help me set my daily calories correctly

Tkzk
Tkzk Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm 5'5 and was 120 lbs. I didn't want to lose much weight, just a few pounds (post-baby gut that never went away), so I used the MFP calculator to determine what my caloric intake should be. It said 1200. So, I've been eating 1200, and the 2 pounds dropped off in less than a week. I still have a little gut, but I think weights will help more than calorie restrictions at this point.

Now, I just want to maintain and strengthen and tone my muscles. I reset the calculator to "maintain" and my daily calories shot up to 1680! I don't get it. Should I seriously be eating another 480 calories a day? That's like another entire meal! Any advice?

I work out maybe twice a week, but I'm pretty small and only work out for 1/2 hour, so I only burn 180 calories or so for each workout.

I am going to start some mild weight training this week. I appreciate any advice!

Thanks, Zoe
Zoë

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    presumably you set an initial deficit for a weight loss of 1 lb/week ? Turning that off and selecting maintenance adds 500 calories hence the 1680 (previous result was actually 1180 but MFP has a minimum of 1200).

    You should make stepwise increases of maybe 150 calories a day and hold them for at least a week before taking the next step up. Then you'll find your maintenance level.
  • MelanieLeanne
    MelanieLeanne Posts: 32
    To lose 1 pound in a week, you take away 500 calories from your diet intake each day. So in 7 days, that will be 3500 calories which equals 1 pound. When you want to maintain, you add the 500 calories back in. Or so that's how MFP thinks. But if it's too much & you start gaining weight back, just deduct 100-200 calories.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
    To lose 1 pound in a week, you take away 500 calories from your diet intake each day. So in 7 days, that will be 3500 calories which equals 1 pound. When you want to maintain, you add the 500 calories back in. Or so that's how MFP thinks. But if it's too much & you start gaining weight back, just deduct 100-200 calories.

    Nice answer, but beware, we usually don't think in term of an absolute value, rather a percentage from the TDEE.
    A "safe" deficit (preventing both starvation feeling and hormonal impairment from 15 to 30% tops.

    Unfortunately, it's too beautiful to be true, because even if 1lb of triglyceride equals 3500 calories (3600 in fact) only genetic and energy pathway will determine how much of those fat lbs will be used. In the end of the week, a unadapted diet could lead to :
    - Muscles burn (catabolism) instead of fat burn
    - Glycogen usage instead of fat burn.

    So even if you are suppose to have your 3500 calories deficit by the end of the week, it doesn't mean you lost 1 lb of fat :-)

    @OP : You could go to 1350 calories, you would still lose weight. This is all about making the diet easy, and not a torture instrument.

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