Need calorie counting help please!

TiddlieWinks
TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! My name is Candace (or Tiddlie) and I weigh 191lbs and am 5"9 in height and 19years old. I've been using this FitnessPal app since the end of January, and it's been working very well for me! I'm moderately active, going to the gym 3 days a week for an hour at a time and the days I don't go to the gym I do a 1/2 hour of cardio / toning at home via youtube. I started at 1200 calories, but now I have gone on a no-grain diet (besides whole-wheat granola in the morning) and I've worked my way down to 1000-1100 calories. Is that too little for me? I'm worried my body will think it's starving itself and will make me gain more weight... Before I started counting my calories I was 203lbs.

Opinions please? :) I'm trying my best to get down to 160-170 before this summer :)!
Thank you in advance!!

Replies

  • diabloben68
    diabloben68 Posts: 64
    Hi! My name is Candace (or Tiddlie) and I weigh 191lbs and am 5"9 in height and 19years old. I've been using this FitnessPal app since the end of January, and it's been working very well for me! I'm moderately active, going to the gym 3 days a week for an hour at a time and the days I don't go to the gym I do a 1/2 hour of cardio / toning at home via youtube. I started at 1200 calories, but now I have gone on a no-grain diet (besides whole-wheat granola in the morning) and I've worked my way down to 1000-1100 calories. Is that too little for me? I'm worried my body will think it's starving itself and will make me gain more weight... Before I started counting my calories I was 203lbs.

    Opinions please? :) I'm trying my best to get down to 160-170 before this summer :)!
    Thank you in advance!!

    Hey Candace, Good job on sticking with it for the past 2 months. I think 1000 calories is too low.

    Lets do some math shall we?

    you want to get down to 160lbs by june?
    you are now at 191lbs

    so 191lbs - 160 lbs =31lbs of desired loss.

    1lb of fat = 3500 calories.
    so
    3500c X 31lbs = 108500 calories < this is the total amount you need to have burned by June.

    There are roughly 80 days till June,
    so
    108500 calories / 80 days = 1356 daily cal (additional that need to be burned)

    so basically you need to be in a calorie deficit of 1356 calories a day to achieve 160 lbs by June 1st.

    Right now with you eating 1100 calories a day, your calorie deficit is about 900 per day.

    That means you are burning an additional 6300 cals a week or 1.8 lbs a week.

    at your current rate of 900 cal deficit per day, you will weigh 170.5 lbs by june 1st.

    I recommend taking a slower approach though. The american dietary association did a study and found that people were most likely to lose weight when they, 1. had breakfast 2. had normal amount of carbs 3. exercised 150 mins a week. 4. consumed less high fat foods. It is very possible that you will get burned out taking a fast approach, but to each his own. Good luck, hope this helped.
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks so much for your reply!!! I'm very happy I can get a second opinion on my dieting :). I'm only on the no-grain diet for this month to do some last-minute extreme dieting for a get-together i'm going to at the end of the month, haha. I plan to resume eating carbs after this month passes :) (I miss my pasta lol!) I think 1356 calories is too high?? I'm pretty comfortable at 1200 (my "normal" amount I started with, based on MyFitnessPal). How would 1200 calories per day do for me if I wanted to be 160 by June?

    Thanks again for all your help!
  • diabloben68
    diabloben68 Posts: 64
    Thanks so much for your reply!!! I'm very happy I can get a second opinion on my dieting :). I'm only on the no-grain diet for this month to do some last-minute extreme dieting for a get-together i'm going to at the end of the month, haha. I plan to resume eating carbs after this month passes :) (I miss my pasta lol!) I think 1356 calories is too high?? I'm pretty comfortable at 1200 (my "normal" amount I started with, based on MyFitnessPal). How would 1200 calories per day do for me if I wanted to be 160 by June?

    Thanks again for all your help!

    1200 calories a day would put you at roughly a 800 calorie deficit, so 800 x 80 = 64000/3500= 18.25lbs lost or 173 total lbs. Keep in mind your gonna build some muscle. I been watching the biggest loser this season, and one of the leading girls (Danny) has put on 19lbs of muscle sense the show started. I wouldn't expect you to put on 19lbs of muscle, but maybe 3 or 4. So overall, be happy with the mirror and the measurements, but the scale can be deceptive.

