Please tell me how many calories to eat!!!

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sunnygirl19
sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
in Motivation and Support
Please help me with what I should be eating to lose. Recently I have jumped from 1400 calories a day to just under 2000. I have read In Place of a Road Map and all sorts of other sites telling me what I should be doing. I am now terrified to step on a scale (my clothes feel tighter) and I am losing motivation. My stats are as follows:

Female
32 Years old
168 Lbs
5’ 7”
I exercise 3 to 5 times a week (45 minutes) using a Bowflex Treadclimber. I don’t know my heart rate but I do know that its an intense work out.

If anyone can contribute, please help. My diary is unlocked, I know I am not the best at logging once I am home (Dinner) but I do stay within my allotted calories and make sure not to go over.

I guess I just need to get a grip. Any help is welcome.

Replies

  • sunnygirl19
    sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
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    Anyone?
  • BalenciaLynn
    BalenciaLynn Posts: 411 Member
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    when you set up your MFP it shows a custom calorie goal for what you want to achieve
  • sunnygirl19
    sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
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    Yes, I did this and it has me at 1380 calories which is fine but when I push myself I find that I get cranky and the scale is not moving and I have been reading topics on not eating below your BRM which is what I was doing. I'm just stuck I guess. Thanks though :flowerforyou:
  • JustANumber85
    JustANumber85 Posts: 644 Member
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    your cals are set at 2,070, which to me seems like a lot.

    Your eating isnt all that great either- you could split that applebees wrap into dinner one day and lunch the next. You had chili and a bun- skip the bun.
  • tripn404
    tripn404 Posts: 109 Member
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    try cooking a real meal to eat... get plain non fat greek yogurt and add real fruit instead of pre packaged fruit added yogurt... cook plain oatmeal and add fruit or peanut butter to that as well.. and thats natural peanut butter not JIF...you need to change a lot of the lifestyle choices you make with your food
  • RougeIllusion
    RougeIllusion Posts: 59 Member
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    I have mine set at my BMR which right now is about 1700 calories. I recheck it every 10 pounds or so. This has been working well for me, I try not to eat back my exercise calories.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    1,380 net sounds about right. MFP calculated your TDEE at 1,880...I did a quick calc based on some guess work and came up with 1,860, so pretty close. In that case, 2,070 would be over eating, which is why your clothes are fitting tighter and you're gaining weight. One thing...MFP can only make an estimate based on your input...so you have to be honest; don't put light active if you're really sedintary (i.e. have a desk job, etc).

    If you were eating below the 1,380 and/or not eating your exercise calories back, that could be part of the issue as well. If you go too low, your body will slow down your metabolism because it thinks you are starving and calories that would otherwise be burned are being stored as fat for later use. Maybe try something right around your BRM (I estimated 1,550) and see how that goes.
  • sunnygirl19
    sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
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    I have mine set at my BMR which right now is about 1700 calories. I recheck it every 10 pounds or so. This has been working well for me, I try not to eat back my exercise calories.

    ok, 1700 calories seems better. Thanks!
  • sunnygirl19
    sunnygirl19 Posts: 60 Member
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    1,380 net sounds about right. MFP calculated your TDEE at 1,880...I did a quick calc based on some guess work and came up with 1,860, so pretty close. In that case, 2,070 would be over eating, which is why your clothes are fitting tighter and you're gaining weight. One thing...MFP can only make an estimate based on your input...so you have to be honest; don't put light active if you're really sedintary (i.e. have a desk job, etc).

    If you were eating below the 1,380 and/or not eating your exercise calories back, that could be part of the issue as well. If you go too low, your body will slow down your metabolism because it thinks you are starving and calories that would otherwise be burned are being stored as fat for later use. Maybe try something right around your BRM (I estimated 1,550) and see how that goes.

    Ok, this is why I needed help! lol Thank you, 1880 is a better number than what I came up with. I thought I had this all figured out, whoops. I think I may have just put my body into a "shock" mode. Thank you for the help.

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