So confused about Calorie Intake

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sazroy
sazroy Posts: 262 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I will make my diary public for you all as well (please note on some days, like yesterday :P I ate 2 icecreams but I was still under my calorie goal, was having a bad craving for something cold as it was so hot yesterday - don't pick on me for it, I'm only human :P )

Alright, so I'm 23 years old, female. I'm 5'1 and weight 78kgs (172lbs). My job is as a checkout operator so I'm standing all day long.
I also joined the gym and aim for 3-5 times a week and burn 500 calories in a 1-1.5hour long session (roughly). My goal weight is 60kgs (132lbs). I have lost 9.7kgs (21lbs) eating around 1200-1500 calories a day, but the weight loss is slowing down. I lost that weight rather quickly, and now for most of this year it's been either no loss or only 300-500g a week (but not regularly.. some weeks I don't lose at all).
Am I eating enough? There are too many different formulas for BMR, the Mifflin-St Jeor, Katch-McCardle, and Harris-Benedict all give me different results. I'm confused. I want to lose 1kg a week (2lbs) which is safe. I'm great at maintaining weight but a few years ago (about 5 or 6 years) is when I put on all this weight, I've maintained it, started to lose it, and now just getting moody with it all.. I just want to be at my goal weight to start maintaining it all again. Help me!
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Replies

  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    bump
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Don't eat back exercise calories and get more protein
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    Don't eat back exercise calories and get more protein

    But other people say DO eat back exercise (I don't anyway) so this is why I'm confused.
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
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    I mean it's really hard to say - it is much easier to lose the first bit of weight than the last bit. I've been hovering around the same weight for almost a year now and I've been aiming to lose a pound a week which clearly isn't happening.

    With that said, I went from lifting no weight and barely ever exercising to working out 5+ days a week including a weight routine. It's very important to take measurements because you'll see that the scale is not the only important number. I may not be my lowest weight currently, but I think I'm the smallest I've been even when I weighed less because I have much more muscle these days.

    My suggestion is to try changing your macros. I aim for 40% carbs, 30% fat and 30% protein. MFP has you set up to 55% carbs, 15% protein and 30% fat, so you'll have to change these settings in the custom way rather than the guided way.

    I suggest going in the guided way, changing your info to lightly active and losing 1/2 kilo per week. Then go in again and this time go the custom route and just tweak the %'s of fat, protein and carbs. I think more protein might help you out a bit. It's also a good rule of thumb to limit your carbs in the evening and eat most of them for breakfast and lunch. Those should technically be the biggest meals of the day to give you energy for the day.

    Anyways, I hope this helps!
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
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    Don't eat back exercise calories and get more protein

    I completely disagree with this, but to each their own. In my opinion, this is not healthy practice nor is it sound advice.
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    I mean it's really hard to say - it is much easier to lose the first bit of weight than the last bit. I've been hovering around the same weight for almost a year now and I've been aiming to lose a pound a week which clearly isn't happening.

    With that said, I went from lifting no weight and barely ever exercising to working out 5+ days a week including a weight routine. It's very important to take measurements because you'll see that the scale is not the only important number. I may not be my lowest weight currently, but I think I'm the smallest I've been even when I weighed less because I have much more muscle these days.

    My suggestion is to try changing your macros. I aim for 40% carbs, 30% fat and 30% protein. MFP has you set up to 55% carbs, 15% protein and 30% fat, so you'll have to change these settings in the custom way rather than the guided way.

    I suggest going in the guided way, changing your info to lightly active and losing 1/2 kilo per week. Then go in again and this time go the custom route and just tweak the %'s of fat, protein and carbs. I think more protein might help you out a bit. It's also a good rule of thumb to limit your carbs in the evening and eat most of them for breakfast and lunch. Those should technically be the biggest meals of the day to give you energy for the day.

    Anyways, I hope this helps!

    Thanks Shauna, I'll see how I go, to be honest I never paid attention to the %'s on here, I've always just stuck to my calorie limits. Also gotta get back into weights, did that for a little while then when my weights became too light for me I couldn't afford to buy more so I just stopped.. Bad Sarah..
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    bump for more suggestions.
  • lawrahmck
    lawrahmck Posts: 57
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    I would definitely read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    & give it a go. It works for me, & you have so much more energy when you actually fuel your body.

