Brand Newbie.. So many questions .. Starting with Calories

MelanieSpicegurl

Hello Everyone ..

I have been wading through thread after thread for about 3 days ... I decided 2 days ago I would just jump right in ..

I have sooo many questions but my first issue is determining the realistic calorie goal // Macro's for myself ..

Background and a bit about ME )

I am a 43 yr old Female , with a minimally active lifestyle .. I work at a desk job with At Risk youth .. so I am often at the desk , but also we take them out , Bowling , Lazer tag , Floor Hockey and other fun activities .. But it's a hit and miss type day most of the time ..

I started Jan 1st /13 - Eating better and added some Exercise in ..
I have lost 15 lbs in 60 days and it has been at a 1200 - 1300 calories a day with exercise for at least 1/2 hr x 3 times a week minimum .. sometimes more , but not often .. ( set my MFP Defaults )
I have a busy life and seems that working out at 10 pm just isn't a good idea some days ...

I love meat / fish / Veggies and cheese !!!! This plan seems like a dream come true if it does indeed do as the thousands of people suggest ...

I am so excited , but also scared as hell I still have about 25lbs to lose and think this is definitely a lifestyle change i can enjoy !

SO now for the hard part .. after using many tools i found in the threads here ..I have a few numbers , but I am scared to death to jump further in !!

I'm 43 yrs old , 5' 4" , currently weigh 170 ( after my first 15 lbs dropped off!!)
I THINK I have a Lightly Active lifestyle...
Looks as though my LBM is 108 ish
37.1% Body fat ...( EEEEKKK I KNOW I KNOW !!!)

my goal weight is about 135- 138 lbs
Using one of the thread tools .. I calculated my TDEE as 2,105 ???
Using EXRX - BMR 1211 Burn 429 cal So my calories should be about 1640 per day ???
I have been doing 1200/1300 since Jan . Proior to that I ate fast food daily and nothing but processed crap and junk food .. so the loss came easy once i cleaned up my act.

I have just changed my MFP cals to 1500 ( I'm scared of going higher!)
with Macros Set at Fat 50% ( 84g ) Protein 30% (112g) Carbs 20% (75g)

Am I on the right track ?? DO i need more calories ? are my macros inline ??

I feel so dumb but I am soo SCARED of gaining back what i have just shed ..

Thanks !!
Also if anyone wants to 'mentor' me i would be grateful .. please feel free to Add me ..
My Diary is open to friends ..


Melli

MelanieSpicegurl

Edit:
Adjusted MFP Calories to 1600 ..

Lupercalia

1600 sounds better...why not try it for a month and see how it goes?

KellyUVA

I try to keep it to 1500-1600 with 50% fat, 30% protein, 20% carbs. So far, it has been great. Unlike other "diets", I'm rarely hungry and definitely allow for the occasional splurge. If you haven't found it yet, Mark's Daily Apple is a great resource.

MelanieSpicegurl

Thanks Ladies !!

Yes, I have been reading the blog and downloaded all sorts of helpful things from Marks Daily Apple !

Ok , so for now seems i should go with the flow ..

Thank you !!!!
Mel:flowerforyou:

caribougal

I think your goals seem fine. Like Lupercala says, try it for a month and see how you do. 1600 is a lot of food on Paleo.

Feel free to friend me and view my diary. I've been at it since July 2012. I eat Primal. I've loosened a bit in the past month, but will be going strict again in April.

Good luck!

rusty1257

I've been aiming for 1700 cals and it's very difficult for me. I've added cheese and full fat greek yogurt to get closer.

MelanieSpicegurl

Yes Rusty me too !!!!
It's so hard.. and if you excercise .. How do you eat partial cals back ???
I'm soooooo full all the time !! Forcing myself to eat a handful of almonds every few hours!!!

little_miss_panda

OK. If you exercise, you want to (preferably) eat enough back to net your BMR. You don't need to eat more than that if you don't feel like it, but if you're hungry, then by all means do eat a bit more (of the good stuff). This diet is about listening to your body, so don't deprive yourself if you've worked out and you need refueling.

Feel free to add me if you like, we have a similar goal weight, I'm an endurance cyclist trying to do Primal because I have gut problems, so it's an interesting ride (scuse the pun!)

cdngrl81

I am starting to eat Primal tomorrow as I was just diagnosed with PCOS and need to lose 16 lbs to get to a healthy BMI. The only thing that seems to work for me is this "diet". I am having trouble meeting my calorie needs. I have filled out a sample day and without exercise I am only at net 820 calories. What are some things I can add without increasing my carbs (I have set them at 85g per day)?
*Preferably not avocados - I know they are high in calories, but I just can't stomach them.:happy:

Christie0428

You might want to look in to the Whole30 (kind of a strict system reset for Paleo). I started almost 2 weeks ago and I am loving it. It seems restrictive at first, but once you get in to it it is really good. I am less hungry my cravings for sugar and junk is gone.

here is the link: http://whole9life.com/start/

and the explination of what to expect: http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/

The best advice I got about this (and really any diet) is to plan ahead, I make my breakfast and lunch for the week on Sunday and package it up in individual pyrex containers and cook a dinner for the first couple of nights... that way when the work week starts and I am tired and hungry - there is no thinking on the spot, what I am goign to eat is already decided. Feel free to message me or friend me if you have questions about meals that you can make ahead. GL :-)

Christie0428

oh, and I do count calories ( my target is 1400) ... I know what you eat will effect your loss... but when it comes down to it, I still believe in calories in must be less than calories out ...

Zeromilediet

I am starting to eat Primal tomorrow as I was just diagnosed with PCOS and need to lose 16 lbs to get to a healthy BMI. The only thing that seems to work for me is this "diet". I am having trouble meeting my calorie needs. I have filled out a sample day and without exercise I am only at net 820 calories. What are some things I can add without increasing my carbs (I have set them at 85g per day)?
*Preferably not avocados - I know they are high in calories, but I just can't stomach them.:happy:

What matters more is if you're eating enough to be 'not hungry' and meeting your energy needs, rather than worry about a calorie number. The thing that makes avocados high in calories is fat; when beginning this way of eating, people often carry over the long standing fear of eating fat and this makes it hard to find enough calories. Make sure you *only* eat good fat: no seed oils (no corn, soy, sunflower, canola, safflower or blends); instead eat quality butter, EVOO for salad dressings or low heat cooking, EV coconut oil and, if you can find or make it, lard and tallow from pastured animals. There is good fat in egg yolks, marrow, animal liver (i.e., chicken & beef), and salmon is a particularly fatty fish and good for you. These are just a few thoughts; an excellent book is Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. There are many more good resources and newbies I've recommended this book for find it easy to read, and the recipes & meal plans easy to follow.

P.S. have you had avocado chocolate pudding? ;-)