I'm sorry, I'm confused and just need to ask...

RawTasha
RawTasha Posts: 23
in Getting Started
I have read the stickies and thought I knew what I was doing, but I am still confused. I don't know why?
I think the more I read the more I got confused.

Could someone please stare me in the right direction?

I am trying to lose weight. I am doing a Wii Active 20 work out a day plan, 3 times a week. Also walking up to an hour 2-3 times a week.

2,050 Calories / Day (Maintenance)
1,639 (BMR)
Breastfeeding (300 calories)

I don't want to make this harder than it has to be. The site obviously has the calculations all worked out already but I am still confused.

Please can I have some guidance? Thank you in advance!

Replies

  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    What is your question?
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    What is your question?

    Beat me to it...... This
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    in for conversation.
  • _SantaClause_
    _SantaClause_ Posts: 215 Member
    Eat 1800 calories per day.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    My question is/was... how many calories am I supposed to eat a day?
    When would I need to reassess this?

    Using http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    It suggests I need 2500 calories a day to function.

    I'd like to lose 1 kilo a week.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    is your baby exclusively breast feeding, or is s/he on solids as well?
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    He's 11 months old, having 3 feeds a day and 3 solids a day.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    enter all your stats in MFP{ and it will tell you how many you need to eat to lose that kilo per week.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    just start with the MFP thing that does it automatically for you. put in all your information.

    for the breastfeeding log it in your food diary as negative 300 calories so You will get more to eat each day for that.


    OR once MFP gives you your daily goal...add 300 to it and go in and do yours "custom" with the added 300.

    whatever you do ....do NOT under any circumstances log your breastfeeding as exercise because ppl get so nuts on here about what qualifies as exercise and for sure do NOT post a thread asking about if it's okay that you did that. it wil become WWIII and you will end up feelign like you have to defend your choices, method, and logic. Nobody needs that. Especially a nursing mom with bigger fish to fry. Good luck on your goals. You got this. :flowerforyou:
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    You have worked out your numbers using an online calculator so this is just an approximate number for someone of your weight/height/activity level. The figures could be quite different for you personally.

    You could try tracking your usual intake for a few days to see the average amount of calories you normally consume and if you are currently maintaining your weight just cut that number by 100-200.

    You could try starting with 2500 cals and see if you lose anything eating that amount after a week or two and start cutting if you aren't losing.

    I'd suggest that you don't want to go anywhere near as low as your BMR if you are breastfeeding as you need energy to provide your baby with a good and nutritious feed and unless you have a serious medical problem, that should be your main concern for now.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    enter all your stats in MFP{ and it will tell you how many you need to eat to lose that kilo per week.
    When doing this I am told to eat 1200 calories a day. But I also need another 300 at least for breastfeeding.
  • _SantaClause_
    _SantaClause_ Posts: 215 Member
    enter all your stats in MFP{ and it will tell you how many you need to eat to lose that kilo per week.
    When doing this I am told to eat 1200 calories a day. But I also need another 300 at least for breastfeeding.

    1800-2000
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    A deficit of 500 calories a day will theoretically result in a loss of 1 lb a week, a deficit of 1,000 calories a day will be 2 lbs. I eat 1,500 per day and only lose about 0.5 lb a week so my TDEE obviously isn't 2,050 like the calculators say. Unfortunately we don't all fall neatly into the charts so you have to do some experimentation to find what works for you.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    I'm thinking, from what you are all contributing and from what I can figure out, that if I eat 2,000 a day I can not only eat healthy and enough for my body to do every day activities, plus feed my baby and still lose maybe half a kilo a week. I would be super happy with that. I guess I can only try and reassess in a month. It will no doubt take a while to see the changes.

    Currently I have been eating 1500 calories and that seems far too low.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    enter all your stats in MFP{ and it will tell you how many you need to eat to lose that kilo per week.
    When doing this I am told to eat 1200 calories a day. But I also need another 300 at least for breastfeeding.

    Just about any woman who enters 2 lbs per week as their desired weight loss will get the default of 1,200 on MFP (it doesn't go any lower than that). I really recommend changing it to 1 lb per week and then add the breastfeeding calories on top of that. Should give you about 1800 calories a day (Santa was right!).
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    enter all your stats in MFP{ and it will tell you how many you need to eat to lose that kilo per week.
    When doing this I am told to eat 1200 calories a day. But I also need another 300 at least for breastfeeding.
    That would be 1200 calories + breastfeeding calories + eat back your exercise calories, not just 1200 calories.

