Calorie intake?

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hannahwilllose14
hannahwilllose14 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How do you know how many calories you should be eating each day? I know it involves burning more calories than you take in, but how do you find which numbers are right for you?

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  • illuvatree
    illuvatree Posts: 185 Member
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    It depends on how much you weigh, how much you want to lose, etc.. MFP will adjust it for you, though there are other sites that will adjust it too.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Fill in all your information on here and it will give you a number. Stick to that number and you're good to go.
  • Asin99
    Asin99 Posts: 8
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    The number on here seems to be a good one to go by. If you want an estimate of your basic metabolic rate, go here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-metabolism-calculator

    Knowing how many calories your body needs just to function is usually a good starting point in figuring out how many calories you need in a day to gain/ lose/ maintain your weight.
  • hannahwilllose14
    hannahwilllose14 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thank you everyone. According to the calculator I burn 2,087 calories a day.

    MFP has me on 1,200 calories a day and I eat back some of my exercise calories.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Thank you everyone. According to the calculator I burn 2,087 calories a day.

    MFP has me on 1,200 calories a day and I eat back some of my exercise calories.

    2lbs per week is pretty aggressive for most people, and 1200 cals is highly restrictive. Make sure those things are reasonable for you and that you can sustain them long term. MFP can only do the math... its up to you to provide the common sense.
  • Asin99
    Asin99 Posts: 8
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    2lbs per week is pretty aggressive for most people, and 1200 cals is highly restrictive. Make sure those things are reasonable for you and that you can sustain them long term. MFP can only do the math... its up to you to provide the common sense.

    I agree with that. I've tried 1,200 calories a day and I found that I was constantly hungry. When I ate, I never felt satisfied. Not trying to preach - it may work well for you. I'd suggest trying it for a day or two and if you aren't feeling well, try changing your settings to losing 1.5lbs or 1 lb a week instead.
  • wanttolose40lbs
    wanttolose40lbs Posts: 239 Member
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    MFP has me on 1200 cals a day, I don't agree with that. On the other hand, I have my calories set at 1500 cals/day,and don't eat back any exercise calories. Which if I did the MFP suggestion of 1200/day and ate back my exercise calories, it would probably work out the same.
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    The number on here seems to be a good one to go by. If you want an estimate of your basic metabolic rate, go here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-metabolism-calculator

    Knowing how many calories your body needs just to function is usually a good starting point in figuring out how many calories you need in a day to gain/ lose/ maintain your weight.

    Use this--MFP's calculation really underestimates what you need and tends to put everyone below his or her BMR, which you want to avoid. If you do use this calculator and you set yourself at "lightly active" or "moderately active" then you don't need to be eating back your exercise calories--it's estimating a light calorie burn above your standard sitting-at-a-desk calories.

    i.e. i'm 5'4" 133lbs and I'm moderately active (5 hours of exercise a week), and I burn 2062 cal/day. In order to lose, I'd take no more than 20% off that, bringing me down to 1650 calories/day.
  • hannahwilllose14
    hannahwilllose14 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thank you guys, I have it set to 1.5 pounds per week and I feel okay doing 1,200 I have been at it for a couple days.

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