Please just tell me....

reddcat

HI! Taking the easy way out and probably going to get nailed....but here goes. I have read the forums like it is my full time job ( I am a SAHM) and I am more confused than ever. Forget the 'eat the exercise calories" debate....... I just want to know how many calories I am supposed to be eating. Saw all these posts over the weekend about BMR and TDEE (still not exactly sure what the hell that is), eat this much....no eat that much. Eat lower than your BMR....NEVER eat under your BMR. Took me months to figure out even what activity level I am. :blushing: SOO, in semi-frustration and extreme confusion...I bow to you all.
I have gone on Spark people (or whatever it is), Mayo clinic, lose it, etc. Just getting more confused the more I read.

I am 5'3" (on a good day!) and currently weigh 157 (egads, did I just admit it in public????). (yes, built like a weeble). I am a SAHM and don't sit down a great amount of the day. Mayo clinic said I should be at 1900, which means a 500 deficit would be 1400. According to MFP, I should be at 1330. (before I told it I go to the gym 3 times a week ,I was at 1200 and could barely get through the day). Someone help!!! :sad: PLEASE, I beg of you to just tell me.........and to be kind.

kayleen_longworth

First off 157# at 5'3" does NOT make you weeble. Not even close.

If you enter half pound/week loss or 1#/week loss you should get more calories to enjoy. Take the weight loss slow and really make changes to your diet and lifestyle. Telling MFP that you plan to exercise 3 times a week shouldn't effect the numebr of calories you are allowed to start with.

If you workout and enter your cardio workouts to MFP, it is calculated to allow you to eat back your exercise cals since you are already set for a cal deficit. If you don't exercise at all, you are still eating at a deficit based on MFP's calcs. You need to NET at least 1200 cals to stay out of starvation mode. So Food cals minus exercise cals equals NET Cals. You want to eat as close to your goal as possible (unless you find another way that works better for you). Also if you make your food diary public, we can better evaluate your intake and offer more suggestions.

jacksonpt

What's wrong with what MFP (or the mayo clinic) calculated for you? Why are you doubting them?

harebearva

It's difficult to get a perfect number out of the gate. It's always just estimates and then trial and error until you fiind the numbers that give you results. Based on height, weight and age I used the Mifflin-St Jeor formula which isn't as accurate as others but unless you have a good idea of bodyfat percentage it will get you in teh right neighborhood. Best I can tell your BMR is around 1354 cals. If you figure in a daily activity level of light to moderate with low exercise your maintenance is around 1895 cals. That breaks down to Protein 125g, fat 65g, carbs 200g per day. These numbers are for maintenance. Now if you choose a calorie deficit of 200 calories then youd drop the carbs to about 152g. That would be about 1695 cals per day. I wouldn't recommend any more than a 500 cal deficit for safe weight loss. 500 would be 1395 per day. You can plug these numbers into myfitnesspal and see what macronutrient breakdown it suggests. Typically you figure your protein amount needed, then fat, and what ever is left over goes to carbs.
If you want to really get to understand the breakdown of BMR, NEAT, EAT, and TEF check out teh link below. It has everything anyone could need to figure out macronutrients and adjust them. Hope this helps

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

reddcat

Thanks for the feedback! What I meant by weeble, is that I am about the same measurements all the way around. I saw sooo many posts this weekend about not following MFP settings that I was getting panicky. Just wishing I can find the right combo for me.
My diary is closed currently. It never used to be. I started in Jan 2011 and it was wide out there for everyone to see. A stranger (why they were on my diary I will never know) looked at my diary and then sent me a nasty PM about the fact I ate cheerios. Started back in Jan 2012 with a closed diary. Everyone assumes if your diary is closed, that you are mainlining crappy food. NOT the case, just don't want my self-esteem to plummet if, God forbid, I eat cheerios again.

bcattoes

What's wrong with what MFP (or the mayo clinic) calculated for you? Why are you doubting them?

My thought as well. The numbers for both are only 70 calories apart, so I'd use that as a starting point. If you are losing and always hungry, try adding a little more. If you are not losing at the expected rate and not hungry, try dropping it a little. Do this until you find that perfect spot where you are satisfied but still losing. It's a little different for everyone, but the general calculations are usually a good starting point.

reddcat

Thanks everyone! It is not really a matter of doubt, it is just a wide range. Based on what website I am on, the amount varies from 1200 to 1400. I have done some damage to my body from years of eating erratically. Just don't want to deprive it of anything it needs now.

mrsdizzyd84

Thanks for the feedback! What I meant by weeble, is that I am about the same measurements all the way around. I saw sooo many posts this weekend about not following MFP settings that I was getting panicky. Just wishing I can find the right combo for me.
My diary is closed currently. It never used to be. I started in Jan 2011 and it was wide out there for everyone to see. A stranger (why they were on my diary I will never know) looked at my diary and then sent me a nasty PM about the fact I ate cheerios. Started back in Jan 2012 with a closed diary. Everyone assumes if your diary is closed, that you are mainlining crappy food. NOT the case, just don't want my self-esteem to plummet if, God forbid, I eat cheerios again.

1. I love Cheerios especially the Chocolate ones. I think I had Chocolate Cheerios for breakfast everyday last week and I lost weight perfectly fine.
2. What's wrong with what MFP is telling you? Is it not working for you? Are you gaining weight?

A lot of this is by trial and error. No one can give you the magic number. You can create a "best guess" by using online calculators like Mayo Clinic and MFP. From there, you have to make whatever adjustments you see fit. I use the estimates MFP gives me. I have lost 21 pounds since November.

Captain_Tightpants

Everything you'll ever need to know here:
http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

If I'm doing my math right, your BMR is about 1250-1350 (this is the amount of calories your body uses to just keep alive, breath, keep your heart beating, repair tissues etc.

