Struggling with figuring out calories...

tigersgrowl1093
tigersgrowl1093 Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a 5' 4'', 185 lbs., 20yo female. My UGW is 125 - 135.

According to MFP, my daily calorie goal should be 1,490 at 1 lb/week, if I set it to sedentary. However, IIFYM TDEE calculator has my BMR at 1,596 calories.

I am confused about activity level. I am a college student. I usually take the bus to school in the Winter, but sometimes I do the 1 mile walk to and back from school, so 2 miles total. I'm not on my feet all that much though when I am not walking to my classes, which aren't that far from each other.

At the moment, I want to focus on eating habits before adding intense exercise.

Should I change my goal from 1 lb/week to 0.5 lbs week because it would put me above my BMR at 1,740 cals/day, or should I just add in walking and stuff and eat that back if it is set to sedentary?

Sorry if this isn't much too clear, I am having trouble phrasing it.

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • ZOOpergal
    ZOOpergal Posts: 176 Member
    IDK, maybe the difference is maintenance versus weight loss?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    MFP uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula. You can google how it works.

    Most other calculators want you to eat the same every day. MFP allows you to fine tune your goals daily based on your daily activity.

    You just have to pick a method and stick with it for a while. If it is working, great. If not, adjust accordingly. No one can really decide for you.
  • tigersgrowl1093
    tigersgrowl1093 Posts: 45 Member
    Thanks for the replies.

    I think I will stick with the 1,490 calories that MFP gives me when set at sedentary and add in anything beyond normal. I would assume sedentary people walk as well, no?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's really up to you. I'd say you're definitely sedentary if you don't walk more than 1 mile at a time.
  • deltoro23
    deltoro23 Posts: 191 Member
    I like Mr. J Texas idea of just adding them in.. that Is what I do.. I sometimes walk for MILES in a day for work.. so I just set mine as seditatary and add everything else into it.. my goal is to lose weight, so I wouldn't mind working with the lower number.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    It's really up to you. I'd say you're definitely sedentary if you don't walk more than 1 mile at a time.

    Just an observation based on a lot of years using this site and reading these threads; MFP sets calories really low for many people. I would always suggest a bump up a level in the Activity Level here. I need several hundred calories more than MFP suggests I need if I enter my activity level accurately.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Should I change my goal from 1 lb/week to 0.5 lbs week because it would put me above my BMR at 1,740 cals/day, or should I just add in walking and stuff and eat that back if it is set to sedentary?

    How much weight do you need to lose? Eating a bit below your BMR isn't all that big of a deal if you have a lot of weight to lose...it's a bigger deal when you don't really have much to lose. If you need to lose 10-15 Lbs or less I'd set it to 1/2 Lb per week...if it's 20 you can probably get away with 1 Lb per week for a short while, but you'll want to bring it back as you lose.

    In RE to the walking, I never logged it unless I was walking more than 3 miles or so, and even then I didn't often bother. I was more concerned about fueling more aggressive forms of exercise properly than I was my walks. If you're losing faster than you like, you could just bump up to light active to account for regular walking and then log deliberate and more aggressive forms of exercise.

    I agree with cmriverside, I have a desk job but I'm still light active without exercise with MFP...but I also have an almost 4 y.o. and an 18 m.o. so there's that I suppose.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I am confused about activity level.

    Don't get hung up on details.

    Pick any of the numbers, it really doesn't matter that much. Eat at that level for 3-4 weeks. Log everything - EVERYTHING. If you lose weight as expected, the number is right for you. If not, adjust up/down by a couple of hundred calories as appropriate, and repeat.
  • tigersgrowl1093
    tigersgrowl1093 Posts: 45 Member
    I appreciate the responses. I will keep it at 1,490 cal/day and only log intentional exercise and eat back half those cals. I will reevaluate in 3 - 4 weeks as suggested :)

    How much weight do you need to lose? Eating a bit below your BMR isn't all that big of a deal if you have a lot of weight to lose...it's a bigger deal when you don't really have much to lose. If you need to lose 10-15 Lbs or less I'd set it to 1/2 Lb per week...if it's 20 you can probably get away with 1 Lb per week for a short while, but you'll want to bring it back as you lose.

    I have about 50 - 60 lbs to lose. I have seen suggested I aim for 1.5 lbs/week due to how much I need to lose, but I'll see what 1,490 cal/day does for me.

    Thanks!

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