Is my calorie count wrong?

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walkbyfaith0314
walkbyfaith0314 Posts: 36
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's my exercise stats for today

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It's early yet, but here's my food:

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Here's a normal food day for reference:

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Are my counts for zumba off? I used a calculator.

I have my activity set as "sedentary." I weigh around 160, depending on the day.

I also have another question related to this stuff. I find it hard to eat 1200 calories a day. I usually top out at around 800. The thing is, i'm not eating crappy stuff, but good food. I just don't feel hungry after eating 3 squares. I normally eat every 6 hours. Maybe 2 snacks (coffee, a few crackers, stuff like that).

I realize after you exercise, your body needs food to repair itself. But usually if I try to eat more than that, I get sick. So where's the cut off? Also, do you HAVE to eat your calories back once you exercise?
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Replies

  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    MFP often overestimates. Did you wear an HRM?
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    I took a peak at your diary and you've got a big problem. Your net calories were almost zero this weekend and in general under 500 which includes birthday cake and Reese's cups?!!!!
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    I doubt the calories for Zumba are correct. The others seem like they are in the ballpark.
  • GODfidence
    GODfidence Posts: 249 Member
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    800 calories per day is a bad idea.
    You obviously didn't get over weight eating 800 calories
    So why is it a problem now?
    Trying to lose weight faster by dramatically cutting calories is not a good idea.
    The faster you lose weight and the less you fuel your body then the more unhealthy
    You are going to be.
    Figure out your bmr and ATLEAST eat that,if not more.
  • walkbyfaith0314
    walkbyfaith0314 Posts: 36
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    My birthday was Friday, so I had a bit of cake, and the Reeses was included in one of my gifts. :)

    That's part of my question though. I realize cake/peanut butter cups are not a good thing to eat, but that's a special occasion.

    I'm trying to push myself to eat around 1200 calories. But if I feel stuffed at what I eat on a normal day, is that bad?
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    My birthday was Friday, so I had a bit of cake, and the Reeses was included in one of my gifts. :)

    That's part of my question though. I realize cake/peanut butter cups are not a good thing to eat, but that's a special occasion.

    I'm trying to push myself to eat around 1200 calories. But if I feel stuffed at what I eat on a normal day, is that bad?

    People often feel stuffed when they change their diet to include more high volume, low calorie foods like lean protein and veggies. If you eat under your goal for a few days, you will be fine. I'm willing to bet your appetite will pop back up within a week.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    On may 16, your net cals were -114.
    You say in your profile that you want to get healthy for your kids. Then please, get some help because right now, your disordered eating behavior is not an example you want them to follow.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    There's a difference between filling yourself with cake and filling yourself with, say, oatmeal for breakfast, for example. It's not just the total number of calories that we're looking at, but the proteins, fats, carbs, fiber, and other nutrients.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    My birthday was Friday, so I had a bit of cake, and the Reeses was included in one of my gifts. :)

    That's part of my question though. I realize cake/peanut butter cups are not a good thing to eat, but that's a special occasion.

    I'm trying to push myself to eat around 1200 calories. But if I feel stuffed at what I eat on a normal day, is that bad?

    Yes, if you're logging accurately that's bad.

    Eat more calorie dense foods. Eat a whole banana instead of half. Full fat dairy. Nuts, avocados, etc. Get your calories up to a reasonable number. (800 is not reasonable, and neither is 1200 if you're doing that much exercise)
  • PezAzul
    PezAzul Posts: 42
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    My birthday was Friday, so I had a bit of cake, and the Reeses was included in one of my gifts. :)

    That's part of my question though. I realize cake/peanut butter cups are not a good thing to eat, but that's a special occasion.

    I'm trying to push myself to eat around 1200 calories. But if I feel stuffed at what I eat on a normal day, is that bad?

    Nobody is telling you NOT to eat Reeeses and birthday cake. Heck, I ate Reeses today. What they are saying is that on a typical day in your journal, junk food and sweets is making up 1/4-1/2 of your daily calories. What you probably should do is add some foods from the actual food groups and increase your calorie intake so it's at least your BMR.

    Not sure about the exercise calories. I know MFP is notoriously inaccurate when it comes to that so I chose to do TDEE-20%.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    Instead of a diet soda, try milk or a smoothie. Try to add healthy, calorie dense foods to each meal, a little at a time so they are more tolerable. Things to try: peanut or almond butter, whole milk yogurt or cottage cheese, avocados, whole milk or cream in your coffee, switch to real sugar instead of sugar substitutes, or try honey, bananas, potatoes, beans, dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    If you have trouble eating more you have two options: continue eating what you are (assuming "good food" means calorie sparse or average) and gradually increase the amount to increase your stomach size/capacity, and/or, add in consumption of calorie dense foods.

