Would love to get feedback... how many calories to eat

sandkrain

So, just tracked my 25th day in a row, but it's made me sooo frustrated. Written down everything (yes, I believe there was a 3,000+ calorie day).
Overall, though, the average was just over 1500/day, with working out for 45 min 3-5 times/week. And, I GAINED 1 pound. So, back to the drawing board, guess I need to still to 1200 calories and that's it?!!!

Would love to hear your thoughts...
HOW little calories to eat in order to lose weight? Always reading about eating "too little", but I know that's not my issue:)

already doing cardio and strength training, consistently 3-4x/week

i am 50 years old., 5'1" with about 30 pounds to lose...

All comments welcome!!

msigman1

Try swapping some foods. There is an app for you phone called Fooducate. it is free. You can scan the bar code of any food and it will "grade" the food A-F. It also gives you alternatives that have a better grade, so you can make a good swap. I switched our bread to the Hiners 35. 35 calories a slice. I switched reg eggs to the egg beaters egg whites only 25 calories per serving. I switched our burrito shells to Tam-X-Ico's - Low Carb Wheat Tortillas 70 calories a shell. I make two egg white burritos with salsa almost every day. Love them. 270 calories for a very filling meal that is high in protein and fiber.(four servings of egg, two shells, and salsa. I also switched our milk from 1% to unsweetened almond milk 30 calories per 8 oz. I throw this in with a shake mix from GNC and some ice. Super yummy and super filling. I can stick with this to get healthy and lose the weight.

I have two shakes a day. 230 calories for the first (25 lean from GNC powder) with 8 oz of unsweetened almond milk.
130 calories for the second (GNC woman's health max mix) with 8 oz of unsweetened almond milk.

I eat the egg white burritos at least once a day 270 calories.

I mix up my other two meals:
sauted shrimp wraps
salads with fat free dressing
pb&j on 35 calorie bread with sugar free jelly
baked Fish
Grilled veggies

justjenny

I wish I had answers for you, but I am in the same boat...would love to see what people suggest...

Just_Scott

sandkrain--can you make your diary public? Can we start there?

LoosingMyLast15

since your diary is not open it's hard to say. maybe it's what you're eating not necessarily the calories. make sure you're not going completely overboard on fat and your sodium is staying within range.

TimeForMe99

My stats are similar to yours - 5'1.5" and 47yo, with about 40 to lose. My MFP calc is 1420 per day, plus exercise. Have you run the calculations? A 1lb gain is pretty small and could be just water or an increase from your workout routine.

To lose, you just need to figure out what your body requires in a day and eat less. 500 calories deficit per day will yield a 1 lb loss per week on average. Many people believe that exercise calories are overstated so start with 50% and work up from there. Eat as much as you can to maintain a healthy loss. It's much easier on your body and on your daily life.

Don't worry about the "starvation mode" theories. There is no one calorie level that is too low for everyone, but eating very little makes it hard to get all of the nutrition you need.

Pangea250

Perhaps you underestimated your calories.

smwooley

Have you figured out your BMR and TDEE? You may still be eating too little. (Stress, the may!) If you are exercising that often, I'm willing to guess that you should be eating more. Another question...if you are not doing strict TDEE, do you eat back your exercise calories? I know MANY people that have lost eating their TDEE - 20% or even -10%. I'm working my way up to that. Currently I eat 1500 calories and ALL of my exercise calories. And I know I'm still eating too little...

NewCaddy

bump

smwooley

Oh, and one more comment...if you fiddle with your calories, give it 4-6 weeks. That's how long it can take a body to adjust. If this is your first week at 1500 calories and you gained a pound, I wouldn't worry about it. Same thing happened to me, then I lost 4 the next week. Obviously, everyone's different, but don't give up too early in the game...it takes time.

Dcioby73

What is your weekly calorie deficit?

I think many people do great Monday-Thursday, so they have like a 2000 calorie deficit between those four days combined, then on Friday they splurge (get some dessert and a couple of drinks when they go out) which puts them at a surplus of 1000 for that day. On Saturday maybe another surplus of 500 calories, and on Sunday about break even.

