About the calorie calculations here...

Topher1978
Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My calculator says to eat nearly 2500 calories… that seems like way to much for me. I think for where I am at 1900 should be good. I am 260 right now, but I am medium/big build 6 ft tall. I also have a lot of muscle as I used to lift heavy on a very regular basis. For instance, my brother is much bigger than I am, and he weighs 40 lbs less than me… My goal is 200, though, when I had a personal trainer he told me that I would look anorexic if I was to get down to 200, and he thought my goal should be 215…

Also, last week I lost 7 lbs this week, 0 so far…

Should I be taking in more calories?

Replies

  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    How have you come up with 1900 as a number?
  • wizbeth1218
    wizbeth1218 Posts: 358 Member
    How have you come up with 1900 as a number?

    I would ask the same thing. This site tells me to eat 1,600 calories a day, but my doctor told me 950 to 1,200.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Your BMR is 2369, that's the amount your body would need laying in bed in a coma to fuel your basic bodily functions. Because you need additional fuel because you don't just lay in bed all day (presumably), then 2500 sounds about right.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    How have you come up with 1900 as a number?
    I don't know… I really just pulled it out of a hat I guess. Probably because I am so used to seeing the recommended daily value on foods for 2000 calorie or 2500 calorie diet on the side of boxes and such...
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    2000 is generally recommended for a woman, and 2500 for a man, but they are just averages, so your recommendation might be different. I haven't checked your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) myself, but what deksgrl said sounds right. Why don't you try it for a few weeks at the (nearly) 2500 and see how it goes? You can always adjust as you go. It's not a race, and losing the weight at the quickest possible rate isn't necessarily a good thing. You'll probably want to try to preserve as much lean mass as you can while you're losing. Also, don't worry about 1 week of not losing anything, that's quite normal, especially after a big loss the previous week.
  • LilEmm
    LilEmm Posts: 240 Member
    Another thread suggested multiplying your BMR by 1.2 to 1.7, depending on your activity level. Then multiplying that number by .8 to get a caloric deficit, but to eat enough to keep you going.

    link to finding your bmr, then figuring out your activity level to multiply it by: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    What calculator says 2500? Is that BMR? TDEE? How active are you?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    What calculator says 2500? Is that BMR? TDEE? How active are you?
    '

    I believe that is what MFP calculated for him.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    What calculator says 2500? Is that BMR? TDEE? How active are you?
    '

    I believe that is what MFP calculated for him.

    OK, if that's the case... does it factor in exercise?
  • cbrrabbit25
    cbrrabbit25 Posts: 384 Member
    The first week you may have lost all water weight since you started watching what you ate i assume. The extra water weight is the easiest to lose.
  • ladypenel
    ladypenel Posts: 88 Member
    I agree re trying the MFP cals 2500. My doc told me to eat 700 to 1000 which I did for a year and lost NOTHING. I joined MFP and switched to 1200 and have consistently lost weight! Good luck on your journey. :)
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Yes, that is for when i am exercising which is 6x per week. I am currently on week 2 of P90M… the original P90 course that will have the 5-6 section at the end… It was recommended by Tony Horton in the P90X intro if you are not in pretty good shape already… And, yes, it is the calculator that is on here...
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    The first week you may have lost all water weight since you started watching what you ate i assume. The extra water weight is the easiest to lose.
    No, I started eating extremely well 2 months ago. I did a 12 mile hike in 95 degree weather with 85% humidity… thought I was gonna die from dehydration even though I did take a considerable amount of water (it was gone .5 way through). I started hallucinating, and even noticed places I could curl up and sleep into eternity. After that I was too fed up with what shape I was in...
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Yes, that is for when i am exercising which is 6x per week. I am currently on week 2 of P90M… the original P90 course that will have the 5-6 section at the end… It was recommended by Tony Horton in the P90X intro if you are not in pretty good shape already… And, yes, it is the calculator that is on here...

    2500 cals including exercise sounds very reasonable. Might actually be a little low depending, but sounds like a good starting point.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    Try the 2500 first. At least a month. If that doesn't work then go down 100 calories. If you've pulled 1900 out of thin air, why do you think it will work?
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,489 Member
    2,500 sounds about right including exercise.

    It's an estimate. Raise or lower depending on results like any other programme.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Try the 2500 first. At least a month. If that doesn't work then go down 100 calories. If you've pulled 1900 out of thin air, why do you think it will work?
    Growing up, I always saw the estimates for the 2000 vs 2500 calorie diet on everything, so I was kinda programmed to think that 2500 was the most you should eat, and that I should lower from 2500 in order to lose weight...
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Thanks for your input everyone! I appreciate it! That is probably why I feel so shaky after my workouts the last couple days...
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Try the 2500 first. At least a month. If that doesn't work then go down 100 calories. If you've pulled 1900 out of thin air, why do you think it will work?
    Growing up, I always saw the estimates for the 2000 vs 2500 calorie diet on everything, so I was kinda programmed to think that 2500 was the most you should eat, and that I should lower from 2500 in order to lose weight...

    There is some truth to that, but that line of thinking assumes no exercise. You can eat 2500 cals a day and exercise. The calories your burn exercising creates your deficit, thus you lose weight. Or you can eat less than 2500 cals a day and be in a deficit from the get go. The only kicker here is that if you exercise on top of that decifit, the deficit will get larger (due to the burned calories) unless you eat back those cals.

    So your thinking is correct, just not complete.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Try the 2500 first. At least a month. If that doesn't work then go down 100 calories. If you've pulled 1900 out of thin air, why do you think it will work?
    Growing up, I always saw the estimates for the 2000 vs 2500 calorie diet on everything, so I was kinda programmed to think that 2500 was the most you should eat, and that I should lower from 2500 in order to lose weight...

    There is some truth to that, but that line of thinking assumes no exercise. You can eat 2500 cals a day and exercise. The calories your burn exercising creates your deficit, thus you lose weight. Or you can eat less than 2500 cals a day and be in a deficit from the get go. The only kicker here is that if you exercise on top of that decifit, the deficit will get larger (due to the burned calories) unless you eat back those cals.

    So your thinking is correct, just not complete.
    Cool! Thank you!
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