Calories & exercise.. I don't know what I am doing!

michellellelle

Hi =] I started all this week ago. I have worked out and ate right all week and gained a pound! Im constantly confused about my calories.

My info
female -5'9 - weight 212 age 35
exercise 5 days a week
mon wed fri 20 mins cardio + weight training
tues thurs - 40 mins cardio

When I first came here and used the calculator it said 1200 cals. I knew that was too low because I was starving so I have been steadily upping it. There are tons of calculators on the internet all giving me different numbers! I have been trying around 1,500 calories. I don't know if I am in starving mode or gaining muscle or why I'm not losing? Can anyone help me figure this out?

getting_fit86

I would give it some more time. Daily fluctuations of your weight are COMPLETELY normal due to uncontrollable factors like water. Since you have only been at this a week, keep it up and do not quit! You WILL see results.

What have you been eating? 1500 calories is great if you were starving on 1200. I am a firm believer in NOT being starving while 'dieting'.

Make sure you are eating whole, nutritious foods and getting in a good amount of protein. That should help. A few treats here and there are fine though - they can actually help you stay on track. I suggest eating lots of fruits and veggies if you aren't already - they keep you full due to the high water content.

Oh, and drink lots of water! If you have just started this a week ago, keep at it. You might see a large drop in weight right around the corner due to a lot of water weight coming off.

michellellelle

I have been drinking water all day everyday. I stopped drinking pepsi ( i used to have 2 a day) and I have a coffee in the morning with 1 spoon of sugar. I have been eating lots of veggies too. I went from doing nothing to working out and it is like how could i not lose weight?! I know it has only been a week but it was a long hard week lol!

MzManiak

Hi. I plugged your numbers into Fat2FitRadio.com (using 160 as a goal weight, just estimating) and these are your numbers:

BMR - 1737
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1813
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2078
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2342
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2606
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2871

I'd say to keep upping your calories, but be prepared to gain a bit until you are eating the same amount consistently. Once you are up to where you feel comfortable (not hungry, meeting daily macro needs), then you should start to see the scale move down the way you want. Make sure you are getting enough protein. (25-30%)

ETA- when you go from 0 exercise to active exercise.. you retain water around the muscles to help them recover... even if you're drinking lots and lots of water. That's why it's important to get enough protein. To also help the recovery. For you, I think it would be around 140g... not too sure... that's why I gave you the percentages so you can plug it into MFP and use that number.

257_Lag

Keep at it for a bit! I know it's hard not seeing immediate results but it will be worth it. I gained 2 pounds my first week also. I think a lot of us did.

At your weight and height I wouldn't be afraid of 1800 calories and eating back at least half of your exercise calories. Aim for consistency so even on the off chance that you don't lose you will have some history to make future adjustments.

You can do this!

michellellelle

BMR - 1737
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1813
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2078
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2342
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2606
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2871

Ok so my guess is i am moderately active =2342 does that number include exercise calories? so minus 20% I should eat around 1800?

Wilsongood

Eating more calories to lose weight? I was eating over 3k a day. EASY! I am eating less than 1k a day now and I am not hungry. Going to start lifting and doing the treadmill thing this Saturday. Never really did it. I really need to see this belly shrink a few sizes. If my chest ends up actually looking like a man's, that would be a great side effect! I guess that if I had one wish it would be for a documented program. I get confused with all the diet terms and stuff. Every web site says something different. That in itself is discouraging. Not giving up this time!

257_Lag

BMR - 1737
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1813
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2078
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2342
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2606
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2871

Ok so my guess is i am moderately active =2342 does that number include exercise calories? so minus 20% I should eat around 1800?

You can do EITHER one of the following based on those numbers:

Eat @ 2342 every day, keep your exercise consistent and do not eat the extra calories

or

Eat @ 1813, exercise when you can and eat back at least half of the extra calories (I eat them all)

It is essentially the same thing with the most important factor being how regular your exercise routine is.

Make sense?

Brige2269

There is some great advice here for you. Mine would add to get rid of all processed foods. If it comes in a box, bag or can, don't eat it. When I did that, I lost 50lbs very quick. Yes, I also gained weight when I started, it's the muscle you start to gain from lifting. Good luck to you, and feel free to add me.

MzManiak

BMR - 1737
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1813
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2078
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2342
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2606
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2871

Ok so my guess is i am moderately active =2342 does that number include exercise calories? so minus 20% I should eat around 1800?

"Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." --Taken directly from the Fat2FitRadio.com website. You would eat 2342 total - exercise included.

MzManiak

Eating more calories to lose weight? I was eating over 3k a day. EASY! I am eating less than 1k a day now and I am not hungry. Going to start lifting and doing the treadmill thing this Saturday. Never really did it. I really need to see this belly shrink a few sizes. If my chest ends up actually looking like a man's, that would be a great side effect! I guess that if I had one wish it would be for a documented program. I get confused with all the diet terms and stuff. Every web site says something different. That in itself is discouraging. Not giving up this time!

Lifting will be great for you! (Provided you have no injuries/ health risks). If you want a program, I recommend Stronglifts 5x5. It's a simple 3 exercise/day, 3 x per week, program that will leave you lean and strong quickly. All exercise videos and info can be found online- you need to pay nothing.

JayWalk39

LOTS of speculation and misinformation going on here.

First, are you tracking every single thing that you are putting into your mouth (including weighing all items)? You need to track EVERYTHING for at least 2-3 weeks to get a baseline of what your caloric intake is. Most people under estimate by at least 20%.

Secondly in order to get a PROPER caloric maintenance level you need to know your body fat % is. I have no idea what you are, but based off of weight I would assume somewhere around 35%. With that assumption, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is approximately 2450 (assuming moderate exercise 4 times a week). Again, we have no idea what you are doing for excercise or how many calories you are burning. Some people assume cardio to be walking at 3mph while others consider an Insanity workout cardio.

With a TDEE of 2450, your target caloric deficit should be your BF%...or 35% of 2450...which is a deficit of 857. This would mean that you should be consuming 1593 calories per day. This is the simplest estimate, although there are others that will put you in the same relative range. This would result in a weight loss of approximately 1.75lbs per week. A safe range.

Finally you need to get your macros straight. You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, .4 - .6 grams of fat per LBM and fill the rest in with carbs.

You are not in starvation mode, and you do not need to eat more calories. You need to train your body to adjust to fewer calories.

I wish I could correct all the misinformation on these boards. Just this single post should give you an example of how many people think they are informed. You should question EVERYTHING you read on these boards (including this if you like) and do your own research. Too many couch nutritionists on these sites.

rachseby

LOTS of speculation and misinformation going on here.

First, are you tracking every single thing that you are putting into your mouth (including weighing all items)? You need to track EVERYTHING for at least 2-3 weeks to get a baseline of what your caloric intake is. Most people under estimate by at least 20%.

Secondly in order to get a PROPER caloric maintenance level you need to know your body fat % is. I have no idea what you are, but based off of weight I would assume somewhere around 35%. With that assumption, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is approximately 2450 (assuming moderate exercise 4 times a week). Again, we have no idea what you are doing for excercise or how many calories you are burning. Some people assume cardio to be walking at 3mph while others consider an Insanity workout cardio.

With a TDEE of 2450, your target caloric deficit should be your BF%...or 35% of 2450...which is a deficit of 857. This would mean that you should be consuming 1593 calories per day. This is the simplest estimate, although there are others that will put you in the same relative range. This would result in a weight loss of approximately 1.75lbs per week. A safe range.

Finally you need to get your macros straight. You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, .4 - .6 grams of fat per LBM and fill the rest in with carbs.

You are not in starvation mode, and you do not need to eat more calories. You need to train your body to adjust to fewer calories.

I wish I could correct all the misinformation on these boards. Just this single post should give you an example of how many people think they are informed. You should question EVERYTHING you read on these boards (including this if you like) and do your own research. Too many couch nutritionists on these sites.

Based on this, do you think that it is better to buy a body fat scale? I hadn't heard this info. (to include body fat percentage in order to calculate TDEE)..

JayWalk39

Based on this, do you think that it is better to buy a body fat scale? I hadn't heard this info. (to include body fat percentage in order to calculate TDEE)..

The body fat % is based upon the Katch-McCardle TDEE estimate, which I personally find more accurate.

You can estimate to give a rough idea based on online pictures (do a google image search of body fat % and there will be pictures with body fat ranges and pictures to match). Only when you start getting down below 20% would it be beneficial to start using calipers to get a better estimate and fine tune.

Body fat scales will also give you a rough idea of %, however can be off by +/- 5% in some instances.

michellellelle

LOTS of speculation and misinformation going on here.

First, are you tracking every single thing that you are putting into your mouth (including weighing all items)? You need to track EVERYTHING for at least 2-3 weeks to get a baseline of what your caloric intake is. Most people under estimate by at least 20%.

Secondly in order to get a PROPER caloric maintenance level you need to know your body fat % is. I have no idea what you are, but based off of weight I would assume somewhere around 35%. With that assumption, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is approximately 2450 (assuming moderate exercise 4 times a week). Again, we have no idea what you are doing for excercise or how many calories you are burning. Some people assume cardio to be walking at 3mph while others consider an Insanity workout cardio.

With a TDEE of 2450, your target caloric deficit should be your BF%...or 35% of 2450...which is a deficit of 857. This would mean that you should be consuming 1593 calories per day. This is the simplest estimate, although there are others that will put you in the same relative range. This would result in a weight loss of approximately 1.75lbs per week. A safe range.

Finally you need to get your macros straight. You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, .4 - .6 grams of fat per LBM and fill the rest in with carbs.

You are not in starvation mode, and you do not need to eat more calories. You need to train your body to adjust to fewer calories.

