Please help me decide on cals!

stacyjh1979

Stats: female, 34yr old (will be 35 next month!), 5'2.5", current weight 191, desk job sitting all day, exercising at least 30 min/day (haven't missed a day since Aug 1), BMR 1614, TDEE 1937...hopefully i didn't leave out anything relevant.

I'm just plain confused on calories. I feel like I change my mind almost daily about what I "should" be eating. Of all the times I've used the scooby calculator I never realized that when it is telling me to eat 1452 it says right next to that that it would be a 1lb/week loss (that is with it set at TDEE-25%). When I was setting MFP to 1.5 or 2 lbs/week it was telling me to eat 1200 so when I went in to change it to 1lb/week (since Scooby calculator seems to think I shouldn't go for more than that) it changed my goal to 1420! I'll be damned, who knew!

Since the two are so close the logical part of my mind thinks it must be ok to eat that amount but it makes me really nervous to increase my calories and/or eat back my exercise calories. If you look at my diary I've had it set at 1400 for a week or two now and normally don't eat that full amount or eat back my exercise calories. I'm not sure what to do, I just don't want to sabotage or set back my weight loss by eating too many calories. I know I've posted something similar before but I'm honestly still confused and just looking for some guidance so please be kind.

parkscs

2 pounds per week for you would be approx. 937 calories but MFP will never make a recommendation below 1200 calories, and that's why it told you 1200 calories. 1420 or thereabouts sounds reasonable to me.

stacyjh1979

2 pounds per week for you would be approx. 937 calories but MFP will never make a recommendation below 1200 calories, and that's why it told you 1200 calories. 1420 or thereabouts sounds reasonable to me.

And with MFP I think I'm supposed to eat back part of my exercise calories? So if I burn 200 cal (that's what I've done the last two days) I would eat maybe 1500 total? I think I'm fairly smart but I'm sure I'm just complicating it.

cajuntank

With default MFP method, you eat back your exercise calories as you are expected to log your exercise calories. You mentioned you calculated TDEE; so with TDEE, those calories are already calculated in, so you don't log them or eat them back.

If you are following TDEE method, them don't worry what MFP says or asks you about how much you want to lose or activity level as you are no longer using MFP methodology to do this. Just custom set your calories and macros and go from there. Shoot for no more than 1% bodyweight loss average over a few weeks. The general rule of thumb to "maximize muscle retention" (assuming you are training and consuming adequate protein), to lose between .5-1% of bodyweight loss on average per week,

Good link for some basic nutrition info and dialing in your macros
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

lemurcat12

2 pounds per week for you would be approx. 937 calories but MFP will never make a recommendation below 1200 calories, and that's why it told you 1200 calories. 1420 or thereabouts sounds reasonable to me.

This. The most important thing is just to pick a reasonable number (a range of numbers would work, it doesn't matter that much what you pick) and be consistent. If you aren't losing or are losing less than 1 lb, you can reduce calories, if you lose more than you are comfortable with you can raise calories.

The way MFP works you do eat back at least some exercise calories, but if you want to try TDEE it's totally fine to just put in a goal based on that calculation and log the exercise with a 1 calorie burn and see what results you get.

I'm reasonably close to your numbers (5'3, 148) and lose with a goal of 1400 plus exercise calories. I have a Fitbit with negative adjustments, though, which means that I only eat back exercise after I first hit a minimum activity goal (for example, if you say you are lightly active, after you are at least lightly active). That's probably overcomplicating it for now, though--I honestly think TDEE is the best approach unless you do heavy exercise on some days and will want to vary how much you eat.

WalkingAlong

It doesn't have to be complex. You probably do burn around 1900. You can eat 1400ish and lose around a pound a week or 1200ish and lose a bit more or 1500ish and a bit less.

Not eating back is not going to hurt you. It's just a preference thing.

stacyjh1979

Thanks everyone! I know I seriously need to quit over thinking this!

I think from what you all have said that it's probably fine to leave my goal at 1420 where MFP has set it and eat anywhere from 1200-1600ish. Then if I want to I could eat back some of the exercise calories meaning if I eat 1200 exercise 200 I'd net around 1000, eat 1400 exercise 200 and net around 1200 or eat 1600 exercise 200 and net 1400. I think...LOL.

jrline

Eat 1400 calories a day Burn off what ever you can. If you do not eat them back you will lose weight much faster.

Good Luck

MinnieInMaine

Technically it's all guesstimates. The best way to find out is to try it for at least 4 weeks (if not more like 6 or 8) while accurately tracking, weighing and measuring everything and see how it works. If you're losing about 1 pound per week, you're right here you should be. If not, you may need to go up or down a bit and try again. The reason it's good to give it that long is to allow for fluctuations from high sodium, hormone cycle and any exercise changes (water weight).

Personally, I would go no lower than 1500 and eat back exercise calories.