Help with calories needed! !

Sadie_Elizabeth

I just want to know how many calories I should be eating a day. For the longest time I've been eating around 1200. I usually don't eat the calories I burned I feel like it's a wasted exercise then. I've been doing t25 and I'm going into the beta round in a couple days. I have a polar f7 so I know how many calories I'm burning. plz help me!!!

Aaron_K123

You have provided none of the information necessary to determine how many calories you should be eating. From your description though its higher than 1200 and by 1200 I mean 1200 net not 1200 gross. You aren't eating enough calories but without knowing your age, height, weight and exercise routine (duration, type and number of days a week) there is no way to estimate what it should be.

SezxyStef

Well you have about 60lbs to lose so let MFP do what it is set up to do.

Set your weekly weight loss goal to 1lb a week and set your activity level at lightly active (mainly because most people are not truely sedentary) and see what MFP gives you.

I suspect you will get around 1400....give or take depending on height etc.

Then net those calories or close to it.

that is how many you should be eating.

BTW eating back exercise calories is to fuel your next workout. MFP has given you enough of a deficet without exercise to lose the weight you have told them you want to lose...so you are not...let me repeat that...YOU ARE NOT WASTING YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES BY EATING THEM BACK.

Aaron_K123

Agreed with Stef. The point of eating at a deficit is weight loss. The point of exercise is increasing fitness, it isn't more weight loss. You should eat your exercise calories back or you shouldn't even bother exercising because with as little as you are eating that exercise is actually doing you more harm than good.

Sadie_Elizabeth

Yup sorry I'm 25 I'm 5'6 and I weigh 194. I try and exercise everyday doing the t25. so usually 25 min and a 50 min one every week.

StaciMarie1974

1400-1600 + some of exercise calories <---that is me, and I'm 5' 5.5", 39 years old, and 154. I aim for a 500 calorie deficit daily. You have more to lose & you're likely more active than I am, so you could probably aim for 750 and still eat 1500-1700.

Sadie_Elizabeth

Thank u everyone will try and eat 1400 calories. Never knew you should eat back your calories burned!

DrJenO

I'm over 10 years older than you, am the same height, weigh the same, and am losing on 1750 net per day.

Don't EAT 1400 calories, NET 1400 calories.

shapefitter

To clear up any confusion www.fitnessfrog.com

heybales

Thank u everyone will try and eat 1400 calories. Never knew you should eat back your calories burned!

Since you've been doing that to yourself the whole time, perhaps not always with as intense of exercise as lately - you have likely already changed the game plan for this final weight to be lost.

I'm kind of surprised you trusted and accepted and ate the initial calorie goal MFP gave to you, and likely logged exercise, but for some reason didn't just trust to keep eating to your goal that was increased.
Because we all know the eating goal went up when you logged exercise.
And if you trusted MFP for one thing why not the other?

Just so you know the fight you'll be in for rest of the weight loss and maintenance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

Though this study does show some recovery is possible, because you have enough weight to go I really doubt you'll be able to eat the very low amount required to keep losing. Not without taking some time to fix what has been screwed up.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

Sadie_Elizabeth

So I should be netting like 1680 a day I just visited that fitness frog website. and heybales I have no clue what you are talking about I mean it as u need to dumb it down for me!! I appreciate all advise

heybales

So I should be netting like 1680 a day I just visited that fitness frog website. and heybales I have no clue what you are talking about I mean it as u need to dumb it down for me!! I appreciate all advise

Basically the way you've done it so far has slowed your metabolism down beyond where it could be. Metabolically efficient is what those references say.
You no longer burn as much as you could have burned, even at this weight.

Watch the Weight of the Nation video on the study, read my blog carefully for another study. You gotta understand this, or likely to do it again.

So what could have been say a daily potential maintenance of 2000 calories, you've force down to a suppressed 1600 maintenance because of undereating.

So if you eat 1500 now, what could have been a potential 2000 - 1500 eating = 500 calorie deficit for 1 lb weekly, has turned in to suppressed 1600 - 1500 eaten = 100 calorie deficit for 1 lb every 35 days lost. You likely don't want to go that slow.

So from a suppressed maintenance, you'd now need to eat 1600 - 500 deficit = 1100 calories eating to actually lose 1 lb weekly.

And as you lose weight, your TDEE goes down, so to keep losing weight, you must eat even less and less.
So you lose 10 lbs, TDEE is now 1500. So now must eat 1000.
Lose 10 more, TDEE 1400, eat 900.
Lose 10 more, TDEE 1300, eat 800.

Though at some point there it's smart to move to 1/2 lb weekly loss rate, so only 250 deficit off suppressed TDEE.

But that then means, at goal weight, what is your suppressed maintenance really going to be?
1200 perhaps, and that's with the exercise being done even. Get sick and miss that for a week, go on vacation and not do it...

You really want to eat 1200 for maintenance, and anytime you go over that for a splurge meal or vacation week - you gain fat?

This is why the video said maintenance is so hard. The blog as least indicates some recovery is possible, but takes awhile.

I just want to warn you it's going to be hard trying to do the right thing now, but unless you like the looks of that future eating level and could really do it that low - indeed encourage you to follow the advice and do it right now.

And doing it right is using MFP as designed. I can tell you used the Fitness Frog with TDEE deficit method incorrectly.
Just stick with MFP method, but actually do it. Both methods come out the same.

Aaron_K123

This comes down to understanding that your goal calories are the goal, not something to be "beaten" by eating less if you manage it. Also yes those calories are net, meaning it is expecting you to eat your exercise calories back. If you actually add exercise to the MFP diary you will note that it increases your calorie goal for that day to reflect that.

Sadie_Elizabeth

Thank you! I hope I didn't screw up my metabolism to bad and can continue getting to my goal!

heybales

Thank you! I hope I didn't screw up my metabolism to bad and can continue getting to my goal!

So pick 2 weeks before you started this new exercise program, because that change will cause some water weight increase as muscles repair.

Looking through MFP app since it's usually easiest.
What is your weight loss goal amount, still 2 lbs weekly?
What did you eat in total average daily for those 2 weeks?
How much did you lose over those 2 weeks?
If you logged your exercise, what does the average daily burn look like over those 2 weeks?

Hopefully, 2 weeks, you can do that on the back of an envelope. Do people still get those besides me?

That will be a real easy indication of what is or is not happening.

Good program to be doing now - you should see his calorie guide - probably freak you out.