Calories for a day based on how many hours?

CCJ13

I get up at 5am every weekday morning. I go to bed around 11:00. I am exercising & wear a HRM. I eat back most of my exercise calories. I am set to get 1390 I think for the day with no exercise. I am breastfeeding so I give myself an extra 300 calories, so that would be 1690 with no exercise. I am up for 18 hours a day. How many hours is that 1690 a day supposed to be for? I wake up starving every morning. I am also playing softball. I have no idea how many extra calories I'm burning doing that. Thinking about bumping my starting calories to 2000 a day. I am on my feet all day long & outside chasing a toddler. I'm even standing right now using the computer. I have been slack this summer. Haven't kept a food diary. We've had salmonella & then my husband was hospitalized with MRSA. I have just been trying to maintain my weight. Now that the kids are back in school, I want to work on losing again but I want to make sure I'm eating enough. Any calorie suggestions?

SmashYall

When you do your goal profile, be sure your lifestyle is set to something other than sedentary. I think that will help to account for you burning more calories throughout the day, therefore giving you a higher daily calorie count. Good luck with everything -- You sound like a busy [but awesome!] woman.

Dragonwolf

The calorie count is for the full 24 hour period, but I agree with SmashYall - make sure you are set to just about anything other than sedentary (you are anything but!) to bump up your calorie needs.

It also sounds like you're not counting softball. Make sure to wear your HRM and count it, too! It burns a ton of calories and you want to make sure you account for that!

engineman312

I get up at 5am every weekday morning. I go to bed around 11:00. I am exercising & wear a HRM. I eat back most of my exercise calories. I am set to get 1390 I think for the day with no exercise. I am breastfeeding so I give myself an extra 300 calories, so that would be 1690 with no exercise. I am up for 18 hours a day. How many hours is that 1690 a day supposed to be for? I wake up starving every morning. I am also playing softball. I have no idea how many extra calories I'm burning doing that. Thinking about bumping my starting calories to 2000 a day. I am on my feet all day long & outside chasing a toddler. I'm even standing right now using the computer. I have been slack this summer. Haven't kept a food diary. We've had salmonella & then my husband was hospitalized with MRSA. I have just been trying to maintain my weight. Now that the kids are back in school, I want to work on losing again but I want to make sure I'm eating enough. Any calorie suggestions?

my wife gets up at the same time, and goes to bed an hour earlier then you. no kids, but a nurse that is on her feet all day, plus at least one gym class everyday.

she was trying to lose 2lbs a week and mfp told her to eat 1200 calories a day. she had no energy and was cranky. she bumped it up to 1400 and is feeling better and has more energy.

imo, do a small change in calories at first, see how you respond.

kbizzleoo

Wow. I thought my days were hectic. But I've always kind of wondered the same thing. Sometimes I am up for 18 hours and am still hungry after I've eaten all of my calories. I guess just listen to your body. and like the person above said - make sure your goal settings are set to at LEAST "lightly active" lifestyle

vim_n_vigor

You are nursing and first need to make sure you are meeting the needs of your baby. (By the way, congratulations on a healthy start for your baby). If you are waking up hungry every day, you probably need more calories to get through the day. If you are breastfeeding several times a day still, you should probably bump up 500 calories, not 300. You also need to make sure you are getting enough healthy fats in your diet for you and your baby. That will probably help full you up a bit more too.

CCJ13

The baby is almost 16 months now. He is pretty much only nursing at night. He still doesn't sleep through the night so I am nursing 2-3 times a night & sometimes once a day. That's why I only give myself an extra 300 for nursing. I only want to lose about 1lb per week. My thinking is if I lose it slow, it will be easier to maintain the weight loss because I'll be used to the lifestyle change. I think I'll bump it up to 1800 per day & see how that goes. I try to eat every couple of hours. Now I just need to make time to log my food again.

Jess5825

she was trying to lose 2lbs a week and mfp told her to eat 1200 calories a day. she had no energy and was cranky. she bumped it up to 1400 and is feeling better and has more energy.

imo, do a small change in calories at first, see how you respond.

This is what I'm doing. I had not been eating my exercise calories, and only eating 1200 and I work 10 hours shifts on my feet moving around all day. My weight lose stalled. So 2 weeks I bumped my calories to 1400, last week 1500, and this week I'm trying 1600. I'm gonna see what works.