    Can't comment on exercise calories as I only know my body and have never done Zumba so can't tell if it looks right or not. Circuit training... depends on the intensity level. Walking will probably be the most accurate, but as it doesn't take level of exertion or terrain into account it might be off in either direction.
  • 9xuzts
    9xuzts Posts: 40
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    I have to agree with what everyone else is saying. Try eating less of the sugary stuff and more of calorie dense natural foods like....like a handful of almonds will help you to get your calorie count up to where it needs to be. If you eat more caloric (clean) foods instead of things like carrots, you'll get there without feeling stuffed.
  • gonnamakeanewaccount
    gonnamakeanewaccount Posts: 642 Member
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    Spam isn't considered healthy by any means.
  • notdorothy
    notdorothy Posts: 7 Member
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    Speaking to the Zumba calorie burn, I weigh about 176 and wear a heart-rate monitor and when doing 60 minutes of Zumba, I have a hard time cracking 450. And that's when I'm pushing myself and jumping higher than the instructor and moving and grooving way more than anyone else in class. MFP's Zumba estimate is ridiculously inaccurate (in my case anyway).

    Also, try throwing in some beans and lentils. They're calorie dense and good for you. I had the same problem when I started this journey, but I soon found ways to hit my calories. (Now, I'm just trying to keep sticking to them a year and a half later and bust my mini-plateaus.)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Speaking to the Zumba calorie burn, I weigh about 176 and wear a heart-rate monitor and when doing 60 minutes of Zumba, I have a hard time cracking 450. And that's when I'm pushing myself and jumping higher than the instructor and moving and grooving way more than anyone else in class. MFP's Zumba estimate is ridiculously inaccurate (in my case anyway).

    Also, try throwing in some beans and lentils. They're calorie dense and good for you. I had the same problem when I started this journey, but I soon found ways to hit my calories. (Now, I'm just trying to keep sticking to them a year and a half later and bust my mini-plateaus.)

    You're not the first person I've heard say this. It *seems* inaccurate to me, but I've never done Zumba so I don't know for sure.
  • walkbyfaith0314
    walkbyfaith0314 Posts: 36
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    I have been fairly sedentary for the past 3 weeks-ish because I had bronchitis.

    I also didn't have much of an appetite until recently because I'd cough so hard I'd barf, so there are some super (like 500) low calorie days in my diary.

    I'm trying to figure out stuff food-wise because I was told to look at restricting carbs (and sugars) because of Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, but wasn't told where to cut it down to. My doctor said that there was possibly a link with PCOS and insulin resistance so I didn't want to mess things up that way. It was suggested that I lose 26.2 pounds, or 15% of my starting weight.

    So I figured switching to Diet Pepsi might help, or Splenda instead of 3 packets of sugar in my coffee. I don't actually know what a "healthy" amount of grams/day in sugar is...

    I have had a hard time with dairy stuff (lactose intolerant) so I can only have small amounts of whole milk or cheese a day. I've looked at switching to rice or soy (Lactaid is gross) but some of the one's I've found are loaded with sweetened stuff. Very Vanilla Silk tastes like coffee creamer to me. Also, I'm trying to figure out leaner protein sources.

    I guess what i'm trying to say is that, did I jack myself up from trying to cut down on stuff and where do I go from here.

    I like the idea of introducing things gradually.
  • walkbyfaith0314
    walkbyfaith0314 Posts: 36
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    Spam isn't considered healthy by any means.

    That was the first (and last-yuck!) time I'd ever try that.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Please eat food.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    In...

    ...to see where this thread goes.

    OP, there's a bigger problem than the accuracy of your calorie burns. Even at the most conservative estimates for calorie burn, you aren't eating enough. <800 calories is generally a bad idea (IMHO), even if you weren't exercising at all. And I acknowledge that most people disagree with me on this, but I honestly believe that if you can't reach a reasonable number of calories eating "healthy", then it would actually be beneficial long-term to fill in those calories with "unhealthy" foods if that's what it takes. Yes, I'm actually advocating eating junk food and eating when you're not hungry in order to at least reach a reasonable *gross* calorie level (of say, 1500)...at least for a while until things level out for you.

    Sufficient "healthy" foods > sufficient "healthy"/"unhealthy" foods > insufficient "healthy" foods > insufficient "unhealthy" foods...or something like that.

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