How many calories?

Tuesday20

Hello!

I am confused as to how many calories I need to eat. I've always wanted to lose weight but since restarting my MFP journey I've decided that losing weight isn't really what I'm after... It is toning. (Strong being the new skinny and all!)

So, I am a TA who spends most of my day pacing corridors and up and down stairs. I do 1 cardio workout a week (swimming or running), 1 strength building workout a week and Boxercise once a week. Currently, I am on 1450 a day and I don't eat back all my exercise calories. But on rest days I am starving! Do my calories need increasing?

Thanks,
All the best,
Tuesday

TavistockToad

What weight loss goal have you set? To lose 1lb or 2?

cityruss

Real world results will answer your question.

Tailor your calories to your real world weight loss, satiety, chances of adherence, and athletic performance.

If you're very hungry, it may be worth sacrificing your rate of loss for increased intake.

kommodevaran

Set your calorie goal to maintenance.

alexgirl06

My sister, who is a nutritionist, works out several times a week. She probably works out about 5 times a week in a regular week. Anyhow, she burns calories like crazy from get work outs, so she eats a ton. I don't know about calories, but she eats the regular sized meals and snacks throughout the day.

However, my sister is extremely active. Her workouts are always intense. Additionally, she doesn't eat junk at all. Get meals are full of fruits and veggies, lean fats, and a diverse array of nutrients. She doesn't eat any refined carbs or sugars and I haven't seen her eat fast food in at least five years. Her version of indulging is some cheese or some dark chocolate.

If you're working out, you have to eat, but you have to eat the right things. I don't recommend eating to full. Eat to satisfied. When I ask my sister how do I fill myself up on a healthy diet, she tells me protein rich foods like nuts and foods high in fiber. Hope that helps!

alexgirl06

I want to add that my sister always tells me a little bit of hunger is not a bad thing. If you've eaten a good, hearty meal and you are still a little bit hungry, it's not a bad thing. You probably need to learn to gauge your body better and figure out if your body is actually hungry or if you are just used to eating more than you're supposed to. (And by no means does she mean starve yourself. She says that for the benefit of people who are trying to lose weight but are used to eating large portions. They tend to feel hungry even after they've consumed all the nutrients and calories their body actually needs.)

Sued0nim

Yeah nuts aren't particularly protein rich for the calories

And you can't judge calorie needs without your own data

OP set to maintenance, start there

Follow a progressive resistance programme, eat adequate protein (minimum 0.64-0.8g per lb bw)

A programme like strong curves or stronlifts5x5 ..they tend to be 3x a week and good for beginners

kimny72

cityruss wrote: »

Real world results will answer your question.

Tailor your calories to your real world weight loss, satiety, chances of adherence, and athletic performance.

If you're very hungry, it may be worth sacrificing your rate of loss for increased intake.

^ This. If you are really hungry on rest days, eat an extra couple of hundred calories when you need to. After 4 weeks, see what happens. If you don't gain weight, you know you're good . If your weight starts creeping up, you know you are eating too much.

The formulas can only give you an estimate - it's through trial and error you will find the correct calorie level. If you find that you are hungry on the correct calorie level, try playing with your macros. Everyone is different, but I found I was eating a little high on the carbs and fat and a little low on the protein, and when I increased my protein it was a lot easier to stick to my goal. Like I said though it's different for everyone, it again comes down to trial and error. Good luck!