could someone help me with numbers pls?

floop1207
floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
could anyone help me work out my numbers please? i'm aiming for a weightloss of 1 - 1.5lb per week (if possible).

female
5'8
45 yrs old
start weight 190lb
current weight 185lb
goal weight 150lb

lifestyle - sedentary (very. i have CFS and fibromyalgia so some days i'm barely able to move at all)

i would appreciate some help with the magic number as tdee etc has got me all confused.

Replies

  • cognita
    cognita Posts: 23
    I find this a really useful tool: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    It cuts out all the jargon and i find it easy to understand.
    Make sure to set it to 'female' as male is the default, i didnt realise the first time i used it. haha.
    It will calculate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.


    As a basic rule of thumb, there are 3500 calories to every lb (this is the same for everyone) - so put simply, for every 3500 calories you cut for your diet, you loose a pound.
    This means that if you can cut your daily calorific intake by 500 calories per day, you will loose 1lb per week.

    Just remember to keep re-calculating when you loose weight, as the numbers on the calculator will change! :)

    PS Good luck!! :)
  • Crazyjoe11
    Crazyjoe11 Posts: 83
    I find this a really useful tool: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    It cuts out all the jargon and i find it easy to understand.
    Make sure to set it to 'female' as male is the default, i didnt realise the first time i used it. haha.
    It will calculate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.


    As a basic rule of thumb, there are 3500 calories to every lb (this is the same for everyone) - so put simply, for every 3500 calories you cut for your diet, you loose a pound.
    This means that if you can cut your daily calorific intake by 500 calories per day, you will loose 1lb per week.

    Just remember to keep re-calculating when you loose weight, as the numbers on the calculator will change! :)

    PS Good luck!! :)


    Great tip! Thanks.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    To lose 1 lb per week you need to ate 1350 cals a day. Once you down to 170 lbs decrease your calories to 1200. That's all in a nut shell without going into any details...
  • IbiH
    IbiH Posts: 250 Member
    Check out the following website, I use it for my BMR and TDEE.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html
    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) quantifies the number of calories your body burns in its idle state. It is a stricter form of Resting Metabolic Rate, measuring calorie consumption in complete inactivity, about 12 hours after your last meal.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/rmr-calculator.html
    Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) measures the number of calories your body requires to maintain itself at rest. These calories are expended on bodily functions such as breathing and heartbeat. Resting Metabolic Rate varies with age and body composition. A human body doesn't require any energy to store fat, but it does for muscle. That.s why most diets fail. Abrupt reduction in calorie intake leads to muscle and fat realignment. The dieter quickly loses weight, muscle and fat. When normal consumption is resumed the weight quickly rebounds because the body is now burning fewer calories to sustain itself.


    Good luck.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    thank you for the very helpful explanations and links :happy:
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
    I think this is the best calc I've used. Click on advanced to choose which method you want to use. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?

    MFP doesnt give everyone 1200 cals if you set it properly...

    the people who DONT set it right and ask for 2lbs lost per week are the ones who get 1200 cals....
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    ETA: Not only will you find out how much you need to eat with this calculator, it will also tell you what kind of macros to eat. If you know your body fat % it's more accurate.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?

    MFP doesnt give everyone 1200 cals if you set it properly...

    the people who DONT set it right and ask for 2lbs lost per week are the ones who get 1200 cals....

    A lot of people get 1200 because MFP has you eat your exercise calories back. I asked for .5 lb per week and MFP gave me 1350 calories. My BMR is 1690.
    Not a good system IMO.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?

    MFP doesnt give everyone 1200 cals if you set it properly...

    the people who DONT set it right and ask for 2lbs lost per week are the ones who get 1200 cals....

    well, from reading through the posts, it would seem that quite a few newcomers to here are not setting MFP 'right' at first. addressing a weight issue is a step in the right direction - fancy getting confused by all the figures as soon as you join the site.....and daring to ask for advice from others who may not have forgotten that their own first few weeks were confusing.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    I find this a really useful tool: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    It cuts out all the jargon and i find it easy to understand.
    Make sure to set it to 'female' as male is the default, i didnt realise the first time i used it. haha.
    It will calculate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.


    As a basic rule of thumb, there are 3500 calories to every lb (this is the same for everyone) - so put simply, for every 3500 calories you cut for your diet, you loose a pound.
    This means that if you can cut your daily calorific intake by 500 calories per day, you will loose 1lb per week.

