Can somebody help me figure out how many calories to eat

rlw0031

I eat a net of 1200-1500 calories a day. I work out 3-5 days a week. I haven't lost in months...can somebody help me figure this out? My husband has lost over 30 pounds eating about a net 1300, same as me but I am not losing...I am so confused and frustrated...people on here tell me to eat more. Exactly how much more do I need to eat if it is true that I have slowed my metabolism by eating a net 1200-1300? If you slow your metabolism this way can you get it back functioning at a higher rate and how long can this take? If I am not losing eating this amount and have actually gained a few I am afraid I will gain more if I increase calories...I have no idea how I should be eating. MFP tells me to eat net 1200. So if I burn 300 in a workout I know I am supposed to eat 1500 total and if I don't work out keep it at 1200. Does it really matter if I work out at all? If I am just going to eat them back can't I just forgo the working out and eat 1200? At any rate I am not losing and am afraid to eat more, I don't know if that it what I am supposed to do...what is TDEE? Thank you for any advice.

86_Ohms

Breaking this apart :P

I eat a net of 1200-1500 calories a day. I work out 3-5 days a week. I haven't lost in months...can somebody help me figure this out? My husband has lost over 30 pounds eating about a net 1300, same as me but I am not losing...I am so confused and frustrated...people on here tell me to eat more.

You're a female, probably different height, probably different age, probably like other foods than him. Don't stress on what he did and focus on your own goals.

Exactly how much more do I need to eat if it is true that I have slowed my metabolism by eating a net 1200-1300? If you slow your metabolism this way can you get it back functioning at a higher rate and how long can this take? If I am not losing eating this amount and have actually gained a few I am afraid I will gain more if I increase calories...I have no idea how I should be eating.

Read this before you even think about eating really low on calories:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

Your body doesn't want to lose valuable resources (fat) unless you're going to pat it on the head and tell it everything will be OK, mostly by eating what your organs require (BMR). If you've been eating at a really low amount, your body is going to be a red-headed step child until it trusts that you're eating enough that it can use your food calories for your organs with no real issues and your fat reserves for exercise energy.

MFP tells me to eat net 1200. So if I burn 300 in a workout I know I am supposed to eat 1500 total and if I don't work out keep it at 1200. Does it really matter if I work out at all? If I am just going to eat them back can't I just forgo the working out and eat 1200? At any rate I am not losing and am afraid to eat more, I don't know if that it what I am supposed to do...what is TDEE? Thank you for any advice.

Your net calories is what you should get up to in a day, so Food minus Exercise. If you don't, or can't, eat a lot, then don't stress yourself at the gym unless you go way over your goal. If your goal is 1500, and you burn 200 calories during exercise, then you need to eat up to 1700. Vice versa: if you eat 1700 calories, then try to burn 200 at the gym to get to 1500.

TDEE explanation and every other acronym you'll see reappearing:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr

rekite2000

^^this

I am so happy I learned about all of this! I eat a lot more, lose, and very happy!

Citrislazer

I concur with the statements above. If I eat 1250 net calories or less I either stall my weight loss or gain weight, but I'll consistently lose at about 1300-1400 net calories and not feel hungry. Everyone is different and you need to figure out what's right for your body. There's a lot of trial and error involved. Maybe your net calorie stall is higher? Maybe you've been eating too few of calories for too long and your metabolism rate is now too low. To fix a crashed metabolism you're going to have to eat more, and yes, you will gain weight. But, it's only a temporary weight gain that you can work off.

Different foods can also effect people differently too. Sometimes people have food allergies and don't even know it. Try eliminating one food at a time and see if that makes a difference. For example, I eat low carb. My body has a difficult time processing sugar particularly from processed grains and some fruits. (Took 12 years to figure that out.) I'm not diabetic or have any other disease either. My body just doesn't like it. I can eat potatoes which are high in carbs, but low in sugar just fine. My sugar intake is about 6 grams a day on average and I feel great. On days when my sugar intake is higher, I feel lazy.

So, learning what your body doesn't like can be a long process. Keep at it and you'll figure out what you need to do or change.

rlw0031

So why does mfp tell me to eat net 1200 calories? How do I figure out how many calories I really need to lose?

Citrislazer

Cuz, MFP is trying to do like a one size fits all type of calculation. It works for some, but not everyone. Never eat less than 1200 calories. Some experts even say to never eat less than 1400 for women and 1600 for men.

You need to go to the doctor to find out your BMR, if you want a more accurate calculation of how much you should be eating. They have fancy equipment to measure that. However, if you don't want to spend money going to the doctor to have your BMR tested, you can try calculating it out yourself, but that may be pointless if your metabolism has crashed as the calculation won't be accurate.

You can go here to try calculating it: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Once you know your BMR you can calculate your daily caloric needs. These calculations aren't accurate, but give you a decent starting point to adjust from. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound. For example, my BMR is about 1567 calories. If my life as little activity such as a desk job, then I multiply my BMR by 1.2. This equals 1880.4 calories I burn in a day with little activity. If I want to lose 1lb a week (3,500 calories/ 7days) I need to have a deficit of 500 calories a day. So, through diet alone I should be eating about 1380.4 calories daily to lose 1lb a week. If I exercise, I calculate how many calories burned and eat them back. I use a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate measurement of how many calories I burn during exercise. Fitness machines and online calories burned calculators are not that accurate. Even heart rate monitors have a margin of error, which you can adjust for. There are many factors that influence your metabolism, but the big three are genetics/endocrine system, the food you eat, and how you exercise.

Remember, the closer you are to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose weight. A .2 lb loss is still weight loss, and your diet and exercise are still working.

A weight gain may be due to more muscle, so if you feel like during a weight gain your clothes or measurements are still good, don't sweat it. Or you could be retaining water, which means eat less sodium and drink more water. Or, your scale may need a new battery or may be toast. Or, you may need to ensure you are weighing yourself in the same manner every time.

If I were in your position, I'd up my calorie count for a couple of weeks so that I had a zero caloric deficit based on my BMR and calories burned calculations. After that, I'd try a 100 deficit of calories for 2-3 weeks, then 200 calorie deficit for 2-3 weeks, etc. until I reached a point that my weight lose was good. If I wasn't losing weight from eating 1400 net calories a day, I'd start eliminating processed foods from my diet and changing how I exercise. Exercise needs to be switched up so your body isn't going through repetitive motions all the time, and weight lifting is very important while trying to lose weight. If that didn't work, I'd see a doctor for assistance.

rlw0031

Thank you I will learn about these things and do some experimenting to increase calories.