For ladies who EAT (a lot) and are actually losing weight

MFP's tool is "stupid" and doesn't really take into account everything it should.

MFP worked beautifully for me and I have maintained for almost 2 years using it.

It's great that it worked for you, but I think for many people it doesn't work at all. It recommends that to lose 1.5 pounds a week I eat 1300 calories a day. I'm 21 years old. My BMR alone has me at 1600 cals.

I think you don't understand the tool. at 1600 as your BMR your sedentary burn would be 1600 * 1.2 = 1920. MFP set you at 1300 because 1.5 pounds is equal to a 750 deficit. So 1920- 1150 is actually 1170. MFP was a bit more generous in their calculation--if you've lost some weight that could be the reason. It's probably a failure to understand how the calculator works that is causing you to have such a negative perspective. You're supposed to add your exercise in and eat those calories too.

Right and my losing weight on 1700-2000 calories a day is clearly a misunderstanding too? I was losing nothing on 1200 calories a day, and 1500 when exercising because it wasn't enough.

1600 cal a day assumes I'm laying in bed all day. When was the last day you laid in bed all day? Also 1300 cal wasn't on sedentary it was on light.

I'm similar to weese17.. I'm 5'5" and I eat around 3000 cals for maintenance and about 2500-2700 to loose

Curious to know what sort of lifting and how much, allows a person to eat that much to maintain ?

Well, I'm 5'8" and in maintenance mode (just working on building muscle and reducing fat), work out 6 days a week (mostly HIIT and heavy weight lifting), and I also breastfeed a toddler. For me, maintenance is about 3300 a day. I achieved rapid weight loss (30 pounds in 8 weeks) at 2600-2700 cals a day.

Yay for people who eat a lot!

That's awesome! How did you do that? I need to lose 30 in 8 wks and am not eating enough calories...I'm averaging around 1200/day. I do muay thai kickboxing 3/4x a week so I'm also burning a lot.

How come you get to eat so much? Do you calculate your calories somewhere else or on MFP? I'm 173 cm ( 5'8) and I have 70.7 kg (155 pounds) and I have 1380 calories a day (without exercise). I've set to lose 1 pound a week. Am I doing something wrong?

Elsewhere. You need to find your TDEE.

There's a thread on here called "In Place of a Roadmap" that covers it, or if you don't like numbers (like me) just go here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm.

MFP's tool is "stupid" and doesn't really take into account everything it should.

Thank you for the link. I have to say my TDEE calories and MFP calories are very similar. TDEE calories are 1435 and MFP calories are 1380. Not big difference.

How come you get to eat so much? Do you calculate your calories somewhere else or on MFP? I'm 173 cm ( 5'8) and I have 70.7 kg (155 pounds) and I have 1380 calories a day (without exercise). I've set to lose 1 pound a week. Am I doing something wrong?

Elsewhere. You need to find your TDEE.

There's a thread on here called "In Place of a Roadmap" that covers it, or if you don't like numbers (like me) just go here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm.

MFP's tool is "stupid" and doesn't really take into account everything it should.

Thank you for the link. I have to say my TDEE calories and MFP calories are very similar. TDEE calories are 1435 and MFP calories are 1380. Not big difference.

That sounds pretty low for a TDEE which includes daily activity, but you might be very thin already and not very active. Do you mean your BMR? If so you should be eating between your BMR and TDEE. Though that website says "calories for weightloss" which is helpful. Though, I suppose that number you gave might be the cals for weight loss it gave you?

Ideally you should be eating between your BMR and TDEE.

I'm not thin, I wish But i don't have very much to lose (8 kilos, 17 pounds). I went to that link in the previous post and I put my numbers in DAILY CALORIC INTAKE CALCULATOR and I got 1435.

I went on another site for calculating how many calories should I eat (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php?page=1&metric=1&gender=female&age=30&activity_level=1&feet=&inches=&cm=&start_weight=70.7&weight=63&x=46&y=16) and it gave me less calories taht on my MFP account. But I'm not going lower.

How come you get to eat so much? Do you calculate your calories somewhere else or on MFP? I'm 173 cm ( 5'8) and I have 70.7 kg (155 pounds) and I have 1380 calories a day (without exercise). I've set to lose 1 pound a week. Am I doing something wrong?

Elsewhere. You need to find your TDEE.

There's a thread on here called "In Place of a Roadmap" that covers it, or if you don't like numbers (like me) just go here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm.

MFP's tool is "stupid" and doesn't really take into account everything it should.