So you got a net deficit of only 500 calories, which basically amounts to just about nothing, although you ve done GREAT Monday-Thursday. It would take about 7 weeks to even see a one lb loss.

So, my example may be a bit extreme, but then again, it may not be. I know tons of people who give up on their fitness goals for this exact reason. Lack of consistency in terms of being under their caloric goal 80-90% of the days. I know I ve been guilty of this fallacy many times in my life.

petstorekitty

Have you figured out your BMR and TDEE? You may still be eating too little. (Stress, the may!) If you are exercising that often, I'm willing to guess that you should be eating more. Another question...if you are not doing strict TDEE, do you eat back your exercise calories? I know MANY people that have lost eating their TDEE - 20% or even -10%. I'm working my way up to that. Currently I eat 1500 calories and ALL of my exercise calories. And I know I'm still eating too little...

What she said ^^

It's important to accuratley track EVERYTHING. And to find out your actual TDEE
And to be really honest with yourself.
Plus one month isn't very long. Generally when I start my weight loss attempts it takes about two months to get into the swing of things and I must be VERY consistent.

I'm also 5'1" (yay shorties!!) I have about 20lbs to go but I've lost about 50 in total since I started to care about my weight in 2006.

I did the 1200 and lots of exercise and I lost but I think I did it too fast in the beginning.
Yes it's lovely to see the pounds go away quickly but what it can do to your body is sad.

Check out this TDEE calculator!

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

I've had success (and I think others have to) with doing TDEE - 20%
That includes eating back at least half if not all exercise calories. I got a HRM to get a more accurate calorie count and that has helped too.

I have success when I'm being consistant and realistic with food. Measuring and weighing so on.
I also have had success and fun trying out new things to eat and trying out new exercises.

ericaforsure

I'm 5foot 3 and have stuck to 1200 calories a day for 78 days now and I'm never hungry. I used to be a big eater and I found it hard at first but I'm just learning to be wiser with my calories! I have three big meals a day and nice snacks every so often :-). Look into low calorie food that you enjoy. Substitute chips for new potatoes, sweets for sultanas, high calories crisps for a low calorie alternative and try out stuff like 10 calorie jellies! Helps me keep on track and I never go hungry :-) good luck!!

susannamarie

Are you weighing your food, especially food like meat, cheese?
Are you measuring any oils you use in cooking?

I would want to be really careful on that.

ericaforsure

I'm 5foot 3 and have stuck to 1200 calories a day for 78 days now and I'm never hungry. I used to be a big eater and I found it hard at first but I'm just learning to be wiser with my calories! I have three big meals a day and nice snacks every so often :-). Look into low calorie food that you enjoy. Substitute chips for new potatoes, sweets for sultanas, high calories crisps for a low calorie alternative and try out stuff like 10 calorie jellies! Helps me keep on track and I never go hungry :-) good luck!!

denisegetskinny

so true, that's me, good Mon-Thurs then splurge on the weekend, I maintain but don't lose

bcattoes

It sounds like you are doing fine. 1500 on average for a woman of your height and age is probably about right. You may just be gaining water weight if the exercise is new, or if you are perimenopausal you may be gaining just because your hormones are wacked right now.

I'd continue with your current plan a few more weeks. I was just under 50 when I got off my lazy bum and started exercising again and it was a full month before I saw any loss. It was frustrating but I stuck with it.

petstorekitty

so true, that's me, good Mon-Thurs then splurge on the weekend, I maintain but don't lose

Ths was me for a long time.
I love beer and was not tracking it. Holy Cats!!

Luckily most of the delicious craft beers I enjoy are in the database so I can log them and, while i may not be able to drink as many in one weekend, I can still enjoy them.

I feel much better when I don't go crazy with food and drink and was so proud of myself when I was consistent and actually saw results. YAY!


So - I would get SO ANNOYED with people ar work who are like "don't go to the gym... it's Friday! (or Monday lol)"
Or You ate well for two days, lets go out to eat!

C'mon people....

sandkrain

OK, just changed my Diary setting to PUBLIC (for now...)! THANKS.

sandkrain

sandkrain--can you make your diary public? Can we start there?

