Calorie Question

adreeea

I have been so confused about how many calories I should be eating. I read the most recent road map post and entered my info into the calculator he provided, however I'm still a little confused because my TDEE is 2228 and my BMR is 1857. When I do the TDEE minus 20% I get 1783 which is less than my BMR and I keep seeing that I shouldnt eat under that. Sooo should I just eat at my BMR or stick with the TDEE minus 20% even though it is less?

rockerbabyy

first make sure all the math is correct..
if it is, try tdee-15%..

adreeea

Im pretty sure the math is correct. I entered everything into the calculator and used my current weight as my goal weight. So I guess I should stick with not eating under my BMR and just eat at a smaller deficit.

adreeea

Here is the info i got. I used sedentary because I have a desk job and my workouts are sporadic. I was just going to use sedentary and then eat back exercise calories when I worked out.


Entered information: 28 year old female, 69 inches tall, weighing 232 pounds, BMI of 34.3 (Obese).From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 232 lbs.

Harris-Benedict Formula

There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1857 calories.

Katch-McArdle Forumla

The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 48%, you have a lean body mass of 121 lbs., and your BMR is 1558 calories.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.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. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.Activity LevelDaily CaloriesSedentary (little or no exercise, desk job)2228Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)2553Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)2878Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)3203Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)3528

Jamcnair

Im pretty sure the math is correct. I entered everything into the calculator and used my current weight as my goal weight. So I guess I should stick with not eating under my BMR and just eat at a smaller deficit.

I think that would be a good idea and give it about a month to see if anything needs adjusted

vcancel

To lose one pound a week, you have to burn a total of 3500 calories more than you eat in one week OR 500 calories a day.

Let's say your base met rate is 2200 calories burnt per day (there are calculators to help you figure out what your BMR is), then you need to eat no more than 1700 calories per day plus any calories you burn during exercising.

Why do I get to eat back what I burn? What's the point of exercising if I'm only going to eat back the calories? Easy... because your BMR is no longer 2200... it's 2200 + what you burned during exercise for that day. So if you eat 1700 calories and have burned 300, you get to eat 2000 for the day. Your BMR is now 2500 for that day. A difference of 500 calories!! Yay you!!

If you use my fitness pal, it does the math for you. Just set up your profile (I always suggest to set it to lose 1 pound a day), log your food and cardio exercise and your good to go. If you find you're not losing weight fast enough, you can always eat back only half of your burned exercise calories for a couple weeks and see if that helps.

I hope that helps. It took me a while to understand it as well. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Good luck to you!!

adreeea

Ok. Ill try that for awhile and see what happens! Thanks!!

rockerbabyy

ahh ok gotcha - i had assumed you had gone with a higher activity level to include exercise.
if you plan on eating back your exercise calories, id think there should be no problem with eating at -20%
just give it 4-6 weeks and adjust as needed
ETA: i just noticed the katch mcardle BMR for you is 1558 - that one (IMO) is more accurate because it factors in body fat.

jennacollette

You shouldn't really count calories every day, stay in the 2,000 range or lower depending on the fat you want to lose. You should be simply eyeing portions but do not count calories or you'll be more likely to slip on your diet and you'll feel like you're in jail ! lol I don't count my calories, personally, it shouldn't matter if you eat clean and work out. I still get great results, good luck !

adreeea

Okay. I guess it is something I will have to play around with. I've just done this weight loss yoyoing so many times by eating too little calories and it isnt sustainable. I'm trying to do it the healthy way this time so I can stick with it and maintain once I get to goal.

rockerbabyy

You shouldn't really count calories every day, stay in the 2,000 range or lower depending on the fat you want to lose. You should be simply eyeing portions but do not count calories or you'll be more likely to slip on your diet and you'll feel like you're in jail ! lol I don't count my calories, personally, it shouldn't matter if you eat clean and work out. I still get great results, good luck !

and how do you know if youre staying around the 2000 range if you arent counting O.o
ive been counting calories consistently for about a year and its not a diet - so theres nothing to slip on and i, in no way, feel like im "in jail". i eat what i want and make sure it fits into my day.

kats3boys

I entered everything into the calculator and used my current weight as my goal weight.

I maybe wrong here but I thought the example used was only because they had already reached goal weight. I think for you, you need to use your real goal weight if you want the calculations to give you a loss.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

You shouldn't really count calories every day, stay in the 2,000 range or lower depending on the fat you want to lose. You should be simply eyeing portions but do not count calories or you'll be more likely to slip on your diet and you'll feel like you're in jail ! lol I don't count my calories, personally, it shouldn't matter if you eat clean and work out. I still get great results, good luck !

Lol wut

vcancel

I also don't feel like I'm in jail by counting my calories. More often than not, I underestimate rather than overestimate so I'm not rating enough which can be just as bad add eating too much. I especially like to count since I get extra calories from working out. I would never suggest not counting but do what works for you.