I don't know how many calories I should eat!!!!

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I'm having some troubles losing weight. Uhm, I guess I'm mostly confused on what to consider my activity level.

I'm 5'3" and 145 pounds, and 18 years old. My goal weight is 120 pounds.

My exercise is weight lifting for 30 minutes 3x a week and walking for 45 minutes 4x a week. I use lightly active as my activity modifier. And when I do, my TDEE comes up as 2000 - 2100.

So if I eat about 1650 I should lose about a pound a week right? Does this sound right?
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Replies

  • the_fat_monkey
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    Bump!
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.
  • Skinny_Beans
    Skinny_Beans Posts: 405 Member
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    Light activity i'd put for if you do at least an hour of intense workouts a day, or your job has you on your feet a lot.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Don't do this. You're program sounds fine. Yes, 1650 sounds about right for a pound per week.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Please don't do this....

    Stick to your plan of weights and walking.
  • ssalmfp
    ssalmfp Posts: 27 Member
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    Try it out and if it works, that's great. If you're not losing the weight you want to lose, lower your calorie count. I like to err on the side of caution, just in case MFP over estimates my calories burned during exercise and underestimates the number of calories I eat.
  • the_fat_monkey
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Don't do this. You're program sounds fine. Yes, 1650 sounds about right for a pound per week.

    I have no plans on doing only cardio. I want to be strong ;)
  • the_fat_monkey
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Please don't do this....

    Stick to your plan of weights and walking.
    Does the calorie amount sound right? :)
  • the_fat_monkey
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    Try it out and if it works, that's great. If you're not losing the weight you want to lose, lower your calorie count. I like to err on the side of caution, just in case MFP over estimates my calories burned during exercise and underestimates the number of calories I eat.

    Can't lower my calories too much though because I don't want to create too big a calorie deficit. o3o
  • originalcookiemonster
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Please don't do this....

    Stick to your plan of weights and walking.
    Does the calorie amount sound right? :)

    They are correct. Stick with the weights. Make sure you lift HEAVY to make the most out of it. Find your TDEE and eat at a 15 to 20 percent deficit. If you do that and stick with weights you'll be fine.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    I'm having some troubles losing weight. Uhm, I guess I'm mostly confused on what to consider my activity level.

    I'm 5'3" and 145 pounds, and 18 years old. My goal weight is 120 pounds.

    My exercise is weight lifting for 30 minutes 3x a week and walking for 45 minutes 4x a week. I use lightly active as my activity modifier. And when I do, my TDEE comes up as 2000 - 2100.

    So if I eat about 1650 I should lose about a pound a week right? Does this sound right?

    Any calorie estimate is just a tool, a ballpark estimate to start with, but it should be close.

    To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

    Some people can handle a bigger calorie deficit and some people can't, neither is right or wrong. Even a small calorie deficit will put your body is a state of flux with hormones and such, some people have more stress which increases your hunger hormones, some people have emotional eating issues which adds even more complications. All that matters is what works for you. No one here and give you the answer. Your doctor can help you but we are not qualified to tell you how much to eat.

    A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

    Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

    If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

    Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

    Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

    The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

    To say eat more is wrong.

    To say eat less is wrong.

    Do what works for YOU.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I'm having some troubles losing weight. Uhm, I guess I'm mostly confused on what to consider my activity level.

    I'm 5'3" and 145 pounds, and 18 years old. My goal weight is 120 pounds.

    My exercise is weight lifting for 30 minutes 3x a week and walking for 45 minutes 4x a week. I use lightly active as my activity modifier. And when I do, my TDEE comes up as 2000 - 2100.

    So if I eat about 1650 I should lose about a pound a week right? Does this sound right?

    Yes, that sounds about right. Nice work on figuring that all out. I think you are probably more towards "moderately active" than "lightly active", so you can likely get away even eating a little more.
  • the_fat_monkey
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Please don't do this....

    Stick to your plan of weights and walking.
    Does the calorie amount sound right? :)

    They are correct. Stick with the weights. Make sure you lift HEAVY to make the most out of it. Find your TDEE and eat at a 15 to 20 percent deficit. If you do that and stick with weights you'll be fine.

    I'm eating 20% less of my TDEE so here's hoping! :D
  • the_fat_monkey
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    I'm having some troubles losing weight. Uhm, I guess I'm mostly confused on what to consider my activity level.

    I'm 5'3" and 145 pounds, and 18 years old. My goal weight is 120 pounds.

    My exercise is weight lifting for 30 minutes 3x a week and walking for 45 minutes 4x a week. I use lightly active as my activity modifier. And when I do, my TDEE comes up as 2000 - 2100.

    So if I eat about 1650 I should lose about a pound a week right? Does this sound right?

    Yes, that sounds about right. Nice work on figuring that all out. I think you are probably more towards "moderately active" than "lightly active", so you can likely get away even eating a little more.
    Thank you!
  • DewlyNoted
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    That sounds kind of high for me. My activity level is set at the lowest, but I exercise at least an hour every day, mostly walking some circuit training. I started at 146, have a GW of 120 and I'm more than halfway. I've been eating about 1400-1600 depending on exercise. As long as you don't go under 1200, you're ok. But see what works for you on the scale. Good luck and feel free to add me if you like. :)
  • the_fat_monkey
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    That sounds kind of high for me. My activity level is set at the lowest, but I exercise at least an hour every day, mostly walking some circuit training. I started at 146, have a GW of 120 and I'm more than halfway. I've been eating about 1400-1600 depending on exercise. As long as you don't go under 1200, you're ok. But see what works for you on the scale. Good luck and feel free to add me if you like. :)

    Well, if you're eating 1400 - 1600, then it should work for me, too? I exercise over an hour on the days I exercise, and on the days I don't exercise I'll be eating about 1300 calories.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    If you want to lose more weight first, you can concentrate on all cardio right now.

    Please don't do this....

    Stick to your plan of weights and walking.
    Does the calorie amount sound right? :)

    They are correct. Stick with the weights. Make sure you lift HEAVY to make the most out of it. Find your TDEE and eat at a 15 to 20 percent deficit. If you do that and stick with weights you'll be fine.


    This but also do HITT for cardio
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
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    bump
  • DewlyNoted
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    Yeah I've lost on average a pound a week. A few more in the beginning and when I started 30 day shred. U can do it!
  • the_fat_monkey
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    Yeah I've lost on average a pound a week. A few more in the beginning and when I started 30 day shred. U can do it!

    What else do you do for exercise, may I ask? Or at least, roughly, how many calories do you burn on exercise?