Can someone tell me how many calories I should be eating?

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CristinaAnne192
CristinaAnne192 Posts: 62
in Health and Weight Loss
I really need help figuring this out...

MFP has me eating 1200 I burn around 200 a day, I always eat my exercise calories back!

I am 5'2"
a 20 year old female
117.4lbs

I workout 5-6 times a week for 30 mins (Jillian Micheals) and then on weekend I work at a wedding banquet hall as a server.

can someone tell me how many calories I am suppose to be eating? I really don't want to eat 1200

thanks X
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Replies

  • CristinaAnne192
    CristinaAnne192 Posts: 62
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    or atleast help me with my activity level :(
  • kiwitechgirl
    kiwitechgirl Posts: 145 Member
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    When you say you don't want to eat 1200, do you feel that is too many or not enough?
  • SmileCozYouCan
    SmileCozYouCan Posts: 315 Member
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    Like Kiwi said. If you think 1200 is too little for you, then you can try to eat a little more and see how that works. Or you can try the opposite. For your age, height, and weight, about 1350 calories would be the ideal amount for you. But checking in with a doctor or asking a professional person is much better.
  • thomasandrews
    thomasandrews Posts: 24
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    I'm in the same boat actually. I am 24, 230lb, 5'6, mix between lazy and moving (the first two options haha but lately working on being more moving and walking), my profile has my diary (some stuff I messed up on but I'm learning). I would like to know if 1200 is right for me, trying to lose 15-30 pounds (more would be great, but one thing at a time).
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Since you are already light, you will lose at a slower rate. Go ahead and eat more as you aren't happy with your intake. You will just lose slightly more slowly. Try 1500-1700 as a general range on days you do more activity or exercise.

    How much are you trying to lose? You seem like you are at a great place to begin thinking about maintenance.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    According to a TDEE calculator like this one

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Your maintenance requirement is somewhere between 1900-2100. If you're eating around 1400, your deficit is 500-700 cals a day. This would put you on target to lose around 1 lb a week if you had any significant amount of weight to lose. What is your goal weight? I would guess you are approaching it, if not at it.

    If you want to lose more you will have to do it at a slower rate -- so 1700 per day or for a 1/2 lb loss per week (total intake, no exercise calories). I think that's the best you can hope for. Continuing to have a high deficit at a healthy rate will not be good for your metabolism in the long run.

    Adjust upwards slowly -- there might be an initial gain but it will even out.
  • CristinaAnne192
    CristinaAnne192 Posts: 62
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    My goal weight Is 110lbs, so I'm pretty close.
  • thomasandrews
    thomasandrews Posts: 24
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    Any ideas on my question @jsl_mfp? thanks
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
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    I really need help figuring this out...

    MFP has me eating 1200 I burn around 200 a day, I always eat my exercise calories back!

    I am 5'2"
    a 20 year old female
    117.4lbs

    I workout 5-6 times a week for 30 mins (Jillian Micheals) and then on weekend I work at a wedding banquet hall as a server.

    can someone tell me how many calories I am suppose to be eating? I really don't want to eat 1200

    thanks X

    You should not be eating 1200 calories a day. You have very little, if any, to lose. You should focus on strength training. At most, you should be eating just below maintenance. 1200 is too low for you.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I'm in the same boat actually. I am 24, 230lb, 5'6, mix between lazy and moving (the first two options haha but lately working on being more moving and walking), my profile has my diary (some stuff I messed up on but I'm learning). I would like to know if 1200 is right for me, trying to lose 15-30 pounds (more would be great, but one thing at a time).

    I don't think 1200 is right for you in the slightest. You have more to lose, and while you may lose quickly at 1200 calories, I'm not sure you would be happy or fulfilled long enough to make it worth it. Set your activity to lightly active and then follow MFP's settings. Eat at least half of your exercise calories back (half to account for overestimation.)
  • thomasandrews
    thomasandrews Posts: 24
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    the 1200 was what the system recommended, thought it was a bit weird:| I don't EAT 1200, I end up with more like 1500 due to exercise. Please see my diary for more info.


    I'm in the same boat actually. I am 24, 230lb, 5'6, mix between lazy and moving (the first two options haha but lately working on being more moving and walking), my profile has my diary (some stuff I messed up on but I'm learning). I would like to know if 1200 is right for me, trying to lose 15-30 pounds (more would be great, but one thing at a time).

