Can't wrap my brain around 2300 calories a day....

ExplorinLauren

I know its been talked about 100,000 times :yawn:

But I guess I'm doomed to never get it.

Went to http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ ..
33 y/o Female 5 foot 7, 200 lbs. Goal weight 158.

BMR: 1685
Moderately Active Daily Calories: 2328

It also says: "Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat AT YOUR GOAL WEIGHT. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person."

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

I want to eat and be happy and lose weight. I don't want to starve myself, but I don't want to eat too much either.
MFP has me at 1360 calories a day. This has me at 2300 calories a day. 1000 calories is a BIG difference!!!

Sigh.......... Any help, ideas, comments, are welcome. You can even dumb it down for me... I don't mind :ohwell:

kristen6022

To lose a pound a week you need a daily deficit of 500 calories, so if your TDEE is 2328, eat 500 less than that, so around 1800. MFP puts most people too low. I personally found my sweet spot to be around 1600, but everyone is different.

LorinaLynn

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

julieh391

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

Great answer

am06or

Bump... I'm in the same boat

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

To lose a pound a week you need a daily deficit of 500 calories, so if your TDEE is 2328, eat 500 less than that, so around 1800. MFP puts most people too low. I personally found my sweet spot to be around 1600, but everyone is different.

This....If after 3 weeks, you aren't losing much, you can always adjust down by 100 calories to see how that helps. Remember that your TDEE is based on your activity level so continue to get those workouts in nd don't add in your exercise calories since they're built in already.

LorinaLynn

To lose a pound a week you need a daily deficit of 500 calories, so if your TDEE is 2328, eat 500 less than that, so around 1800. MFP puts most people too low. I personally found my sweet spot to be around 1600, but everyone is different.

Just remember that you want to subtract that 500 from your present TDEE, not your goal weight TDEE. 1800 would be about 800 below her current TDEE.

ExplorinLauren

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

TrishaCisneros

Me either. I finally figured out that I need to be eating way more cals. The last couple days I have been ready for bed around 6pm. Yesterday was the first time I bumped up my cals which was so strange to me. I've been overweight all my life so calories have always been evil in my mind. Yesterday I had so much more energy and I feel great today.

I am:

25, 5'5, 164.5lbs, 33% Body Fat

So according to that website:

Harris- Benedict: 1559

Katch-McArdle: 1450

and for what I should eat:

Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) - 2251

cmriverside

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

Figure out your current TDEE. Subtract 20% from that. Eat that every day. (Don't know where you got the idea to subtract 1000 - it would be more like subtracting 460 - round it up to 500 if you want, but not 1000). Don't eat more on exercise days, just eat that same number. Keep doing the exercise.

The formula is always TDEE minus 15%-20% for weight loss. You don't change that to 40% for any reason.

LorinaLynn

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

Yes, but with the amount of weight you have left to lose, one pound a week would be the ideal goal. When you had more to lose you could "afford" a larger deficit. With only about 40 pounds to go, a 1000 calorie a day deficit is too much.

BRFMcKay

Here is where I am confused for me.

My stats: 26, female, 5'4", 160 lbs, goal weight of 130lbs

H-B formula: 1530 calories
K-M formula: 1470 calories

But what activity level? I work out 5-6 days a week for 60 minutes, and I do it vigorously. BUT my day job is sitting at a desk, getting up only for the bathroom/to grab print outs/etc.

So do I go with:
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1679
OR one of these two:
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2168
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2413

With sedentary, to lose a pound a week, it would be 1179 calories before exercise. I already am struggling to eat 1310 that I have now when I don't exercise. (Yes I am short, and I should probably eat less.)

If I go with one of the higher calories, it would be 1668 or 1913, and obviously not eat back exercise calories.

Thanks.

cmriverside

Here is where I am confused for me.

My stats: 26, female, 5'4", 160 lbs, goal weight of 130lbs

H-B formula: 1530 calories
K-M formula: 1470 calories

But what activity level? I work out 5-6 days a week for 60 minutes, and I do it vigorously. BUT my day job is sitting at a desk, getting up only for the bathroom/to grab print outs/etc.

