How many calories should I be eating a day? Help, please!

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mommasamfa
mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so confused on how to calculate how many calories I should be eating a day. MFP's suggestions based off of work, doesn't really help. I'm a waitress, but I do a hell of a lot more than a waitress in a typical setting.
A typical day for me is waking up cleaning up the house, eating breakfast, playing with my toddler, eating a quick lunch driving her to daycare, going to work. At work I will shuck oysters, prep food, lift several 10 gallon buckets of ice throughout the night (sometimes I'll be up to 30 10 gallon buckets of ice a day, if I work a double), serve the food, sweep, bus the tables, lift heavy boxes of oysters and fish, stock the bar. Some nights I'll be upstairs or outside working which requires a lot of steps and running and carrying. Doubles are normally from 930 am to sometimes 1130pm with an hour lunch. Then I'll do shopping afterwards or errands on lunch. And THEN I'll do my workouts.
Not to mention, I'm still not sure (after I've heard many debates), if I should eat my exercise calories. I never do.
Someone, please, help me.
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Replies

  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Im not sure why you think MFP numbers wont work for you....just put your activity level at moderate or even above that. Try it for a couple of weeks, see how it goes.
  • tanyelacombe
    tanyelacombe Posts: 5 Member
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    You should get your BMR rate, which is how many calories you should be eating justing sitting all day watching TV doing nothing. This is the amount you need for your body, lungs, heart, etc...to fully function. From there you add in calories that you are burning for exercise. Go to the Apps tag and under that you will see BMR.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    You can message me with your stats and I can show you how to calculate your food intake using theTotal Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) if you want.

    If so:

    Age
    Weight
    height
    workout schedule (if any, not including your job) including length of time and how many each week
    Body fat percentage (if you know it)
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Im not sure why you think MFP numbers wont work for you....just put your activity level at moderate or even above that. Try it for a couple of weeks, see how it goes.

    I agree. Just set your activity level at moderate (or higher, if you feel your daily activities are more than moderate) and eat back your exercise calories. You may also want to check out the road map. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    So you lose weight by eating less than you burn daily.

    MFP estimates what you burn daily with NO exercise included, and takes a deficit off that.

    I'd say that your routine puts you at Active level. Lightly Active is school teacher.

    Select 1.5 lb goal loss for now, move it to 1 lb when you hit 20 lbs to go. Then 1/2 lb with 10 to go.

    When you log exercise, you just increased the amount you burn daily. You take the same deficit off that now higher number, and of course you'll be eating more.

    So deficit is in there whether you exercise or not.

    So log your exercise, and eat it back.

    Do not log daily activities now, it's in your activity level already.
  • SarahSmilesCA
    SarahSmilesCA Posts: 261 Member
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    Im not sure why you think MFP numbers wont work for you....just put your activity level at moderate or even above that. Try it for a couple of weeks, see how it goes.

    Yep this...you can also you use a TDEE calculator and just subtract 20 percent, then eat back half the exercise calories...tons of them online, I like the one used on this site: http://rippedbody.jp/, but I do Intermittent Fasting

    Listen to your body...are you hungry??? Eat your calories. Not hungry? Then go without. I don't jam food in my mouth just because I have a calorie target, except for maybe a protein shake when I know my macros are off...
  • bmlfit
    bmlfit Posts: 1
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    Do you happen to know your body fat percentage? that there will give you the best idea for how many calories you should be intaking daily... once you have that you just put it into a formula ...
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    nee d to know how much u weigh t o answer that
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
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    Okay, I guess this didn't go as well as planned.
    If I were to put that I am entirely sedentary, my BMR is 1786, roughly. If I were to calculate my daily activities, I would be burning like 10k calories a day, which makes no sense. and I would have an enormous deficit. If I eat back my exercise calories, aren't I limiting myself to just losing a little? I sometimes can't eat that much a day, especially with a busy schedule.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Im not sure why you think MFP numbers wont work for you....just put your activity level at moderate or even above that. Try it for a couple of weeks, see how it goes.

    Yep this...you can also you use a TDEE calculator and just subtract 20 percent, then eat back half the exercise calories...tons of them online, I like the one used on this site: http://rippedbody.jp/, but I do Intermittent Fasting

    Listen to your body...are you hungry??? Eat your calories. Not hungry? Then go without. I don't jam food in my mouth just because I have a calorie target, except for maybe a protein shake when I know my macros are off...

    Huh, if you included exercise in your TDEE estimate, which all the calculators ask you to do - you would not then proceed to eat back ANY exercise calories.

    May want to read up on those principles because that will cause barely any deficit than.

    Also, you might want to read up on the hormones that are effected when you under-eat, one of them causes you to not be hungry.

    You cannot trust your body or listen to it in this regard, after all, isn't that how many got here needing to lose weight?

    Use your brain to be informed as you are indicating. For instance, you do indeed do this by eating a protein shake because mentally you know your macros are off, even when not hungry.

    You can be not hungry after a hard workout, but mentally you know some foods are best taken in quickly if you want to be prepared for a good workout the next day.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Okay, I guess this didn't go as well as planned.
    If I were to put that I am entirely sedentary, my BMR is 1786, roughly. If I were to calculate my daily activities, I would be burning like 10k calories a day, which makes no sense. and I would have an enormous deficit. If I eat back my exercise calories, aren't I limiting myself to just losing a little? I sometimes can't eat that much a day, especially with a busy schedule.

    I'm betting your exercise varies enough the TDEE method won't work well.
    And you did the math wrong if you got 10K calories a day.

    Follow my post above to get proper activity level most likely for you, good goal amount, and eating back exercise when really done.
  • mdu13
    mdu13 Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi there
    Same here I am currently on 1200 cal losing very very slowly ( but losing) I am never hungry with my 1200 cal
    I keep the protein high as possible and the carbs and sugar low , having plenty of water , I do every day 20 min shred and walk 3 times a week 1 hr. or 1/2 hr treadmill intervall ( 4 min walk -2 min run)
    I am 56 F and 167 cm , currently 73.2 kg trying to get to the 68 kg mark
    I hardly ever eat my exercise cal back ( maybe I am not eating enough?)
    any suggestions would help
    Thanks
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
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    Okay, I guess this didn't go as well as planned.
    If I were to put that I am entirely sedentary, my BMR is 1786, roughly. If I were to calculate my daily activities, I would be burning like 10k calories a day, which makes no sense. and I would have an enormous deficit. If I eat back my exercise calories, aren't I limiting myself to just losing a little? I sometimes can't eat that much a day, especially with a busy schedule.

    I'm betting your exercise varies enough the TDEE method won't work well.
    And you did the math wrong if you got 10K calories a day.

    Follow my post above to get proper activity level most likely for you, good goal amount, and eating back exercise when really done.

    That was my ENTIRE point of this post. MFP's not reliable on this, so I need guidance as to what I should be eating. I'm currently losing about 10lbs a week. It's not a complaint, but I'm concerned as to the rate that I'm shedding it. I stated that MFP's numbers DON'T work for me. If you do the math, you'll see that my math is actually very understated.
  • changeyourlimits
    changeyourlimits Posts: 43
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    At a certain point your body will begin to hold on to whatever it can. You might feel fine or not hungry however your body may now start burning muscle and taking energy from other parts of your body.

    If you are at BMR of 1786 and you are on your fight all day I would say you need to eat at least this amount if not more in a given day. The issue that comes into play is that certain foods even though you are eating more burn calories and give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs to perform correctly. Take carbs for instance; many people lower their carbs because of bad press that carbs don't help you. Carbs carry most of the vitamins we need, some that actually encourage weightless, nutrients that the body needs as well, and lastly Fiber which is good for the heart and belly fat. However excess amounts of sugar can spike your blood sugar which does not encourage weight loss it encourages fat storage.

    I would say eat about 1800 to 1900 a day and do not log any of your workouts for 1 to 2 weeks. The reason I say this is because then MFP will increase the amount of calories you can eat. And because you burn an unknown amount each day you can through yourself off. Just set a calorie goal each day and shoot for that. You can also customized your percentages. A good fat loss Ration is carbs,fats,protein respectably 30:25:45
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    That was my ENTIRE point of this post. MFP's not reliable on this, so I need guidance as to what I should be eating. I'm currently losing about 10lbs a week. It's not a complaint, but I'm concerned as to the rate that I'm shedding it. I stated that MFP's numbers DON'T work for me. If you do the math, you'll see that my math is actually very understated.

    It can be if you use it correctly.

    BMR 1786

    Active level means maintenance of 2590.

    1.5 lb goal loss weekly means deficit of 750 calories.

    2590 - 750 = 1840 daily net eating goal MFP will set.

    You do a 500 calorie burn workout.
    Your real daily maintenance for that day just became 3090. (otherwise called TDEE)
    3090 - 750 = 2340 eating goal.

    Now, MFP shows this different, but that is exactly what it is doing.
    1840 on non-exercise days, more on workout days - the deficit stays at 750 calories, you lose 1.5 lb of fat weekly.
    If doing new exercise, you'll also be making body improvements, so while burning fat, you may be gaining needed water weight.
    Never fear, that required water weight increases metabolism.

    And you are very correct, you should be concerned if continued weight loss was 10 lbs weekly - but first week is water weight, so can't count most of that.
    Because you aren't losing that much fat that fast, you are losing muscle mass.

    And unless you want to screech into a plateau, and then do drastic things and lose more muscle, and begin a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, I'd suggest keeping a reasonable deficit from a realistic maintenance figure.

    So are you saying you can't eat that much, or that is too little to eat?

    If your exercise is totally consistent and reliable and the same, use the spreadsheet in post above.
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
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    At a certain point your body will begin to hold on to whatever it can. You might feel fine or not hungry however your body may now start burning muscle and taking energy from other parts of your body.

    If you are at BMR of 1786 and you are on your fight all day I would say you need to eat at least this amount if not more in a given day. The issue that comes into play is that certain foods even though you are eating more burn calories and give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs to perform correctly. Take carbs for instance; many people lower their carbs because of bad press that carbs don't help you. Carbs carry most of the vitamins we need, some that actually encourage weightless, nutrients that the body needs as well, and lastly Fiber which is good for the heart and belly fat. However excess amounts of sugar can spike your blood sugar which does not encourage weight loss it encourages fat storage.

    I would say eat about 1800 to 1900 a day and do not log any of your workouts for 1 to 2 weeks. The reason I say this is because then MFP will increase the amount of calories you can eat. And because you burn an unknown amount each day you can through yourself off. Just set a calorie goal each day and shoot for that. You can also customized your percentages. A good fat loss Ration is carbs,fats,protein respectably 30:25:45

    I actually follow this pretty closely (aside from the caloric part). I don't try to eat excess sugar because I'm actually hypoglycemic and it doesn't help me anyways. But what I don't get, is how do I force myself to eat that much food? Sometimes that much food just makes me want to puke and I feel like just filling up with empty calories.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    Okay if you're eating around 1500 with MFP and losing 10 lbs a week, and are concerned try upping your calories to find your maintenance level. Once you stop losing then cut back by 500 or so to get a more cautious loss?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I actually follow this pretty closely (aside from the caloric part). I don't try to eat excess sugar because I'm actually hypoglycemic and it doesn't help me anyways. But what I don't get, is how do I force myself to eat that much food? Sometimes that much food just makes me want to puke and I feel like just filling up with empty calories.

    There are many good fats, and many not bad fats. Always can eat more of those as long as getting in needed protein.

    energy dense foods, and your body will feel hungry if it is in any way suppressed right now.
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    That was my ENTIRE point of this post. MFP's not reliable on this, so I need guidance as to what I should be eating. I'm currently losing about 10lbs a week. It's not a complaint, but I'm concerned as to the rate that I'm shedding it. I stated that MFP's numbers DON'T work for me. If you do the math, you'll see that my math is actually very understated.

    It can be if you use it correctly.

    BMR 1786

    Active level means maintenance of 2590.

    1.5 lb goal loss weekly means deficit of 750 calories.

    2590 - 750 = 1840 daily net eating goal MFP will set.

    You do a 500 calorie burn workout.
    Your real daily maintenance for that day just became 3090. (otherwise called TDEE)
    3090 - 750 = 2340 eating goal.

    Now, MFP shows this different, but that is exactly what it is doing.
    1840 on non-exercise days, more on workout days - the deficit stays at 750 calories, you lose 1.5 lb of fat weekly.
    If doing new exercise, you'll also be making body improvements, so while burning fat, you may be gaining needed water weight.
    Never fear, that required water weight increases metabolism.

    And you are very correct, you should be concerned if continued weight loss was 10 lbs weekly - but first week is water weight, so can't count most of that.
    Because you aren't losing that much fat that fast, you are losing muscle mass.

    And unless you want to screech into a plateau, and then do drastic things and lose more muscle, and begin a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, I'd suggest keeping a reasonable deficit from a realistic maintenance figure.

    So are you saying you can't eat that much, or that is too little to eat?

    If your exercise is totally consistent and reliable and the same, use the spreadsheet in post above.

    Well, you are completely off as to what MFP has suggested. Which is the point. But, the even BIGGER point is that MFP's suggestion of ACTIVE is not what I actually do. And that, again, is why I've posted this.

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