Need help figuring out how many calories to eat!

amdaze
amdaze Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm so bad at figuring out the amount of calories I need to be eating. When I'm counting calories I do seem to lose weight VERY slowly. I'm thinking that a NET intake of 1200 calories doesn't seem like enough with the amount I'm working out. I'm 23 female, 5'5" and currently 165 lbs. I work out 5 or 6 times a week, a mixture of cardio and weights. Like I said, I usually aim for a net goal of 1200 calories per day (that is, calories eaten-calories burned from exercise), but I've been reading up on BMR and that I need to be eating at least that. My BMR is 1570. Should that be my net calories or should I cut it down to 1380ish? I can never seem to find the magic number of calories that I need to be eating to drop weight as quickly as others seem to. Thanks for your input!

Replies

  • AmandaReimer1
    AmandaReimer1 Posts: 235 Member
    You will get plenty of posts that will help but my advice is eat back most of your exercise calories. When you signed up for MFP and filled out your stats it already gave you the amount if calories to eat, not including when you exercise.
  • Shellbug75
    Shellbug75 Posts: 74 Member
    The best advice I can give you is go to: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ It will figure your TDEE and your BMR. Then choose your percentage you want to lose (between 20%-25%). It will calculate how much you should eat (step 6). Should be around 1800 calories a day.

    Good luck!
  • Itchula
    Itchula Posts: 40 Member
    Your BMR is how many cals you need to stay the weight you are.

    I've heard my RD cousin say that in order to drop 1lb a week, I need to exercise off 500 calories daily, but I'm a bigger girl than you are. She figured out my BMR and my calories according to my fitness activities.

    I've been dropping about 100cals under my BMR then just exercising to earn extra cals and so far, it's been working!
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • Hollycoleman46
    Hollycoleman46 Posts: 15
    you should eat more than 1200 calories if you are exercising daily....increase your protein intake by eating leanmeats with every meal and just because you enter exercise on myfitnesspal don't eat all the calories that you burned you'll never lose weight.
  • Itchula
    Itchula Posts: 40 Member
    You will get plenty of posts that will help but my advice is eat back most of your exercise calories. When you signed up for MFP and filled out your stats it already gave you the amount if calories to eat, not including when you exercise.

    I found that MFP tries to make everyone start at 1200, which is just silliness, but I totally agree about eating what you earn. It's also a fun bonus when you workout lots to see how much extra room in your calorie budget you get! :smile:
  • capedcrusadernz
    capedcrusadernz Posts: 10
    I filled out a link someone else on here gave and it gave the following results.

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 2131

    Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 2931

    Daily calories based on goal 2344

    So is this saying to achieve the weight loss I want I should be taking in 2344 calories a day?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Follow MFP. It's easy. Just go with the 'lose 1lb a week' option and eat your exercise calories back. I really don't know where people keep getting that 1200 number from.
  • capedcrusadernz
    capedcrusadernz Posts: 10
    But it is MFP that gives you the (in my case) 1900 calories a day to eat measurement.

    Should you always eat the calories you have consumed doing exercise? Is that what you mean by eat them back?
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    But it is MFP that gives you the (in my case) 1900 calories a day to eat measurement.

    Should you always eat the calories you have consumed doing exercise? Is that what you mean by eat them back?

    When you filled out your MFP profile, it asks how active you are.

    Did you include your regular exercise routine in that?

    If you did, those calories have already been added into your total!

    If you did NOT include your regular exercise in choosing your activity level? Then you SHOULD eat those calories back.

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