Am I eating enough?

andreabrabham
andreabrabham Posts: 116 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have started eating right working out but I'm not sure if I am doing everything right. Most days I eat anout 1500 calories, I exercise and burn about 350-545 calories 5 days/week. I dont know if I am eating enough or not. I tried to calculate my Basal Metabolic Rate and I eat over that, but am I burning too much of my food? I am trying to lose 20 pounds by the end of July. Also, The extra calories that MFP adds after exercising, am I supposed to eat ALL of those? Or are those extra calories just to stay at my current weight?

Also, I am 5'3 144pounds and Im 24.

Replies

  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
    bump
  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
    Sounds like you are off to a good start. Not eating too little, maybe you COULD eat a bit more (eat your burned calories back) but I would say stay at 1,500+ for now if you feel comfortable with that and see what your weight does the next weeks! Good luck!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    What is your BMR? Are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • RobP1192
    RobP1192 Posts: 310 Member
    I've just recently begun to track my calories and all that good stuff, and part of what i've been doing is weighing myself every morning when i wake up. Then just keeping track.

    Maybe try that? If you see that you're losing weight, then that's what you want.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Sounds like you are off to a good start. Not eating too little, maybe you COULD eat a bit more (eat your burned calories back) but I would say stay at 1,500+ for now if you feel comfortable with that and see what your weight does the next weeks! Good luck!

    This is absolutely wrong. I'm sorry.

    You are eating too little. You should be netting at LEAST 1500cal/day, that means after exercise! If you're burning 300-500cal/day 5x a week, you should be eating around 1800cal minimum 5x a week.

    This assumes that your burn and calorie counting are both accurate, of course.

    Here's an interesting chart I pulled up for you:
    Entered information: 24 year old female, 63 inches tall, current weight 144 pounds, goal weight 124lbs

    Activity Level
    Daily NET Calories to Reach Goal Weight

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job)
    1654cal/day

    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
    1895cal/day

    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
    2136cal/day

    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
    2377cal/day.

    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)
    2618cal/day

    If I were training you, I'd have you eating 2000cal/day minimum :). As it stands though...I would recommend the 1800cal/day for 3-4wks...see how it goes.

    Oh, and the website for the calculations:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • larionbing
    larionbing Posts: 1
    I really think there is a lot to not eating enough. I feel it in my energy levels so after reading the last post and checking out what my caloric intake should be I am well below what I would need to both lose weight and get good rest and energy. About to start increasing as of today and hopefully I will continue to see losses.
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    MFP builds in a calorie deficit based on your weight loss aims that you filled in when you set your goals.

    So any exercise calories should be eaten on top of your daily allowance.

    Get a NET figure of 1500 (I'd say at minimum but everyone differs slightly)

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