Help with calories :/ 5ft 8.5" female.

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XLMACX
XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
Hi everyone,

Just wanting a little advise! Im 154lb and 5ft 8 ½ “ tall female.

I work out 5X a week combination of walking 7.5-10mile per week, swimming 3X doing 45-50legnths and Zumba one night a week as well as 30 barbell squats with 15KG weigh a night.

What would people say I should be eating??

I prefer to eat more on the weekends and cut back through the week avg I have been losing 2lb which im thrilled with , just wondering what people would eat if they had same stats as me??

Replies

  • KaterinaTerese
    KaterinaTerese Posts: 345 Member
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    Enter your stats here to find your estimated TDEE: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    It's not set in stone, and you'll have to tweak, but the numbers will give you an estimate!

    From entering your stats myself (but without knowing your age), it comes out roughly to 2,500-2,600 calories to maintain. So if you wanted to lose, simply cut out 250 calories and eat around 2,250kcal a day.

    :flowerforyou:
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    im 23, i have used calculators 6 in total some say 1700 some say 1800...i currently eat 1600cals a day hwoever to play it safe just wondering what peepz thought and how much they ear xxx
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    walking doesn't count as much as other exercise in the rough 5 TDEE levels, and if slow swimming, it's equal to walking.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1018770-better-rough-tdee-estimate-than-5-level-chart

    With that little to lose - 2 lbs weekly of weight should be of concern - because while squats is good, it's hardly full body lifting of all the muscles, and you likely have some muscle somewhere going goodbye.

    So the normal math basing TDEE on actual results doesn't work, because when amino acids are used for energy source, they only supply 600 calories per lb, compared to fat at about 3500 per lb.
    Easier to lose a lb of muscle than lb of fat.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I am 5'6" at 147 and I'm trying to lose 1/2 lb per week so I can eat as much as possible - losing 2 lb a week when you are already around a healthy weight is not so healthy for you (muscle mass loss). I would try to lose at MOST 1 lb a week. Work out your TDEE on the Scooby calculator with that in mind and I bet you'll be able to eat a lot more which will be healthier. If you can add more weight lifting then that would be even better.
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    Thanks everyone I have decided on a new strategy

    1500 cal a day X 7 = 10500 then have a extra 1000 over weekend for my wine and vodka chocolates whatever lol = 11500

    I was eating 1600X 7 = 11200 losing avg 2lb. Week

    Most tdee calculators says eat around 1700-1750 X 7 = 11900

    So I'm just in the middle which I think will result in a slowe 1lb loss now x
  • KaterinaTerese
    KaterinaTerese Posts: 345 Member
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    Thanks everyone I have decided on a new strategy

    1500 cal a day X 7 = 10500 then have a extra 1000 over weekend for my wine and vodka chocolates whatever lol = 11500

    I was eating 1600X 7 = 11200 losing avg 2lb. Week

    Most tdee calculators says eat around 1700-1750 X 7 = 11900

    So I'm just in the middle which I think will result in a slowe 1lb loss now x
    Wait, what? You still didn't settle on an activity level.
    That number seems wrong considering your size/age/activity level you have listed above. You're obviously not sedentary, and that's the only way your numbers could be so low. Put in how many hours you're exercising into Scooby and that will give you the right TDEE.

    A weekly average is a fine idea, as it puts everything into perspective. Just make sure you're eating enough. You shouldn't lose any faster than 1lb a week at your current weight.

    FYI: I'm 23, 5'6" 154lbs. I eat 2350 calories to maintain and about 2000 to lose a 0.5lb a week.
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    I put that I'm moderately active and the results as I say of 6 calculators are 1700 avg,

    My work out routine

    Monday 45min walk @ 3- 3.5mph swim 45 min general breast stroke
    Tuesday 45 min walk @3- 3.5mph Zumba 45min
    Wednesday 45min walk 3-3.5mph swim 50 min
    Thursday walk 45min
    Friday walk 45 or may have day off
    Saturday or Sunday I swim 45-59 min general breast stroke

    I squat with 15kg 10 sets X 3 reps nearly every night

    Scooby said with moderately active I should eat 2000cal to lose that seems WAY Too high as just last week been a good example, I ate at around 12800 = 1800 a day for the week I went to an all you can eat and reckon I ate maybe 3000 cals any ways this resulted in a 2lb gain!!

    2400 Saturday - swam 50 legnths
    1900 Sunday - walked 8mile around 3hr
    1700 Monday then went to all you can eat so estimated 3000 cals
    1200 Tuesday to compensate - walked 45min and Zumba 45min
    1400 Wednesday- walked 45min swam 60 lengths 1hr
    1200 Thursday walked 45 min swam 30min

    The 2lb was a shock I know I didn't eat 7500cal over maintenance
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Nope - I just put your stats in the Scooby calculator and you have WAY MORE calories to work with. At moderate activity with a 20% deficit even, it states you should be eating 1896 calories. And 20% is more than you should be doing at your height/weight - you should be at 15% which would be a daily calorie input of 2015 for weight loss. Now if you put in light exercise (which is not what you are doing) then it put you at 1787 calories for a 15% deficit. I think you are either doing something wrong on the calculators or you just don't understand them.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I'm 5'6", 147 and 45 years old, and I'm eating 1880 and losing about 1/2 lb per week At your height and age, you should be eating more than me.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I put that I'm moderately active and the results as I say of 6 calculators are 1700 avg,

    My work out routine

    Monday 45min walk @ 3- 3.5mph swim 45 min general breast stroke
    Tuesday 45 min walk @3- 3.5mph Zumba 45min
    Wednesday 45min walk 3-3.5mph swim 50 min
    Thursday walk 45min
    Friday walk 45 or may have day off
    Saturday or Sunday I swim 45-59 min general breast stroke

    I squat with 15kg 10 sets X 3 reps nearly every night

    Scooby said with moderately active I should eat 2000cal to lose that seems WAY Too high as just last week been a good example, I ate at around 12800 = 1800 a day for the week I went to an all you can eat and reckon I ate maybe 3000 cals any ways this resulted in a 2lb gain!!

