5 ft 6 in Female, only 1500 calories???

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Replies

  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    If you lost weight at 1900 previously, I would manually set your calorie target at 1900. Give it a few weeks and if you need to cut them down from there, do it. The 1500 target is excluding exercise calories though, so if you add them in does it raise your target to about 1900 anyway?
  • learnerdriver
    learnerdriver Posts: 298 Member
    I'm similar, but 5"5 and 41.

    I'm on 1500 as I have a knee injury at the moment. I was eating around 1700-1800 when exercising based on TDEE-20%.

    I am full as my plate is loaded with vegetables, I eat less bread and less rice (apparently a serve of rice is half cup cooked- I was eating 2 cups at dinner).

    I could probably go lower- MFP has me on 1400, but I'd rather go slow as I'd like my skin to bounce back.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    I'm 5'7", 125 pounds and a size 4. I maintain at 1895-2000. I have gone through one bulk cycle and I ate 2000-2200 to gain. In cut phase, I eat 1500-1800. I do vary my calories based on my activity for the day. I always eat more on days when I strength train my lower body, not as much when I do upper body, and stick close to 1500 when I sit on my butt.

    If you are aiming to get back into a size 6, then 1500 plus exercise calories to lose is about right.

    I'm just one example, but I lost 60 pounds eating around 1600 calories, plus having a 2000 calorie plus re-feed day on the weekend (when I did a lot more exercise).
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    my advice is to try what worked for you before first, do not go off of mfp. It might work fine for some but for others it can be way off.....

    I am 5' 7" and about 120lbs. MFP wants me to be at 1200 cals. no fricking way is that right. i used a different BMR/TDEE calculator & it told me that my BMR alone is over 1300. It gave me just under 1800 as my TDEE and that is WITHOUT exercise cals added in yet. I eat at my TDEE & some of my exercise cals back & i have not gained weight. this works just fine for me & any less i would feel like i was starving.

    ( i have always been a big eater, just like you. When i was younger i had a ridiculous appetite & super fast metabolism. I know that at age 37 my metabolism isn't what it used to be, but it has always been higher than most people so i expect that it still may be higher than most women my age. yours may be too)


    *** Here are 2 different calculators that i have used, i prefer these over mfp because you can be very specific about your activity level during the day

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
  • thinklikethin
    thinklikethin Posts: 7
    Wow, this has been super helpful. I am going to do some research and see what to set my calories at. I truly do not believe I will be able to keep going on 1500 a day, day in and day out. I am very active, chase after 5 kids and run my home and cook and shop and manage my house constantly. I just think the amount is off, BUT i will do some research b/c i DO want to challenge myself and reign in my appetite as much as possible and get results. But, I have a hunch that I have a higher metabolism that other women my age and size. I always have, from childhood...I *never* carried even enough weight until after I started having children. I struggled to stay at normal weight. So, I truly think that I'll feel miserable and weak at 15oo. Thanks for all the help!!!
  • thinklikethin
    thinklikethin Posts: 7
    my advice is to try what worked for you before first, do not go off of mfp. It might work fine for some but for others it can be way off.....

    I am 5' 7" and about 120lbs. MFP wants me to be at 1200 cals. no fricking way is that right. i used a different BMR/TDEE calculator & it told me that my BMR alone is over 1300. It gave me just under 1800 as my TDEE and that is WITHOUT exercise cals added in yet. I eat at my TDEE & some of my exercise cals back & i have not gained weight. this works just fine for me & any less i would feel like i was starving.

    ( i have always been a big eater, just like you. When i was younger i had a ridiculous appetite & super fast metabolism. I know that at age 37 my metabolism isn't what it used to be, but it has always been higher than most people so i expect that it still may be higher than most women my age. yours may be too)


    *** Here are 2 different calculators that i have used, i prefer these over mfp because you can be very specific about your activity level during the day

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    According to the above site (The second one) I have a TEE of 2,291. That sounds totally right to me, as I noticed before when I eat btw 1900 and 2000 I lose and if I go under 1800 I feel like I'm starving.

    What is this 20% of TDEE that I am seeing some speak of?? I need to google it, but when I do I get threads from MFP pop up, I click on it and it takes me to the general message board and not the acual thread itself.

    I also want to read more about NEAT vs. TDEE.

    Anyone have some links?

    I guess I could go learn how to search the forums.

    THx everyone. I think I will try 1900 to begin with and just see if I can lose 1 lb a week that way...but I'm still reading and trying to learn and am open to any and all input. THX
  • delinsc
    delinsc Posts: 2
    I am 5'1" and only get 1250 calories a day and that includes 2 times a day juicing
  • thinklikethin
    thinklikethin Posts: 7
    okay, I figured out my TDEE and the 20% off of it to create a one pound loss a week. It's 1800 calories. I should be able to eat 1800 and lose a pound a week. I'm going to go with that figure and see where it gets me, since it is experientially close to what I worked out for myself before. My gut tells me that 1500 is too low (pun intended).
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    okay, I figured out my TDEE and the 20% off of it to create a one pound loss a week. It's 1800 calories. I should be able to eat 1800 and lose a pound a week. I'm going to go with that figure and see where it gets me, since it is experientially close to what I worked out for myself before. My gut tells me that 1500 is too low (pun intended).

