new to counting calories and need help

atorina21

I have recently begun to seriously count my calories and I am in need of some guidance as to how many calories I can deduct from my TDEE without my body going into starvation mode. I am 26 years old, 5'3, 196 lbs. I have lost 14 lbs so far. For the last 4 days I had the worst headache that would not go away even with a painkiller. My macros are set to 30 protein/ 10 carbs/ 60 % fats. The TDEE for Light exercise (ex: exercising 1-3 days/week) says my TDEE is 2305. I'm thinking it was because I cut my carbs down to 40 grams a day, however, I was used to eating 160+ carbs a day which included mostly bread, cookies, etc. I was also very moody and so tired. The only time I managed to hit my calorie goal of 1580 was yesterday and that was the only day in my life where I ate consciously and with my health in mind. I am used to drinking 2-3 pepsi cans a day, along with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, white bread, fries, and cookies. I have also started working out recently and I need to know how many calories can I cut from my diet yet add to my diet so that I can lose 2 lbs a week and keep my metabolism from damage. Although, I did set my lifestyle to "sedentary" because I was not exercising regularly. I know my calories were very low to start off with, but I have added more calorie dense foods to my diet, which already included avocados, my favorite. Also, how many carbs are too much carbs for someone like me? Anyone in the same boat as me who would like to lose 90 lbs? This is very new to me and I never was so conscious about eating and always used food as a means of reward. I appreciate your input.

editorgrrl

Start here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

purple180

Try this link to figure out your TDEE minus whatever % you chose: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Why are you eating so few carbs? The site linked above has been a great help to me. You can pick your activity level but do not eat your workout calories back as they are figured in your TDEE (when using the above calculator). The site will also give you a recommended breakout on carbs proteins and fats. I hope this helps some. Best wishes to you.

ShellyBell999

Looking at your diary it appears you are not eating enough on most days. Abeit excellent foods, it's not enough. Also, when your body becomes dehydrated it can cause headaches.
A few good reads and tweaks to your intake should help you tremendously.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
And the links listed above from the other posters are useful.

Best of luck!

atorina21

thanks for all of your input.