How many calories do you eat a day?

Miaauw

What's your limit you have put on here? I calculated my TDEE/BMR and subtracted 20% as instructed, which left me with about 1200 calories. I do not eat back the calories 'earned' from exercise.

melonaulait

TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. If you're only eating 1200, you basically should eat back all exercise calories. Your net calories at the end of the day should always come up to 1200.

ilex70

1200 to 1300 and I don't eat back exercise calories. Thinking of slowly increasing that though.

Mind you I'm quite fat...still on the bottom edge of obese. This calculator says my max fat metabolism (daily calories available from fat stores) is 2394.

1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

nordlead2005

Miaauw wrote: »

What's your limit you have put on here? I calculated my TDEE/BMR and subtracted 20% as instructed, which left me with about 1200 calories. I do not eat back the calories 'earned' from exercise.

well, for starters, TDEE != BMR.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is essentially your resting burn rate. If you slept all day you would burn BMR number of calories.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is, as the name implies, all of the energy you expend in a day.

If you are using TDEE-20%, then you wouldn't eat back exercise calories, as that would cause you to eat more than TDEE-20%. You eat back exercise calories when you use the MFP method, which separates normal activity calories from exercise calories.

If TDEE-20%=1200, then your TDEE is ~1500, which would mean you are very small and inactive. Since the number is so low and you combined TDEE and BMR above, I wouldn't be shocked if 1500 is your BMR and your TDEE is probably closer to 2000-2100.

leahcollett1

i eat 1600 calories as i too work from tdee -20%, however mine should be 1700 as i workout 3 times a week, ive deducted 100 more due to logging inaccuracies.. this is the first week back doing this, ill let everyone know my outcome on thursday ( weigh in day)

CassidyScaglione

1400. Tried 1200 but was always hungry. And I eat back 75% burned cals.

nadler64

I too did 1200/day and was always hungry. So I calculated it both ways (TDEE and MFP). My BMR is just under 1300 and my TDEE is around 2000. So if I eat in the range of 1300 (BMR) to 1600 (TDEE *0.8) I have plenty of energy, and I'm still losing weight slowly.


FWIW:
5'6"
F, age 51
144 lbs.
Moderately active (I work out 6 to 7 days a week but went with the moderate, just to be conservative)

Hornsby

3000 on a cut...

Lounmoun

5'4" 154 lb 41 year old sedentary female
My goal is 1200 calories. I do eat some exercise calories. I usually eat between 1200-1500 calories.

diannethegeek

1700-1800 to lose one pound a week.

jeepinshawn

I average about 2900 for my tdee.

harrybananas

3500.

JackieMarie1989jgw

5'5" and 135 lb. I have it set to 1400 but actually eat 1650 because of breastfeeding. I have been losing weight on that for a couple weeks (stared at 138).
Confession: I know the term BMR but not sure what people mean when they say "TDEE". I followed the guided set up from mfp, calling myself "lightly active" (I'm a nurse) and goal to lose 1lb/week

mkakids

Im 5'5", 169#. I eat 1300 on non exercise days to lose 1.5# a week. I generally average 1500 with around half my exercise calories

juggernaut1974

All of them

gramarye

Between 1700 - 2000, depending on how active I've been that day, how hungry I am, and how dedicated to my deficit I'm being.

callsitlikeiseeit

i follow a modified tdee (i'm 5'1). 1500 and do not eat back gym calories, but my runs are not calculated in that number, so those calories i will eat if i want/need them.

williams969

Daily average is 1800 (gross, not net) to lose .75-1lb/wk. My personal average TDEE is close to 2200.

lorib642

I have it set at 1330. I do eat back calories. I don't net under 1200.

fitdaisygrrl

Between 1440 and 1750 (higher end on exercise days, lower end on rest days). I've been averaging 1.5-2 lbs a week.

jemhh

Around 1680 these days. That's total eaten.

shadows2424

A little less or more than 1500. But i dont eat back exercise calories taking my daily intake down to 1200.

bendyourkneekatie

I was set at 1650, have recently dropped to 1550, this all includes breastfeeding but I think my 19 month old is drinking less, hence dropping calories.
I eat 50-70% exercise, so I usually end up eating 2000-2200.

CeeBeeSlim

1400. Was 1200 but personal trainer said with all my exercise ( every day for about 1.5 hrs) that was way too low, especially with just about 5 pounds to lose. Was gonna not take her advice, go back to 1200 as I knew I could lose more faster as I did twice before to reach my goal weight. Then I recalled that each of those two times I had in time gained the weight back. So, 1400 it is...Slow and steady...

quiksylver296

40 yoa female, 5'9", 178 lbs, currently losing at 1930 calories per day

jeepinshawn

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

1400. Was 1200 but personal trainer said with all my exercise ( every day for about 1.5 hrs) that was way too low, especially with just about 5 pounds to lose. Was gonna not take her advice, go back to 1200 as I knew I could lose more faster as I did twice before to reach my goal weight. Then I recalled that each of those two times I had in time gained the weight back. So, 1400 it is...Slow and steady...

Just want to add that it really makes no difference in how fast you lose the weight. Fast or slow doesn't matter, its how you eat when your done losing weight that counts. Losing slower can help you get used to eating smaller portions for an extended period I guess, but ultimately you will still need to find your maintenance range and stick with those calories.

pinggolfer96

Bulking: 3600-4000
Cutting: 2400-2800

Francl27

All you have to do is figure out your TDEE (not the same as BMR, as mentioned above, as it includes all your activity and exercise) and deduct 15-20% from that.

For me it's about 1900 calories - 5'5", 37yo, 136 pounds.

CeeBeeSlim

Oooh, Jeepinshawn. I see your point. So if I lost my 5 pounds by end of February by eating 1200, than end of March by eating 1400 (just throwing the timeline out as an example) you're saying as long as I get my maintenance right (gotta learn what that is), I'm not risking "backsliding" in any way?

no_russian

Cutting now at around 1900. I completely disregard calories burned from exercise

tomteboda

I'm 5'9" and 197 lbs right now. My calorie goal is just under 1600, but I walk an hour a day, plus am on my feet most days several hours. I eat around 1600-1850 most days. I have sustained a 5 lb/mo loss for 15 months.