<snip>

YOu should post your own thread about this, instead of asking on someone else's post.

ahamm002

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

I want to eat and be happy and lose weight. I don't want to starve myself, but I don't want to eat too much either.
MFP has me at 1360 calories a day. This has me at 2300 calories a day. 1000 calories is a BIG difference!!!

Sigh.......... Any help, ideas, comments, are welcome. You can even dumb it down for me... I don't mind :ohwell:

I'm confused. 2300 is your current TDEE right? Not the TDEE that you'd have at your goal weight? You'd have to re-input your info with your goal weight to calculate the TDEE for that weight, and then eat that number of calories. This is getting complicated.

Just take your current TDEE, and aim to eat 500 less calories. If you're not losing weight after a month, it's because you either over estimated your activity level, or underestimated the amount of calories in your food. Go back and adjust, and eventually you'll get it down pat.

ExplorinLauren

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

I want to eat and be happy and lose weight. I don't want to starve myself, but I don't want to eat too much either.
MFP has me at 1360 calories a day. This has me at 2300 calories a day. 1000 calories is a BIG difference!!!

Sigh.......... Any help, ideas, comments, are welcome. You can even dumb it down for me... I don't mind :ohwell:

I'm confused. 2300 is your current TDEE right? Not the TDEE that you'd have at your goal weight? You'd have to re-input your info with your goal weight to calculate the TDEE for that weight, and then eat that number of calories. This is getting complicated.

Just take your current TDEE, and aim to eat 500 less calories. If you're not losing weight after a month, it's because you either over estimated your activity level, or underestimated the amount of calories in your food. Go back and adjust, and eventually you'll get it down pat.

No, my current TDEE is 2602.

But yea, It's getting complicated lol .... it always feels complicated to me... although I know its not supposed to be.

BRFMcKay

Here is where I am confused for me.

My stats: 26, female, 5'4", 160 lbs, goal weight of 130lbs

H-B formula: 1530 calories
K-M formula: 1470 calories

But what activity level? I work out 5-6 days a week for 60 minutes, and I do it vigorously. BUT my day job is sitting at a desk, getting up only for the bathroom/to grab print outs/etc.

<snip>

YOu should post your own thread about this, instead of asking on someone else's post.

I figured since we were all here, talking about the same stuff, why not just ask. I didn't realize there were people policing this stuff! :noway:

ExplorinLauren

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

Figure out your current TDEE. Subtract 20% from that. Eat that every day. (Don't know where you got the idea to subtract 1000 - it would be more like subtracting 460 - round it up to 500 if you want, but not 1000). Don't eat more on exercise days, just eat that same number. Keep doing the exercise.

The formula is always TDEE minus 15%-20% for weight loss. You don't change that to 40% for any reason.

Ty
I was under the impression that you wanted a 1000 calorie deficit per day to lose 2 lbs per week?
See, I'm totally lost.
20% below TDEE would still be almost 2100 cals a day for me. I can really lose weight eating that much?! Does alcohol count? I could drink some of that :laugh:
jk :ohwell:

Guamybear

I upped mine to around 1500 before exercise and eat back my calories.. lost 2lbs this week so it can't be all wrong.

DoomCakes

Personally, I'd look somewhere between 2,000-2,200 a day. Find what works best for you, but I keep hearing how the numbers for MFP are pretty off! I used that site too and it tells me around 2,300 a day. I thought that it was wrong, there's no way. I asked my aunt who is a fitness coach, she said "yea, if I just looked at you and had to guess I'd easily say 2,000 calories".

_granola

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

Figure out your current TDEE. Subtract 20% from that. Eat that every day. (Don't know where you got the idea to subtract 1000 - it would be more like subtracting 460 - round it up to 500 if you want, but not 1000). Don't eat more on exercise days, just eat that same number. Keep doing the exercise.

The formula is always TDEE minus 15%-20% for weight loss. You don't change that to 40% for any reason.

