How do I determine how many cals i should have a day?

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soldiergrl_101
soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,206 Member
in Getting Started
I know MFP does it for me, but I am trying to understand where the numbers come from. How do they determine how many calories I should eat a day to loose weight.

Is the ratio

3500 * AMT of lbs a week / 7

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  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    Hey! Have you heard of Basal Metabolic Rate? It's the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. To lose weight you'd have to have a deficit but I don't remember how much.
    There are calculators online that calculate BMR...
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
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    MFP usually is too low depending on what you have your goals set. Unless you have a lot to lose, you want to eat (NET) at least your BMR
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    And aim to lose .5-1.5lbs per week (smaller loss if you have less to lose)

    1lb = 3500 calories.

    So if you have a deficit of 500 cal a day x 7 days a week you should lose about a 1lb per week. However keep in mind different workouts will cause your muscles to retain water to heal. Being a female your weight will fluctuate daily. So that 1lb is not a solid number....its a guesstimate of what you *could* lose. Also note that measurements are far more accurate than the scale.

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