How many calories?

justjenny

Losing weight used to seem so easy. Eat less move more. I tried that and have lost 7 pounds so far. But that's it. My weight stays around that plateau number and doesn't seem to budge. I set my calorie intake for 1200, and have been going to the gym 3-4 times a week for an hour or more. 30-45 minutes training on cardio, and the remainder with weights. I checked my BMR, and it calculates to 1333, my TDEE comes to 2066. What does this all mean? Should I be eating more? Is it just that I am gaining muscle? I would like to lose 15 lbs, continue to gain muscle, but lose the fat. Suggestions anyone? I appreciate any help you have figuring this out.

RandomMiranda

I have been in a similar situation, eating at 1200, working out a lot and not losing. Increasing my calorie intake and paying more attention to my macros (more protein especially, but also less sugars) pushed me over the hump.

justjenny

What exactly are macros, and how do I keep track of them?

sannsk

What exactly are macros, and how do I keep track of them?

macro's are carbs, fat, sat. fat, proteins, sugar,... just keep track of that, it's easy to see with MFP

reh1089

it's important to NEVER go below 1200 calories. I stick to 1200 on days I don't work out, but if I burn say, 300 calories working out I will eat 1500 that day. This keeps you at a steady calorie deficit but prevents your body from going into starvation mode and hanging on to the fat.

I would also suggest eating something like 20% fat, 30% carbs, 50% protein in your diet, although the specific values may be different for you. Protein keeps you fuller longer and helps you maintain energy for working out. Fats have more than twice as many calories per unit of weight than carbs and proteins.

justjenny

This makes sense, but I track my meals throughout the day on MFP, and don't normally get to the gym until after work. Should I track my exercise before I eat dinner then? I normally eat breakfast and lunch...if I am going to the gym I will have a yogurt before, but then I usually eat a light dinner after. Should I continue with that, or have dinner then work out?