Ty
I was under the impression that you wanted a 1000 calorie deficit per day to lose 2 lbs per week?
See, I'm totally lost.
20% below TDEE would still be almost 2100 cals a day for me. I can really lose weight eating that much?! Does alcohol count? I could drink some of that :laugh:
jk :ohwell:

Yes, you can. Eat that much, do not add extra calories from exercise. Give it a few weeks before deciding if it's working for you.

zaph0d

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

For the same reason that an old Lincoln V8 burns more fuel than a Toyota Corolla....

cmriverside

This throws me off. If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because your current TDEE is more than 2300 calories, it's about 2600. So if you ate at 2300, you'd have a 300 calorie a day deficit, and lose about .6 pounds a week. Fat 2 Fit also says, " It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point." So if you ate 2000 instead, you'd end up with a 600 calorie a day deficit, and lose a little over a pound a week.

If you tell MFP you want to lose one pound a week, and ate your exercise calories you'd probably end up close to 2000 anyway.

So, the numbers on fat2fit are just a 300 calorie deficit. Meaning I can go lower for a bigger deficit, but still be doing it healthy?
My TDEE is around 2600, I can eat 1600, not eating extra bc of exercise.
OR
MFP has me at 1360, but if I eat my exercise cals back that would also put me at 1600.
Same number. Just different way of getting there. (If I wanted a 2 lb loss per week and 1000 cal deficit daily.)
Correct?

Figure out your current TDEE. Subtract 20% from that. Eat that every day. (Don't know where you got the idea to subtract 1000 - it would be more like subtracting 460 - round it up to 500 if you want, but not 1000). Don't eat more on exercise days, just eat that same number. Keep doing the exercise.

The formula is always TDEE minus 15%-20% for weight loss. You don't change that to 40% for any reason.

Ty
I was under the impression that you wanted a 1000 calorie deficit per day to lose 2 lbs per week?
See, I'm totally lost.
20% below TDEE would still be almost 2100 cals a day for me. I can really lose weight eating that much?! Does alcohol count? I could drink some of that :laugh:
jk :ohwell:

If you are using the TDEE method, you subtract 20% MAX. If you are using the MFP method, they subtract 1000 calories for a two pound per week loss. This all comes together dependent on your current weight. The more you weigh, the more you can lose per week. (Like LorinaLynn said earlier). The TDEE method is the method most sites use. It assumes you will continue your exercise program as stated when you start. MFP allows a larger deficit, but you must add in Exercise calories - which should even it all out, if you use it as it is designed.

They are the same basic calculations, but MFP is more finely tuned to allow for people who will have sporadic work-out schedules. I prefer MFP's method, but the problem is people will choose "Sedentary" and "Lose 2 pounds a week" because they can (and they figure more loss/faster).

The TDEE method is a little more idiot-proof. MFP causes a lot of under-eating since people don't take the time to figure out their own nutrition needs and will choose much too agressively on their weight-loss goals. Human nature, but ineffective.


ps - make mine a Margarita Rocks.

Tilran

I dont get why everyone makes TDEE so confusing....if you aren't on a strict workout regiment, then just put Sedentary, take 20% off from that number and then eat back your exercise calories. Simple. Its too much work trying to figure out what TDEE level is good for you if you aren't a strict gym schedule type of person

WendyTerry420

If I can eat 2300 calories a day to maintain my goal weight, how can I eat that many calories now to lose weight?

Because you are not your goal weight right now.

ClementineGeorg

MFP puts most people too low.

MFP does not put nothing. People PUT the amount of weight they want to lose, so if a person choses 2 pounds per week (-1000 calorie), it's that persons choice, it has nothing to do with MFP.

Why blame a simple tool for the way you use it?

It's very tempting to want to lose more quickly, but it's not always the way.

zaph0d

If you are using the TDEE method, you subtract 20% MAX. If you are using the MFP method, they subtract 1000 calories for a two pound per week loss.

MFP also subtracts out exercise calories (using some undisclosed algorithm), which is why it adds them back in when you exercise.