OK, just changed my Diary setting to PUBLIC! THANKS.

sandkrain

Really appreciate the feedback. THANK YOU

Lauracharder

take your weight and multiply by 12. then deduct 500. that should equal your calories per day for losing weight. simple.

S0nsh1ne

Maybe you are gaining muscle and losing fat. Have you measured yourself?

rosemaryhon

So, just tracked my 25th day in a row, but it's made me sooo frustrated. Written down everything (yes, I believe there was a 3,000+ calorie day).
Overall, though, the average was just over 1500/day, with working out for 45 min 3-5 times/week. And, I GAINED 1 pound. So, back to the drawing board, guess I need to still to 1200 calories and that's it?!!!

Would love to hear your thoughts...
HOW little calories to eat in order to lose weight? Always reading about eating "too little", but I know that's not my issue:)

already doing cardio and strength training, consistently 3-4x/week

i am 50 years old., 5'1" with about 30 pounds to lose...

All comments welcome!!

Hi!

So I took a look at your diary and seems you're good with protein, but I didn't see all that much salad & veggies. Not sure if that has anything to do with your issue.

I too am short and over 50 with about another 20 lbs to lose, though I suppose I may be more sedentary than you ~ my usual exercise is a brisk walk with my dog and maybe 1/4 hour of a workout video . I started in late February and have been steadily losing about one pound a week on approximately 1200 ~ 1300 calories a day. NOT that I want to encourage you to reduce your intake, just saying what works for me and offer my experience as food-for-thought.

You're welcome to look at my open diary ~ good luck!

michellechawner

take your weight and multiply by 12. then deduct 500. that should equal your calories per day for losing weight. simple.

That puts me way under... I eat 1300 a day (and yes eat back most exercise cals) and this math put me at 1060. Yikes!

You just need to find what works for you. I started at 1200, but since I increased my exercise I went up to 1300 (changed from sedentary to lightly active) and I seem to be doing well here and not losing too quickly - i'm 5'5 130.6 (want to be 120-125). I lose about a pound a week.

KANSASGIRL69

eat between your TDEE and your BMR!!! mine varies everyday because of the extra work i do in the gym and my recovery days are lower than my lifting days...to find out what your TDEE and BMR...google TDEE calculator and BMR calculator...good luck!
always listen to your body...if its thirsty water it...if its hungry feed it...eat for fuel!

beastmode_kitty

I on average eat about 1500-1700 cals a day. Sometimes I find it very hard to even reach 1500. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables during the day and they are so very low in calories.

Somedays I net (with exercise) 1200 calories, and somedays I don't. I try to be as consistent as possible everyday. I usually eat every 2-3 hours when i'm at work, and try to eat as many lean proteins as I can.

After looking at your diary, I don't see too much wrong with it. You are eating healthy, so just continue with what you are doing now for a few more weeks, and like people say, a 1 lb gain could just be muscle or water gain. Don't let it discourage you! Weight goes up and down on the scale, judge it all based on your clothes, or when you simply measure yourself with a measuring tape.

Keep telling yourself you got this, and keep trucking on through! Feel free to add me as a friend for added support

Pamela_in_Progress

bump to read later

KReduced

Try swapping some foods. There is an app for you phone called Fooducate. it is free. You can scan the bar code of any food and it will "grade" the food A-F. It also gives you alternatives that have a better grade, so you can make a good swap.

O.M.G. This is AMAZZIINNGG!! Thank you!

Lauracharder

take your weight and multiply by 12. then deduct 500. that should equal your calories per day for losing weight. simple.
NOT TO EXCEED GOING UNDER 1200 CALS. Sorry, forgot that part.

take your weight and multiply by 12. then deduct 500. that should equal your calories per day for losing weight. simple.

That puts me way under... I eat 1300 a day (and yes eat back most exercise cals) and this math put me at 1060. Yikes!

You just need to find what works for you. I started at 1200, but since I increased my exercise I went up to 1300 (changed from sedentary to lightly active) and I seem to be doing well here and not losing too quickly - i'm 5'5 130.6 (want to be 120-125). I lose about a pound a week.