Totally lost on calories!

emmycaitlin0304

OK, so I was reading the "Am I eating enough?" thread and now I'm more confused than ever. I want to lose weight on this program, but I guess I should start with the maintenance calories like the book suggests.

But, when I use the calculator it gives me this calorie breakdown.

Maintenance
No workout - 2088
Active - 2366

Fat Loss
No workout - 1788
Active - 2066

I did the TDEE (I think that's what it is called) calculator too and got these numbers.
-20% under 1948
20% over 2923

Where on Earth should I start? I tried 1400 calories for a while and just kept gaining, so I know I need to eat more...but how much more?! I'm just getting started and don't want to blow it with the diet.

BarbellCowgirl

My suggestion is to take measurements and pics and eat maintenance for 4-6 weeks and see if it truly is YOUR maintenance. If you aren't happy with the results, lower them to the 300 cal deficit and tweak until you find your "sweet spot". Some of us find it is too high or too low. Just depends upon how your body responds. Get your protein in and enjoy lifting!

emmycaitlin0304

I was getting confused in that thread about people saying not to eat back the exercise calories. So, if I do maintenance, should I eat the Active days calories on the days I lift? I think so...but I also think I'm overthinking it all.

PLUMSGRL

I'm not adjusting my calories up and down (daily) per work out schedule. But I'm following the "In place of a road map":

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

It's a free spread sheet download. The person (Helloitsdan) who made it, is VERY knowledgeable about weight loss and has helped a lot of people.

I want to see how well it works, so I'm giving it a month (to start).

I also have a Body Media core, which gives me a more accurate read of what I'm really burning daily, weekly, monthly.
There is another download for people that are using Body Media and Fitbit, by another highly knowledgeable person (heybales):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGhBVzFVMkZzTnJOcUhySFpjb0stZXc&usp=sharing

You may also want to check out the group Eat More To Weigh Less~

emmycaitlin0304

I just talked to a friend that has done the program, and she said to eat at maintenance like the book says to start. So, I guess I'll try that and see what happens.

BarbellCowgirl

I was getting confused in that thread about people saying not to eat back the exercise calories. So, if I do maintenance, should I eat the Active days calories on the days I lift? I think so...but I also think I'm overthinking it all.

Yes, eat "Active" on days you lift. There should be a 250ish cal difference between lifting and nonlifting days.