    Also, I am not factoring in your workouts because I just assumed your lifestyle was lightly active.

    ok im making some changes. I see that you actually require 2300 calories a day, so if you cut down to 1200, that means there is an 1100 deficit. 1100 x 80days = 88000/3500 = 25lbs weight loss or 166 total lbs
  • joyjay4fun
    joyjay4fun Posts: 160
    Very helpful answers to her intial post diabloben68. Tiddliewinks(I call my youngest that lol) I agree 1000 is extremely too low. I am close to your height and weight 5'10, 190 lbs goal of 160 and I consume about 1200 a day. I started using different apps that come up with all kinds of healthy recipes, eat a lot of fish, veggies and normal amt of carbs and it seems to help. Make sure you mix up your weight routines and have strength training as well as cardio as a part of your plans. Youll find that even when it seems like the lbs arent falling, youll still look and feel better because you are toning. When you make your grain choices too in the future look for the whole grains. Youll do great and youll look great. :-)
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks so much for your reply!!! I'm very happy I can get a second opinion on my dieting :). I'm only on the no-grain diet for this month to do some last-minute extreme dieting for a get-together i'm going to at the end of the month, haha. I plan to resume eating carbs after this month passes :) (I miss my pasta lol!) I think 1356 calories is too high?? I'm pretty comfortable at 1200 (my "normal" amount I started with, based on MyFitnessPal). How would 1200 calories per day do for me if I wanted to be 160 by June?

    Thanks again for all your help!

    1200 calories a day would put you at roughly a 800 calorie deficit, so 800 x 80 = 64000/3500= 18.25lbs lost or 173 total lbs. Keep in mind your gonna build some muscle. I been watching the biggest loser this season, and one of the leading girls (Danny) has put on 19lbs of muscle sense the show started. I wouldn't expect you to put on 19lbs of muscle, but maybe 3 or 4. So overall, be happy with the mirror and the measurements, but the scale can be deceptive.

    Also, I am not factoring in your workouts because I just assumed your lifestyle was lightly active.

    ok im making some changes. I see that you actually require 2300 calories a day, so if you cut down to 1200, that means there is an 1100 deficit. 1100 x 80days = 88000/3500 = 25lbs weight loss or 166 total lbs

    Thank you so so much for all your help!! I'd be so very happy to reach 166lbs, and knowing that I can achieve being (approx) that weight by this summer will definitely be my motivation to keep me going!! I know that effective weight-loss has to be something done in time, so I'm very pleased to hear that, and I hope that I can continue to use this app! Thanks for your support.. :) It's great to know I'm not alone!
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    Very helpful answers to her intial post diabloben68. Tiddliewinks(I call my youngest that lol) I agree 1000 is extremely too low. I am close to your height and weight 5'10, 190 lbs goal of 160 and I consume about 1200 a day. I started using different apps that come up with all kinds of healthy recipes, eat a lot of fish, veggies and normal amt of carbs and it seems to help. Make sure you mix up your weight routines and have strength training as well as cardio as a part of your plans. Youll find that even when it seems like the lbs arent falling, youll still look and feel better because you are toning. When you make your grain choices too in the future look for the whole grains. Youll do great and youll look great. :-)
    Thank you so much for your super positive reply!! :) I had a big feeling that 1000 was way too little (did some reading, and it seemed pretty scary!) but I'm glad to know that someone around my physique has the same goal as me and has about the same calorie intake :). It's really reassuring to hear all of that, so I really thank you! <3 I'll definitely keep it up and keep trying my best! You keep it up as well! I know that we both can achieve our goals :D
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    try to up to at least 1200 a day,eat if your body tells you too(healthy stuff)! :wink:
    keep up the exersice and water,and granola has huge cals in by the way! :cry:
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    You have got to do some research. You need to calculate and know your BMR. This is a number you should always be at or above for calorie intake. I applaud your effort, however your goal is unrealistic to achieve in a healthy manner. Slow down and do it right so you don't have to do it again. Lastly, you will not build any lean muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. You can tone what you already have, but that's it. I would be willing to bet that if you starve yourself (1000-1200) you will gain it ALL back. Ultimately it is your choice, but please do some research and make an informed choice.
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    try to up to at least 1200 a day,eat if your body tells you too(healthy stuff)! :wink:
    keep up the exersice and water,and granola has huge cals in by the way! :cry:
    I realize that they do, but I need it for the fiber >.< I'll be waay too under my goal if I don't eat some sort of grain / carb to keep me going haha. That's literally the only grain-food I eat.. Been stacking up on my veggies, so I think it's not a bad thing for me. Thanks so much for your input though! :)
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    You have got to do some research. You need to calculate and know your BMR. This is a number you should always be at or above for calorie intake. I applaud your effort, however your goal is unrealistic to achieve in a healthy manner. Slow down and do it right so you don't have to do it again. Lastly, you will not build any lean muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. You can tone what you already have, but that's it. I would be willing to bet that if you starve yourself (1000-1200) you will gain it ALL back. Ultimately it is your choice, but please do some research and make an informed choice.
    I'm pretty happy at 1200 calories per day. I'll definitely feel less bad if I go over my limit, but it's really helped me to watch what foods I put in my mouth -- because I know I have to save my calories for dinner and bigger meals, instead of a having a super fatty snack. My BMR (via MFP) is 1700, however that's too high.. I could eat Mcdonalds for lunch and dinner with that many calories(for example) and that's something we all know we should avoid. I'd have to be shoving food in my mouth every second if I wanted to meet 1700.. And even once I get to my weight goal, I'll probably still continue to do this, if I stopped for a while I'm sure I'd gain it back as well, but I do feel like I'm loosing weight in a healthy manner, and in a way that will help me keep it off.
    But thanks for your input as well :) it's nice to get other's opinions :)

    Oh, and i guess I should add that at 1200 cals, I loose about 5 pounds a month... which I've been told is very healthy :)
  • jimian60
    jimian60 Posts: 21
    Hi! My name is Candace (or Tiddlie) and I weigh 191lbs and am 5"9 in height and 19years old. I've been using this FitnessPal app since the end of January, and it's been working very well for me! I'm moderately active, going to the gym 3 days a week for an hour at a time and the days I don't go to the gym I do a 1/2 hour of cardio / toning at home via youtube. I started at 1200 calories, but now I have gone on a no-grain diet (besides whole-wheat granola in the morning) and I've worked my way down to 1000-1100 calories. Is that too little for me? I'm worried my body will think it's starving itself and will make me gain more weight... Before I started counting my calories I was 203lbs.

    Opinions please? :) I'm trying my best to get down to 160-170 before this summer :)!
    Thank you in advance!!

    This might throw you for a loop.... I think you're focusing on the WRONG thing... and worry too much about calories IN. There's a simple shortcut...get yourself a HR watch...and focus on calories OUT....the calories you are BURNING... once you're burning an extra 500 calories a day THEN the calories IN part will work it itself out.... or you'll adjust to it...

    Most people focus on calories OUT -- and FAIL...try flipping the whole equation on it's head. Track how much you're really burning, the OUT. It changes everything. Good Luck!
  • jadermary
    jadermary Posts: 105 Member
    Please read this! It's a bit long but has changed my entire mentality on "dieting".

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    Hi! My name is Candace (or Tiddlie) and I weigh 191lbs and am 5"9 in height and 19years old. I've been using this FitnessPal app since the end of January, and it's been working very well for me! I'm moderately active, going to the gym 3 days a week for an hour at a time and the days I don't go to the gym I do a 1/2 hour of cardio / toning at home via youtube. I started at 1200 calories, but now I have gone on a no-grain diet (besides whole-wheat granola in the morning) and I've worked my way down to 1000-1100 calories. Is that too little for me? I'm worried my body will think it's starving itself and will make me gain more weight... Before I started counting my calories I was 203lbs.

    Opinions please? :) I'm trying my best to get down to 160-170 before this summer :)!
    Thank you in advance!!

    This might throw you for a loop.... I think you're focusing on the WRONG thing... and worry too much about calories IN. There's a simple shortcut...get yourself a HR watch...and focus on calories OUT....the calories you are BURNING... once you're burning an extra 500 calories a day THEN the calories IN part will work it itself out.... or you'll adjust to it...

    Most people focus on calories OUT -- and FAIL...try flipping the whole equation on it's head. Track how much you're really burning, the OUT. It changes everything. Good Luck!
    I'm not sure I completely understand everything... But I'm new to dieting... I guess it's not as easy as one person would think.. I figure I'd just try to watch what I eat & worked hard at the gym, and it'd help me loose weight.. >.< I don't really understand the connection between watching the calories you burn, and how much you should in take because of that? I've been thinking of seeing my doctor about it and getting her to tell me what's best for my body.. So far it's been 55(ish) days for me since I started, and I'm feeling better than I ever have and I feel a lot skinnier as well.. But maybe not >.< I should mention that I am still building muscle even with my dieting.. >.<
    Thank you for your reply, I'll try to do better for myself :)
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    Please read this! It's a bit long but has changed my entire mentality on "dieting".

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
    Thank you for the link! I don't completly understand everything, but i'll keep this in mind for the future :)
  • april1445
    april1445 Posts: 334
    Don't go under 1400 calories a day. At your age, you need that many calories for growth and development.
  • TiddlieWinks
    TiddlieWinks Posts: 12 Member
    I'm pretty sure I'm done growing, but thank you :) I will keep that in mind!

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