help figuring out the right caloric goal setting?

mrs_dwr

Sorry this is going to be long, but I'd rather try to give all the info up-front.

I'm trying to figure out the right number of calories (just like everyone else on this site) and how to best track them. I fell off the food-recording wagon for a while, so if you look at my diary, you can only go back as far as this past Tuesday. So I know that part is a work in progress and might only be a *slight* help in your advising me. The reason I stopped tracking was because I just can't figure out the right amount of calories that I need. I'm afraid of dropping too many calories because I don't want my weight loss to stall ('eat more to lose more' and all that jazz) and I'm breastfeeding twins so I don't want my milk supply to dry up, but then I guess I was eating too many because I haven't been losing either. So that's why I'm back to tracking, and trying to keep up with it better. (sidenote: I ate when I was hungry and ate rather sensibly, so it wasn't like I was in the mindset of 'oh, I'm not tracking so I can eat these 5 doughnuts' or anything. I've never eaten like that anyway.)

SO. I'm 5'6", 157.5 lbs, 28 years old. I think I've figured out my TDEE accurately and it's 2344 according to fitnessfrog (exercising 3-5 times/week). My BMR is 1512 according to the same site. I would prefer to have MFP set up automatically so I can know at a glance if I'm on track. When I entered my goals manually a couple months ago, I would always see the number of calories remaining for the day and have to correct it mentally, since MFP adds the exercise calories back in, but since I was going based off TDEE-500, I wasn't wanting to eat those calories twice. And since I have limited time to be worrying about working out the math on the app, I'd prefer to just use MFP's settings instead of manually entering it in. But when I choose lightly active or even moderately active, MFP's numbers are still totally different than fitnessfrog's numbers.

I guess my main questions are

1. do most people who lose weight based off TDEE just enter their numbers manually and mentally do the math every time they log?

and

2. when figuring out TDEE, it just asked about how often I exercise. What about things like how active I regularly am? Yes, I exercise 3-5 times/week, but I also do other active things. I live in a 2 story house and have 3 kids age 2 and under, so I'm always 'moving' and 'active' on top of my official exercise. I think that's what MFP tries to use when you select your level of activity but then when I was figuring out my TDEE, it just asks about my exercise.

I've read over and over on the boards about eating more to lose the weight, and I'm certainly in agreement with that mentality. Even though I'm usually eating around 2400 calories/day, could I possibly still be eating not enough? I really don't know how I can fit in more calories in a 24-hour time period and keep them 'good' calories.

**By the way, if you don't happen to look at my diary, the reason I eat around 2400 calories/day (despite my TDEE being only 2344) is because 800 of those are 'breastfeeding twins' calories.

Whew! I'm sorry this is so long; I hope it makes sense. I'm really trying to figure out the best way to track everything, but it would be nice if it were the easiest way to track as well. I'm not really a math person, so it would be great if I didn't have to always mentally calculate how many calories I have left each day.:grumble:

Thanks!

mrs_dwr

I probably chose a poor title. Even in school (as an English major, no less) I could never write good titles for anything!