Please someone Help

lane112409

Okay so I started off I 239 2 months ago with 1590 calories a day a loud well now I am 217 and it said that I was allowed to have 1200 a day. I exercise 6 days a week for 30-60 minutes each time most of the time is 30 minutes. When it ask for the activity level I do not know what to put. Because most of the day I am at the computer or cleaning my house. I went backed and switched the activity level and it is saying 1700 calories a day now. So I was wondering does anyone know how many calories I can have a day to lose 2 lbs a week? I am 5 foot 5.5 and 28 years old. Please help I am so confused.

gypsy_spirit

This link will answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Samstan101

You could set activity level as lightly active and then log your exercise and eat back 50-75% of the exercise cals if using MFP's calorie estimate. If you are doing steady stae cardio and have a heart rate monitor then log the calories from that instead and eat back most of them.

Alternatively, the other method would be to set you activity level higher but not log exercise as those cals would be included in your daily allowance any way.

As long as your exercise & food weighing/ logging is consistent then both approaches work. I prefer the second method as it means I have the same allowance every day as my exercise calories are in effect averaged over the week rather than have a high burn day followed by a low burn day and having to adjust my food intake accordingly.

MinnieInMaine

Sometimes the calorie level takes some experimentation to pinpoint but here's some general info:

You didn't say what level you chose or about how many hours a day you spend on the computer. Think of it this way - an average office worker spends 6-7 hours at their computer. Do you do that much? Maybe half? From what little info you gave, I'd assume lightly active would be best.

Also, 2 pounds per week is bit high for you at this point. It was right when you first joined but since you've lost 22 pounds (congrats!) you should lower the goal to 1.5 pounds per week - see below:

Here is a great guideline for setting weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Or you can set custom goals following the guide a this thread:

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

terbusha

What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

Allan

lane112409

Thanks to all responses I will take all into consideration!

LifeNewandImproved

I used to have your exact same stats (mid 210s, 5.5.5", 27 yrs old) and I was running 3x/week and eating 1200 calories/day. I did not lose ANYTHING. I was overexercising for what I was eating. I was also hungry CONSTANTLY. I eventually fell off the wagon. If it's not working you should probably up your calories.

jesscat1983

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm