Starting Off - Setting Caloric Intake Target

wangta
wangta Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,

So I just got onto myfitnesspal with the goal of trying to lose about 20 lbs. I'm 34, former athlete (college), 6 feet tall.

I think my optimal weight is around 180-185, but I've managed to balloon up to around 199 somehow over the winter!

I have a desk job with pretty regular hours (8-6), and have been working out again about 5x a week (running 3-4 miles + weights). I've been running in the evenings, but starting this weekend, I'll be switching to running in the morning before work as I've found that I lose weight faster that way (not sure why).

The other part of the equation has been trying to watch what I eat - which is why I'm here. I have never watched what I eat to this level - historically I try to eat well, but I've recently moved to a new city and my typical foods aren't readily available here, which has made me eat with my coworkers, who all eat like crap (though the food tastes great)!

I've been reading some of the threads here to try and figure out my baseline or caloric daily goal given my specs - per some threads, I am using http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator calculate my TDEE, which is the recommended caloric intake needed to maintain what I got. So to lose weight, I deduct 20-25% from this number?

per http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator, these are my specs (6 feet, 199 lbs, workout 6 days a week):

BMR: 1,833 (no idea what this is?)
TDEE: 2,753 (from what I've read, this is the important metric)

20% Reduction to TDEE: 2,202
25% Reduction to TDEE: 2,065

Is this right so far?

Next question - how do I determine the mix between carbs, fats and protein? This seems to be somewhat depenent on the person?

Thanks all - excited to start this!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    This thread is going to answer a lot of your questions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • wangta
    wangta Posts: 3
    This thread is going to answer a lot of your questions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Oh man - that's great. thanks Dianne! Reading now...
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Hi, welcome to the community. One thing to keep in mind is that calculators may not be accurate for you. They make assumptions that may not be true about you. The best way to figure out what calorie level that is right for you is to do a little experimentation. Starting from a calculator's suggestion (2000-2200 cal/day) log your food honestly and get in all your workouts for a week. If you don't lose enough weight (1-2 lbs/week) then reduce your intake 100 cal/day and go for another week. If you lose too much weight, increase your intake 100 cal/day and go for another week. This method will take a few weeks to find what works, but it is the best way to figure out what is right for you. Also, it is important that you really stick to your nutritional goals during this time.

    As for macros, if you are trying to lose weight, a 50/30/20 macro ratio (protein/carb/fat) works very well, as long as you don't have kidney issues. If you can't seem to fit in enough protein, 40/40/20 works good too. Your calorie goal is the biggest priority though. You have some play with your macros, but if you can get them close to these goals, you'll get faster results.

    Allan

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