    & stop looking at your calories as a target to stay under - look at it as a target to meet. IMO :)
  • Enny2405
    Enny2405 Posts: 97 Member
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    Anything under 1200 Calories puts your body in starvation mode - if you exercise, make sure you eat back enought so that you are not under 1200. Maybe try increasing your calories but 100-200 or so everyday for a week and see if that boots your body into losing. I set mine at 1500 a day and im still losing 1/2 to 1kg a week on that - exercising 3 -4 times a week for about half an hour and eating that back too.
  • Anabolic0n3
    Anabolic0n3 Posts: 2
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    The kind of calories is very important. When it comes to your workouts are you just doing cardio or are you lifting? What kind of cardio do you do and at what intensity?
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
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    OK being Aussie I'm assuming you've heard of the Michelle Bridges 12wbt. This highly successful program is 1200cal a day, 6 days a week exercise and you do NOT eat back exercise calories. If you want to lose a kg a week I wouldn't eat back. Thats how I did it :)
  • lawrahmck
    lawrahmck Posts: 57
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    OK being Aussie I'm assuming you've heard of the Michelle Bridges 12wbt. This highly successful program is 1200cal a day, 6 days a week exercise and you do NOT eat back exercise calories. If you want to lose a kg a week I wouldn't eat back. Thats how I did it :)

    One of my closest friends who's a dietician puts the 12wbt up there with one of the worst "successful" diets out there. I love MB & everything else she stands for... except 1200 calories a day.

    Fuel your body with good, CLEAN food!
  • imafitnesstrainerlara
    imafitnesstrainerlara Posts: 9 Member
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    So here is the scoop as far as I understand it. Things like the harris benedict equation etc account for your activity so if you are basing your calorie intake by one of those equations DON'T eat back exercise calories (unless you put your activity level as sedentary) because that activity is already included in the equation.That being said I'm not a nutritionist, but I am a personal trainer, and a lot of my clients have better success when they eat a little more (of course paired with a moderate-high intensity exercise program) On days that you work out, you probably do need a little bit more to eat. The biggest problem that people have when they eat back their exercise calories, is that people underestimate how many calories they are eating, and overestimate the calories burned.
    Another problem is no equation or formula is going to be completely accurate for YOU. These equations are based off of research, but the research behind at least one of them only dealt with young, athletic, females. These give a pretty good estimate, and none of them are going to be too far off of the mark as far as calorie burn is concerned, but the only way to know your individual BMR for example, is to do expensive tests. This is not reasonable or neccesary. That's why we have these guidelines for example: "never eat less than 1200 cal/day" Eating under 1200 may put many people into starvation mode, but definitely not everyone. Some people can eat less and never go into starvation mode, and some can eat more and still go into starvation mode. When it comes to calories you need to find what your body responds best too. Because you've already lost weight, your body has changed and your caloric needs as well, so mess around with your calories. Try adding a couple hundred. If that doesn't work try subtracting a couple hundred. As much as weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out, there really are so many other factors and you need to find what works for your body.
    Hopefully I was helpful
    Good luck!
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
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    OK being Aussie I'm assuming you've heard of the Michelle Bridges 12wbt. This highly successful program is 1200cal a day, 6 days a week exercise and you do NOT eat back exercise calories. If you want to lose a kg a week I wouldn't eat back. Thats how I did it :)

    One of my closest friends who's a dietician puts the 12wbt up there with one of the worst "successful" diets out there. I love MB & everything else she stands for... except 1200 calories a day.

    Fuel your body with good, CLEAN food!

    I agree with that - It's also the same as Biggest Loser, they were made to eat 1000 calories a day, this is not sustainable outside of the tv show nor is it healthy. Can't agree more.
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    I would definitely read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    & give it a go. It works for me, & you have so much more energy when you actually fuel your body.

    & stop looking at your calories as a target to stay under - look at it as a target to meet. IMO :)

    Thank you Lawra - giving it a read now :)
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    Anything under 1200 Calories puts your body in starvation mode - if you exercise, make sure you eat back enought so that you are not under 1200. Maybe try increasing your calories but 100-200 or so everyday for a week and see if that boots your body into losing. I set mine at 1500 a day and im still losing 1/2 to 1kg a week on that - exercising 3 -4 times a week for about half an hour and eating that back too.

