Seriously. How many calories?

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2

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  • whitney_elyse
    whitney_elyse Posts: 24 Member
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    A typical day:
    -A banana, english muffin OR oatmeal (not all 3) before a 6 AM workout
    -Oatmeal, eggs or an english muffin after the workout
    -Greek yogurt or a Luna Bar for a snack around 10:30
    -Lunch is either a salad and soup, a turkey sandwich on wheat, or some kind of hummus and rice crackers with a half sandwich
    -Air popped popcorn or carrots and hummus around 5 PM
    -Dinner is usually chicken breast, shrimp, or salmon with some starch (brown rice, cous cous, whole wheat pasta, quinoa) and some veggie. Or it could be a veggie burger with a sweet potato, some kind of whole wheat pasta dish, etc. Everything whole grain, lean meat, etc.
    It's not perfect but all-in-all, I try to be pretty good about it.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Excellent question!!!!
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
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    Eat more or exercise less.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    A typical day:
    -A banana, english muffin OR oatmeal (not all 3) before a 6 AM workout
    -Oatmeal, eggs or an english muffin after the workout
    -Greek yogurt or a Luna Bar for a snack around 10:30
    -Lunch is either a salad and soup, a turkey sandwich on wheat, or some kind of hummus and rice crackers with a half sandwich
    -Air popped popcorn or carrots and hummus around 5 PM
    -Dinner is usually chicken breast, shrimp, or salmon with some starch (brown rice, cous cous, whole wheat pasta, quinoa) and some veggie. Or it could be a veggie burger with a sweet potato, some kind of whole wheat pasta dish, etc. Everything whole grain, lean meat, etc.
    It's not perfect but all-in-all, I try to be pretty good about it.

    Try to add some more protein and decrease carbs a bit.
  • 519harley
    519harley Posts: 241 Member
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    Bsuzanne88, It looks to me like you're eating to many calories for your size. I think MFP would recommend 1200 for you. Have you done your goals here? I started at 142 and now am 122, the whole time MFP had me at 1200. I lost it quite easily.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    i'm following 1200 calories a day and its been coming off slowly but surely. i also do cardio, use a HRM and eat back my calories. i know there are lots of 1200 calorie haters, but its not hard.
  • torey4260
    torey4260 Posts: 1 Member
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    Eat more calories since you have probably reached a plateau. Shock your body since your body is now probably in maintenance mode. I have always been really atheletic and never needed to lose a lot of weight but have gotten a gut, so that is what I am losing now and portion control for me is key. However, whenever I get stagnant, I mess around with my calorie intake because your body is looking for ways to fight starvation, so beating the plateau is key.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Bsuzanne88, It looks to me like you're eating to many calories for your size. I think MFP would recommend 1200 for you. Have you done your goals here? I started at 142 and now am 122, the whole time MFP had me at 1200. I lost it quite easily.

    If you follow MFP, that is 1200 calories before exercise.
  • LoriBeMe
    LoriBeMe Posts: 165 Member
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    So, I have about 15 lbs to lose. Never really been super over weight, but at one point I was about 10 lbs heavier than I am now. Recently, nothing. will. BUDGE. Seriously, nothing. For the past several months, I've stayed between 1350-1500 calories per day. I work out (heavily--spin and body pump classes) 5 times per week at least. Things should be happening. They aren't. Any ideas for those of you out there (women in particular) who've always been average sized but have managed to get the last 10 or 15 off? I always read things about calories in this range being too low but I'm just not sure...thoughts? tips? anything?

    i just took a look at your diary. Why does your daily goal for calories keep changing?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    i'm following 1200 calories a day and its been coming off slowly but surely. i also do cardio, use a HRM and eat back my calories. i know there are lots of 1200 calorie haters, but its not hard.


    People hate on 1200 calories because it's not enough calories to sustain muscle. Track your body fat to see how much of your weight loss is from lean body mass. You might change your mind then.Below is what happens when you fuel your body properly.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat
  • chrismorpheus
    chrismorpheus Posts: 1
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    Sorry I am totally confused. I just did my TDEE had it came out with 2228 calories a day. That is silly calories!! I couldnt dare to eat all this!! I had thought is was my BMR been 1600 less 500 calories a day (1lb) a week and exercise is additional ( I wear HRM and Fitbit, do 20-45 min workouts for 5 days.... Jillian Michaels) I dont eat my exercised calories either. But I not losing any weight. Funnily before I had fitbit/or using HRM I just did the DVD's estimated my calories and lost 28lbs!! So not with all this technology and counting calories, I cant shift the last 16lbs!!

    I am 5ft 6
    small build and weight 10st 2lbs
    and I have just turned 38years young(depressing)

    What am I doing wrong, please help!