    Just remember to keep re-calculating when you loose weight, as the numbers on the calculator will change! :)

    PS Good luck!! :)

    that's a really useful tool, thank you :smile: should i be deducting the 500 cal per day from the top figure (basal metabolic rate) or the bottom figure (total energy expenditure)?
  • noramalone1635
    noramalone1635 Posts: 9 Member
    You need to realize, also, that not all calories are created equal. My husband and mother both suffered from Fibro and chronic fatigue. Hubby cut out all sugar and grains from his diet and his symptoms have disappeared and he is able to enjoy life again (plus he's lost a lot of weight). Mom wouldn't listen to me about changing her diet. She continues to have days where she can barely move. I recommend a Paleo type diet. Lots of organic, fresh vegetables (no, corn is not a vegetable --it's a grain), lots of fresh grass-fed, organic proteins, and a minimal amount of fresh berries. No grain, no sugar. Rarely have root vegetables. You'll drop a lot of weight quickly, without feeling hungry, and you'll notice an improvement in your fibro and CFS symptoms.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Your TDEE at sedentary:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1882

    So to lose 1lb a week you should be eating around 1505 cals a day.

    Info taken from http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    Bear in mind if you do become more active you will need to take into account exercise as well.
  • SHRINKINGG1
    SHRINKINGG1 Posts: 48 Member
    I am with floop. The numbers are confusing. So now we can calculate the what do we do with them?
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    You need to realize, also, that not all calories are created equal. My husband and mother both suffered from Fibro and chronic fatigue. Hubby cut out all sugar and grains from his diet and his symptoms have disappeared and he is able to enjoy life again (plus he's lost a lot of weight). Mom wouldn't listen to me about changing her diet. She continues to have days where she can barely move. I recommend a Paleo type diet. Lots of organic, fresh vegetables (no, corn is not a vegetable --it's a grain), lots of fresh grass-fed, organic proteins, and a minimal amount of fresh berries. No grain, no sugar. Rarely have root vegetables. You'll drop a lot of weight quickly, without feeling hungry, and you'll notice an improvement in your fibro and CFS symptoms.

    i have been vegetarian for over 25 yrs so a typical paleo diet wouldn't be suitable. i eat a lot of whole foods anyway but will look at cutting down on grain and sugar. thank you.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    Your TDEE at sedentary:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1882

    So to lose 1lb a week you should be eating around 1505 cals a day.

    Info taken from http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    Bear in mind if you do become more active you will need to take into account exercise as well.

    thank you :smile: most of the calculator links are giving me a figure of 1400-1500 calories per day so i think i will maybe add a snack or 2 to my days and see how i go.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    I am with floop. The numbers are confusing. So now we can calculate the what do we do with them?
    Top left of the page under the logo. Click on "My Home". Click on "Goals". Input your new numbers.
  • brandyme
    brandyme Posts: 400 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?

    MFP doesnt give everyone 1200 cals if you set it properly...

    the people who DONT set it right and ask for 2lbs lost per week are the ones who get 1200 cals....

    well, from reading through the posts, it would seem that quite a few newcomers to here are not setting MFP 'right' at first. addressing a weight issue is a step in the right direction - fancy getting confused by all the figures as soon as you join the site.....and daring to ask for advice from others who may not have forgotten that their own first few weeks were confusing.

    You're doing the right thing, don't worry about it. It is more complicated than using the MFP calculator. You're already on the right track, you know what TDEE is and many people in the beginning do not understand that they can eat back their calories on the MFP plan and end up eating 1200 calories. Yikes!

    I think the best thing to do is to get a device that calculates your TDEE better than any website can, such as a heart rate monitor, BodyMedia, FitBit, JawBone Up, something that will give you as close to "actual" numbers as you're going to get with current technology. Then use that to determine your TDEE - 15-20%, which will be an estimate for what you should be eating.

    If you do not want one of those devices go by a website TDEE - 15-20% and set that as your daily caloric intake and go from there. Just be sure you are eating a few hundred calories over your BMR (you can calculate this online here at MFP or other websites).