Then you have to add a multiplier for the light activity you mention you do each day. That is x 1.375. This is for the usual things like walking, cleaning, moving around etc. but not for actual workouts.

So 1350 x 1.375 = 1856

1856 - thats your Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). In other words, if you ate 1850 cals each day, you should stay at right about the same weight.

To lose 1lb a week, you'll want to set up a 500 calorie a day deficit. You could do this in three ways:

1) Don't work out, but only eat 1350 cals/day
2) Burn 500 cals each day in a workout and eat 1850 cals/day
3) Find a happy medium, say burn off 250 cals in a workout and eat 1600 cals a day.

All the above should work, but #3 is probably the most sensible option because you'll ensure you're eating enough but also get the benefits of working out.

And here's the most important thing. These numbers are always just guesses. It's a moving target. As you get smaller your caloric needs will get smaller too. So you need to learn to do these calculations for yourself and repeat them once every couple of months to readjust.

Hope that helps.

jacksonpt

Thanks everyone! It is not really a matter of doubt, it is just a wide range. Based on what website I am on, the amount varies from 1200 to 1400. I have done some damage to my body from years of eating erratically. Just don't want to deprive it of anything it needs now.

That's actually not that much, especially when you consider all the approximations that are made when tracking cals (both consumed and burned).

If you're be more comfortable, just take the average and start there. There is no perfect calculation... the calculations are a starting point and you finesse it from there to find your sweet spot.

MDWilliams1857

Dont make it more difficult than it is. Dont worry about TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and all the other stuff right now. Just focus on calories in, calories out. Its that simple. Set up your MFP and set it to lose 1 pound a week or 2 pounds a week, whatever youre after. Then eat the number of calories MFP tells you to eat. Dont tweak things at all until you have followed it for at least three weeks. On another note, anyone that would send you a message giving you crap about what you eat, is a jerk and shouldnt be taken seriously.

reddcat

Thanks again everyone! OH GOD I WANT TO FIND MY SWEET SPOT!!!!!

echoica

Everything you'll ever need to know here:
http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

If I'm doing my math right, your BMR is about 1250-1350 (this is the amount of calories your body uses to just keep alive, breath, keep your heart beating, repair tissues etc.

Then you have to add a multiplier for the light activity you mention you do each day. That is x 1.375. This is for the usual things like walking, cleaning, moving around etc. but not for actual workouts.

So 1350 x 1.375 = 1856

1856 - thats your Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). In other words, if you ate 1850 cals each day, you should stay at right about the same weight.

To lose 1lb a week, you'll want to set up a 500 calorie a day deficit. You could do this in three ways:

1) Don't work out, but only eat 1350 cals/day
2) Burn 500 cals each day in a workout and eat 1850 cals/day
3) Find a happy medium, say burn off 250 cals in a workout and eat 1600 cals a day.

All the above should work, but #3 is probably the most sensible option because you'll ensure you're eating enough but also get the benefits of working out.

And here's the most important thing. These numbers are always just guesses. It's a moving target. As you get smaller your caloric needs will get smaller too. So you need to learn to do these calculations for yourself and repeat them once every couple of months to readjust.

Hope that helps.

great post!

swall0810

MFP had me at 1230 calories a day, I was NOT losing ANYTHING. I was working out and it just didnt work. I got my BMR caluclated for ME and I eat 1400 on a day I dont work out and on the days I do work out can eat up to 1800 and STILL lose 1-2lbs a week. Have someone that knows how to calculate your BMR do it for you and go by those numbers. Just my opinion.

swall0810

Everything you'll ever need to know here:
http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

If I'm doing my math right, your BMR is about 1250-1350 (this is the amount of calories your body uses to just keep alive, breath, keep your heart beating, repair tissues etc.

Then you have to add a multiplier for the light activity you mention you do each day. That is x 1.375. This is for the usual things like walking, cleaning, moving around etc. but not for actual workouts.

So 1350 x 1.375 = 1856

1856 - thats your Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). In other words, if you ate 1850 cals each day, you should stay at right about the same weight.

To lose 1lb a week, you'll want to set up a 500 calorie a day deficit. You could do this in three ways:

1) Don't work out, but only eat 1350 cals/day
2) Burn 500 cals each day in a workout and eat 1850 cals/day
3) Find a happy medium, say burn off 250 cals in a workout and eat 1600 cals a day.

All the above should work, but #3 is probably the most sensible option because you'll ensure you're eating enough but also get the benefits of working out.

And here's the most important thing. These numbers are always just guesses. It's a moving target. As you get smaller your caloric needs will get smaller too. So you need to learn to do these calculations for yourself and repeat them once every couple of months to readjust.

Hope that helps.

great post!

Perfect!

vim_n_vigor

You will need to find what works best for you. You should probably be active in the system and since you don't have much weight to lose, go for .5 to 1 lb a week. I am 5'4'' and have my calories set to 1490 - before any exercise.

SteveHunt113

I've used MFP as the bible of how many calories I should eat. I almost always am within 50 calories of my goal (up or down). And here's the thing: even though I'm trying to lose 1 pound per week, I'm averaging about 1.5. So MFP is giving me a number that is not accurate, but I know that if I eat 200 calories more than it says, I'm still doing ok. It just takes time doing the same thing to see if adjustments are needed.

Ambamm77

check out http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm someone posted this on a board earlier. It confirmed some things for me. The 1240 calories a day is too low for me and that I must eat back as many exercise calories as possible. As a side note don't just focus on the day to day but also as a week at a time. I may not eat all my exercise calories back the day I earn them but on the day I don't work out I usually go over my 1240.