Calorie Question

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How many calories do you guys take in daily if you exercise 7 days a week like I do or close? I feel like my 1200-1500 calories a day is really challenging and trying to lose weight. I do cardio about an hour a day, like treadmill and a little or minimal weights. Is that too less?

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  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 209 Member
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    The best way to find out about how many calories you should consume is to use a TDEE/BMR calculator online. You will type in your stats and your activity level and it will tell you your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or the calories your body burns just to function and that is the minimum amount of calories you should eat per day. Then you find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to find out how many calories you burn per day with your activities. This is the number where you will subtract a certain deficit percentage. If you have a lot of weight to lose you may choose to pick about 15% deficit of that number, if you don't have a lot to lose, 5-10% is good. If you are including your exercise in your TDEE number, you DO NOT eat back exercise calories.

    I would also recommend using more weights, building muscle helps with fat loss and really transforms your body.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    We're all unique - what I eat and do isn't going to be the same as what you want/need to do to reach your goals.

    When I'm losing, I want to do so on as high macros and as little cardio as possible. When growing, I try and increase my macros without gaining too much fat so that when I lose, I keep the macros high.

    Currently losing on about 2100-2500 cals, 5-6 weights sessions and 10 mins of cardio a week. Cals are rough, I have set macros not calories
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    Are you asking if you should up your calorie in take? Then yes considering you exercise 7 days a week you need more fuel for your body
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
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    Treadmill for an hour .. about 200 calories. Not the 600+ that some people will tell you.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    Looking at your diary that much sodium will make you retain water. Another thing you put down that you had 7 biscuits I think one night for dinner? Did you really have 7 or you just put that down cuz its in the database? That might throw off your calories for the whole day
  • turtleball
    turtleball Posts: 217 Member
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    Treadmill for an hour .. about 200 calories. Not the 600+ that some people will tell you.

    I get much more than 200 calories, like 350.


    it depends on your body.
    -edit-
    and it depends on how fast you're walking and if you're walking at an incline.
  • Mercedespony
    Mercedespony Posts: 162 Member
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    Treadmill for an hour .. about 200 calories. Not the 600+ that some people will tell you.
    and I just did 253 cal, in 30 minutes. It is individual.

    OP, are you recording and eating back your exercise calories?
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
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    How about you just use MFP to set your goals, log your workouts, and eat accordingly?

    It is really is difficult to say what you should be eating without knowing anything about your height, weight, size, etc. If you want an explanation of how to calculate a target PM me.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    Also your Jimy Johns sub sandwhiches are completely off. Are they the same exact sandwhich?
  • sassymc86
    sassymc86 Posts: 91 Member
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    How many calories do you guys take in daily if you exercise 7 days a week like I do or close? I feel like my 1200-1500 calories a day is really challenging and trying to lose weight. I do cardio about an hour a day, like treadmill and a little or minimal weights. Is that too less?

    your 1200-1500 calorie intake is based on your normal life no exercise, track all exercise with your food and you will find you should be eating a lot more.
  • heymrsun
    heymrsun Posts: 8 Member
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    You really, really, REALLY need to cut back on your sodium.

    Notice what foods have the highest sodium levels and on a day you're eating that particular food, eat something with little to no sodium, and more protein or fat.

    I've found that greek yogurt is VERY high in protein, and has very little sodium.

    Avocados or almonds are a very good source healthy fats.

    Broccoli is basically a superfood, eat as much of it as you can stand. :D


    Good luck on your weight loss journey.
    I am doing the same caloric intake plan (which has been so far so good), but I might decide to increase my daily allowance if it feels like i'm starving myself (which is never good).
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
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    your 1200-1500 calorie intake is based on your normal life no exercise, track all exercise with your food and you will find you should be eating a lot more.

    This should be a banner on the front page of the MFP website. It seems like so many people don't realize that is the way the site works if you use the guided goal setting tool.