Help with calorie calculation

Giddyduck

I am looking for some advice on what my daily goal should be for my calorie intake. I am 5'7" and weigh 180. MFP says I should have 1400 calories and I worry that it is not enough. I am excrcising once a week (yoga class) and have enrolled in a kick boxing class but haven't started it yet.
I thought I would lose more weight. I have been active here (again) since November 30. I am down 12 pounds (started at 192) so far and for some reason my counter doesn't register the weight and I can't figure out how to change the starting weight.
Advice is appreciated. I know many of you can share insights.
Thank you!!

mallen404

Check your BMI, TDEE to get a better idea.

I don't usually eat back my exercise calories.

jacksonpt

Why do you think that's too low? It might be a little low, but sounds like a reasonable starting point. You do know to eat your exercise cals back when following MFP's guidelines, right?

What weight loss goal did you set with MFP?

originalcookiemonster

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

This link.
^^^

This will tell you step by step, with pictures too, how to set up your calories and eliminate the use of "eating back exercise calories" which, to me, is annoying.

Good for you for exercising! I would also suggest lifting heavy as this is incredibly efficient at burning fat while maintaining your muscle mass.

:flowerforyou:

DeanBurrows

Katch-McArdle formula below;

-For Women to calculate BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)

...For your weight, 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

...For your height, 1 inch = 2.54 cm

Example #2: You are a female, 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall (170.69 cm), you weigh 132 pounds (60 kg). Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will be 655 + 576 + 307.24 – 164.5 = 1373.74 calorie intake per day!

Once you know your BMR (basal metabolic rate) then use your daily activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE):

-Sedentary................BMR x 1.2 (little exercise)

-Lightly active...........BMR x 1.375 (light exercise)

-Moderately active.....BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise)

-Very active.............BMR x 1.725 (hard exercise)

-Extremely active......BMR x 1.9 (hard exercise daily)


For example #2... if you are a moderately active female, your TDEE will be 1373.74 calories times your activity level of 1.55 which equals 2129.30 calories per day.

Then just eat 10-15% less than that

jessbarnes53

I had to act like I was making a new counter and there is a space to put in your weight. Click continue or ok and it will tell you that you counter has been updated and you don't need to repost it. Hope this helps!

knowwhentoshutup

This helped me immensely. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

How many pounds did you tell MFP you want to lose a week?

I would say you are losing pretty steady, given that you have been here since November 30. In 52 days you have lost 12 pounds. That is pretty quick.

Also - for your weight and your ticker - it probably is because you have a lower weight set as your starting weight. To see what you have added, go to the My Home tab, to Check-in, and edit previous entries. Hope this helps.

WaterBunnie

Near the bottom of the check-in page there is a link to edit previous weighs. Just need to enter your start weight and date there and it should right your ticker.

mikeschratz

Just for starters, I ran your numbers and this is what I got
I used 1.3 for activity level

"Mifflin-St Jeor
(FOR WOMEN)"
BMR 1,536 (What you need to stay alive in a coma)
Maintenance 1,997 (What you need to maintain your weight)
Cut (@ 15%) 1,698 (If you are close to your goal weight, use this to lose)
Cut (@ 20%) 1,598 (If you have a lot to lose, you can start here)
Build (@ 15%) 2,297 (Use this to gain weight for bulking up)

I hope this helps get you to a good start. These numbers are not exacts, but it is a good place to start.
If you, or anyone else, would like a copy of the spreadsheet that I use to come up with numbers, email me at mikeschratz@gmail.com and I will send you a copy. MFP will not let you do attachments or I would post it here.
Good luck in your journey.