I wish I could correct all the misinformation on these boards. Just this single post should give you an example of how many people think they are informed. You should question EVERYTHING you read on these boards (including this if you like) and do your own research. Too many couch nutritionists on these sites.

Yes I had my calories set on 1550 so it seems like I was pretty close. Now do I just eat that many period, or am I supposed to eat exercise calories burned too? When I put in activity it always ups my calories so i am not sure if I am supposed to eat them?

JayWalk39

LOTS of speculation and misinformation going on here.

First, are you tracking every single thing that you are putting into your mouth (including weighing all items)? You need to track EVERYTHING for at least 2-3 weeks to get a baseline of what your caloric intake is. Most people under estimate by at least 20%.

Secondly in order to get a PROPER caloric maintenance level you need to know your body fat % is. I have no idea what you are, but based off of weight I would assume somewhere around 35%. With that assumption, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is approximately 2450 (assuming moderate exercise 4 times a week). Again, we have no idea what you are doing for excercise or how many calories you are burning. Some people assume cardio to be walking at 3mph while others consider an Insanity workout cardio.

With a TDEE of 2450, your target caloric deficit should be your BF%...or 35% of 2450...which is a deficit of 857. This would mean that you should be consuming 1593 calories per day. This is the simplest estimate, although there are others that will put you in the same relative range. This would result in a weight loss of approximately 1.75lbs per week. A safe range.

Finally you need to get your macros straight. You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, .4 - .6 grams of fat per LBM and fill the rest in with carbs.

You are not in starvation mode, and you do not need to eat more calories. You need to train your body to adjust to fewer calories.

I wish I could correct all the misinformation on these boards. Just this single post should give you an example of how many people think they are informed. You should question EVERYTHING you read on these boards (including this if you like) and do your own research. Too many couch nutritionists on these sites.

Yes I had my calories set on 1550 so it seems like I was pretty close. Now do I just eat that many period, or am I supposed to eat exercise calories burned too? When I put in activity it always ups my calories so i am not sure if I am supposed to eat them?

You eat 1593 total per day...that's it! The 1593 is already factoring in your workouts. Do not just focus on calories though. Make sure you track EVERYTHING and that your macros are correct.

rachseby

Based on this, do you think that it is better to buy a body fat scale? I hadn't heard this info. (to include body fat percentage in order to calculate TDEE)..

The body fat % is based upon the Katch-McCardle TDEE estimate, which I personally find more accurate.

You can estimate to give a rough idea based on online pictures (do a google image search of body fat % and there will be pictures with body fat ranges and pictures to match). Only when you start getting down below 20% would it be beneficial to start using calipers to get a better estimate and fine tune.

Body fat scales will also give you a rough idea of %, however can be off by +/- 5% in some instances.

Thanks!

crisbabe81

LOTS of speculation and misinformation going on here.

First, are you tracking every single thing that you are putting into your mouth (including weighing all items)? You need to track EVERYTHING for at least 2-3 weeks to get a baseline of what your caloric intake is. Most people under estimate by at least 20%.

Secondly in order to get a PROPER caloric maintenance level you need to know your body fat % is. I have no idea what you are, but based off of weight I would assume somewhere around 35%. With that assumption, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is approximately 2450 (assuming moderate exercise 4 times a week). Again, we have no idea what you are doing for excercise or how many calories you are burning. Some people assume cardio to be walking at 3mph while others consider an Insanity workout cardio.

With a TDEE of 2450, your target caloric deficit should be your BF%...or 35% of 2450...which is a deficit of 857. This would mean that you should be consuming 1593 calories per day. This is the simplest estimate, although there are others that will put you in the same relative range. This would result in a weight loss of approximately 1.75lbs per week. A safe range.

Finally you need to get your macros straight. You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, .4 - .6 grams of fat per LBM and fill the rest in with carbs.

You are not in starvation mode, and you do not need to eat more calories. You need to train your body to adjust to fewer calories.

I wish I could correct all the misinformation on these boards. Just this single post should give you an example of how many people think they are informed. You should question EVERYTHING you read on these boards (including this if you like) and do your own research. Too many couch nutritionists on these sites.

Yes I had my calories set on 1550 so it seems like I was pretty close. Now do I just eat that many period, or am I supposed to eat exercise calories burned too? When I put in activity it always ups my calories so i am not sure if I am supposed to eat them?

You eat 1593 total per day...that's it! The 1593 is already factoring in your workouts. Do not just focus on calories though. Make sure you track EVERYTHING and that your macros are correct.

I was given similar advice and have been eating close to 1500 calories and have been losing about a 1-2 lbs a week. Be warned everyone here has the magic formula. IMHO it's different for everyone. You will have people who disagree with this because you will be netting lower than 1200 calories (if you burn a lot of calories like I do.) Stick with it for a while, when I went from 1200 to this method I didn't have a loss for about 2 weeks. But it does work.