How many calories should I be on?

LottieLou13
LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Yeah...one of those threads. Sorry if this has been done before but I'm getting myself tied up in knots trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating each day.
I'm trying to burn at least 300 a day, and have no idea how to work out my 'net' calories. Also I have done my BMR and TDEE or whatever they are called but am not sure that I'm on enough or on too much. Also I'm trying to reduce down my sodium levels because I have hypertension cause by an overactive thyroid. I'm practically an ovo-lacto vegetarian although I will eat chicken and prawns if I really have to. I'm struggling at the moment to eat the 1400 calories a day, I'm just so full up nearly all the time.

Here is as much info as I can think of...

5ft 5 1/2
CW 194 (down from 201)
GW 140 (or 10lbs more...if I feel comfortable and maintainable)

My current MFP targets
1400 calories a day
40% carbs
30% protein
30% fat

According to my fitbit my average burn is 2185. My diary is open, let me know if you need any more info. (and sorry for the stupid questions!)

Replies

  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Have you tried just letting MFP set it for you in Goals? It's just so simple that way.
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    That just gives me 1250 calories a day, I thought I should be at least eating my BMR? I'm so confused :(
  • chelsearae85
    chelsearae85 Posts: 40
    Eat more often. I was full after 900 cals(not net cals I wont even tell you what that was) and I figured out it was cuz I was only eating 3 meals no snacks really. Plan all your meals ahead, set timers, maybe even log it the night before if you have to you can always switch something if you change your mind.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    According to my fitbit my average burn is 2185. My diary is open, let me know if you need any more info. (and sorry for the stupid questions!)

    I'm not sure what that number means. Does fitbit estimate your total daily energy expenditure (the calories your body needs to keep alive plus the calories to move around)?

    If so, then subtract 500 from that to lose one pound per week. It looks to me like you told MFP two pounds per week, so it told you 1000 from its estimate of your TDEE (2250 - 1000 = 1250). 2 lbs a week might be too aggressive for a 5' 5 1/2" woman.

    As always: "Posts by members, moderators and admins should not be considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy."
  • jaabee11
    jaabee11 Posts: 322 Member
    Your net calories are shown up top on your home page.
    Simple equation.
    What you eat minus what you burn.
    you eat 1400 ,you burnt 250 exercising then your net would be 1150. 1400- 250= 1150net
    MFP would like you to then eat an extra 250 to get your net back up to 1400.
    That is personal choice and there is plenty of info in the forums for and against it, but mostly for from I've read.

    Maybe you mean your deficit, I'm not sure.
    If you set your goal to maintenance then what is left is your deficit.
    You should try for approximately 500 left in the green to get a 1lb loss for the week.
    Most of all don't stress, let MFP do the figuring for you.
    Don't worry too much at this stage about your BMI, TDEE etc.
    Eat your goal calories and watch the weight fall off.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Not a stupid question at all - so many people are confused about this. The good new is, you should really be on more calories (yay!!).

    Here is a great link to see how much your calories should be. Use the sedentary number in the table to see how much you should be eating if you like to track your exercise calories and then eat them back. Otherwise, use the number related to the activity level based on your exercises.

    Whatever this comes out to be - over-ride your settings with the #.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map (not sure if I have done this right - if not, search 'in place of a road map topic"

    I ran them for you - your BMR is 1666 - you should nver go below this (net), at a sedentary level, you should be at 1717 (so, without exercise).

    Your macros look good at 40/30/30.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    With regard to your food - I am really not an expert here but I would suggest to replace your low fat items with full fat items to add calories without adding volume. Also, I love quorn but am startled to see how much sodium is in the casserole. You may want to double check it - quorn is a great way to get protein (I am a vegetarian and eat it all the time) so I would hate for you to feel like you need to restrict it. You are also a bit light on the fruits and veg and a bit heavy on the processed food (so am I, so I have no room to talk here!).

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