intake help

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dp133
dp133 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone im a bit stuck with my calorie intake and how much I should be having.

I had my resting metabolic rate tested and it came back as 1552 to maintain my current weight, I exercise first thing in the morning and im sedentary during the rest of the day, do I need to be eating my maintenance calories? Wouldn't this just cause me to maintain since im not exercising them off?

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  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    hello? :P
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    Hi everyone im a bit stuck with my calorie intake and how much I should be having.

    I had my resting metabolic rate tested and it came back as 1552 to maintain my current weight, I exercise first thing in the morning and im sedentary during the rest of the day, do I need to be eating my maintenance calories? Wouldn't this just cause me to maintain since im not exercising them off?

    Resting metabloic rate, and your daily calories to maintain are two very different things.

    What numbers did you get for each?
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Could be - what did they give you?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Did that "based on my activity" include exercise, or simply things like work, errands, etc? If it did include exercise, then no, you don't need to eat back your exercise cals. If it didn't, then yes you do need to eat them back.

    Based on the number, I'm guessing it didn't include exercise. But that's just a logical guess.
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Could be - what did they give you?

    medium/high activity but I think that was just based on my exercise and not what I do during the day like work etc, it was 2639
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Did that "based on my activity" include exercise, or simply things like work, errands, etc? If it did include exercise, then no, you don't need to eat back your exercise cals. If it didn't, then yes you do need to eat them back.

    Based on the number, I'm guessing it didn't include exercise. But that's just a logical guess.

    I assume it was just for exercise, as I told them im sedentary otherwise. I just want to start off the right foot, and i've had no real guidance with anything like this before so its all confusing, online im told to eat around 1200 a day to reach my goals
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Anything below 1550 calories will aid in weight loss. If you exercise, you can have that many more calories. So if you stuck with a 1200 calorie diet, that would give you a deficit of 350 calories a day or 2450 calories a week deficit.
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    Anything below 1550 calories will aid in weight loss. If you exercise, you can have that many more calories. So if you stuck with a 1200 calorie diet, that would give you a deficit of 350 calories a day or 2450 calories a week deficit.

    I see, is this enough to lose a pound a week? I'm wary of going under 1200. Also i'm exercising everyday, 4 days cardio, 3 strength
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Anything below 1550 calories will aid in weight loss. If you exercise, you can have that many more calories. So if you stuck with a 1200 calorie diet, that would give you a deficit of 350 calories a day or 2450 calories a week deficit.

    I see, is this enough to lose a pound a week? I'm wary of going under 1200. Also i'm exercising everyday, 4 days cardio, 3 strength

    With so little info, it's almost impossible to say.

    Your ticker says you have 10lbs to lose - is that right? If so, you shouldn't be trying to lose 1lb/week - that's too fast and will likely result in muscle loss. Most people want to hold on to the little bit of muscle they have and focus on fat loss and lose weight more slowly as they get closer to their goal.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
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    it was 2639

    If your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (resting, working out, going to work) is 2639 then you need to eat 2639 to maintain current weight. Anything less than that creates a deficit and anything more is a surplus.

    1200 calories sounds like a kind of dangerously low diet. Why not start with 2,000 a day and see where you weigh in once a week for four weeks. If you appear to be trending a one-pound a week weight loss you're probably doing well!

    What you want to avoid is cutting too much, which will make you feel lethargic, will deprive you of energy, and in the long term, cause you damage.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    it was 2639

    If your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (resting, working out, going to work) is 2639 then you need to eat 2639 to maintain current weight. Anything less than that creates a deficit and anything more is a surplus.

    1200 calories sounds like a kind of dangerously low diet. Why not start with 2,000 a day and see where you weigh in once a week for four weeks. If you appear to be trending a one-pound a week weight loss you're probably doing well!

    What you want to avoid is cutting too much, which will make you feel lethargic, will deprive you of energy, and in the long term, cause you damage.

    Agreed.

    2639 sounds like your TDEE, which factors in everything you do, from sleeping and breathing to laundry to exercise. Anything below that will result in weight loss, anything above it in weight gain.

    I also agree that 1200 cals is probably too few. Though, if you don't care about muscle loss, only the number on the scale, then have at it.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Did that "based on my activity" include exercise, or simply things like work, errands, etc? If it did include exercise, then no, you don't need to eat back your exercise cals. If it didn't, then yes you do need to eat them back.

    Based on the number, I'm guessing it didn't include exercise. But that's just a logical guess.

    I assume it was just for exercise, as I told them im sedentary otherwise. I just want to start off the right foot, and i've had no real guidance with anything like this before so its all confusing, online im told to eat around 1200 a day to reach my goals

    1200 is the bare minimum, and generally thrown around by the uneducated. 1200 cals daily is too few for 90% of the people out there. Does that mean the scale won't go down if you eat 1200? No, it doesn't... but for most people it's not SOLELY about scale weight.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    I see, is this enough to lose a pound a week? I'm wary of going under 1200. Also i'm exercising everyday, 4 days cardio, 3 strength

    I would highly recommend dropping a day or two of the cardio. Your body needs rest and that is where you will see the improvements. If you don't let your muscles recover, they won't increase strength or improve as much as they can. Also, if your TDEE is 2600 calories, take a 20% cut from there and eat at that level. So around 2000 calories. Really push the weight training and concentrating on doing low reps high weight (will optimize strength gains).
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    hello, I didn't get one for my calories to maintain, well at least I don't think so, I got an average energy required intake based on my activity, would that be it?

    Could be - what did they give you?

    medium/high activity but I think that was just based on my exercise and not what I do during the day like work etc, it was 2639

    So the 2639 is your maintenance calories, not the 1552 you mentioned earlier. Was 1552 your Resting Metabolic rate?

    if so, then you use 1550 a day, if you did nothing but lie on a sofa. as soon as you get up and clean your teeth, brush your hair, go to work, etc then you use more than 1552.

    If your daily burn is 2600, you could eat 2000 and still lose weight, eating at 1200 is more than a 50% deficit and would do you no favours at all,

    Good luck!
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    thank you everyone, I think I understand a bit better now! I care about muscle too, so i'll have a go at reducing my cardio and upping my calories, ill see what happens
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Just remember that it takes time/patience. IMO, you should give any approach a solid month before you decide how well it is or isn't working. A few days or even a week isn't long enough to really see how your body is responding.
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
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    Yes, im prepared to lose slowly :) also one more thing, does all this count no matter what time of day you exercise? As in whatever I have during the day wont get burned off from exercise since I do it first thing in the morning
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
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    Yes, im prepared to lose slowly :) also one more thing, does all this count no matter what time of day you exercise? As in whatever I have during the day wont get burned off from exercise since I do it first thing in the morning

    Long story short, no it doesn't matter what time you exercise. My doctor tells me I shouldn't exercise vigorously at night because it impairs the quality of my sleep, however I can't exercise during the day and don't yet have the discipline to exercise early in the morning. So, on balance, I exercise at night because that's *what works for me.* Do the same for you!
  • dp133
    dp133 Posts: 9
    Options
    Yes, im prepared to lose slowly :) also one more thing, does all this count no matter what time of day you exercise? As in whatever I have during the day wont get burned off from exercise since I do it first thing in the morning

    Long story short, no it doesn't matter what time you exercise. My doctor tells me I shouldn't exercise vigorously at night because it impairs the quality of my sleep, however I can't exercise during the day and don't yet have the discipline to exercise early in the morning. So, on balance, I exercise at night because that's *what works for me.* Do the same for you!

    thanks!

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