    This sounds like a good plan. If you search MFP for "in place of a roadmap", a thread by HelloitsDan should come up. This was a huge help for me in understanding TDEE and deficits. But based off the TDEE you posted, 1800 sounds like a good number.
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
    This is so interesting to me - I'm also 5'6".

    I've tried about 4 different calculators I've seen recommended here. MFP has my calorie target at 1,410 (plus exercise calories). That seems really low to me as well, but I'm coming off of years of Weight Watchers, where I know my points calculated to about 1160 calories plus fruits and vegetables, so about 1400. So I haven't adjusted it up yet. I've always been overweight so I have to rely on these calculators for now!

    The average for me was a BMR of 1625 / TDEE of 1950. When I do -20%, that would be 1450 when I'm in the office all week & basically sedentary, (plus 5-6 Insanity workouts), or about 1700 when I'm traveling (on my feet and more active in my daily habits). I do use a HRM to calculate calories burned during official 'workout' time so I know it's accurate. But I sit on my butt so much during the say that my fitbit takes away food calories. Stupid fit bit. :)

    I'm only averaging about 1300 calories consumed this week (my first week on MFP), but I haven't wanted more food. I think because I've greatly increased my water maybe? I'm not scared to eat - Lord knows I love food! I've been working out at night, so I get exercise calories added back - but not until about 9pm, leaving me wth a big deficit at the end of the day. It's a learning curve for sure! Fun times! :)
  • dancerbyday
    dancerbyday Posts: 61
    You will definitely get used to it. I used to consume (and I'm guessing here) somewhere around 2000 calories. Then I started tracking what I ate, and am now down to under 1200. At first I felt sooo hungry, but I brought my calorie intake down slowly, and now I don't feel hungry. It was surprising how little food I really needed to feel satisfied. Also, one CRUCIAL thing I discovered: you need to TELL yourself that you're full. I started really paying attention to my body while I ate, and realized that after eating a little more than half my meal, I was comfortably full. I am still getting used to it because my brain tells me I want to keep eating, but my stomach says I'm full. You need to remember that part of being hungry is you just wanting food. Also, not being around food helps. You may want to try small snacks, as well. I found that I can eat a few almonds in between meals if I am super hungry, and the munchies go away! Drinking tea helps, too, as it tricks your body into feeling full. Hope this helps, and good luck!
  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
    I'm used to eating 1300-1400 calories at a previously semi-sedentary activity level, and I have no problem eating under 1500 now that I'm much more active. I think it should be fine, if you eat whole, filling foods. Basically fruits, veggies, whole grains, protein, etc.

    I agree with this. I can eat 1420 calories a day and I'm never hungry.
  • jazzii98
    jazzii98 Posts: 33
    You can eat back your exercise calories if you want to. So say you burn 800 calories, that means you can eat 2,300!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    You chose 2lbs a week didn't you?

    Therein lies the problem.

    MFP deducts 1000 calories from your theoretical maintenance before exercise to give you 2lbs a week, and you're right, you probably will feel like crap. My break point seems to be about 2000 before I start feeling like a zombie.

    If you go back and change it to 1lb a week, it'll be a much more reasonable 500 calorie cut.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I think that only you can answer these questions. We are all different. I am same height, 44, and comfortably eat 1500-1600 calories per day. I eat well (good mostly fresh and healthy choices) and don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all eating this amount of calories.

    If I were you, in this position right now, what I would do is eat exactly what you have been eating for one week, but log it.

    At the end of the first week, calculate the average calories that you have eaten, subtract 500 from that number and then in your second week, eat that new reduced number. That way, you aren't tracking your activity, which I imagine will remain the same, and you are getting a deficit of 500 a day.
  • sarajcurrie
    sarajcurrie Posts: 11
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    This helped me!
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
    I'm 5'6" and 137 pounds and 43 years old. Currently a size 2/4 depending on the brand. I maintain my weight between 1900-2000 calories. I lift heavy 3 times per week and do between 30-60 minutes of cardio per day. I also have a job where I am moving around a fair amount. I find that for me to lose I need to be down around 1500-1600 calories per day. If I want to eat more, then I have to burn more and that I can't do that every day. To eat more when I want to lose it has to be a every once in a while thing.

    I think it has to do with age unfortunately. I can't eat like I did in college and not gain weight. I agree with others that at times I feel hungry and have to let it pass when I know I've just had enough food. I found that I used to eat just because other people were or because I was in a situation that I used to have something. (Popcorn at a movie theater)

    I don't advocate low calorie diets, but I think some "sacrifice" is necessary to lose weight. 1500 calories seems pretty reasonable to me personally. Good luck!

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