How many calories do I need to eat?

mmarcy11

I'm eating around 1,400 calories per day and I'm burning 600 calories 6 days a week at the gym. Am I eating enough calories? My rmr is 1,550. Thanks

therealangd

What does MFP say?

mmarcy11

Sorry a bit new to the site: We can choose our own calorie goals though. Is there a calculator on the site that tells you how many you should consume?

piccolarj

If you are not eating those exercise calories then essentially you are giving your body 800 calories to survive so no you are not eating enough. If you are eating at least 75% of those calories then yes you are fine.

therealangd

Not sure what MFP is

my fitness pal.

It makes things easy for you. You tell it how old you are, how much you weigh, how tall you are, how much weight you want to lose and it will tell you how many calories to eat.

richardson1965

I can tell you my personal experience. I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day and was exercising like a crazy woman and not eating back my calories. Then I couldn't lose anymore weight and actually gained another 1.5 pounds.

Then I actually started eating all my calories including the ones from exercising and low and behold I am now losing the weight. I've dropped 23 pounds.

It just seems so weird that I have to eat all those calories that I use from exercising but it's working!!

TeaBea

No ....... 1400 minus 600 = 800 NET Calories ...... not enough. The lowest number MFP will give you is 1200 NET.

If your resting metabolism is 1,550 then you maintain your weight by eating 1550 NET.


To lose 1 pound a week .... you need a calorie deficit of 3,500 ( 3500/7=500 per day) or 1550 - 500 = 1050 NET. Still not enough calories for MOST people .... very petite women way require less than 1200 ..... MFP will NOT give you a lower number. Instead MFP will recommend your weight loss goal is < 1 pound per week. This is VERY common when people get close to their goal weight.

mmarcy11

Ok, so yesterday my calorie intake was 1392 calories and I burned 581 calories by exercising. The net calories are 811, and it says I have 589 calories to go. Does that mean I have to eat those 589 calories?

piccolarj

Ok, so yesterday my calorie intake was 1392 calories and I burned 581 calories by exercising. The net calories are 811, and it says I have 589 calories to go. Does that mean I have to eat those 589 calories?

YES!! You want that number as close to 0 as possible as long as you are logging correctly and tracking your calorie burns with a HRM that has a chest strap. If not then you can leave a few just in case your calculation are off.

mmarcy11

Oh, it doesn't sound like I would lose much by eating 600 more calories though.

TeaBea

Think of the EXTRA calories as "fuel" You exercise so that you will burn fat. But you want to KEEP the muscle (too few calories & your body will use existing muscle as fuel). The extra (healthy) calories help you accomplish that.

mmarcy11

Thanks everybody! I always thought that burning more calories would help me lose weight quicker, but if I'm not eating enough then it wont. I could burn 300 calories at the gym and still lose the weight that I want to, that is how i am understanding it anyway.

TeaBea

Oh, it doesn't sound like I would lose much by eating 600 more calories though.

Think of it this way .... those 1200 NET calories are already spoken for. Your body requires that just to function. If your body needs to build blood cells, or skin cells, it's going to strip away your muscles if it has to. If you consistantly each less than 1200 ... your body will rebel eventually. Look for threads on "starvation mode."

piccolarj

Thanks everybody! I always thought that burning more calories would help me lose weight quicker, but if I'm not eating enough then it wont. I could burn 300 calories at the gym and still lose the weight that I want to, that is how i am understanding it anyway.

MFP already has a deficit built into your calories so you could the eat the calories MFP gives you and NOT workout and STILL lose weight. When you exercise you create an even BIGGER deficit which is not good for the body and it will cause you to hold on to your weight instead of losing it. I thought the same thing too and learned the hard way that eating too few calories and working out does not work. Using MFP the way it is set up for you is your best option IMO and takes all the guess work out of it. I hope this helps and good luck on your journey!

mbhsummerlin

it does seem counter intuitive, but you do need to be eating at least 1000-1200 calories/day even with a high calorie workout, if not, you can actually SLOW DOWN your metabolism bc it will conserve the calories you are consuming (it's thinking feast or famine!)

based on your weight, aim for at LEAST 15-20 kcal/kg of body weight
ex- 150 lb person (divide lbs by 2.2 to get kg)= 68 kg x 15 -20 kcal = 1022-1360 kcal/day

also, you could google "Harris Benedict Equation" and put in height, weight , age to get your basal metabolic needs, then times that kcal by 1.3-1.5 "activity factor" to get an estimated kcal needs that may be closer to what your body needs based on working out daily

Think of those "extra" calories as a way to make sure you are getting a variety of nutrient dense foods to make sure your diet is nutritionally adequate. ..for example, having 8oz of 1% milk or 1 oz of unsalted nuts..or 3 oz of lean protein....or 1 cup of greek yogurt

Spend the additional calories wisely on whole grains and lean protein to help your muscles recover the nutrients needed - esp to fuel your next workout!!

good luck,
MBHS, registered dietitian