Confused about my calorie intake!

Mitchlou84

Hi everyone! Don't mean to be annoying but I'm really confused about my calorie levels.

I am 157cm and 96kg, I have a BMR of about 1737. If I x by 1.2 this means that I burn about 2100 cals a day by just being alive, going to work etc! Hope this is right so far.

So my doctor recommended losing weight slowly, and to protect my metabolism so I have been aiming for around 1550 cals a day!

But I'm exercising like crazy, on an average day I might burn 500 cals, some days more if I go twice a day. Is it ok to eat around 1800 calories, but burn 500? Or is that not enough? It doesn't feel like dieting if I eat more than 1800, thats ample.

Also can I net less during the week and more on weekends as I exercise more during the week and eat more on a weekend? Or should it be every day?

Thanks

4himalone

interested in the wise answers from the fam!

aippolito1

You should be able to healthfully lose weight eating how you are. If you're eating 1800 and burning 500, you're netting above 1200 which is recommended. Also, netting less during the week and more on the weekend is totally fine. A lot of people do this to keep their metabolisms guessing.

bhagavatilad1

yes, it will even itself out. In the beginning you may need to exercise more but eventually you'll reach a time where you know exactly how much exercise you need for example I was working out less but then instead of 1hr 3x a week I went for 1.5 hrs 3x a week and made sure I was hydrated well before the workout and used a supplement drink to replace calories burned so my metabolism stayed on track and kept burning calories. Hope this helps.

smarionette

Honestly, weight loss is every day. Make exceptions for birthdays and special nights out, but you need to keep those exceptions to a minimum.

As for workout calories burnt, those are calories you can use to have a scone at tea or other such treat. I wouldn't recommend using them towards your primary goal, but seeing them as a small treat. My calorie goal is 1280 a day, and I currently weigh 186lbs. I exercise like crazy as well - which buys me a night down at the pub having a pint or two, or as i said, a scone at tea. If you have the app set up to lose weight it will tell you your goal is X, and when you exercise it will tell you your remaining calories for they day, taking into consideration that you busted your butt on the treadmill. Listen to it, it is pretty accurate.

Mitchlou84

Honestly, weight loss is every day. Make exceptions for birthdays and special nights out, but you need to keep those exceptions to a minimum.

As for workout calories burnt, those are calories you can use to have a scone at tea or other such treat. I wouldn't recommend using them towards your primary goal, but seeing them as a small treat. My calorie goal is 1280 a day, and I currently weigh 186lbs. I exercise like crazy as well - which buys me a night down at the pub having a pint or two, or as i said, a scone at tea. If you have the app set up to lose weight it will tell you your goal is X, and when you exercise it will tell you your remaining calories for they day, taking into consideration that you busted your butt on the treadmill. Listen to it, it is pretty accurate.

What I was meaning by the every day thing, is if I eat 12,600 calories a week and exercise 3,500 a week, will this give me the same effect as eating 1800 a day and exercising 500, even if its up and down on different days? I don't exercise on Sundays, but maybe twice on Saturdays? I never drink during the week but do on weekends, I'm not talking about big binges, just ups and downs!

Thanks!!

Mitchlou84

You should be able to healthfully lose weight eating how you are. If you're eating 1800 and burning 500, you're netting above 1200 which is recommended. Also, netting less during the week and more on the weekend is totally fine. A lot of people do this to keep their metabolisms guessing.

So i should never net below 1200? Even the odd day? I think that I sometimes do on weekdays!

smarionette

Honestly, weight loss is every day. Make exceptions for birthdays and special nights out, but you need to keep those exceptions to a minimum.

As for workout calories burnt, those are calories you can use to have a scone at tea or other such treat. I wouldn't recommend using them towards your primary goal, but seeing them as a small treat. My calorie goal is 1280 a day, and I currently weigh 186lbs. I exercise like crazy as well - which buys me a night down at the pub having a pint or two, or as i said, a scone at tea. If you have the app set up to lose weight it will tell you your goal is X, and when you exercise it will tell you your remaining calories for they day, taking into consideration that you busted your butt on the treadmill. Listen to it, it is pretty accurate.

What I was meaning by the every day thing, is if I eat 12,600 calories a week and exercise 3,500 a week, will this give me the same effect as eating 1800 a day and exercising 500, even if its up and down on different days? I don't exercise on Sundays, but maybe twice on Saturdays? I never drink during the week but do on weekends, I'm not talking about big binges, just ups and downs!