    I don't think 1200 is right for you in the slightest. You have more to lose, and while you may lose quickly at 1200 calories, I'm not sure you would be happy or fulfilled long enough to make it worth it. Set your activity to lightly active and then follow MFP's settings. Eat at least half of your exercise calories back (half to account for overestimation.)
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    Any ideas on my question @jsl_mfp? thanks

    Sure, I'm really not an expert, I just know the math. If you plug your numbers into the TDEE calculator above, at "little to no exercise" your maintenance is 2600. At light exercise, it's 3000. So maybe just pick something in between according to your schedule -- say 2700. It's all an estimate anyway (and calorie counting isn't exact either).

    The chart below is what I have seen recommended as far as the rate of loss to shoot for depending on how much you have to lose.

    75+ to lose = 2lbs 
    50-75 to lose = 1.5-2lbs 
    25-50 to lose = 1-1.5lbs 
    15-25 to lose = 1lbs 
    0-15 to lose = 0.5lbs 

    So you would be good at 1-1.5 lbs per week, which is a 500-750 daily deficit. Taking that off 2700, I'd say 2000 is the minimum you should be eating (approximately).

    If you're set at 1200 but are eating 800 extra cals in from exercise each day, that's fine. That's how MFP is set up. But 2000 gives you an appropriate deficit IMO.

    ETA -- this is a good post that should answer all your questions
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    the 1200 was what the system recommended, thought it was a bit weird:|

    My guess is that you put in 2 lbs a week as your loss goal? See what it gives you at 1 lb a week. Being male and young, you'll almost certainly be miserable at 1200 calories a week. (I'm not anti-1200 for all-it's the right number for me to lose weight. But to put that in perspective, I'm 10 years older than you, female, half a foot shorter, and more than 100 lbs lighter. We should not be eating the same number of calories!)

    *Just saw your edit-I think 1500 calories is too little for you as well. I agree with the person who suggested trying around 2000 calories.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
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    I think 1200 may be too little.

    You can try starting at 1600. And eat back your exercise. Then monitor the scale for at least three weeks. Then depending on whether you are losing/gaining adjust up/down by 200 calories.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
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    the 1200 was what the system recommended, thought it was a bit weird:|

    My guess is that you put in 2 lbs a week as your loss goal? See what it gives you at 1 lb a week. Being male and young, you'll almost certainly be miserable at 1200 calories a week. (I'm not anti-1200 for all-it's the right number for me to lose weight. But to put that in perspective, I'm 10 years older than you, female, half a foot shorter, and more than 100 lbs lighter. We should not be eating the same number of calories!)

    *Just saw your edit-I think 1500 calories is too little for you as well. I agree with the person who suggested trying around 2000 calories.

    This is a female. But she still needs to eat more.
  • thomasandrews
    thomasandrews Posts: 24
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    Biggest issue is, actually getting that many...I don't really have enough to eat 2k haha...Would 1500-1600 minus exercise be a good starting point?
    the 1200 was what the system recommended, thought it was a bit weird:|

    My guess is that you put in 2 lbs a week as your loss goal? See what it gives you at 1 lb a week. Being male and young, you'll almost certainly be miserable at 1200 calories a week. (I'm not anti-1200 for all-it's the right number for me to lose weight. But to put that in perspective, I'm 10 years older than you, female, half a foot shorter, and more than 100 lbs lighter. We should not be eating the same number of calories!)

    *Just saw your edit-I think 1500 calories is too little for you as well. I agree with the person who suggested trying around 2000 calories.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    This is a female. But she still needs to eat more.

    I responded to the OP earlier, but the person I was responding to in the post you quoted was male.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Biggest issue is, actually getting that many...I don't really have enough to eat 2k haha...Would 1500-1600 minus exercise be a good starting point?

    Do you mean 1600 total then or 1600 net? I think 1600 net could be ok, depending on how you feel. When you say you don't have enough to get to 2000, do you mean money or room in your belly? I would suggest going to Eat, Train, Progress group for help on setting your macros. I think the recommendations on MFP should be thought of as minimums, but the actual goal should be a bit higher on protein. The ETP group has a lot of links to setting your numbers.
  • thomasandrews
    thomasandrews Posts: 24
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    My girlfriend is having an even harder time eating here intake due to exercise...she right now is like 900 under...http://www.myfitnesspal.com/lonilee please help us:( - she is 22, 5'2, 165lb with light activity.

    1600 as in base 1200 - exercise + exercise difference. So If exercise was 400, that's 400 additional i'd eat.

    I mean actual food to fill that quota...I don't eat junk food anymore since I get addicted when I do.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
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    This is a female. But she still needs to eat more.

    I responded to the OP earlier, but the person I was responding to in the post you quoted was male.

    Oops. Sorry.

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