How many calories should I be eating?

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AnnaSmith27
AnnaSmith27 Posts: 66 Member
edited January 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I apologize for this question because I can't tell you how many times I've seen it asked before, but I have been doing a lot of research and can't quite figure out how many calories I need to eat per day. I originally set my goal for about 1250 calories per day (I eat back most if not all of my exercise calories) but have recently found out that anyone under 21 (I'm currently 18) should be eating more than that. However, whenever I eat more than a net calorie of 1250, I always gain weight. Could that be my body telling me it's in starvation mode and trying to protect the body fat, or am I eating the correct number of calories? Today I increased my net calorie goal to 1400 but am really scared that I'm going to gain a lot of weight back. I've read in a few places that anyone under 21 should eat at least 1500 calories per day, but I don't know if that means a net of 1500 or if that is the number of calories I should eat regardless of how many calories I burn through exercise. I apologize if this is confusing (I'm kind of confusing myself also).I'd really appreciate any feedback and if you're confused I'd be happy to try to clarify! Thanks!

Edited to add: I'm 190 pounds currently and 5'9". I work out around 6 times a week and burn on average probably around 300-400 calories per day. Also, my TDEE is 2054 and BMR is 1712.

Replies

  • cindybpitts
    cindybpitts Posts: 213 Member
    Yes you should eat more than that. Do you know your TDEE & BMR? Eat below your TDEE (20% below) and above your BMR.
  • starfinale
    starfinale Posts: 309 Member
    I've been confused for months!
  • 4men1lady79
    4men1lady79 Posts: 112 Member
    How much exercise do you do? If a lot then you should increase...pay attention to your body, you may have to go up and down until you reach that "magic number" and it might change over time.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    When you increase your calories even if you're still eat a calorie deficit you could gain weight but it's just water weight. You need to give your body some time to adjust and you still start losing again. We don't know your weight or activity level so it's hard to advise you on how many calories to eat.
  • billm1945
    billm1945 Posts: 2
    My husband is a diabetic and was told by his nutritionist he needed to eat 1500 calories a day. When I signed him up for this they projected 1950 calories a day. How can I change the 1950 calories to reflect the 1500 calories?
  • AnnaSmith27
    AnnaSmith27 Posts: 66 Member
    My husband is a diabetic and was told by his nutritionist he needed to eat 1500 calories a day. When I signed him up for this they projected 1950 calories a day. How can I change the 1950 calories to reflect the 1500 calories?
    If you go to the Goals section under the My Home tab, click Change Goal and then hit customize, your husband should be able to change the calorie settings :)
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Use this to find out.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
  • AnnaSmith27
    AnnaSmith27 Posts: 66 Member
    Use this to find out.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
    Wow, this might just be the greatest thing ever. Thank you so much!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Use this to find out.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
    Wow, this might just be the greatest thing ever. Thank you so much!

    Yes it is actually. Worked for me and tons of others on here. Good luck!
  • billm1945
    billm1945 Posts: 2
    Thank you so much....
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