Calories per day......

erickirb

good thing i found this...i joined MFP last year sometime, i don't really keep to the diary cz i REALLY dnt understand much of it. how does it work..my BMR is 1547..I don't exercise at the moment but i want to start spinning again 3 times a week. which will burn (according to MFP 420 cal). I am jst wondering how accurate the calories in the foods are? I take 2 meal replacement shakes a day..and then in between when i get hungry i eat..just finnished a whole can of baked beans. I cant eat big breakfasts, i actually get very nauseous if i eat solids early morning. and lunch times i also have a meal replacement cz it's just easier. I am very busy at work and i find that it's better for me to take a shake than nothing at all.

If MFP says i should take in 1200 cal a day and i burn an additional 420 cal 3 days a week - it's now telling me I ate too little??? how does it work? must i eat back that 420 cal on the days i exercise?

Yes you have to eat those back as you will lose your goal amount of weight eating 1200 cals with no exercise. If you burn 420, your body would react like you only at 780 (1200-420) and didn't exercise, and 780 is not enough fuel to function on.

That being said, MFP usually over-estimates caloric burn. I would suggest you only eat back 75ish% of the cals burned so if MFP says 420, eat back around 315 or so.

SteveTries

well sorry for commenting! it just seemed that if she's eating them all back and not losing then maybe don't eat all of them back...i don't..i don't worry if i go over my daily goal a bit but i don't eat them all back...doesn't make sense really!

^ yup

I do suspect that many of the exercise calories burnt guides are on the high end. Particularly so where the source is a manufacturer of an exercise machine. I agree with the above, I'd try eating back just 50% of the cals and adjust up or down based on observation

crazycat80

I'm inside my last few pounds. I'm currently set up to lose 1/2 lb a week. MFP set me originally at 1220 calories a day. I was starving like you, and about every 2-3 days, I was binge eating. I started tweaking my daily calories by 20 per day until I felt I hit a sweet spot I could handle. I'm up to 1260 per day. It still isn't quite there, but it's close enough I only feel deprived about once a week now, and I can keep any binging to a reasonable level.

Also, I agree with other posters that your meals look pretty slim on substance. I'd toss in some additional lean meats or nuts and more veggies for filler through all your meals. I'm not a salad fan, but I can usually choke down some mixed spring greens which help top me off. And if you need to, you might map out your day in the morning. This could help you stay on track. I usually log everything in the A.M., and if I plan on grabbing something extra, I can plan around it. I feel more accountable when I have all the information in front of me.

If you are exercising, plan to eat back on average about 50% of your workout calories depending on how you feel. I've had days where I exercised and just wasn't that hungry, so I didn't eat any of them, but I've also had days where I've felt every one of them leaving my body. As long as you listen to your body, you'll be fine.

SteveTries

I'm inside my last few pounds. I'm currently set up to lose 1/2 lb a week. MFP set me originally at 1220 calories a day. I was starving like you, and about every 2-3 days, I was binge eating. I started tweaking my daily calories by 20 per day until I felt I hit a sweet spot I could handle. I'm up to 1260 per day. It still isn't quite there, but it's close enough I only feel deprived about once a week now, and I can keep any binging to a reasonable level.

^ I think this is a post that everyone looking for answers needs to read. MFP sets out some guidance for you based on statistical norms and averages. It's really important that you observe what happens to you, as an individual and you adjust your approach accordingly.

crazycat80 (cool name) recognised that the caloric level suggested for her wasn't right. It was uncomfortable and ultimately impossible for her to stick to so she listened to the feedback her body and mind we giving her and adjusted her approach.

The most effective diet there is, is the one you can stick to.