How many calories should I eat?

DonPendergraft
DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm male, 6' and 214lbs and 49 years old. I would like to get to 180 and I have lost about 7lbs so far. I'm trying to eat 1,620 per day and not eat back calories burned during exercise. I've calculated my basal metabolic rate to be 1,987, so I'm at a 367 calorie deficit if I stick to the daily plan. I just started running again and plan on running 5 days a week. Using the Harris Benedict equation (for activity adjustment to add to BMR), after multiplying my BMR times 1.55 for my activity level, my caloric need is 3,079 per day.

The problem I have is trying to fight hunger when I'm trying to stick to 1,620 calories a day. I think going to 2K would help me survive a bit better. Running tends to make me really hungry, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle.

What do you MFPers recommend? Suck it up and stay where I am? Up my calories to 2K? Higher? My goal is to continuously lose weight at a decent (and healthy) clip until I hit my goal. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

Replies

  • flechero
    flechero Posts: 260 Member
    I'm your same size now and 1700 / day is not enough if you run, heck it's not enough it you don't. right around 2000 was my happy place, (2500 on weight room days) and I also ate 1/2-2/3 of my run cals back on run days.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I'm male, 6' and 214lbs and 49 years old. I would like to get to 180 and I have lost about 7lbs so far. I'm trying to eat 1,620 per day and not eat back calories burned during exercise. I've calculated my basal metabolic rate to be 1,987, so I'm at a 367 calorie deficit if I stick to the daily plan. I just started running again and plan on running 5 days a week. Using the Harris Benedict equation (for activity adjustment to add to BMR), after multiplying my BMR times 1.55 for my activity level, my caloric need is 3,079 per day.

    The problem I have is trying to fight hunger when I'm trying to stick to 1,620 calories a day. I think going to 2K would help me survive a bit better. Running tends to make me really hungry, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle.

    What do you MFPers recommend? Suck it up and stay where I am? Up my calories to 2K? Higher? My goal is to continuously lose weight at a decent (and healthy) clip until I hit my goal. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

    I think you're a bit confused.

    BMR = basal metabolic rate.........calories your body would use if you were in a coma

    BMR + activity level (ie: sedentary) + exercise = TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).........this is your maintenance calories. Take 500 off per day for 1 pound a week.....750 off for 1.5 pounds per week........BUT don't go below 1987.

    For TDEE plug in the amount of exercise you "expect" to do.....then take a cut. Too few calories and your body will resort to using muscle mass for fuel.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    my caloric need is 3,079 per day.

    My experience, the studies I cite, and the people I've met here on MFP, have all indicated that a caloric deficit of greater than 1000 is counterproductive to sane, predictable weightloss. If your TDEE really is 3079, I'd suggest eating no less than 2079 every day. Hormones and brain signals just start to get jacked up if you eat less than 1000 calories under your TDEE. You'll lose, sure. But the likelihood of binging, bad moods, long term malnutrition issues, bone loss, muscle loss, etc. all increase disproportionately the more and more you eat at deficits greater than 1000 on average per day. Just my two cents.
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    There are lots of calculators for figuring out your TDEE - try the one at http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/. It can help you figure out what your calories should be. Then rather than suddenly go from 1600 calories to whatever your revised number is, increase gradually by 100 per week. That will help your body adjust to the increase and it will also help you figure out where to add the extra calories into your day.

    Also, make sure you include some strength training and eat lots of protein to minimize the muscle loss as you lose weight.

Categories