Advice on calories needed Please

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pangy1958
pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All

At the moment I am on 1490 calories a day(MFP Calculations)and I exercise 3-4 times a week doing cardio and weights. My weight hasn't really changed for about 6 weeks in fact its gone up a few lbs (been on holiday though) I have just been looking on the sites like fitness frog and Scooby's and they say I should be having 1662 calories a day. Now I am really confused can anybody advise me, should I increase my calories or decrease them HELP!!!!!!

Replies

  • jlvanderstoel
    jlvanderstoel Posts: 24
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    1490 kcal a day is a starvation diet, I would advise you to eat more calories, 1660 without exercise additions already sounds a lot more appropriate
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Your 1490 from MFP is before exercise. It expects you to log any additional exercise and eat those calories back. So on days you workout you should actually be eating more than 1490.

    The Scooby calculator has included your exercise and spread them over the week, so you eat the same number everyday.

    Ideally, if all calculations are done right, they should average out to be fairly close to each other. It is basically two different ways to come to the same answer (although each calulator will have slight variations).

    Before upping calories, you need to look closely at your logging. I assume since you were on holiday that logging may not have been done as closely. I am a full supporter of "eating more" but that has to be balanced with accurate logging. Are you logging everything? Do you weigh your food?
    I would suggest picking either MFP with exercise calories or Scooby's goal but focus on accurate logging.

    ETA - that also assumes you used Scooby correctly and chose the appropriate activity level, not just sedentary since you are not.
  • ChristineRoze
    ChristineRoze Posts: 212 Member
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    1490 kcal a day is a starvation diet, I would advise you to eat more calories, 1660 without exercise additions already sounds a lot more appropriate

    I'm eating around that much and i have lost weight perfectly fine
  • pangy1958
    pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
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    Thank you for your help. I have another 50lbs to go and was worried that if MFP keeps reducing the calories with every 10lb I loose i would be well under 1200 cals a day which I think is a bit low.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Thank you for your help. I have another 50lbs to go and was worried that if MFP keeps reducing the calories with every 10lb I loose i would be well under 1200 cals a day which I think is a bit low.

    I don't know if they do for every 10 lbs, but also keep in mind that you will change your weight loss per week goal as you get closer too.
  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
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    Hi All

    At the moment I am on 1490 calories a day(MFP Calculations)and I exercise 3-4 times a week doing cardio and weights. My weight hasn't really changed for about 6 weeks in fact its gone up a few lbs (been on holiday though) I have just been looking on the sites like fitness frog and Scooby's and they say I should be having 1662 calories a day. Now I am really confused can anybody advise me, should I increase my calories or decrease them HELP!!!!!!

    The way calories are calculated on MFP, you are intended to eat back your exercise calories. Figuring out the calories burned from workouts is another matter :) This is typically just an estimate - even with a heart rate monitor, the calories burned aren't necessarily 100% accurate depending on the type of exercise (steady state cardio would be pretty accurate, but not so accurate for weights, for example).

    The TDEE calculation already takes into account your exercise calories, based on your activity in a given week. It's possible that the MFP and TDEE calculation get to the same place. For example, if your daily calorie burn was 172 calories (and you worked out every day), per the MFP method, you'd eat 1490 + 172 = 1662 daily (same as your TDEE calculation). I've found that I prefer the TDEE method. I never am sure EXACTLY how many calories I burn on a given day, so it is just easier to eat the same amount every day, based on my average weekly activity.

    I hope this helps :) 1490 could be a perfectly fine amount for someone, based on their age/weight/height. I think that's why it's best to fill in the information based on your current stats and goals. What works for someone else may not necessarily be the case for you.
  • JamieFitBody
    JamieFitBody Posts: 1 Member
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    The quality of food REALLY matters. Eat whole foods and keep your carbs and protein at the same percentages with fat being around 25%...so 35% 35% 30%. But if you are really trying to loose body fat and tone up, do 45%protein 35%carbs 20%fat.
  • pangy1958
    pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
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    Thanks all for replying to me, I weigh everything and fill in my diet log, even when my husband cooks he weighs it all as he is trying to loose weight too. On holiday I try to eat healthy but have slipped a couple of times hence the 3lb gain this week.