    Be careful comparing MFP calculations to other sites - MFP excludes exercise when working out your deficit, most other sites include an average estimate for your exercise.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    MFP sets your calorie goal and does NOT take into account your exercise calories burned.

    An easier way is to calculate your TDEE, which considers your lifestyle with daily living and your activities through exercise. You can take a slight cut from your TDEE (after adding in calories for breastfeeding) to eat at a deficit.

    Read this post and it will help clarify everything. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet If you calculated your maintenance at 2,500 calories, then take a 10-15% cut and make that your daily goal. It's better to start with a small deficit and increase if you need to than to start too low. Also, you don't want to cut too deep and effect your milk supply. Congrats on nursing, BTW!!

    I ate around 1,500-1,700 per day and my milk supply totally tanked and I struggled to nurse for a full year. I know now that I should've been eating 2,200 or so. Now, I maintain my weight on 2600-2700 calories per day @ 33 years old, 5'7 3/4 and 158ish pounds.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    Thank you very much. I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply and helping me out. I feel so much happier having your input :)
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    I'm thinking, from what you are all contributing and from what I can figure out, that if I eat 2,000 a day I can not only eat healthy and enough for my body to do every day activities, plus feed my baby and still lose maybe half a kilo a week. I would be super happy with that. I guess I can only try and reassess in a month. It will no doubt take a while to see the changes.

    Currently I have been eating 1500 calories and that seems far too low.

    Great thinking! Give 2,000 a try and only decrease if you aren't seeing the scale move AND your milk supply is still steady.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    jfrankic, thank, you for your experience and knowledge. I will go read that link now.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member

    whatever you do ....do NOT under any circumstances log your breastfeeding as exercise because ppl get so nuts on here about what qualifies as exercise and for sure do NOT post a thread asking about if it's okay that you did that. it wil become WWIII and you will end up feelign like you have to defend your choices, method, and logic. Nobody needs that. Especially a nursing mom with bigger fish to fry. Good luck on your goals. You got this. :flowerforyou:

    Yes. This.

    I don't know why people get so hung up about it.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23

    whatever you do ....do NOT under any circumstances log your breastfeeding as exercise because ppl get so nuts on here about what qualifies as exercise and for sure do NOT post a thread asking about if it's okay that you did that. it wil become WWIII and you will end up feelign like you have to defend your choices, method, and logic. Nobody needs that. Especially a nursing mom with bigger fish to fry. Good luck on your goals. You got this. :flowerforyou:

    Yes. This.

    I don't know why people get so hung up about it.

    haha sadly I already 'screwed up' as I think that was my very first Topic I started on here *blush*

    The problem is I use Fitbit as well and the site doesn't take in to account negative calories so throws the whole thing out.
  • RawTasha
    RawTasha Posts: 23
    Oh and I also need to eat all my exercise calories back too right?
  • johnthomasmoore
    johnthomasmoore Posts: 59 Member
    You might want to log your weight on https://trendweight.com or http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html. Both sites based on The Hacker's Diet. Will chart your loss and give you an estimate of your daily deficit. The cool thing about the chart of weight loss is it shows a weighted moving average (smoothes out the ups and downs) which reduces your panic about little daily variations.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    Oh and I also need to eat all my exercise calories back too right?

    If you calculated TDEE, that already considers exercise calories and you just eat your calorie goal every day, regardless of exercise. If you calculate via MFP, then you eat back exercise calories.
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
    MFP sets your calorie goal and does NOT take into account your exercise calories burned.

    An easier way is to calculate your TDEE, which considers your lifestyle with daily living and your activities through exercise. You can take a slight cut from your TDEE (after adding in calories for breastfeeding) to eat at a deficit.

    Read this post and it will help clarify everything. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet If you calculated your maintenance at 2,500 calories, then take a 10-15% cut and make that your daily goal. It's better to start with a small deficit and increase if you need to than to start too low. Also, you don't want to cut too deep and effect your milk supply. Congrats on nursing, BTW!!

    I ate around 1,500-1,700 per day and my milk supply totally tanked and I struggled to nurse for a full year. I know now that I should've been eating 2,200 or so. Now, I maintain my weight on 2600-2700 calories per day @ 33 years old, 5'7 3/4 and 158ish pounds.

    And you are awesome!!
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    Kia ora!

    what you're doing for a couple of weeks. if you don't lose weight you know you're eating too much or not exercising enough. So modify, see what happens in a couple of weeks again. You will go mental worrying about calorie counting. Eat natural food, mainly veges and lean meats. Avoid junk and alcohol (yeah I know).

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