MFP'ers I need your expertise!

anichellek

I don't know why I'm struggling to figure this out... still...

I'm 5'8", 30 years old, 215 lbs, female and lightly active (desk job, but cardio 4-5 times a week, weight lifting 2-3 times a week, plus chasing 3 kids under 6 the rest of the day )

I went here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and calculated my bmr to be 1768 then multiplied by 1.375 to find my daily calorie needs for lightly active (is this the same as TDEE?)

The total was 2,431. I was shocked. I started logging my foods about 2 weeks ago. I have not really made any adjustments to my eating habits (If you take a look you'll see it's not super clean, but in my opinion not too terribly bad) and almost never come in more than 1,300 calories a day. Keep in mind I have been trying to eat back exercise calories. How is it that based on what I weigh I should be eating 2431 calories a day to maintain. Could it be that my metabolism is incredibly sluggish and used to the low calorie intake? Or am I way off and looking at this all wrong.

I appreciate everyone's feedback!

dare2love81

Join this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Lots of good information in there.

TR0berts

Yes, that number you think is your TDEE is just that. Or, an estimation, at least.

If your BMR is 1768, then you need to eat at least that much to keep your metabolism "happy."

For further info, check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12.

AliceNov2011

You need to open your diary if you want us to see it, please. ;c)

BurtHuttz

Try eating at around 2,000 calories for a few weeks. You'll probably feel warmer, more energetic, your workouts will feel better, your recovery times will be quicker, and you will lose weight faster. Enjoy.

anichellek

So sorry I thought it was already. Nonetheless, it is now :happy:

anichellek

Try eating at around 2,000 calories for a few weeks. You'll probably feel warmer, more energetic, your workouts will feel better, your recovery times will be quicker, and you will lose weight faster. Enjoy.

Yikes that is scary. That sounds like so much food. I guess if I add additional good calories it won't seem so terrifying but I think it's worth trying.

I remember reading a post from the infamous 'Banks' and it talked about a girl similar to me, didn't eat a ton but the more she restricted the more she didn't lose. It was eye opening and felt like it could apply to me as well. That's when I really tried to learn about eating back exercise calories and BMR and TDEE and the confusion set in.

Thanks everyone for your input!

deksgrl

That's correct. Your TDEE estimate is in the 2400 range.

I agree, eat at 2000 for several weeks to get your body adjusted to more calories, and then you might consider cutting that back a bit to maybe 1700 for weight loss. As you get closer to goal, you will need to raise that up a little bit again.

BurtHuttz

Indeed - I have a friend who is a scientist and personal trainer who got stuck in the same rut. This may be encouraging and educational for you to read: http://nbsfit.com/nutrition/weight-loss-isnt-always-about-eating-less-and-exercising-more/

Bamacraft

I have not really made any adjustments to my eating habits (If you take a look you'll see it's not super clean, but in my opinion not too terribly bad) and almost never come in more than 1,300 calories a day. I appreciate everyone's feedback!

I dont see much "real food" in your diary and would argue that its closer to the terribly bad than on the clean side IMO. I'd also agree that you need more calories and would suggest those be"quality" calories. Also, I'd like to see you track your sodium and look at the last 2 weeks.

amnsetie

Eat some vegetables. They aren't scary. Corn will give you a few extra calories for instance. Don't drink diet drinks because your intake is so low you can drink full strength fruit juice and milk. that's all for now. eat your bmr at least. it's a reasonable goal.

anichellek

I dont see much "real food" in your diary and would argue that its closer to the terribly bad than on the clean side IMO. I'd also agree that you need more calories and would suggest those be"quality" calories. Also, I'd like to see you track your sodium and look at the last 2 weeks.

I guess the lack of "real food" probably stems from me trying to restrict calories for the last 10 years and I have just grown accustom to convenience ''diet'' foods. I never thought I ate that poorly so your comments are very much appreciated, and eye opening :embarassed:

DebbieLyn63

I don't know why I'm struggling to figure this out... still...

I'm 5'8", 30 years old, 215 lbs, female and lightly active (desk job, but cardio 4-5 times a week, weight lifting 2-3 times a week, plus chasing 3 kids under 6 the rest of the day )

I went here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and calculated my bmr to be 1768 then multiplied by 1.375 to find my daily calorie needs for lightly active (is this the same as TDEE?)

The total was 2,431. I was shocked. I started logging my foods about 2 weeks ago. I have not really made any adjustments to my eating habits (If you take a look you'll see it's not super clean, but in my opinion not too terribly bad) and almost never come in more than 1,300 calories a day. Keep in mind I have been trying to eat back exercise calories. How is it that based on what I weigh I should be eating 2431 calories a day to maintain. Could it be that my metabolism is incredibly sluggish and used to the low calorie intake? Or am I way off and looking at this all wrong.

I appreciate everyone's feedback!

If you are figuring your TDEE using your activity level including your exercise, then your exercise cals are already factored in and you wouldn't eat them back. If your maintenance is 2431, then eating at 1931 should give you a 1 pound loss per week.
I am sure that you were probably eating more than 1300 before you started logging and didn't realize it. Also, were you always working out at the level you described, or is that just since you have been on here? Most likely you were much more sedentary than you realized before, as well as ate more cals. SO have you lost any weight in the 2 weeks you have been logging and exercising?

ETA Here is a different calculator that you might try to get a number to compare. It is more accurate for a lot of us on here.
http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

According to this one, your BMR would be around 1570

Bamacraft

I dont see much "real food" in your diary and would argue that its closer to the terribly bad than on the clean side IMO. I'd also agree that you need more calories and would suggest those be"quality" calories. Also, I'd like to see you track your sodium and look at the last 2 weeks.

I guess the lack of "real food" probably stems from me trying to restrict calories for the last 10 years and I have just grown accustom to convenience ''diet'' foods. I never thought I ate that poorly so your comments are very much appreciated, and eye opening :embarassed:

Ease into eating some more regular meals. You know, scramble a couple eggs with whole wheat toast for breakfast. Have some baked skinless chicken, steam some veggies and add a small baked potato. Have Spaghetti with sauce with lean ground chuck or skinless ground turkey breast. Publix, Kroger, Earthfare, places like that have some decent alternatives if you dont have time to cook or just dont like to cook. Do away with the 32oz diet sodas! 32oz? Really? lol. Dont have to quit cold turkey, and i wouldnt, but do 12oz once every now and then and drink more water. Also, i'd cut back on the dairy snacks and if you need chocolate, get you some 75% cocoa bars that arent milk chocolate. Reward yourself for jobs well done but maybe reduce to 2-3 snack size treats maybe? The best advice i can give you in what took me a very long time to learn after failing several times is: Relax and dont stress it. Its a long slow process. You have to enjoy the change and begin to love your exercise. Exercise and food is very similar. Find what you like and stick to it but keep in mind variation is crucial for long term success. Otherwise, you will plateau or just give up from burnout.

auddii

Give this a read:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

There's a reason that it's in the newbie thread, it's something everyone should be aware of. Undereating for years can slow down your metabolism and lead to binging. You say you've been eating this way for ten years. You might also consider the "eat more to weigh less" group. They actually recommend eating at maintenance for a while.

And you might not want to hear this, but with kids and working out most days, I would say you're more than lightly active (or else you should be eating back part of your workout calories).

Personally, I use the spreadsheet described here since I can put in the # hours of each activity, weight, measurements, etc., and then it tells me how much I should be eating. Simple.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm