Still confused about calorie intake.

PixelTreason

Hey guys!

So - I have lost 50 pounds this year, I went from 167 to 115.
115 is kind of low for me but I am having a hard time adjusting my calories to maintenance.
Every site says something different!



I am just starting weight lifting (New Rules of Lifting for Women) and by the calculations in the book, I should be eating about 1,660 calories with no exercise and 1900 calories on exercise days. That's total.

I have been eating 1,800 calories on non exercise days and about 2,000-2,100 calories on exercise days and I am still losing weight, albeit slowly. I was 118 just a few weeks ago.

I've seen sites and books telling me I should be eating anything from 1,550 a day to 2,200 a day! I have no idea what to believe and I want to stop losing weight but I am scared to gain fat again.

I'm so confused! Anyone have some insight?

Thanks!

coconutbuNZ

Just choose one site and stick with that one. If it works, continue. If it doesn't, adjust your goals. Sometimes you have to experiment.

PixelTreason

Just choose one site and stick with that one. If it works, continue. If it doesn't, adjust your goals. Sometimes you have to experiment.

Thanks for the response!

I was just wondering if anyone who was more knowledgable than I in these matters might have some insight as to what a "normal" intake would be for someone who has a sedentary desk job but exercises 5 days a week (about 30 minutes a day now, I've cut back).

Or, anyone here of similar height and weight to me want to share their intake?
I'm 5' 9" and 115-116 at the moment.

RepsnSets

The book you are reading is pretty logical. After reading about people bumping their calorie intake here and losing weight I took more notice of that chapter in the book and am now losing body fat rather steadily.

Im on somethng like 2200 calories on training days and thats just the active workout phase not the strenous *sp* days.

PixelTreason

The book you are reading is pretty logical. After reading about people bumping their calorie intake here and losing weight I took more notice of that chapter in the book and am now losing body fat rather steadily.

Im on somethng like 2200 calories on training days and thats just the active workout phase not the strenous *sp* days.

The book is great, yes - but I am still losing weight and yet eating more than the book recommends! : /

padmasree77

which book it is plss give me the link

PixelTreason

which book it is plss give me the link

It's The New Rules of Lifting For Women.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398

DixiedoesMFP

What did you do to lose the weight in the first place?

Martucha123

It is possible that you are more active then you think.
Or you eat less then you think. (I have seen many people saying they eat 2500 kcal but actually their goal is 2500 and they come under every day 100-500 kcals...)
Pick a number and stick to it for 2 weeks, if you les, up cals by 100-200, repeat untill you get to the point where you do not lose anymore.

Suedre

It could be what you're eating too. The nutritionist was telling me that some foods the body is more efficient at processing than others. You could start small and add something like a high sugar piece of fruit once or twice a day for a week or two and see what kind of changes that makes.

Our insurance pays for one nutrition consolation per year. Yours might too, check it out – totally worth it. I got a ton of useful information for me with a specific focus on my goals and lifestyle. If only I would DO what she told me to do.

CMcBryer

Just bump your calories up by 50 or so / day for a month and evaluate. If you are still losing weight, bump the calories up a little more, give it a month and reevaluate. You'll find the sweet spot eventually. Make sure you are giving your body enough time to adjust for the difference in calories (hence the month). Good on you for getting to your maintenance weight! Good luck!

BreakingOath

Well, you could be burning more calories than you actually think you are or not eating as much as you think you are. And it may be a combination of both. Try upping your calories by a little bit and see if that stops your weight loss.

lambertj

Perhaps bump up your calories by a hundred a day for 2 weeks and re-evaluate and if that doesn't work, bump again? It does get confusing as each site has a different BMR calculator and as you build muscle you will naturally burn more calories.

squishycow7

I don't have firsthand experience, but I believe that if you are lifting properly as the book instructs, any weight you gain SHOULD go to muscle (unless you are seriously overeating, but that doesn't seem likely for you).

Just keep bumping the calories by 100 or so each week until you see success! Good luck!

Kirsty_UK

The problem is, that even those in a sedentary job, can burn 500 cals a day more if they just try and get up from their desks more often, take the stairs instead of lifts etc, so it's hard for any book or any website or calculator to say what you actually burn in a day, even before exercise.

There are tools like the fitbit that might help, but really I think it's just a case of fine tuning as you go. I would never expect anyone in maintenance to actually stay the same weight anyway, but fluctuate around a point. The trick for you is to make sure you are fluctuated, not just going down.

Good luck!

chrishgt4

Just bump your calories up by 50 or so / day for a month and evaluate. If you are still losing weight, bump the calories up a little more, give it a month and reevaluate. You'll find the sweet spot eventually. Make sure you are giving your body enough time to adjust for the difference in calories (hence the month). Good on you for getting to your maintenance weight! Good luck!

This - the calculations are not a definite formula - they are ballpark.

Use them to get close and then evaluate, as said above, a month at a time.

tatianap28

I think that with your calorie intake, the quality of the calories, and your regular cardiovascular exercise (which is no joke), you need to be taking in at least 2000 to 2200. Now with the weight lifting, you are actually burning more calories than the site gives you credit for, because you have to remember that the muscle that you build needs more nutrition than fat does, it burns more calories, even if you are currently not using them. In other words, once you have muscle mass, you burn more calories just being you...even at rest. You will not get "fat" (which you were not) again. You will maintain. Just try it out and see what happens!
:happy:

PixelTreason

Thank you, everyone! I just wanted to at least make sure that it wasn't completely crazy for me to still be losing weight at 2000 calories a day. Perhaps I am miscalculating somewhere, burning more than I think. You've all been very helpful! I really appreciate the time you took to respond. ;D I'll definitely implement your suggestions!