Please help figure daily caloric needs

brit__2006

25
FEMALE
188 LBS
5'7

MFP says 1360 calories. I don't want to end up eating too little because it already hurts my stomach everytime I eat. I'm curious if this website is right about what I should be eating or not. I need help or atleast advice on what I need or need to look in to. I'm trying to keep carbs lower because of my PCOS, it seems to help with weightloss that way.

I have a desk job in which I work 48 hours each scheduled week (4 days on 4 days off). On those day I make sure I get in atleast 30/ mins of working out. When I'm off work however I'm active almost all day. Whether it be working out, cleaning, mowing, garden work, etc. Not very much time spent resting.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

drefaw

You prob need to be eating around 1700-1800 cal/day
170g protein
75g Fats
and the rest in Carbs .......

But that is just an educated guess ......

brit__2006

It doesn't feel like 1360 is too low when it comes to me feeling hungry, but when it comes to working out and being dizzy or never feeling rested it makes me think that is too low.

Thanks for the info, I'm going to try to get as much info as I can and probably start upping my calories. Which I guess needs to be done slowly huh?

KarenJanine

1360 sounds pretty low for someone of your weight and height.

Using Scooby's workshop calculator based on your height, age and weight it gives:

BMR 1664
TDEE 1997
TDEE -20% 1598

So 1598 is the minimum you should be eating. Bear in mind these numbers are for if you are sedentary. If you add in exercise then you should be eating back some of those exercise calories, or re-calculate your TDEE to include your activity level. From your description you could well fit into the Moderately Active category which would give you the following numbers:

BMR 1664
TDEE 2580
TDEE -20% 2064

jzammetti

1350 sounds right IF you eat back all of your workout calories burned (that is how mfp is set up, expecting that you will eat back calories).

mfp sets my goal for 1 pound loss per week to 1200 - but I am so active that I average about 1750 per day to lose that 1 pound per week.

brit__2006

@ karen
So you think by those calculations if I eat 2000 calories a day, I can still lose? I was thinking about 1700 felt right, but I've just always kinda went by what the doctors say, but they haven't ever told me to eat my calories back. Also when going up in calories how quickly would you suggest?

brit__2006

@ jzammetti
So lets just say that I don't eat my calories back (not in those terms). I workout in the evenings usually and then it's too late to eat after. So if i know I'm going to burn between 3-500 calories (depending on day) and mfp says I need 1360 then that would be the same as eat 1660-1860 right?

KarenJanine

@ karen
So you think by those calculations if I eat 2000 calories a day, I can still lose? I was thinking about 1700 felt right, but I've just always kinda went by what the doctors say, but they haven't ever told me to eat my calories back. Also when going up in calories how quickly would you suggest?

Yes, it is entirely possible that you could lose at 2000 cals per day.

Try adding in an extra 100 cals per day for a week, and then increase again. You may gain a lb or two of water weight initially but this should stabilise. The key is trying to find that number where you consistently lose around 0.5 to 1lb per week. More than this and you are probably losing too fast.

brit__2006

Ok, I can def try that. Just to give you an idea on how i've been losing it's weird to me.

6/16-197.4
6/23-192.8
6/30-191.8
7/7-191.0
7/14-188.2

So technically in 4 weeks I lost 9.2 lbs which isn't bad. I'm just trying to figure out why I feel so week and dizzy, and scared that upping my calories is going to make me gain.

jzammetti

@ jzammetti
So lets just say that I don't eat my calories back (not in those terms). I workout in the evenings usually and then it's too late to eat after. So if i know I'm going to burn between 3-500 calories (depending on day) and mfp says I need 1360 then that would be the same as eat 1660-1860 right?

Yup! it is especially important to eat more if you are seeing signs of undereating - like getting dizzy or feeling fatigued. Keep your protein high too (I eat 1 gram per pound of body weight - a little higher than I've seen recommended, but it works or me)

brit__2006

@ jzammetti

Ok thanks, since I started dropping my carbs a little more. I've been trying to eat more protein, but I can't seem to eat enough food. (feel full often) I've been eating about 80 grams a day lately, do you think adding a protein shake could be beneficial to me if I keep having trouble getting more protein than that?

jzammetti

@ jzammetti

Ok thanks, since I started dropping my carbs a little more. I've been trying to eat more protein, but I can't seem to eat enough food. (feel full often) I've been eating about 80 grams a day lately, do you think adding a protein shake could be beneficial to me if I keep having trouble getting more protein than that?

Absolutely. I have them on every workout day to fill in the calorie gap and the protein numbers.

brit__2006

@ jzammetti

Awesome. Makes sense. I've been looking into protein supplements, but wasn't sure if it would be beneficial for me. Now I'm excited to try.