    2400 Saturday - swam 50 legnths
    1900 Sunday - walked 8mile around 3hr
    1700 Monday then went to all you can eat so estimated 3000 cals
    1200 Tuesday to compensate - walked 45min and Zumba 45min
    1400 Wednesday- walked 45min swam 60 lengths 1hr
    1200 Thursday walked 45 min swam 30min

    The 2lb was a shock I know I didn't eat 7500cal over maintenance

    So you seem to understand what fast weight gain (or loss too really) can not be (fat), therefore it must be water.
    It really shouldn't be that much of a shock.
    I lost 10 lbs on my last long bike ride in 3 hrs. Big whoop. I know the 8 lb gain by the next morning was same thing, nothing to worry about (unless I didn't get it back).
    So you topped off depleted carb stores in muscles along with attached water by having a big day. Pick a better valid weigh-in day in that case to minimize known and expected water fluctuations.

    Using the spreadsheet I referenced in my last post with those workouts you listed. Having a bodyfat % would help potentially, depending on what past diets did to you and muscle mass.
    All the walking is medium cardio, everything else is high cardio. That squatting at this point is not lifting, not if night after night (I'm guessing actually 3 sets of 10 reps, not what you said, so about 10 min?), it's merely maintenance at this point, not putting a load on your body that requires any improvement, so equal to cardio.

    Mifflin BMR - 1510
    200 min weekly of walking on average.
    280 min swimming and squatting on average. (if swimming is as much effort as walking, meaning that easy, then I put in wrong place in spreadsheet under high cardio).
    Activity factor of 1.63 (which would have been over Very Active in rough TDEE charts).
    TDEE - 2468
    If goal weight is 140 lbs for medium frame (wrist size would help there) - then a 310 deficit is reasonable.
    That works out to be 12.6% deficit right now.
    Total Daily Eating Goal - 2158
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    Thanks for all the help! I'm sorry if I sound stupid lol it just all confuses me, I did try and open the spread sheet but my iPad wouldn't let me think that may be due to flash player?? When I use a subtraction of my TDEE I -500= 3500 over week resulting in a 1lb loss I know some may say it's aggressive with only 19lb to lose. But I'm feeling ill or have no energy from what I'm eating so figured it would be ok,

    As for the 2lb I gained that really put negative thoughts in my head I have read I can eat more off a few people and calculators state it also but after that 2lb it made me think no way I have to eat less, for me I find it really demotivating to see a gain and take it to heart which I know is silly but I can't help it, I was a daily weighed but have took my scales to work and myf rewinds saving them now so I only now weigh on a Friday morning,

    Swimming I will not stop once when doing my lengths it's in a 0.25m pool (think that's right lol) I swim 1 length per minute so not sure if this would be classes as high intensity

    Thanks again for all the help guys.x
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Feeling ill and have no energy from what you eat - so you'll eat less food in general by making a bigger deficit?

    How does that make any logical sense? Are you aware of the impact a deficit has on the body already beyond losing weight?
    If you actually had a higher TDEE then 1lb would be figured to be OK, or at least did some strength training to retain muscle mass.
    Do you have access to a gym or barbells that are actually heavy for you, something you can't do every night with ease?

    Good on scale if you recognize an emotional response overpowers a mental knowledge of what is going on and you can't separate it.
    That bad effect will likely continue to haunt you and make maintenance miserable, as you will likely view it as a single number to maintain, not a range. Best to keep working on that.
    Hopefully Friday morning is still a valid day, otherwise really useless number except when you have 2-3 months worth of data and can see an actual trend through the noise of invalid stats.

    Valid weigh-in. Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.
    With only walking day prior, probably not bad, but just watch the food eaten on that day.

    Swimming intensity is according to you. That could be a hard pace for my inefficient swimming style, it could be a super easy pace for yours. Nothing to do with actually speed, totally to do with how it is for you.
    You ever walked 4 mph? Think about the HR and amount of breathing and how easy or hard it felt.
    Is the swimming easier or harder than that?

    Google sheets does indeed require Flash - or their app on the Apple devices, which I know many people use it with.
    Gotta have a gmail account though which gives you a Google Drive space to have access to their web apps.
  • XLMACX
    XLMACX Posts: 346 Member
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    Sorry I meant to put IM NOT ILL from the amount of food eaten ect lol,

    My weekend is now over and my calories cycling is done so I will resume tomorrow to eating 1500- this means this week will has left me at 11850 (come Friday weigh in) Divided by 7 = just under 1700, I will see what the results are from this and then if I lose more then 1lb look at raising my cals per week start of gradually