Can someone calculate my calories for me please?

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I have been at this since the beginning of the year and not an ounce lost. i am 49 years old and approx 148 looking to get to approx 130. my TDEE is 2091 if i list 3-5 days of exercice and my bmr is 1360. i have been eating approx 1600-1700 per day with a day or 2 of slip ups. i take a weight lifting class at the gym 3 days a week which i have been doing since october. it's an hour class and moderate weights mostly compound moves. my heart rate is quite elevated during this class. i then do either 1-3 days of cardio mostly the eliptical for approx 40 minutes at a time.

Am i eating too much or too little? I just can't figure it out. I have MFP set at 1 lb loss per week which starts me off at 1200 calories.

Last year i lost approx 15 lbs on Weight Watchers with no exercise what so ever. Gained all that back. It seems that once i start exercising i goof up the amount i'm suppose to be eating.

Replies

  • smartguy05
    smartguy05 Posts: 5 Member
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    A scale weight isn't a very good tool to determine if you are losing fat. Because you are doing weight lifting you could be putting on muscle to replace the fat you lose. Try measuring your hips, waist, thighs and neck once a week. Then compare. If the average of the numbers is getting smaller and the number on the scale stays the same you are losing fat and gaining muscle. You may also want to make sure you have a refeed or "cheat" day once a week. If you are eating well below you maintenance calories your body eventually goes into a "starvation mode". When this happens your metabolism slows down. You can still lose fat, but it won't be as quickly as if your metabolism was intact. The refeed spikes your insulin response and temporarily increases your metabolism.
  • mwynia
    mwynia Posts: 9 Member
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    Unfortunately i have taken measurements and not even 1/4 inch lost. some days if i haven't had enough water or eaten too much as far as carbs i think my measurements are even more. Very frustrating.
  • smartguy05
    smartguy05 Posts: 5 Member
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    I understand your dilemma, I have been having issues being stuck at a weight for a while. A couple of suggestions I have are to make sure you get enough water (your body can't work properly without it), and track everything that enters your mouth. But the real key to sticking to it is to enter the food before you eat it, then see what that leaves you. If its to much don't eat it. I've made a plan for myself, where if at any point in the day I reach my calorie limit I can't have anything else, except water, for the rest of the day. You may have a few days of going to bed hungry, but you will learn to ration it out. Also a few things that make it easier are to cut out all bread from your diet. I was getting over 100g of carbs a day from freaking bread. No bread no problem. So try those few things, track before you eat, no bread, drink more water and have a refeed day once a week.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    How long have you been eating 1600-1700 calories? Also, what are your macro's set at?

    MFP had you set at 1200 which is probably pre-exercise. When you exercising you need to eat more.
  • mwynia
    mwynia Posts: 9 Member
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    I've been eating 1600-1700 since january 1st. like i said i have some slip ups but have generally stayed pretty close to that amt. I have no idea what my macros are set to.

    I will try getting rid of some of the carbs. that is definately my down fall.