Is all calories equal?

sharonp12

I'm trying to lose weight. I'm 39 yr old female, 5'3'' and weight 135.

I run 3 miles daily and do weight including sit ups for about 20 min. My calorie goal is about 1200 daily. I already ate 500 calories today but in fruits, veg and yogart. I normally add avocado and some other fruits by lunch but that brings my calorie count up to almost 800 and i don't have enough leeway for dinner. What am i doing wrong? Does anyone else seem to have the same issue?

thanks in advance for you advise.

MinnieInMaine

You are supposed to eat back calories earned from exercise so you actually have 1000+ calories left for your dinner and any other snacks you'd like to have. That should be plenty, assuming you're not planning on going out for some big indulgent meal.

Also, with about 10 pounds to goal, your weekly weight loss goal should only be 1/2 a pound per week. That will give you more daily calories.

RGv2

I'm going to guess that you don't eat your exercise calories back. If you're running 3 miles a day, and weight train (I'd ditch the sit ups) you need more than you're eating.

If you go TDEE -10%, you should be taking in closer to 1600-1800 calories.

mssierra2u

As far as the "equal" part, I find that if I'm not eating unprocessed foods, my calorie budget is out the window. I need to eat plenty of fiber to get through the day.