How many calories should I be eating

CookieGem

Hey Guys

I need some proper advice on how many calories I should be eating.

Im 5'9" and 165lbs and for the past 4 weeks Ive set myself to 1200 cals per day. I was doing a insanity dvd everyday for the first 3 weeks and now I have three personal trainings a week, Mon/Wed/Fri and do two insainty dvds Tues/Thurs. My weight isnt coming off and someone said it might be because i am eating to few calories.

Can anybody properly advise on how many cals i should be eating.

Thanks
Gem

GemmieNoWobbles

Hey

Does your personal trainer have any advice? Mine said I should net 1500 a day. You need to work out your BMR and then deduct 500, so this can be through diet and or exercise.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Personally I found that 1500 was too high for me and I wasnt really losing so I have dropped to 1100 - 1300 per day but leave 1500 on here incase I have a mad day!
I think the key is to just experiment and see what works for you? Try the above for a few weeks and see what happens - maybe increasing will work for you!?
Good luck. x

TavistockToad

are you netting 1200 after exercise?

Baileys83

Hey

Does your personal trainer have any advice? Mine said I should net 1500 a day. You need to work out your BMR and then deduct 500, so this can be through diet and or exercise.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Personally I found that 1500 was too high for me and I wasnt really losing so I have dropped to 1100 - 1300 per day but leave 1500 on here incase I have a mad day!
I think the key is to just experiment and see what works for you? Try the above for a few weeks and see what happens - maybe increasing will work for you!?
Good luck. x

I am not sure deducting 500 from your BMR is correct - according to that method I should only be eating 869 calories a day which is far too low

I don't personally do this but are you eating back your exercise calories? For some people this works. I count what I eat not what I need but this site will give you a net calorie which is what you have eaten minus what you have burnt off. If your body is not getting enough, try eating back some or all of your exercise calories.

Rompa_87

For someone your height 132lbs is at the lower end of a healthy weight range and is probably the lowest you should aim for if you want an athletic frame. To eat enough to sustain this weight you would have to consume approximately 1584 calories a day. So aim somewhere between 1500-1600 calories a day net after exercise.

GemmieNoWobbles

Hey

Does your personal trainer have any advice? Mine said I should net 1500 a day. You need to work out your BMR and then deduct 500, so this can be through diet and or exercise.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Personally I found that 1500 was too high for me and I wasnt really losing so I have dropped to 1100 - 1300 per day but leave 1500 on here incase I have a mad day!
I think the key is to just experiment and see what works for you? Try the above for a few weeks and see what happens - maybe increasing will work for you!?
Good luck. x

I am not sure deducting 500 from your BMR is correct - according to that method I should only be eating 869 calories a day which is far too low

I don't personally do this but are you eating back your exercise calories? For some people this works. I count what I eat not what I need but this site will give you a net calorie which is what you have eaten minus what you have burnt off. If your body is not getting enough, try eating back some or all of your exercise calories.

Hi, not sure how you got 800. By putting Gem's stats into the website her BMR is 1565.45. Then follow this below:
Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So say Gem was sedentry her daily calorie needs would be 1878.54, so deduct 500 from this and total should be 1378.54.

Does that make sense?

Pebble321

It doesn't have to be complicated!
Let MFP do the calculations for you. As you don't have much weight to lose you should probably be setting your goal for 1 or 1/2 pound loss a week.

SueGeer

Hey

Does your personal trainer have any advice? Mine said I should net 1500 a day. You need to work out your BMR and then deduct 500, so this can be through diet and or exercise.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Personally I found that 1500 was too high for me and I wasnt really losing so I have dropped to 1100 - 1300 per day but leave 1500 on here incase I have a mad day!
I think the key is to just experiment and see what works for you? Try the above for a few weeks and see what happens - maybe increasing will work for you!?
Good luck. x

I am not sure deducting 500 from your BMR is correct - according to that method I should only be eating 869 calories a day which is far too low

I don't personally do this but are you eating back your exercise calories? For some people this works. I count what I eat not what I need but this site will give you a net calorie which is what you have eaten minus what you have burnt off. If your body is not getting enough, try eating back some or all of your exercise calories.

According to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ my BMR is 1308, although MFP calculates it at 1229. Which could explain why I've put on weight since starting maintenance with cal goal of 1520.....looks I should stick to 1200 forever.......

Sue x

Baileys83

Hey

Does your personal trainer have any advice? Mine said I should net 1500 a day. You need to work out your BMR and then deduct 500, so this can be through diet and or exercise.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Personally I found that 1500 was too high for me and I wasnt really losing so I have dropped to 1100 - 1300 per day but leave 1500 on here incase I have a mad day!
I think the key is to just experiment and see what works for you? Try the above for a few weeks and see what happens - maybe increasing will work for you!?
Good luck. x

I am not sure deducting 500 from your BMR is correct - according to that method I should only be eating 869 calories a day which is far too low

I don't personally do this but are you eating back your exercise calories? For some people this works. I count what I eat not what I need but this site will give you a net calorie which is what you have eaten minus what you have burnt off. If your body is not getting enough, try eating back some or all of your exercise calories.

Hi, not sure how you got 800. By putting Gem's stats into the website her BMR is 1565.45. Then follow this below:
Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So say Gem was sedentry her daily calorie needs would be 1878.54, so deduct 500 from this and total should be 1378.54.

Does that make sense?

Sorry did the BMR on my stats and came out a lot lower, was just using the -500 method suggested

H_Factor

you're probably not eating enough calories if you're working out 5x per week and eating only 1,200 calories per day. however, number of calories is only part of the equation. nutrition is 70% of the battle and what you put into your body matters at least as much as the number of calories you are eating. for example, sunday night, my wife made one of those boxed meals for dinner. I had enough calories to eat it for dinner, but chose instead to make a chicken burger, asparagus and sweet potato that was totally enjoyable to me and MUCH better for my body. its not just the number of calories you eat, but what you choose not to eat.

freeloaves

almost everyone on here seems to be on 1200, yet I'm on 1440 and I am usually just under that. I can't see myself being on 1200, would be too hungry!

CookieGem

Thanks for the replies guys but im still really confused