Confused about how many calories!

Fit magazine had a calorie calculator and I put in my info and it said I should be eating 2512 calories a day! I'm 5'3 196lbs 38 yrs old and I workout 5 days a week (equal to brisk walking for an hour a workout-I burn about 400-500 calories a workout because I do intervals (inclines and declines 0-8, but I only maintain 3.5 mph). I entered my info twice. What am I missing-even at a rate of 1 lb weight loss per week, and with my workouts factored in, MFP has never put me at more then 1900 calories a day. I know I just need to find what works for me, but any thoughts? I love hearing from folks who have lost a significant amount of weight as I have 60 lbs to go!

Replies

  • papimami
    papimami Posts: 1
    I was 502 pounds im 187 now I can give you all the tricks about calories ...you will be amazing how I doin it
    my name is DANIEL ALVAREZ and my email is danny8488@aol.com and my fitness pal is PAPIMAMI let me know if you need help
  • MizAngie
    MizAngie Posts: 113 Member
    That seems like a high amount of calories they say you can have. 1900 seems a bit more reasonable, and would go with that.
  • skinnydreams19
    skinnydreams19 Posts: 282 Member
    2512 is probably to maintain - the MFP stats already have a deficit built in for weight loss and don't add your exercise calories on until post-workout.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Fit magazine had a calorie calculator and I put in my info and it said I should be eating 2512 calories a day! I'm 5'3 196lbs 38 yrs old and I workout 5 days a week (equal to brisk walking for an hour a workout-I burn about 400-500 calories a workout because I do intervals (inclines and declines 0-8, but I only maintain 3.5 mph). I entered my info twice. What am I missing-even at a rate of 1 lb weight loss per week, and with my workouts factored in, MFP has never put me at more then 1900 calories a day. I know I just need to find what works for me, but any thoughts? I love hearing from folks who have lost a significant amount of weight as I have 60 lbs to go!

    I am also 38 and 5'4" and 201 pounds and my TDEE is 2500. I generally eat around 1900-2000, but sometimes I eat as much as 2300. On my birthday, I ate about 3200. :bigsmile:


    I have 51 pounds to go, and I don't do much cardio, and work a desk job. My primary exercise is strength training exercises that I do at home, about 3-4x per week. MFP uses a formula that's based on averages. I have found that I burn more calories than average, so I'm perfectly comfortable eating more. Also, my TDEE has remained at 2500 since I started last July, rather than decreasing with the weight loss.

    So my advice is keep your deficit as small as you can while still losing, work your muscles with some type of resistance (be it body-weight, heavy objects, or elastic bands) and if you can be patient, the weight will keep dropping.
  • LCgymnast
    LCgymnast Posts: 258
    That does seem bit high. What do you usually eat through out the day? I like tons of veggies and fruits for me and I usually eat more of those than anything else. I think around 1800-1900 is the highest I would go, but at the same time you do what works best for you. Good luck with everything!! I hope this helped at least a little. :)