning to do when you reach your goals and transition to maintenance, then? There are tons of good foods out there that will help you boost your calories. Do a little planning, expand your horizons. Losing weight really isn't as complicated as you're making it out to be.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2015
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    ok can someone help me figure out my TDEE lol

    Age 23, female

    I need some more info....height....weight.....activity level including exercise

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I plugged in as a total guess 5'5" 225 pounds, moderate exercise

    TDEE 2,830 .....so subtract 1,000 calories....you can eat 1,830 calories to lose 2 pounds a week
    With this method do not log exercise (it's in there).....if you want a record in MFP....over ride the calorie burn to 1. That way you don't double count.

    As you get closer to goal you will need to dial down 2 pounds, to 1.5 pounds, to 1 pound, to 1/2 pound. Closer to goal, you have to work to keep your existing lean muscle mass (strength training & protein goals help too).
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    ok can someone help me figure out my TDEE lol

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • michelleselmon
    michelleselmon Posts: 90 Member
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    and what can i possibly eat in a day to get to 1900 healthy calories lol I have a hard time getting up too 1200 calories

    What on Earth are you planning to do when you reach your goals and transition to maintenance, then? There are tons of good foods out there that will help you boost your calories. Do a little planning, expand your horizons. Losing weight really isn't as complicated as you're making it out to be.

    I just started this whole thing so for me It is Complicated I have no support at home I am a mother to 2 and i am trying to figure out how to lose weight the right way So i came here to try to get help I will figure out the foods i need thanks for your help!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    edited July 2015
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    michelleselmon wrote: »
    and what can i possibly eat in a day to get to 1900 healthy calories lol I have a hard time getting up too 1200 calories

    What on Earth are you planning to do when you reach your goals and transition to maintenance, then? There are tons of good foods out there that will help you boost your calories. Do a little planning, expand your horizons. Losing weight really isn't as complicated as you're making it out to be.

    I just started this whole thing so for me It is Complicated I have no support at home I am a mother to 2 and i am trying to figure out how to lose weight the right way So i came here to try to get help I will figure out the foods i need thanks for your help!

    Please see my previous response. You're making it more complicated than it needs to be. Let MFP do the work for you for a while
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    This is an example of "dialing down"

    Pound per week goals
    75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
    Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
    Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
    Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range

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