    Yeah I always aim to eat more than 1200, I simply do not agree with eating anything less. Think I'm going to aim at raising my cal intake by adding more protein (as suggested by Shauna) and decrease my cardio but add a weight session. Rather than 60 mins of continuous cardio I will aim for at least 30minutes of vigorous cardio and 30 minutes of weights... I've also read anything over 30mins of heart pumping cardio for weightloss is just a waste pretty much so.. time to mix things up I suppose.
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    The kind of calories is very important. When it comes to your workouts are you just doing cardio or are you lifting? What kind of cardio do you do and at what intensity?


    Mainly cardio - I like to use the Elliptical/Cross Trainer for as long as I can - usually do 30mins on the Xtrainer than 10 on the treadmill, back on the xtrainer for another 15mins and then back to the treadmill for a 5-10 min cooldown.
    I was doing weights - began with 3kg dumbells but very quickly 3kg went from straining on the last set to ending up being far too easy but couldn't afford to buy more weights. So.. gave up.

    As a member of the gym though I think I'll start doing 30 minutes on the cross trainer and 30 minutes of weights - my personal trainer has already written me up a routine to follow with the weights and Fit Balls so.. we'll see.
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    OK being Aussie I'm assuming you've heard of the Michelle Bridges 12wbt. This highly successful program is 1200cal a day, 6 days a week exercise and you do NOT eat back exercise calories. If you want to lose a kg a week I wouldn't eat back. Thats how I did it :)

    It's too pricey anyway. To buy all the ingredients for invidual recipes (I've seen sample menus and each day is different) as well as having to pay for ANOTHER weightloss program. I'm glad it's worked for you but no thanks :/
  • sazroy
    sazroy Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    So here is the scoop as far as I understand it. Things like the harris benedict equation etc account for your activity so if you are basing your calorie intake by one of those equations DON'T eat back exercise calories (unless you put your activity level as sedentary) because that activity is already included in the equation.That being said I'm not a nutritionist, but I am a personal trainer, and a lot of my clients have better success when they eat a little more (of course paired with a moderate-high intensity exercise program) On days that you work out, you probably do need a little bit more to eat. The biggest problem that people have when they eat back their exercise calories, is that people underestimate how many calories they are eating, and overestimate the calories burned.
    Another problem is no equation or formula is going to be completely accurate for YOU. These equations are based off of research, but the research behind at least one of them only dealt with young, athletic, females. These give a pretty good estimate, and none of them are going to be too far off of the mark as far as calorie burn is concerned, but the only way to know your individual BMR for example, is to do expensive tests. This is not reasonable or neccesary. That's why we have these guidelines for example: "never eat less than 1200 cal/day" Eating under 1200 may put many people into starvation mode, but definitely not everyone. Some people can eat less and never go into starvation mode, and some can eat more and still go into starvation mode. When it comes to calories you need to find what your body responds best too. Because you've already lost weight, your body has changed and your caloric needs as well, so mess around with your calories. Try adding a couple hundred. If that doesn't work try subtracting a couple hundred. As much as weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out, there really are so many other factors and you need to find what works for your body.
    Hopefully I was helpful
    Good luck!

    Thanks for the thorough advice :) I've added you if you don't mind.
  • Donnarose82
    Donnarose82 Posts: 71
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    Hi there,
    I'm in my last week of the MB 12wbt... I have adapted to alot of her mindset which is very positive.. but failed miserably with the 1200 cals a day, even on the little calories I am on at the moment ,although I have increased it, I am still not doing as well as I would like. My metabolism just seems like it is completely and utterly screwed from being on 1200 cals for such a long time,longer than the 12 weeks, it's been more like 18 weeks for me. So like you I'm wanting to know what that magic number is... I did see a post today on Facebook a lady who eats a Paleo diet and has had succesful weightloss actually encourages us to eat and she posted up an equation- Body weight (lbs not kgs!) x 10 for daily calories needs to lose weight but not starve. Not sure how that would go? I think it depends how much you exercise, what your daily energy requirements are as everyone is so different. I work on my feet all day as a cleaner and ofcourse work out 6 days a week as prescribed by MB, it's no wonder I am a mess!!!! Good luck and I hope you find an answer :)

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