Calories counting confusion

Thanks for the feedback. It is hard because I either eat too much or too little. I always struggle with balance.

I guess I will have to try and up my intake.

Thanks for your help!

If you are consistently going to the gym 5 days a week, you can also set your account to moderately active and not eat back your exercise calories. It reduces the chance of over estimating your exercise calories. I would also recommend setting your account to 1 lb per week max (if not 1/2 lb) since you don't have much weight to lose and adjust your macro's to around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. I suspect this will put you around 1700-1900 calories which is an average range for women (actually I generally see 1700-21000).

Additionally, while at the gym, spend half or most of your time weight training (or do3 days fully body weight training and 2 cardio). Between WT and protein, you increase the amount of muscle you retain. And more muscle = tighter body. The biggest benefit from weight training is you see body composition changes more quickly.

Lastly and most importantly, if you don't have a food scale, invest in one. It's critical for accuracy and preventing plateau from under estimating calories.

Thanks for the feedback. It is hard because I either eat too much or too little. I always struggle with balance.

I guess I will have to try and up my intake.

Thanks for your help!

If you are consistently going to the gym 5 days a week, you can also set your account to moderately active and not eat back your exercise calories. It reduces the chance of over estimating your exercise calories. I would also recommend setting your account to 1 lb per week max (if not 1/2 lb) since you don't have much weight to lose and adjust your macro's to around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. I suspect this will put you around 1700-1900 calories which is an average range for women (actually I generally see 1700-21000).

Additionally, while at the gym, spend half or most of your time weight training (or do3 days fully body weight training and 2 cardio). Between WT and protein, you increase the amount of muscle you retain. And more muscle = tighter body. The biggest benefit from weight training is you see body composition changes more quickly.

Lastly and most importantly, if you don't have a food scale, invest in one. It's critical for accuracy and preventing plateau from under estimating calories.

This is almost exactly what I was going to write.

You have your calories set at 1200. Did you get this number from MFP? I would suggest going to a site like IIFYM or Snoopy's and calculate your BMR/TDEE. Once you calculate this you will subtract 20% of the calories from the TDEE caloric value. This ensures your body receives the necessary nutrients it needs for proper functioning and in my opinion, is a lot more accurate then the number MFP provides. This also means that you don't need to calculate your workout calories, as it's already factored in. For instance, my TDEE is about 2850, so I eat around 2200 calories. Ideally, you'll look into setting up what is called your Macros. Meaning, you eat your calories based on the three macros, Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins. Many people would suggest doing the traditional 40% Carbs, 40% Protein and 20% Fat but you can find what works for you. I typically go with a 50C/30P/20F which has worked for me. I don't add any calories back after the gym and I can much more efficiently plan meals ahead of time.

There are so many factors that could weigh in as to why your weightloss is "so slow" but your caloric intake is very likely the cause. Ensure you are logging your calories accurately (weigh your food if necessary) and if you choose to eat 1200 calories a day, ensure you are accurately estimating your calories burned during exercise.

My only other suggestion would be to lift weights. Personally, when I'm cutting (trying to lose body fat), I weight lift 3 days a week, do HIIT cardio 2 days a week, and do lighter cardio whenever I have time or feel like it. I find this set up helps me lose the most fat the fastest.

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Something noteworthy to consider, as you increase your weight training, don't get dishartened if you gain scale weight. Muscles weigh more then fat and although it is unlikely you will gain significant muscle, it is possible to gain a bit especially if you've never seriously lifted before. Also, as you lift, your muscles will retain additional water. Stay true to your diet and exercise regime, and you will lose body % which is the most important.
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^^ Agree with this, the scale showed my weight as a few pounds gain for a while before i started losing - but my body shape was getting smaller ::)

Okay, so taking all this advice into account my plan of action it this:

I will make sure that I NET 1200 calories a day (the number generated by MFP) bear in mind that I am just over 5 foot, and I will introduce basic weight training once a week. If I feel adventurous I will increase this to twice a week but I will probably drop a weight on myself and be banned from the gym.

The other website calculators suggested my TDEE is around 1700 so I will relook at my intake if I don't feel a shift.

Thanks for all the support.

Let's keep losing!

I would ask which inputs you put in to get 1700. But generally below would be the outcomes with a BMR of 1300:

Lightly active - 3-4 hrs of exercise a week - 1300 * 1.375 = 1787
Moderately active - 5-6 hrs of exercise per week - 1300 * 1.55 = 2015


From there you can take a 20% cut. If you do tackle anything slowly, really start with the macronutrients and weight training. Low protein and high cardio will increase the amount of muscle you lose. When you lose muscle, your effective body fat will maintain or increase and it will take longer to reach your ideal body. Keep in mind, it is a lot harder to grow back the muscle you lost then preserve it. I can't tell you how many women I know are facing this issue as they are under weight or close to it.