    Chris x::happy:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    So, I have about 15 lbs to lose. Never really been super over weight, but at one point I was about 10 lbs heavier than I am now. Recently, nothing. will. BUDGE. Seriously, nothing. For the past several months, I've stayed between 1350-1500 calories per day. I work out (heavily--spin and body pump classes) 5 times per week at least. Things should be happening. They aren't. Any ideas for those of you out there (women in particular) who've always been average sized but have managed to get the last 10 or 15 off? I always read things about calories in this range being too low but I'm just not sure...thoughts? tips? anything?

    i just took a look at your diary. Why does your daily goal for calories keep changing?
    The way MFP is design (if you dont' include exercise in your TDEE calculation) once you add exercise, it will add calories to eat back.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Sorry I am totally confused. I just did my TDEE had it came out with 2228 calories a day. That is silly calories!! I couldnt dare to eat all this!! I had thought is was my BMR been 1600 less 500 calories a day (1lb) a week and exercise is additional ( I wear HRM and Fitbit, do 20-45 min workouts for 5 days.... Jillian Michaels) I dont eat my exercised calories either. But I not losing any weight. Funnily before I had fitbit/or using HRM I just did the DVD's estimated my calories and lost 28lbs!! So not with all this technology and counting calories, I cant shift the last 16lbs!!

    I am 5ft 6
    small build and weight 10st 2lbs
    and I have just turned 38years young(depressing)

    What am I doing wrong, please help!

    Chris x::happy:

    it's not as silly as you think. Why don't you try eating at 1800 calories for a month and see the results. Obviously what you are doing isn't working, so change it.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    i'm following 1200 calories a day and its been coming off slowly but surely. i also do cardio, use a HRM and eat back my calories. i know there are lots of 1200 calorie haters, but its not hard.


    People hate on 1200 calories because it's not enough calories to sustain muscle. Track your body fat to see how much of your weight loss is from lean body mass. You might change your mind then.Below is what happens when you fuel your body properly.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat

    I'm happy with my results and my body, so i'll continue doing what i'm doing. most people on here hating on 1200 calories don't exactly have the figure i'm after. :noway:
  • LoriBeMe
    LoriBeMe Posts: 165 Member
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    So, I have about 15 lbs to lose. Never really been super over weight, but at one point I was about 10 lbs heavier than I am now. Recently, nothing. will. BUDGE. Seriously, nothing. For the past several months, I've stayed between 1350-1500 calories per day. I work out (heavily--spin and body pump classes) 5 times per week at least. Things should be happening. They aren't. Any ideas for those of you out there (women in particular) who've always been average sized but have managed to get the last 10 or 15 off? I always read things about calories in this range being too low but I'm just not sure...thoughts? tips? anything?

    i just took a look at your diary. Why does your daily goal for calories keep changing?
    The way MFP is design (if you dont' include exercise in your TDEE calculation) once you add exercise, it will add calories to eat back.

    I don't exercise so I didn't know that :ohwell:
  • erindh87
    erindh87 Posts: 94
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    This is a really good explanation:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    So, if I've been maintaining at the weight I am now for a couple of months, is it likely that this is my TDEE and I should drop my calories? I also have a lot of digestion/stomach issues that coincide and I know on some level, they are related. But even so, I know there must be SOME formula out there that will work for me I'm just not sure what it is. I'm scared of upping calories and gaining weight and then having an even bigger problem to deal with.
    I could be overestimating calories burned via exercise but I don't take exercise calories into consideration. I eat the same no matter what I do. There's always some human error in calorie counting but I always measure/weigh/etc. and I've been counting calories for as long as I can remember...I don't think there could be enough error there to totally offset my progress, you know?
    Just because you are maintaining weight now does not equate that to your actual, or natural TDEE - especially while eating 1500 to 1300 calories and doing a MINIMUM of intense exercise five days a week. Your natural TDEE decreases during a calorie deficit; thus over time your energy needs lessen. So you MAY be maintaining because 1300-1500 has become your adjusted TDEE. This is not the same as your natural TDEE because it implies a decline in endocrine function. Your natural TDEE is the calorie amount that provides an environment for optimal RMR and hormonal levels as well as stable weight.

    You'll have to up calories at some point if you wish to maintain your goal weight or body composition. So knowing your actual TDEE will help ease the anxiety once you do need to up calories and decrease the deficit once your goal has been met.

    You also could be over-exercising and creating too great a stress which is elevating cortisol levels resulting in excessive water gain.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    I'm happy with my results and my body, so i'll continue doing what i'm doing. most people on here hating on 1200 calories don't exactly have the figure i'm after. :noway:


    LOL...you are funny....But as long as you like the way you look it's all good....A lot of those people who hate 1200 probably don't want your figure either:bigsmile:
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    I'm happy with my results and my body, so i'll continue doing what i'm doing. most people on here hating on 1200 calories don't exactly have the figure i'm after. :noway:


    LOL...you are funny....But as long as you like the way you look it's all good....A lot of those people who hate 1200 probably don't want your figure either:bigsmile:

    :laugh: :flowerforyou:
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
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    This is a really good explanation:

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

    ^^ This.

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