    I have lost weight on the 1490 calories, and when I do exercise I try to eat those calories back but not all I have to admit.
    Perhaps I am just worrying to much that the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I would like. My body shape has changed from the exercise though.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Hi All

    At the moment I am on 1490 calories a day(MFP Calculations)and I exercise 3-4 times a week doing cardio and weights. My weight hasn't really changed for about 6 weeks in fact its gone up a few lbs (been on holiday though) I have just been looking on the sites like fitness frog and Scooby's and they say I should be having 1662 calories a day. Now I am really confused can anybody advise me, should I increase my calories or decrease them HELP!!!!!!

    MFP is different than Scooby's.

    MFP gives you a calorie deficit before exercise. After you log exercise here, you get the estimated number of calories burned added back in.

    With Scooby's you include the exercise you expect to do. That's your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).

    Another difference.....MFP allows you to choose how many pounds per week you want to lose. This gives some people really low numbers if they choose an aggressive goal. Scooby's has you deduct a percentage from TDEE....that percentage should become lower as you get closer to goal.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Thanks all for replying to me, I weigh everything and fill in my diet log, even when my husband cooks he weighs it all as he is trying to loose weight too. On holiday I try to eat healthy but have slipped a couple of times hence the 3lb gain this week.

    I have lost weight on the 1490 calories, and when I do exercise I try to eat those calories back but not all I have to admit.
    Perhaps I am just worrying to much that the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I would like. My body shape has changed from the exercise though.

    It's ok not to eat all of the calories back since there can be issues with estimation.
    Keep in mind your 3lb gain is probably mostly, if not all, water weight and will go away once you return to normal eating. It is pretty typical when going on a holiday.

    Don't worry about how quick it is coming off, it won't be quick. As long as you are moving forward, that is a good thing.
  • pangy1958
    pangy1958 Posts: 151 Member
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    Thank you all so much for all your advice, I am feeling a lot better now on what I am doing.
    If I add the calories I burn at the gym it does probably come to around 1660 when add to my 1490 cals. I don't add the calories burnt doing weights only the cardio ones.

    I
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    The quality of food REALLY matters. Eat whole foods and keep your carbs and protein at the same percentages with fat being around 25%...so 35% 35% 30%. But if you are really trying to loose body fat and tone up, do 45%protein 35%carbs 20%fat.
    lol wut?
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    The quality of food REALLY matters. Eat whole foods and keep your carbs and protein at the same percentages with fat being around 25%...so 35% 35% 30%. But if you are really trying to loose body fat and tone up, do 45%protein 35%carbs 20%fat.

    Arbitrary macro ratios are arbitrary...

    ...and absent total calorie information, potentially bogus too.

    ETA: Unless there is support for me eating 326+g of protein daily if I'm really trying to lose body fat and tone up.
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    1490 kcal a day is a starvation diet, I would advise you to eat more calories, 1660 without exercise additions already sounds a lot more appropriate

    I'm eating around that much and i have lost weight perfectly fine

    I also eat 1490 and I have lost 30 pounds.
  • jimbmc
    jimbmc Posts: 83 Member
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    I wouldnt get too hung up on the amount of calories you do or dont eat if your taking exercise. The only thing to keep in mind, is to make sure your weekly output (calories burned by exercise) reduces your average input (Calories eaten). Some say that by making your output (calories burned) greater than your input (calories eaten) is the best way, but this takes alot of work. i.e Input 14000 per week, output 16000 per week. It can be done through exercise, but its not easy. There are other variables that can be thrown in but it would make this post even more complicated than it already is :P

    For example, the average female needs 2000 cals per day to live, work and enjoy life, whlst maintaining their weight. So thats 14,000 cals per week. If you want to lose 1lb over a week, then reduce your daily cal intake by 500 cals per day (3500 for the week). So, keeping that in mind, add in your exercise: Lets say you burn off 500 cals per session, and you do 3 sessions a week, thats 1500 cals burned.

    So, if your intake is 14,000 per week, and your burning up an extra 1500 per week, your intake is reduced automatically to 12,500.

    Now, remembering the 3500 cal reduction to lose 1lb, take off the 1500 from the exercise and your left with 2000. Just take this number, the 2000 off the average weekly intake (14,000), that leaves you with 12000. Divide by 7 days = 1714 cals per day.

    So basiaclly, you can eat 1714 cals per day, whilst exercising 3 times a week, and going about your daily business, and you will lose 1lb per week. If you want to lose 2lb per week, then just redo the maths.

    In a nutshell tho, if your eating well enough, and its good food (not fast food, packaged food, etc), and your doing some exercise, then you WILL lose weight. Simples.

    Eat well, be active.
  • santd
    santd Posts: 234 Member
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    To be honest, the real expert is your body...... try both and see which works.

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