Help with calories!

jme260

How can I figure out my maintenance allowance? I had to eat 1100 calories to lose my last 5 lbs (around .5lb - 1lb a week). Occasional Days I was extra hungry, I would eat around 1300.

I am female, 4’11 - 115lbs. I lift weights 4 days a week but am going to start doing cardio a few days as well.

My weight fluctuates a lot. I ate 1278 calories yesterday (all clean) and was up .6 lbs this morning. Should I just try to up my calories a few hundred, get off the scale and see weekly how much I weigh? And do you eat your cardio calories back when you are maintenance?

Thanks for the help- any advice appreciated! Lost 35lbs since June and a past yo-yo dieter. I have never been able to maintence before.

deannalfisher

your weight will fluctate on a daily basis - because of food eaten, exercise, stress, sleep - .6 is within the realm of a normal variation

maintenance should be a range - so if you are 115lbs, then maintenance could be like 112-118lbs - so i would set your goal on MFP to maintain and see what it gives you (be honest about your activity level) - then monitor it for a month and make adjustments as needed

csplatt

That .6 pounds has nothing to do with fat. You could have foot sitting in your intestines. Water in your body that goes up and down. If I eat a small plate of spaghetti tonight, I will absolutely weigh 1 lb more tomorrow at least. It can't be fat if I was within my calorie goals... that's just how the body works. It will disappear within a few days.

noodlesno

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10638211/how-to-find-your-maintenance-calorie-level