Need help with caloric intake

sarah2954

My stats:

Height: 5' 2.5"
SW: 198
CW: 136
GW: 115 (or a bit higher, not sure)

I started MFP January 16th, 2012. I started at 1200/day with no exercise. I began exercising May 1st, upped my net cals to 1300, and ate back all my exercise cals. My rate of weight loss has slowed, either from the changes I've made, because I'm so close to maintenance, or both.

I need advice on how many calories I should eat to keep losing weight, without eating back exercise cals. I exercise 5 days a week, burning 300-500 on average. I only do cardio - I recently had hand surgery so no strentgh training for a while, although I do plan to incorporate strength at some point after I have surgery on my other hand and am totally healed.

I'm a very structed person, and I like to plan my food for the day in the morning. It was hard for to add back my exercise cals, I would end up eating 2 bags of popcorn at 10pm and going to bed with a belly ache. I would rather eat the same amount every day, it will just be easier for me. I don't want to spike either, it's just stressful for me. Weird, maybe, but that's me and I have to do what works for me

Anyways..... with my stats, what would you recommend I eat to lose weight? I have it set to 1500 which is a totally doable amount for me. I eat 3 meals, 3 snacks, and am never hungry. But I'm not sure if that might be too much or too little...

workoutgirl23

i think you should set your daily calorie goal to about 1500 calories, and then just don't eat back any exercise calories. you'll lose weight better that way. i eat about 1400-1500 calories per day, and exercise doing cardio 5 days a week and i don't eat back my exercise calories, and i'm losing weight good.

ElizabethRoad

Find your weekly TDEE (not counting any exercise) then add your weekly exercise calories (about 2000 from what you've said) and divide by 7. Then deduct 20%, or 500 a day, your choice.