How many cals should I be eating

almas512

I am about 132 pounds, 5'3", 18 years old (almost 19 in a month). My BFP is 23. I'm not overweight but I used to be 120 and it looked great on me. I am working out 5 days a week 30 mins cardio (interval stuff sometimes) and then 30 mins strength/core exercises all in an hour back to back (a 3 min break in between both). I eat about 1500-1600 cals a day and I am higher on fats and proteins although some days I'll eat more and healthy carbs if I'm feeling tired. I love all food so this diet is actually enjoyable because I also just feel healthier. I also live at university so I walk 10k-13k steps a day. My first goal is to get to 125 by mid March. Is this all realistic?

Cynsonya

You should enter all your information and MFP will give you recommendations. That said, it sounds like your maintenance calories should be around 2080. So if you stayed at your current calorie level you could lose approximately 1 pound a week. But you're already awfully close to goal weight and should probably only go for .5 pound a week. So around 1800 would be a better number. Of course that number would most likely be even higher because of your exercise calories.

You really should just enter all your info and exercise into MFP, lol.

Yi5hedr3

Make sure you pump iron BEFORE doing Cardio. Use that Glycogen for the iron, and THEN burn the fat for the cardio.

almas512

Cynsonya wrote: »

You should enter all your information and MFP will give you recommendations. That said, it sounds like your maintenance calories should be around 2080. So if you stayed at your current calorie level you could lose approximately 1 pound a week. But you're already awfully close to goal weight and should probably only go for .5 pound a week. So around 1800 would be a better number. Of course that number would most likely be even higher because of your exercise calories.

You really should just enter all your info and exercise into MFP, lol.

Thanks, it told me 1640 cals if I want to lose 1 pound a week. But I stay under that a bit to be honest and I don't trust the numbers. My body honestly feels well nourished at 1400 as well. Some days I go less some days more. I thing if I fluctuate daily from 1400-1600 that would be fine right?

Cynsonya

almas512 wrote: »

Cynsonya wrote: »

You should enter all your information and MFP will give you recommendations. That said, it sounds like your maintenance calories should be around 2080. So if you stayed at your current calorie level you could lose approximately 1 pound a week. But you're already awfully close to goal weight and should probably only go for .5 pound a week. So around 1800 would be a better number. Of course that number would most likely be even higher because of your exercise calories.

You really should just enter all your info and exercise into MFP, lol.

Thanks, it told me 1640 cals if I want to lose 1 pound a week. But I stay under that a bit to be honest and I don't trust the numbers. My body honestly feels well nourished at 1400 as well. Some days I go less some days more. I thing if I fluctuate daily from 1400-1600 that would be fine right?

You should be fine if you feel good. Not tired, dragging all day, hungry or grouchy.

rileysowner

The issue is more a matter of where you weight loss comes from. The less body fat you have to lose, the less fat you can burn in a day, the rest of the weight loss comes from lean mass. That is why when a person has as little to lose as you do, it is advisable to reduce the weekly weight loss goal, which means eating more. I have no idea how carefully you are measuring your food, that is, whether you are using a kitchen scale for solids and measuring spoons and cups for liquids, or using measuring cups for all of them, or just estimating serving sizes, but if you are measuring using a kitchen scale for all solid measures, and cups and measuring spoons for those true liquids, then changing your goal and eating more might be a good idea.

Also realize that MFP's calorie goal does not include your intended exercise. That means you are supposed to eat back at least some of the calories you burn exercising to keep your calorie deficit at a point where you are losing primarily fat rather than a lot of lean mass.