Calorie Confusion.

mannequinchampion

How many calories I should be consuming is always something that's confused me. There are so many conflicting arguments and I'm never sure if I'm doing the right thing to lose weight so basically if anyone could advise me or give me a definitive answer that would be wonderful.

I try to keep my calorie count at around 1200 a day. Apparently my BMR is around 1300 (although I'm not sure how reliable this actually is given I just pulled it straight from the first website Google churned out) and my TDEE varies massively depending on which site I use to calculate it, ranging from approximately 1800 to 2200.

Sticking to 1200 calories is something I've seen people debate on, some treating it like it's some magic weight loss number, others stating that it's massively unhealthy but in any case it doesn't seem to be working for me the way I want it to. I am terrified to eat more though because my brain insists that more calories means weight gain. Basically I have no idea what I'm doing.

Can anyone advise me on how many calories I should actually be eating? Is eating so "little" really so detrimental?

TamaraKat

To be able to calculate calories; you need to list all the possible factors [i.e. height, weight, activity level, etc etc.].
Then you choose a system which follow you - there really is no right or wrong answer. I hear 1200 calories thrown around a lot but that is only for average of people that aren't very active - I aim to eat back the calories I burn during a workout PLUS the 1200 on top; meaning, if I burn 700 then I eat the 700 + 1200. I'm sure plenty of people will tell you what they do too - it's all users preference!

4legsRbetterthan2

There is alot of conflicting reasearch out there and lots of different calculations. If you are just starting out I would just go with the MFP calculations and get started, see what happens, the first few weeks usually are a really big learning experience. You have to remember that everyone is different so you have to figure out what works for your own personality and body. I am trying to stick to 1200 cals a day plus my exercise so I am in that boat and it seems to be working for me, you just need to make sure if you are going to eat that few calories you eat stuff that supports your body and get in the vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein and fats you need.

The thing that worries me about your post is that you said you are terrified to eat, that really should not be the case for anyone. Think of food as how you are fueling your body and not as some evil thing. You can choose how you want to fuel your body so why not go with the premium gasoline instead of regular? Either way you car is not going to run without gas so it is essential. If you still feel terrified of eating I think you should really try to talk to a nutritionist or someone to help you figure out what the best plan is for you. I have known people suffering form eating disorders and it really can cause long term effects so I would hate to see anyone else go through that.

That being said if you need a friend who might be in a similar boat as you feel free to add me

stephiehampshire

I know what you mean, I was over yesterday by 80 calories and felt guilty and ashamed but then i reminded myself being over at 80 meant I had a net intake of 1330 ..... which is still pretty damn good! so lesson 1, dont be afraid of food and calories, be more aware of what you need to eat to fuel your body

For example you could have a cheese burger from Mac Donalds for 500 odd calories which would be full of salt and sugars and wouldnt fill you up or you could have a big plate of wholegrain rice with chicken and vegetables with some nuts as a snack afterwards which although would be like 600 - 800 calories its full of what your body needs for fuel and it would fill you up

The other thing that I do is I eat my exercise calories back, because otherwise my body gets too tired and sore and doesnt recover from exercise. I am to cycle 10 - 15 miles a day 5 days a week which is about 60 - 90 minutes of medium cardio. I usually burn between 400 and 600 calories which I always eat back

MFP has set me at 1250 a day so if I burn 600 Il aim to eat 1850 a day

The most important thing is to remember that everyone is different, everyone on here is incredibly helpful and you will get different kinds of advice, I would say pick what you feel is right for you, try it for a few weeks and see if it works and if it doesnt then try something else for a few weeks until you find something that meets your lifestyle and also helps you reach your goal and works for you

Good luck on your journey

x

mannequinchampion

The main problem is that I'm not just starting out with weight loss, I've been losing weight gradually for about the past year and a half. I ate healthy, exercised and so on but I didn't really start to consciously track everything until January when I hit a plateau and since then I've been eating 1200 cals and exercising off around 500cals minimum 5/6 days a week (well, for the most part, I'm only human after all). Since I started doing this it's barely made a difference. In fact since January I've only lost about 6 pounds which isn't exactly phenomenal. I have no idea how to change this though, every time I think about doing one thing, I end up reading something that tells me to do the opposite.

