Confused by recommended daily calories

sarah1651
sarah1651 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone

After reading some forums about "You should be eating more" I am a little confused, but maybe my weight is much higher than others which is why I am told I should be eating less?

The details I put in are...
I am 110 kg (242 pounds)
I want to be 90 kg (198 pounds) - wanted to set realistic goals!
I put that I am sedentary for lifestyle (Because I work in an office) and That I exercise 5 times I week (which I do)

My Fitness Pal has said to have 1380 Calories a day, does that sounds right?

Even with exercise? (I do boxfit classes and have just joined a gym for the days I don't do boxfit)

Any advise would be so helpful :) I have been doing my fitness pal for a few weeks now and no change. I think I have a pretty good balanced diet, lots of veges and protein and little carbs. My downfall is probably alcohol though! I need to be more strict with putting that info in.

Thanks

Replies

  • sarah1651
    sarah1651 Posts: 12
    another comment - I did my BMR on fat 2 fat radio website and it says to eat 2671 calories a day if I am doing moderate exercise 3-5 day a week.

    That is like over 1,000 calories diff than what my fitness pal tells me - hence my confusion:)
  • zytah
    zytah Posts: 153
    as you log your workouts you "earn" more calories to eat. MFP tells me to eat 1200-1300 calories but with exercise I can eat more. so if I burn 200 calories from walking, I can really have 1400-1500 calories that day.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Hi Everyone

    After reading some forums about "You should be eating more" I am a little confused, but maybe my weight is much higher than others which is why I am told I should be eating less?

    The details I put in are...
    I am 110 kg (242 pounds)
    I want to be 90 kg (198 pounds) - wanted to set realistic goals!
    I put that I am sedentary for lifestyle (Because I work in an office) and That I exercise 5 times I week (which I do)

    My Fitness Pal has said to have 1380 Calories a day, does that sounds right?

    Even with exercise? (I do boxfit classes and have just joined a gym for the days I don't do boxfit)

    Any advise would be so helpful :) I have been doing my fitness pal for a few weeks now and no change. I think I have a pretty good balanced diet, lots of veges and protein and little carbs. My downfall is probably alcohol though! I need to be more strict with putting that info in.

    Thanks

    Your exercise goals you entered have no bearing or math to do with the diet goals you entered.
    One is for the Food Diary tab, one is for the Exercise tab.

    Your food goal is based on no exercise expected or done or calculated.

    So you do exercise, you eat more, because your daily maintenance just went up by that extra amount.
    When you do that, you keep the exact same deficit as YOUR selections caused.

    Also, the vast majority find they are NOT actually Sedentary level, even with sedentary desk job. Even not counting exercise.
    But you can stick there for a while. Soon being more accurate will matter more.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Sorry, I see that fat2fit does something a little different with recommendations. Not sure how old or tall you are, but best as I can tell, what it may be doing is having you eat at your BMR.

    It has you eat at TDEE for your goal weight, unless the difference is too big, then partly there.

    To OP, that method you are also supposed to include your exercise.

    Chose one method or another, don't confuse yourself and try to do both.

    They will both end up about the same when you include eating back your exercise calories.
  • briannali12345
    briannali12345 Posts: 5
    You also have to think about that the calories are what your body needs. I am going a little bit under everyday not much though.
    This is how I think about it. I am nourishing my body with the amount of calories that they are telling me to eat, but I am losing the calories by exercising. You body needs all the nourishment its getting from the calories to keep it healthy and building muscle, but you are going to take the calories back off by exercising. Win win, your body gets what it needs, and you exercise the extra out.

    Also remember that a sustaining caloric diet is 2000 calories per day, so any less than that is lowering your calorie intake to less than just a "maintaining" level, plus adding excercise. Don't stress to much, just go with the plan. And you can play around with it a LITTLE bit to suite your needs.
  • sarah1651
    sarah1651 Posts: 12
    Oh I see. Looking back on this weeks diary, you are right.

    After I put in the exercise, it increased the calories to around 1800 per day so I keep having about 300-400 leftover at the end of each day. I thought "woohoo, I ate less than I should have". but really, should I be aiming to reach the target it sets for me after I input exercise?

    If that is the case - Its hard because I do exercise at the end of the day, input all my info into MFP after dinner, its then hard tog o eat another 300-400 calaorie at night time!

    I am 26 and 178 cm (umm 5 foot 10 inches i think)
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    The fat to fat web site is including your exercise calories so you have two different methods mixed up here.

    If you want to do the MFP method then you would eat the 1380 calories regardless of exercise or not and then also eat any calories that you burnt off through exercise. The exercise gets you fitter and allows you to eat more.
  • sarah1651
    sarah1651 Posts: 12
    ok great thanks, that makes sense. I will follow MFP and ignore fat 2 fit. MFL is much easier to use anyway!

    I will continue as is and hope the weight drops. I just assumed it was a good thing to earn more calories and not necessary eat them up but i suppose it is also good to make sure you are eating enough to nourish your body and should put those extra calories earned to good use by having a healthy snack.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Oh I see. Looking back on this weeks diary, you are right.

    After I put in the exercise, it increased the calories to around 1800 per day so I keep having about 300-400 leftover at the end of each day. I thought "woohoo, I ate less than I should have". but really, should I be aiming to reach the target it sets for me after I input exercise?

    If that is the case - Its hard because I do exercise at the end of the day, input all my info into MFP after dinner, its then hard tog o eat another 300-400 calaorie at night time!

    I am 26 and 178 cm (umm 5 foot 10 inches i think)

    Figure out how to reach your goals then, like a pre-workout snack if it really looks like it's going to happen. Or if really assured nothing is going to stop it, make lunch bigger.
    Add a protein shake before bed, give body something to build with.
    Reach that goal, 50 either side of it is just fine.
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    The aim is to eat 3500 calories less each week (500 calories a day) to lose one pound of fat each week and to use up a further 3500 calories by exercising, in order to lose 2 pounds of fat per week in total. Your target looks ok to me.

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