I Need Someone to Hold My Hand

heatherfitz

And help me through this calorie confusion! Haha. I've been bouncing around from post to post and have BMIs and BMRs and TDEEs or whatever running through my head O_o

Stats:

24 years old
5'2''
130lbs

I'm on the 1,200 cal a day plan but eat around 1,500 (my BMR is 1,400). I exercise 6 days a week and burn around 400 cals total.

Am I doin' it wrong? Haha, I keep reading to up my calories but I'm TERRIFIED to do that. I'm down 5 pounds in about 3 weeks and would like to lose some more (mainly tummy flab). I'm scared increasing would gain weight. But I'm also scared of the dreaded starvation mode and still gaining weight.

I know you're all probably tired of people like me, but...any suggestions? =/

Goal_Line

Looks to me like you are doing fine.

dbpiero

you are definately on the right track, I am 5'2 and weigh 132, I have been sticking with 1300 calories since March 2012 and have lost 14 lbs. doing basically just what you have said that you are doing. Do not go under your BMR in calories and don't use the exercise calories as a deduction and you will be fine.

BrianSharpe

OK, with a BMR of 1400 your TDEE would be around 2170 (active). So if you used TDEE less 20% your calorie goal would be around 1,700 if you use MFPs 1200 net it would be 1,600 (1,200 plus 400 from exercise) so at 1500 your deficit is just a little higher which gives you a bit of wiggle room (does anyone actually weigh every morsel of food they consume?)

I wouldn't worry about starvation mode, if you were eating far below your needs your body would adapt to the lower intake by slowing down your metabolism but this notion that your body would hold onto fat etc is nonsense (otherwise people who were really starving wouldn't look like walking skeletons)

heatherfitz

Thank you all! I guess I was just needing to hear that I'm on the right track And thanks so much, Brian, for breaking it down for me. That's incredibly helpful!