I know this gets asked a millionimes... but....

Options
BreMurie
BreMurie Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have no idea how many calories I should be eating :-/ I have read numerous threads where people are saying "don't eat _____ it's too low" or "you should eat back your workout calories"

HALP!

The thing is, last summer I was incredibly active (running 4-6 miles 2-3 times weekly and strength training w/my trainer once weekly and on my own) I wasn't losing ANY weight, and I was following MFP and eating 1200 calories. I figured that the reason I wasn't losing anything was obviously too few calories consumed so I bumped it up to 1500 this time around.

So, now I'm at 1500 calories, I'm 27 years old, 5'5 and 147 pounds, Am I to be eating back my calories so my net is 1500 or do I work out and leave those as a deficit? I know that most of you MFP pros are probably sick of answering this same question.. but it is all quite confusing.

Thanks in advance!!

**edited to change my age, I'm actually 27... stinkin' birthdays**
«1

Replies

  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Options
    You're supposed to eat them back so that your NET is 1500. MFP already has a deficit built in, anything you exercise off you need to eat back at least a portion of them (50% or so is what a lot of people say)
  • DorisInTheDena
    DorisInTheDena Posts: 152 Member
    Options
    It depends on who you ask around here. lol! I eat back about 1/2 my exercise calories. Good Luck! :smile:
  • Paleo_wolf
    Paleo_wolf Posts: 28
    Options
    Calculate your ttde.
    Once you have it, subtract 20% from it.
    On mfp set your calories to sedentary and put in the number you got when you subtracted 20% from your ttde.

    There, now you have a set number and you don't eat back cals :)
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Options
    go here http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html, and figure out your TDEE.

    take that number and eat 80% of it, for healthy, steady loss.
  • brillmer
    brillmer Posts: 1,268 Member
    Options
    I have no idea how many calories I should be eating :-/ I have read numerous threads where people are saying "don't eat _____ it's too low" or "you should eat back your workout calories"

    HALP!

    The thing is, last summer I was incredibly active (running 4-6 miles 2-3 times weekly and strength training w/my trainer once weekly and on my own) I wasn't losing ANY weight, and I was following MFP and eating 1200 calories. I figured that the reason I wasn't losing anything was obviously too few calories consumed so I bumped it up to 1500 this time around.

    So, now I'm at 1500 calories, I'm 27 years old, 5'5 and 147 pounds, Am I to be eating back my calories so my net is 1500 or do I work out and leave those as a deficit? I know that most of you MFP pros are probably sick of answering this same question.. but it is all quite confusing.

    Thanks in advance!!

    **edited to change my age, I'm actually 27... stinkin' birthdays**

    What are your goals? Lose weight/fat? Gain muscle?
    How often do you plan on working out?
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Options
    I have no idea how many calories I should be eating :-/ I have read numerous threads where people are saying "don't eat _____ it's too low" or "you should eat back your workout calories"

    HALP!

    The thing is, last summer I was incredibly active (running 4-6 miles 2-3 times weekly and strength training w/my trainer once weekly and on my own) I wasn't losing ANY weight, and I was following MFP and eating 1200 calories. I figured that the reason I wasn't losing anything was obviously too few calories consumed so I bumped it up to 1500 this time around.

    So, now I'm at 1500 calories, I'm 27 years old, 5'5 and 147 pounds, Am I to be eating back my calories so my net is 1500 or do I work out and leave those as a deficit? I know that most of you MFP pros are probably sick of answering this same question.. but it is all quite confusing.

    Thanks in advance!!

    **edited to change my age, I'm actually 27... stinkin' birthdays**

    What are your goals? Lose weight/fat? Gain muscle?
    How often do you plan on working out?

    what i offered was the quick and dirty formula for loss.

    the questions brillmer is asking are very pertinent.

    good post brillmer.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    Your estimated average TDEE is somewhere around 2200-2400 calories daily. You should probably be eating about 1800-2000 calories daily to lose fat. If you are exercising about 3-5 hours moderately each week, go with 1800 and don't add back exercise calories. If you're doing 5-6 hours strenuous (running and heavy lifting), go with 2000 daily. At the very least you should be eating those 1500 calories plus all your exercise calories.
  • brillmer
    brillmer Posts: 1,268 Member
    Options
    Your estimated average TDEE is somewhere around 2200-2400 calories daily. You should probably be eating about 1800-2000 calories daily to lose fat. If you are exercising about 3-5 hours moderately each week, go with 1800 and don't add back exercise calories. If you're doing 5-6 hours strenuous (running and heavy lifting), go with 2000 daily. At the very least you should be eating those 1500 calories plus all your exercise calories.

    pretty much nailed it.

    i just wanted to make sure i knew the goals/workout before I said anything.. but thats more or less what I would have suggested as well.
  • jentwyn
    jentwyn Posts: 8
    Options
    Wow. I just did that calculation for myself and it says I should be eating 1700 calories a day...i can barely get to 1200..and I"m full when I eat to get to the 1200. Yikes!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    Wow. I just did that calculation for myself and it says I should be eating 1700 calories a day...i can barely get to 1200..and I"m full when I eat to get to the 1200. Yikes!