Thanks!!

Your body starts converting extra calories to fat quite quickly, hence weight being an every day concern. You can't justify going nuts on the weekend intake wise because you did an extra work out session during the week. Also extra exercise during the week (going into the negatives compared to intake) will cause your body to break down muscle tissue, which is the powerhouse you need to lose weight.

jeepgrl34

Hi There,
I began my weight loss journey in January and to date I have lost 53lbs. I eat about 1600 calories a day during the week and exercise three times a week for 40 minutes. On the weekends I eat what I want I just watch the portions than during the week i go back to my everyday eating. The key to my loss was to eat breakfast everyday to jump start my metabolism than eat every three hours. I do not eat large meals. I snack all day. Be it a granola bar, a banana or jello, I keep my fuel for my fire you might say. I hope this helps. I would stick with 1600 calories a day and exercise off about 300 hundred that is what I do. I wish you success!!!:)

Lleldiranne

Honestly, weight loss is every day. Make exceptions for birthdays and special nights out, but you need to keep those exceptions to a minimum.

As for workout calories burnt, those are calories you can use to have a scone at tea or other such treat. I wouldn't recommend using them towards your primary goal, but seeing them as a small treat. My calorie goal is 1280 a day, and I currently weigh 186lbs. I exercise like crazy as well - which buys me a night down at the pub having a pint or two, or as i said, a scone at tea. If you have the app set up to lose weight it will tell you your goal is X, and when you exercise it will tell you your remaining calories for they day, taking into consideration that you busted your butt on the treadmill. Listen to it, it is pretty accurate.

What I was meaning by the every day thing, is if I eat 12,600 calories a week and exercise 3,500 a week, will this give me the same effect as eating 1800 a day and exercising 500, even if its up and down on different days? I don't exercise on Sundays, but maybe twice on Saturdays? I never drink during the week but do on weekends, I'm not talking about big binges, just ups and downs!

Thanks!!

I think some ups and downs over the course of a week are fine. But we're talking about a few hundred calories one way or the other. Like you said, not big binges, just ups and downs. Keep in mind that 1 lb of fat has 3500 calories (about), so going over by 300 calories on the weekend and compensating by being good during the week won't ruin your diet.

I love that you said "it doesn't feel like dieting" with the amount you're eating. Honestly, it shouldn't. You want something you can sustain for years to come. That's how you keep the weight off and look great in 10 years, instead of looking back and saying "when I was thin...." (Trust me, I started to let things slide, and, along with the effects of a new medication, ended up putting on 20 lbs over a couple of years. You want to keep up the good work, although maybe not as intense, once you reach your goal weight).

Mitchlou84

[/quote]

I think some ups and downs over the course of a week are fine. But we're talking about a few hundred calories one way or the other. Like you said, not big binges, just ups and downs. Keep in mind that 1 lb of fat has 3500 calories (about), so going over by 300 calories on the weekend and compensating by being good during the week won't ruin your diet.

I love that you said "it doesn't feel like dieting" with the amount you're eating. Honestly, it shouldn't. You want something you can sustain for years to come. That's how you keep the weight off and look great in 10 years, instead of looking back and saying "when I was thin...." (Trust me, I started to let things slide, and, along with the effects of a new medication, ended up putting on 20 lbs over a couple of years. You want to keep up the good work, although maybe not as intense, once you reach your goal weight).
[/quote]

No it doesn't feel like dieting, I think that what it is for me is that I had an untreated underactive thryroid for ages, weight loss was almost impossible but I had to eat healthily to not gain, so my diet hasn't really changed much, I have cut out wine and upped the exercise, but food intake itself doesn't feel like a challenge to me!

Thanks for your reply

Mitchlou84

Hi There,
I began my weight loss journey in January and to date I have lost 53lbs. I eat about 1600 calories a day during the week and exercise three times a week for 40 minutes. On the weekends I eat what I want I just watch the portions than during the week i go back to my everyday eating. The key to my loss was to eat breakfast everyday to jump start my metabolism than eat every three hours. I do not eat large meals. I snack all day. Be it a granola bar, a banana or jello, I keep my fuel for my fire you might say. I hope this helps. I would stick with 1600 calories a day and exercise off about 300 hundred that is what I do. I wish you success!!!:)

That is a great weight loss well done. I am not a snacker at all, I am a three meals a day girl, maybe thats bad??