Thank you for the link. I have to say my TDEE calories and MFP calories are very similar. TDEE calories are 1435 and MFP calories are 1380. Not big difference.

That sounds pretty low for a TDEE which includes daily activity, but you might be very thin already and not very active. Do you mean your BMR? If so you should be eating between your BMR and TDEE. Though that website says "calories for weightloss" which is helpful. Though, I suppose that number you gave might be the cals for weight loss it gave you?

Ideally you should be eating between your BMR and TDEE.

I'm not thin, I wish But i don't have very much to lose (8 kilos, 17 pounds). I went to that link in the previous post and I put my numbers in DAILY CALORIC INTAKE CALCULATOR and I got 1435.

I went on another site for calculating how many calories should I eat (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php?page=1&metric=1&gender=female&age=30&activity_level=1&feet=&inches=&cm=&start_weight=70.7&weight=63&x=46&y=16) and it gave me less calories taht on my MFP account. But I'm not going lower.

Okay, yes, I just looked. If you're not active, and don't exercise 1438 would be the weight loss number for you! Especially with so little to lose I wouldn't go lower than that. If you work out then you can eat more!

Thank you. And I always eat more if I exercise.

I am 5"5.5, 125-126 lbs. I eat 1800-2300 calories per day. I'm also breastfeeding. I was stuck at 129/130 until I got pneumonia but since taking antibiotics I've been maintaining with the same amount of calories as before.

You're suppose to go to whole milk after a year old. I'm sure you know..but a toddler is a baby becoming a real person. Knowing what's going on around, learning words, not a baby. And shouldn't be sucking on your boob.

I'm set to 1780, but I'm pregnant and not trying to lose weight, just trying to not gain too much. Before pregnancy, I was around 1400 or so, sometimes more. 1200 wasn't doing anything for my body at all.

don't have time to read all the wonderful comments, but i sure do want to come back and catch them

I am 5ft 1 and I eat 1500-1700 daily. I work a lightly active part time job and have lost 27lbs. in a year. :flowerforyou:

Hi there,

I am 36 yrs old, 5' 7", and my TDEE is 1600. Since i joined MFP I have started doing HIIT & weight lifting. I know from past experience that you gotta eat to fuel your body when lifting so i now try to make sure i eat the 1600+ every day, and a bit more on lifting days.

(I am not new to exercise, but i am currently getting back in shape after a long hiatus. Well, shortly before i joined MFP i tried eating too little at 1200-1400 tops, and was doing only cardio. I don't know why i did this because in the past i had great results from NOT restricting calories & doing strength training. I guess i was just curious to see the results since so many people go that route....well the results ended up being that I saw very little progress & felt crummy. So it's back to eating & lifting for me & i feel great & am getting results. yay!)

You're suppose to go to whole milk after a year old. I'm sure you know..but a toddler is a baby becoming a real person. Knowing what's going on around, learning words, not a baby. And shouldn't be sucking on your boob.

Breast milk IS whole milk. Just for humans rather than cattle .

Seriously, the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 2 years for breastfeeding.

THANK YOU! People are so ignorant. If others want to feed their BABIES milk from another species, they can. In our house, that is not what we do. She turned one on January 4th, and is still very much a baby.

TrishaLeighNelson, why don't you worry about raising your own child? I am positive that you, madam, have plenty more important things to concern yourself with instead of what goes in MY child's mouth. In an epidemic of obesity, perhaps breastmilk should be pushed a bit more than cow's milk.

You're suppose to go to whole milk after a year old. I'm sure you know..but a toddler is a baby becoming a real person. Knowing what's going on around, learning words, not a baby. And shouldn't be sucking on your boob.

What? Says who? Is this new? In the 90s, back when my kids were born, the recommendation was was up to three years old.

Hi There,

I stumbled across this as I have been doing crossfit for the last few months and seemed to have gone up 5lbs on the scales…. I prob eat from 1400-1600 calories on average a day but work out and walk a number of miles a day. I am starting to think im not eating enough and have read about this TDDE etc… and how we should be eating more.

I know tha the number on the scales shouldnt have a huge bearing on progress and to go on my clothes etc… but I do want to drop some pounds and build lean muscles, I do feel a bit alarmed that I have gone up 5lbs!

Any advice on this or from other 5ft 2 girls would be appreciated.

I have gone from 122lbs to 127lbs lately but have been working out more and eating better so it doesn’t make sense!

Thanks in advance 