The reason I'm so focused on calories is because I don't know how else I can improve other than through diet. I've read that not eating back calories can potentially cause weight gain through starvation mode so I'm thinking that perhaps this is the issue? I was under the impression though that you should eat your BMR to prevent this, but MFP sets my "goal" intake at 1200 - which is apparently below my BMR. I mean, it boggles the mind.

I've actually tried to speak to a doctor about this but they just sort of scoffed and told me I'm just lucky I'm not "the size of a house" so, as you can imagine, that didn't address my issue.

Koldnomore

The main problem is that I'm not just starting out with weight loss, I've been losing weight gradually for about the past year and a half. I ate healthy, exercised and so on but I didn't really start to consciously track everything until January when I hit a plateau and since then I've been eating 1200 cals and exercising off around 500cals minimum 5/6 days a week (well, for the most part, I'm only human after all). Since I started doing this it's barely made a difference. In fact since January I've only lost about 6 pounds which isn't exactly phenomenal.

Have you ever taken a 'diet break'? Unfortunately and invariably once you have been 'dieting' for a while your body tends to just stall. I was stuck at @ 160 for 3-4 months. I had also tried dropping more calories but that also had no effect. At some point you just can't keep dropping calories without doing some serious metabolic damage. I heard many people advocate a diet break so I looked into it.

This article http://www.villagecoachfitness.com/3-signs-you-need-a-diet-break/ gives 3 signs that you might need a break:

You Have Non-Stop Hunger

The very first sign to watch for that would indicate that you need to be taking a diet break is if you have non-stop hunger. When you’ve been on a reduced calorie diet for far too long, the body is going to start sending out signals that it’s time for you to begin eating more food once again. This is its way of trying to prevent starvation. Hunger increases dramatically and it’s going to take all the effort in the world on your part not to eat. When hunger seems almost too much to bare, that’s a good signal that it might just be time to give in and take that diet break.
Your Energy Level Has Plummeted

The second signal that a diet break is in order is if your energy level has hit a turn for the worse. This is another defence mechanism that the body has to prevent starvation from occurring. When you’re in an extremely stressed state due to ongoing dieting attempts, your body will try and make sure you’re as sedentary as possible as it just doesn’t have energy to spare. By making you want to do nothing other than lie on the couch and relax, it accomplishes its objective nicely. Your daily calorie expenditure goes down and the rate of weight loss will decline.

You Aren’t Losing Weight
Finally, the last signal that it’s time for a diet break is if you aren’t losing weight. If you seem to be doing everything right and you are sure that you’re tracking your calories accurately, this is very likely what’s going on. Your metabolism has slowed down due to that reduced calorie intake and now you’re burning fewer calories than ever.With this slowed metabolic rate, fat loss also slows, moving you further away from reaching your goal. So there you have the main signs that it may just be time to take a break from your diet plan. Periodically raising your calories up again for a week or so can do just the trick to get you back seeing the fat loss you’re after and feeling much better as you go about your diet plan.

This was totally me..starving all the time, no energy and stuck in a rut. I did my break while I was on vacation. 3 weeks of eating non-stop LOL Probably not the best way to do it but I was deliberately trying to gain weight so that I would KNOW for sure that my metabolism was back to normal. Then when I came back I actually increased my calories back up by 100 from where I was. I have gone back to losing weight at @ 1lb /week. It took me about 1 month to get the extra weight that I gained (5-8 lbs) off but it seems to have worked for me - maybe it will help you too

nomeejerome

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?page=1#posts-16625920

InForBacon

I was hoping this was like muscle confusion and I would have new ideas on how to trick my body into losing weight.