    Complex carbohydrates and fats are essential to good health. If you're living on lean meats, fat-free dairy and vegetables, you'll not only struggle to get to 1200, but you'll struggle with getting all your micro and macronutrient requirements entirely. Have some peanut butter; use full-fat yogurt and cheeses. Use coconut oil in your cooking or drizzle olive oil on your salad. You can easily get more calories if you try without going to junk food. Personally, I like having some junk food, though :laugh:
  • brillmer
    brillmer Posts: 1,268 Member
    Options
    Wow. I just did that calculation for myself and it says I should be eating 1700 calories a day...i can barely get to 1200..and I"m full when I eat to get to the 1200. Yikes!

    Complex carbohydrates and fats are essential to good health. If you're living on lean meats, fat-free dairy and vegetables, you'll not only struggle to get to 1200, but you'll struggle with getting all your micro and macronutrient requirements entirely. Have some peanut butter; use full-fat yogurt and cheeses. Use coconut oil in your cooking or drizzle olive oil on your salad. You can easily get more calories if you try without going to junk food. Personally, I like having some junk food, though :laugh:
    ^ this girl knows her stuff.. i can stop posting on the forums now because she beats me to it every time LOL
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    I've got the same problem, lots of conflicting advice.

    MFP has me netting 1440 calories. I burn an average of more than 600 calories a day (over 5 months, so I think it's safe to assume that's a consistent average), so my gross calories should be at 2000-ish.

    TDEE-20% gives me 1970 gross, so it's fairly consistent with that.

    And yet, the dietitian I talked to said never go over 1750 gross, less than that if possible, and she's a trained professional...

    At the moment, I net around 1150 a day, which is too low from what I've been reading here, but it seems really counterintuitive to eat more...

    I don't have a heart rate monitor, nor do I plan to get one, but use a pedometer to measure walking (part of my job, but variable, so I haven't figured it in to my activity level), MapMyRun for biking, hiking, and horse riding, and the MFP cals for fencing, though they seem a little on the low side from other things I've read on the web. Not much lifting unless you count functional strength stuff - my job and barn chores both involve lots of heavy lifting, including what basically amounts to 40lb curls at work.

    Any advice?

    (Sorry for the threadjack, but seemed more sensible than opening yet another one!)
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    Wow. I just did that calculation for myself and it says I should be eating 1700 calories a day...i can barely get to 1200..and I"m full when I eat to get to the 1200. Yikes!

    Complex carbohydrates and fats are essential to good health. If you're living on lean meats, fat-free dairy and vegetables, you'll not only struggle to get to 1200, but you'll struggle with getting all your micro and macronutrient requirements entirely. Have some peanut butter; use full-fat yogurt and cheeses. Use coconut oil in your cooking or drizzle olive oil on your salad. You can easily get more calories if you try without going to junk food. Personally, I like having some junk food, though :laugh:
    ^ this girl knows her stuff.. i can stop posting on the forums now because she beats me to it every time LOL

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Thanks :blushing:
  • jentwyn
    jentwyn Posts: 8
    Options
    Thanks for the help. I'll try that.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    I've got the same problem, lots of conflicting advice.

    MFP has me netting 1440 calories. I burn an average of more than 600 calories a day (over 5 months, so I think it's safe to assume that's a consistent average), so my gross calories should be at 2000-ish.

    TDEE-20% gives me 1970 gross, so it's fairly consistent with that.

    And yet, the dietitian I talked to said never go over 1750 gross, less than that if possible, and she's a trained professional...

    At the moment, I net around 1150 a day, which is too low from what I've been reading here, but it seems really counterintuitive to eat more...

    I don't have a heart rate monitor, nor do I plan to get one, but use a pedometer to measure walking (part of my job, but variable, so I haven't figured it in to my activity level), MapMyRun for biking, hiking, and horse riding, and the MFP cals for fencing, though they seem a little on the low side from other things I've read on the web. Not much lifting unless you count functional strength stuff - my job and barn chores both involve lots of heavy lifting, including what basically amounts to 40lb curls at work.

    Any advice?

    (Sorry for the threadjack, but seemed more sensible than opening yet another one!)

    When you say MFP has you netting 1440... what did you set your goal to in order for it to give you that? 1lb/week?
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    Options
    Your estimated average TDEE is somewhere around 2200-2400 calories daily. You should probably be eating about 1800-2000 calories daily to lose fat. If you are exercising about 3-5 hours moderately each week, go with 1800 and don't add back exercise calories. If you're doing 5-6 hours strenuous (running and heavy lifting), go with 2000 daily. At the very least you should be eating those 1500 calories plus all your exercise calories.

