Am I eating the right calories??

musicminx
musicminx Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

I have been loosing some weight in a lot of different ways (Atkins, Almased etc.) but I am now trying to figure out how to eat normal. I have set my calorie goal to 1350 cal pd but that seems to be too much as I have just put 1kg back on. :/ I am 1.65m tall, 32 years old and weigh 81kg. I walk a lot and I go swimming once a week.
I have checked my BMI and it suggests setting my calories to 1200 per day...so I have just changed that. However, I would like to know if it makes a big difference depending on what I eat as well? I tend to eat more carbs than protein since leaving my diets...what type of filling protein can I eat?

Thank you guys!:)

Replies

  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    For calories, I suggest finding a TDEE calculator online. Subtract 20% from your TDEE if you want to lose weight, and make that your calorie goal.

    For macros, I personally suggest setting minimums for protein and fat. 1 gram of protein per pound lean body weight (not sure what that is in kg, but I am sure it's somewhere through google, lol) and 0.35 grams of fat per pound total body weight is what I recommend. You CAN go over those amounts, but try not to go under them. The rest can be carbs, or more fat and protein (whatever you prefer).

    Filling protein...chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, lean pork, etc. You can get small amounts from dairy and veggies, but you have to eat a lot more veggies to get the same amount of protein. Vegetarians like to tell you that there's more protein in veggies (technically they are right here) but they forget to tell you the amount of food you will have to ingest to get all that protein, lol.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Based on your stats your BMR would be in the neighbourhood of 1584 and,using lightly active with the Harris Benedict equation (1.375 x BMR) your TDEE is 2178. If you subtract 20% from TDEE your daily intake should be in a little over 1700 cal per day which should give you an average weight loss of 400g or so per week.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ (sorry, it's not metric)

    Your weight gain, if you're eating 1350 cal per day, would not be fat; it's more likely water retention related to increased carb consumption (1g of glycogen bonds with 3g of water for storage in muscle)
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    The guys above have given good advice. DONT go down to 1200 calories, you wont make the journey as it's way too low and you will get miserable.

    Google some TDEE calculators and take it from there or just use the calculations on the MFP. I lost my weight with them and they worked fine for me.

    Don't rush the weight loss. Take it slowly (it will be worth it in the long run as this is about building habits rather than a crash diet so you can maintain your lower weight when you reach it). Do not aim to lose more than a pound each week. Some weeks you might lose 2 others nothing - you just have to stick it out. Weight loss is a slow process.

    Salt, exercise, hormones, digesting food amongst others will make the scales say different things at different times. Don't take it all too seriously. Weigh in once a week or fortnight to get a picture of what is going on.

    Get some good MFP friends that have a healthy and motivating attitude to weight loss. No 1200 eaters, people that work hard to lose the weight but then also have the odd meal or special occasion and fall off the wagon, BUT then get straight back on it.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:

    p.s. I've been here for 2.5 years now. 6 months to lose two stone and nearly two years of maintenance. It's been utterly worth it and MFP provides all the tools you'll need.

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