    Good luck, it's not easy at first but it will all fall into place.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    I am with floop. The numbers are confusing. So now we can calculate the what do we do with them?

    hello fellow confused person :smile:
    have you been logging everything in your diary? i'm really starting to get used to doing that and keeping a close eye on portion control.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    ETA: Not only will you find out how much you need to eat with this calculator, it will also tell you what kind of macros to eat. If you know your body fat % it's more accurate.

    thank you :smile: looking at the macros, it looks like my diet is carbohydrate heavy with very little protein and fat. i'm vegetarian and don't eat much fatty food at all so i'll search out more protein rich foods and add more olives and artichokes to my diet.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    ETA: Not only will you find out how much you need to eat with this calculator, it will also tell you what kind of macros to eat. If you know your body fat % it's more accurate.

    thank you :smile: looking at the macros, it looks like my diet is carbohydrate heavy with very little protein and fat. i'm vegetarian and don't eat much fatty food at all so i'll search out more protein rich foods and add more olives and artichokes to my diet.

    With a vegetarian diet you have to really pay attention to get enough fats and protein. From what I understand nuts are a great way to up your fats as well.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    have you heard of 'My Fitness Pal'? you put in all your stats and it gives you a calorie goal based on how much weight you want to lose... you should try it www.myfitnesspal.com....

    i didn't realise that everyone should be following the '1200' calories per day fits all....maybe reading through the forums to gain as much info as i can and asking advice from others is not how this works?

    MFP doesnt give everyone 1200 cals if you set it properly...

    the people who DONT set it right and ask for 2lbs lost per week are the ones who get 1200 cals....

    well, from reading through the posts, it would seem that quite a few newcomers to here are not setting MFP 'right' at first. addressing a weight issue is a step in the right direction - fancy getting confused by all the figures as soon as you join the site.....and daring to ask for advice from others who may not have forgotten that their own first few weeks were confusing.

    You're doing the right thing, don't worry about it. It is more complicated than using the MFP calculator. You're already on the right track, you know what TDEE is and many people in the beginning do not understand that they can eat back their calories on the MFP plan and end up eating 1200 calories. Yikes!

    I think the best thing to do is to get a device that calculates your TDEE better than any website can, such as a heart rate monitor, BodyMedia, FitBit, JawBone Up, something that will give you as close to "actual" numbers as you're going to get with current technology. Then use that to determine your TDEE - 15-20%, which will be an estimate for what you should be eating.

    If you do not want one of those devices go by a website TDEE - 15-20% and set that as your daily caloric intake and go from there. Just be sure you are eating a few hundred calories over your BMR (you can calculate this online here at MFP or other websites).

    Good luck, it's not easy at first but it will all fall into place.

    thank you :smile: MFP says my bmr is 1533 which is around what i thought my daily amount should be whilst aiming to lose a bit each week from the other calculator i used?
  • brandyme
    brandyme Posts: 400 Member
    thank you :smile: MFP says my bmr is 1533 which is around what i thought my daily amount should be whilst aiming to lose a bit each week from the other calculator i used?

    I would always eat a few hundred extra calories over BMR, so if you have a BMR of 1533 then I would suggest eating 1733 - 1833 or so, because BMR is your baseline caloric need. If you slept all day long then you would need 1533 calories but since you do not sleep all day long you will need to make up for the extra energy you put out, so a basic guideline fitness professionals gave me was 200 - 300 extra calories.

    As an example, I am 5'3, when I was 190 pounds my BMR was 1,551, I wasn't as active then so I added 200 extra calories and ate around 1750 and lost quite a bit of weight. I am now 172. :)

    Hope that helps.
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    This content has been removed.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • beckywilliams1967
    beckywilliams1967 Posts: 58 Member
    bump - loads of great info here thank you!!
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    Check out the following website, I use it for my BMR and TDEE.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html
    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) quantifies the number of calories your body burns in its idle state. It is a stricter form of Resting Metabolic Rate, measuring calorie consumption in complete inactivity, about 12 hours after your last meal.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/rmr-calculator.html
    Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) measures the number of calories your body requires to maintain itself at rest. These calories are expended on bodily functions such as breathing and heartbeat. Resting Metabolic Rate varies with age and body composition. A human body doesn't require any energy to store fat, but it does for muscle. That.s why most diets fail. Abrupt reduction in calorie intake leads to muscle and fat realignment. The dieter quickly loses weight, muscle and fat. When normal consumption is resumed the weight quickly rebounds because the body is now burning fewer calories to sustain itself.


    Good luck.

    thank you for the links :)

    rmr = 1540
    bmr = 1557
    tdee = 1869

    sooooo......any advice on the number i should aim for to reduce my weight? (bearing in mind i am sedentary as i have CFS/fibromyalgia)

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