    This is spot on.

    And just for reference, I've lost all my weight on an average intake of 2,000 cals a day.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    I've got the same problem, lots of conflicting advice.

    MFP has me netting 1440 calories. I burn an average of more than 600 calories a day (over 5 months, so I think it's safe to assume that's a consistent average), so my gross calories should be at 2000-ish.

    TDEE-20% gives me 1970 gross, so it's fairly consistent with that.

    And yet, the dietitian I talked to said never go over 1750 gross, less than that if possible, and she's a trained professional...

    At the moment, I net around 1150 a day, which is too low from what I've been reading here, but it seems really counterintuitive to eat more...

    I don't have a heart rate monitor, nor do I plan to get one, but use a pedometer to measure walking (part of my job, but variable, so I haven't figured it in to my activity level), MapMyRun for biking, hiking, and horse riding, and the MFP cals for fencing, though they seem a little on the low side from other things I've read on the web. Not much lifting unless you count functional strength stuff - my job and barn chores both involve lots of heavy lifting, including what basically amounts to 40lb curls at work.

    Any advice?

    (Sorry for the threadjack, but seemed more sensible than opening yet another one!)

    When you say MFP has you netting 1440... what did you set your goal to in order for it to give you that? 1lb/week?

    Yes, I've got it set to 1lb week at "lightly active" to count all the stuff I don't actually track. Trying to lose another 15lbs or so, and it's been stagnating lately. (Down nearly 25 already, though!)
  • BreMurie
    BreMurie Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    Your estimated average TDEE is somewhere around 2200-2400 calories daily. You should probably be eating about 1800-2000 calories daily to lose fat. If you are exercising about 3-5 hours moderately each week, go with 1800 and don't add back exercise calories. If you're doing 5-6 hours strenuous (running and heavy lifting), go with 2000 daily. At the very least you should be eating those 1500 calories plus all your exercise calories.

    pretty much nailed it.

    i just wanted to make sure i knew the goals/workout before I said anything.. but thats more or less what I would have suggested as well.

    Thank you so much, you guys definitely seem to know your stuff! I'm trying to lose fat at this point, and of course an overall tighten of things. My goal is to work out 5x weekly at about 45 minutes a time. It seems scary all of this math ;) but, I busted my bum last fall to basically maintain and I don't want this to discourage me again.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    I've got the same problem, lots of conflicting advice.

    MFP has me netting 1440 calories. I burn an average of more than 600 calories a day (over 5 months, so I think it's safe to assume that's a consistent average), so my gross calories should be at 2000-ish.

    TDEE-20% gives me 1970 gross, so it's fairly consistent with that.

    And yet, the dietitian I talked to said never go over 1750 gross, less than that if possible, and she's a trained professional...

    At the moment, I net around 1150 a day, which is too low from what I've been reading here, but it seems really counterintuitive to eat more...

    I don't have a heart rate monitor, nor do I plan to get one, but use a pedometer to measure walking (part of my job, but variable, so I haven't figured it in to my activity level), MapMyRun for biking, hiking, and horse riding, and the MFP cals for fencing, though they seem a little on the low side from other things I've read on the web. Not much lifting unless you count functional strength stuff - my job and barn chores both involve lots of heavy lifting, including what basically amounts to 40lb curls at work.

    Any advice?

    (Sorry for the threadjack, but seemed more sensible than opening yet another one!)

    When you say MFP has you netting 1440... what did you set your goal to in order for it to give you that? 1lb/week?

    Yes, I've got it set to 1lb week at "lightly active" to count all the stuff I don't actually track. Trying to lose another 15lbs or so, and it's been stagnating lately. (Down nearly 25 already, though!)

    If you only have another 15 lbs or so to lose, 1 lb/week is probably too aggressive even. You should be looking at a 1/2 pound weekly or about a 10%-15% cut. Do you know your BMR? What is your height, weight, and age? Now, is this a dietician you are seeing because you have a medical issue and your GP referred you? If so, you should do as you're told. If it's someone you hired just because, I think they're trying to get you to lose "weight" too quickly - you may lose faster at 1750 gross, but you'll lose more lean mass than you need to in the process. It is way hard to put the lean mass back on, so it's best not to lose it in the first place. But again, if your doctor has sent you to a dietician for something - diabetes, high blood pressure, something else... do as you're told.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Options
    1500 calories is too low for someone that is 5'5 and active. Even if you are trying to lose weight. 1700-1800 is much more sustainable. You will eventually get down to the weight you want. If you are active you will look much better for your weight than someone that is inactive. Check your BF you may already be in a healthy range. I understand if you are athletic you might want to be down to the low end of healthy like 18% and that's fine having more fat than that won't help you in sports so...Anyway progress can be measured in how you feel at this point more than what the scale says.

Categories