1500 calories- too much or too little?

letsdothis84

Hi Folks,

So I need some advice.

Height- 5ft 2
Weight- around 122-125lbs
Waist- 26inch
Hips 35.5
UK size 8
Body Fat- Unsure?? Bu tlokign at the pictures on this website- http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

I would estimate I am 22-25% as I do have some ab and leg definition. But obviously cnat be accurate unless I get measured properly!

Whilst I’m not overweight and do have muscle definition I am looking at trimming back and ideally would like to be around 118 with a lower body fat %. I walk about 60-80 mins a day and I started crossfit and im really enjoying this so have started to incorporate paleo eating habits into my meals. The problem I currently have is I don’t really know how much I should be eating? I have now set my macros to 40% Fat 20% carbs and 40% protein and aimed to eat 1500 calories a day which with these macros is quite a lot of food! I trialed this last week and didn’t really feel hungry, but still had the odd treats which I made sure was within my allowances/ exercise calories. I know it takes longer than a week to see a difference but my weight has crept up over the last few months from 120lbs to 125… It should be mind over matter as my clothes aren’t tight or anything and I know if this was fat gain I would feel this in how my clothes fit....

I don’t fully understand the TDDE thing, so not sure if 1500 is too much or too little!

Any suggestions or advice would be welcomed.

Thanks!

momof2osaurus

Hi! My best guess is that it's too little, but I use this calculator to figure my numbers out: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Are you walking on your CF days too? How many days a week are you doing CF? I do CF 5 days a week and no other formal exercise, with my job being a SAHM (so active-ish) and I use the 5-6 hours/week active rate to get my TDEE.

RivenV

I'm interested in any insights fellow CF participants have to share on this. (And thank you to Mom--can I call you Mom?--for her advice, as well.)

alysa521

I’m 5’7’’ about 20% body fat and 145 lbs last time I checked, the scale and I have broken up  I crossfit 5 times per week, run 3 times per week, and walk 30-60 min a day with my dog. I eat 2200-2500 (sometimes more) calories a day and have been pretty consistently this weight for about a year but have been losing body fat and my clothes are fitting better. I eat mostly paleo with a little bit of greek yogurt, cheese and sometimes gluten free oatmeal on days when I both run/crossfit.

My guess is without knowing how often you crossfit 1500 probably is too little, but everyone is different. I honestly would encourage you to take measurements instead of having your goal be an arbitrary number. I weigh 15# more than I did in college, but wear the exact same size clothes and look better in my bikini.

I love the calculator (and info) at this site: http://eattoperform.com/eat-to-perform-calculator/
This page also has a link to how to use the calculator and FAQs about eat to perform in general. A lot of the people who write the articles are fellow crossfitters too!

SnicciFit

I like this calculator:

http://eattoperform.com/2013/03/17/crossfit-calorie-deficit/

ETA: same as above. I should have read first

momof2osaurus

(And thank you to Mom--can I call you Mom?--for her advice, as well.)

:laugh: As long as I don't have to parent you, sure. Or Laney if you'd remember a non-screenname name!

And I get the same numbers at both sites mentioned, so either is a great place to look!

bostonwolf

I eat 1200 calorie meals a few times a week so I'm gonna let you ladies handle this one