Help with calorie goals etc

slowbutsure2
slowbutsure2 Posts: 110
in Health and Weight Loss
HI all, im fairly new here and trying to sort our my goals. The automatic setup feature says I should be on 1380 calories a day. That doesn't seem like much. Can anyone verify? Here's my stats

Male
5' 11" tall
93.6kg
Body fat 28.8 (US army method)

desk job

I go spinning 3 times a week, 45 minutes each
Weight training two times a week, 40 minutes each

So my questions are:

1. What should my basic calorie intake be per day, to lose 2lbs a week.
2. I don't understand how eating your exercise calories back helps. Does exercise contribute to weight loss if you eat the calories back?

Thanks! :smile:

Replies

  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Simple way to calculate is:

    BW(lbs) x 14 - 500 = Calories to lose weight

    Don't let MFP tell you how much to eat - it's always math based, never works for most people.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    According to Fitness Frog's TDEE calculator, your TDEE is between 2701 and 3045 calories, so your calorie goal for weight loss should be between 2160 and 2436. You should probably shoot for 2300-ish to start out, and if you don't lose after three or four weeks, go down to 2200. But you MUST TRACK YOUR CALORIES ACCURATELY.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I'd put you at lightly active though.
  • slowbutsure2
    slowbutsure2 Posts: 110
    BW x 14 seems a bit simplistic as it doesn't account for age. As far as I can see, your metabolic rate gets slower as you get older and so you need less calories.
  • slowbutsure2
    slowbutsure2 Posts: 110
    Hi

    If your not seeing the weight loss predicted by these calculations, I presume the problem is:

    1. RMR is actually slower for your age than the average / standard
    2. Calorie intake is higher than it should be
    3. Calorie out is lower than it should be

    Could there be any other reasons?

    Thanks
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    BW x 14 seems a bit simplistic as it doesn't account for age. As far as I can see, your metabolic rate gets slower as you get older and so you need less calories.

    The effect of age in TDEE is minimal at best and is not generally a limiting factor.
    Source: Any BMR equation.

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