Very confused on needed calorie intake :(

sknight117
sknight117 Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Alright, my calculated BMR is ~2,050. And I do cardio 5 days a week (~400 cals a day). How many calories do I need to eat to lose the absolute maximum weight while staying alive?

Also, what confuses me is that my daily average is ~1,300 calories but I've maintained the same weight for over 8 months. If i'm eating 750 cals below my BMR shouldn't I be losing a substantial amount of weight?

Should I go by 1,300 as my BMR considering that's the amount that allows me to maintain? And shoot for eating ~900 net calories a day? Im confused :(

Replies

  • fercar3000
    fercar3000 Posts: 286 Member
    take a look at this link , that will help with your confusion

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Your BMR is 2050; this is the amount of calories you would consume if you were in a coma.
    While staying alive, it's advised you have an intake of 1200+ calories. If you go long periods with a VLC, certain bodily functions will cease to work properly and it's dangerous.

    Find out your TDEE, then take away 20% - you will eat at this. If you're overweight, you will have a bigger TDEE. In this case, eat at a regular sized persons caloric intake , eg 2000 calories.

    Going for 1,300 calories a day and burning off 400 without eating them isn't healthy.. nor will you stick with it for long.

    You eat back your exercise calories, as you should already be eating in a deficit!
  • shortstuff31117
    shortstuff31117 Posts: 81 Member
    BMR is the calories you would burn if you were in a coma. You should never eat below that. What is your TDEE? A TDEE - 20% is a better method. What is your height and weight? What kind of exercise?
  • sknight117
    sknight117 Posts: 4
    I'm not *trying* to eat only 1,300 calories a day, I'm saying if I was in a room full of all the food in the world, I would go about my normal daily life and consume ~1,300 worth of food and be extremely content and full. That's just what my appetite is (eaten 900-1,500 a day for years)

    That's what confuses me, should I be losing an astonishing amount of weight? Why do i maintain when eating ~1300 a day?
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
    are you measuring all of your food? sometimes food can be a lot more than what you have logged
    also, do you log your food? try honestly logging what you eat on an average day, it might be more than 1300. Food all quickly adds up
  • sknight117
    sknight117 Posts: 4
    Yeah I use the MFP app religiously, and it always comes out to 900-1500 calories a day intake
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    Crazy. A 23 year old man is eating 900 to 1300 calories a day? How long have you been doing this?

    What makes even less sense, to me, is that your ticker shows you want to lose 45 pounds. You must have eaten more at some point, yes?

    Don't you think you should eat at least 1800 to 2000 calories considering your BMR? I hope some of the long time, successful weight loss people on this forum give you some advice. The path you are taking is just not healthy.

    There is a group here called Eat More to Weigh Less. I suggest you take a look at some of the stickies in that group's main page.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
    I find the best way to know my true BMR/TDEE is based on my results. However, you say that your average intake has been 1300 that you maintain on, which leads me to believe you are either not tracking accurately (both food and exercise) or you have a medical condition. First thing would be to track for about a month then see what your results are. If you are truly eating that low, and not losing, a trip to the doctor would be in order.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    Crazy. A 23 year old man is eating 900 to 1300 calories a day? How long have you been doing this?

    What makes even less sense, to me, is that your ticker shows you want to lose 45 pounds. You must have eaten more at some point, yes?

    Don't you think you should eat at least 1800 to 2000 calories considering your BMR? I hope some of the long time, successful weight loss people on this forum give you some advice. The path you are taking is just not healthy.

    There is a group here called Eat More to Weigh Less. I suggest you take a look at some of the stickies in that group's main page.
    There's also a website called eatmore2weighless, it's mostly geared toward women (I mean diet industry mostly hits women on starving themselves).
  • AnnaZimm70
    AnnaZimm70 Posts: 218 Member
    I think we have a troll here. He has no other posts. Despite claiming to religiously be tracking everything he eats through MFP, he's been a member for no more than 6 days. I simply do not believe that a 23 year old is eating 1300 calories a day, exercising regularly. and not losing any weight.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I find the best way to know my true BMR/TDEE is based on my results. However, you say that your average intake has been 1300 that you maintain on, which leads me to believe you are either not tracking accurately (both food and exercise) or you have a medical condition. First thing would be to track for about a month then see what your results are. If you are truly eating that low, and not losing, a trip to the doctor would be in order.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    This. And I'd add this one as well:

    http://www.fitnessfactreview.com/the-art-science-of-calorie-counting/

    And this:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12396160
    In this study they compared caloric intake from 10 female registered dietitians and 10 women of comparable weight who were not dietitians and the study compared the energy intake obtained from 7-day food records with energy expenditure measured over the corresponding 7-day period using doubly labeled water.

    Participants were told that the goal was to record food intake as accurately as possible, because it would be compared with the simultaneous measurement of energy expenditure determined by doubly labeled water.

    Dietitians underreported their food intake by an average of 223 calories per day, while the non-dietitians underreported their intake by an average of 429 calories per day.
  • sknight117
    sknight117 Posts: 4
    I've been with MFP for well over a year, and yes this is my only post because I've been working out and eating better and have had no results at all. So i'm seeking help
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I've been with MFP for well over a year, and yes this is my only post because I've been working out and eating better and have had no results at all. So i'm seeking help

    Open your diary and let's see if anything jumps out.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Alright, my calculated BMR is ~2,050. And I do cardio 5 days a week (~400 cals a day). How many calories do I need to eat to lose the absolute maximum weight while staying alive?

    Also, what confuses me is that my daily average is ~1,300 calories but I've maintained the same weight for over 8 months. If i'm eating 750 cals below my BMR shouldn't I be losing a substantial amount of weight?

    Should I go by 1,300 as my BMR considering that's the amount that allows me to maintain? And shoot for eating ~900 net calories a day? Im confused :(

    Are you sure your BMR is 2050? Or do you mean that is your TDEE - total daily energy expenditure - that would be your maintainance number.

    Can you open your diary?
    How do you measure your food? Scale? Measuring cups? Estimation?
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    I think we have a troll here. He has no other posts. Despite claiming to religiously be tracking everything he eats through MFP, he's been a member for no more than 6 days. I simply do not believe that a 23 year old is eating 1300 calories a day, exercising regularly. and not losing any weight.

    It's sort of an odd thing to troll about, there is another account similar to the OP's name but with an extra 1.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I think we have a troll here. He has no other posts. Despite claiming to religiously be tracking everything he eats through MFP, he's been a member for no more than 6 days. I simply do not believe that a 23 year old is eating 1300 calories a day, exercising regularly. and not losing any weight.

    His join date is July 2013.

    I also do not believe that a 23 year old is eating 1300 calories a day, exercising regularly and not losing weight. People, myself included, are really good at understimating what they eat and overestimating how much they work out, which is why many people ask to see the diary. People looking in on the outside often see patterns that OP doesn't. And some people outright exaggerate how little they eat (not saying that is the OP but I've seen more than one of these topics where someone's diary is showing they eat a lot more than the number of calories they claim).

    Using the app religiously does not equate to accurate tracking.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Not saying this is the OP's issue, but I think a lot of people also track for a day or two and assume those days were represent of the past year's eating.

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