Is 1530 calories enough?

Demethearts
Demethearts Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm new here and I have a strange question (I guess it is strange because I haven't found it anywhere).
I am a woman, 26 years old, 143 pounds and 5ft 7in tall.
I run an average of 4 miles 5 or 6 days a week.
I calculated my BMR and it's 1464,6.
My TDEE appears to be 2270,13.

So now my question might seem stupid but I really want to be sure I'm not starving myself, and I don't understand MFP that much.
I want to lose weight (1 pound a week) and apparently I'm supposed to cute down 500 calories per day.

So I guess 2270-500 = 1770

However MFP made my net calories goal 1530.

I lose around 430 cal when I exercise. I eat back my calories to net at 1530.

So the total of my calories intake per day is around 1960.

My question is: shouldn't my net goal be 1770, since it's -500 cal from my TDEE count of calories? Or is 1530 calories okay?

I am very very sorry if that's a stupid question, but as I said, I don't want to starve myself or become unhealthy!

Thank you very much.

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    If you use MFP method, you eat back your exercise calories.. If you do TDEE you choose your estimated activity level and eat that Everyday with no extra exercise calories... running 4 miles 5-6 days a week is moderately active IMO so use that to estimate your calorie level.
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
    The one thing I've learned is that there is no magic number for everyone. Because I was concerned about cutting calories too much, I have started to increase my cals every week until my weight loss continues while allowing me to eat the max number of calories I can. I started out at 1200, now am up to around 1600, give or take. I'm 48, 5'10, 213, female, and according to my HRM, I burn appx 630 cals on my elliptical 3-4 times a week. I HOPE I can get to 1700 or 1800 cals/day and still lose, but we'll see.

    In other words, only use the calculators as a guideline. You'll need to experiment on your own somewhat. If you are eating 1530, losing weight, but want to up your calories to ensure your taking in all you can while still losing, then up your daily calories to 1600 for a couple weeks, see what happens. If all is good, up it again another 50-100 for a couple weeks. You'll find that magic spot. Just be prepared to readjust as you lose more weight.
  • Demethearts
    Demethearts Posts: 6
    If you use MFP method, you eat back your exercise calories.. If you do TDEE you choose your estimated activity level and eat that Everyday with no extra exercise calories... running 4 miles 5-6 days a week is moderately active IMO so use that to estimate your calorie level.

    That's what confuses me... With MFP I eat 1950ish calories and 1530 net. With my TDEE I am supposed to eat like 1770 calories.
    So I don't know if I'm undereating with my 1530 net calories.
    I might be confused too and be totally wrong about everything since everything seems really complicated for me.
    And yep, I always choose "Moderately active" when I calculate my BMR :smile:
    The one thing I've learned is that there is no magic number for everyone. Because I was concerned about cutting calories too much, I have started to increase my cals every week until my weight loss continues while allowing me to eat the max number of calories I can. I started out at 1200, now am up to around 1600, give or take. I'm 48, 5'10, 213, female, and according to my HRM, I burn appx 630 cals on my elliptical 3-4 times a week. I HOPE I can get to 1700 or 1800 cals/day and still lose, but we'll see.

    In other words, only use the calculators as a guideline. You'll need to experiment on your own somewhat. If you are eating 1530, losing weight, but want to up your calories to ensure your taking in all you can while still losing, then up your daily calories to 1600 for a couple weeks, see what happens. If all is good, up it again another 50-100 for a couple weeks. You'll find that magic spot. Just be prepared to readjust as you lose more weight.

    I think I'm just going to follow your advice and see if I can up my calories in a few weeks :smile:
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Pick one method or the other.

    Typically with the TDEE method, you should subtract a percent rather than a flat 500 calories. This way the percent adjusts as you do. If you have more than 20 pounds to lose, take 20% off the TDEE. If you have less than 20 pounds to lose, then use 15% and then adjust it down to 10%. This will gradually up your calories until you are at maintenance. You can log your exercise as 1 calorie burned so it does not adjust your net calories, as you will not be eating extra for exercise, it is included in your TDEE.

    If you use the MFP + exercise calories method, be aware that calorie burn estimates can be inflated unless you are doing cardio and using an HRM.

    edit: typo.
  • Demethearts
    Demethearts Posts: 6
    Pick one method or the other.

    Typically with the TDEE method, you should subtract a percent rather than a flat 500 calories. This way the percent adjusts as you do. If you have more than 20 pounds to lose, take 20% off the TDEE. If you have less than 20 pounds to lose, then use 15% and then adjust it down to 10%. This will gradually up your calories until you are at maintenance. You can log your exercise as 1 calorie burned so it does not adjust your net calories, as you will not be eating extra for exercise, it is included in your TDEE.

    If you use the MFP + exercise calories method, be aware that calorie burn estimates can be inflated unless you are doing cardio and using an HRM.

    edit: typo.

    Thank you! Ugh I wasn't even sure they weren't the same method.
    It's complicated for someone who *just* starts.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Pick one method or the other.

    Typically with the TDEE method, you should subtract a percent rather than a flat 500 calories. This way the percent adjusts as you do. If you have more than 20 pounds to lose, take 20% off the TDEE. If you have less than 20 pounds to lose, then use 15% and then adjust it down to 10%. This will gradually up your calories until you are at maintenance. You can log your exercise as 1 calorie burned so it does not adjust your net calories, as you will not be eating extra for exercise, it is included in your TDEE.

    If you use the MFP + exercise calories method, be aware that calorie burn estimates can be inflated unless you are doing cardio and using an HRM.

    edit: typo.

    Thank you! Ugh I wasn't even sure they weren't the same method.
    It's complicated for someone who *just* starts.

    Yes, MFP is confusing at first. And if you don't know how it works, it is easy to have it set improperly. I started out saying "I want to lose 2 pounds per week", doesn't everybody? And it set me at 1,200 calories. That didn't last long, I was hungry and tired and mean. Now I'm eating 1,800 with the TDEE -% method.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Wither eat 1530 Net or 1770 (not net, same everyday) at the end of the day you will probably be close to the same weekly intake:

    say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.

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