Need help to figure out howm many calories to take in

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redsonaroll35
redsonaroll35 Posts: 2
in Success Stories
Hi,
I'm female weighing around 167 and would like to be at 135 and I'm 5'6. I'm having a hard time figuring this calorie thing out. My goal is to lose 2 pounds a week and will work out 6 days a week. A combination of running, walking, elliptical and weight training 3 days a week. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Good luck to all of you in your journey! :)

Replies

  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    You aren't that heavy and don't have that much to lose so 2 lb a week is way too aggressive and will lead to frustration and serious hunger. Don't do it. I tried it in the past and just gained it all back. Why not do it more slowly and learn some good eating habits? I started at 165 and am now at 147, losing around 1/2 lb a week (stalled right now at 147, but I'm close to my goal). I'm glad I did it this way as I know it'll be sustainable for life.

    Here's a few things to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    And check out the Scooby Workshop calculator to figure out your TDEE and don't eat below TDEE-15%!
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • KMasz
    KMasz Posts: 2,670 Member
    Options
    You aren't that heavy and don't have that much to lose so 2 lb a week is way too aggressive and will lead to frustration and serious hunger. Don't do it. I tried it in the past and just gained it all back. Why not do it more slowly and learn some good eating habits? I started at 165 and am now at 147, losing around 1/2 lb a week (stalled right now at 147, but I'm close to my goal). I'm glad I did it this way as I know it'll be sustainable for life.

    Here's a few things to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    And check out the Scooby Workshop calculator to figure out your TDEE and don't eat below TDEE-15%!
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    /thread
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    Options
    You could put your goals into this calculator and let it "calculate" all of this for you...it's kind of what this tool does.

    2 Lbs per week is probably a little aggressive for how much you have to lose...I would shoot for more like 1 - 1.5 lbs. The exercise goals you put into MFP are just for you and have no bearing on your calorie goal that MFP gives you. You're supposed to set up your activity level as per your day to day stuff WITHOUT exercise. You then account for exercise activity after the fact and get those calories to "eat back" (adjusted for estimation error of course).

    Conversely, you can do as suggested and follow the TDEE method where you would account for exercise activity up front...but really, if you're doing them correctly, both methods are about 6 of 1 in terms of what your intake would be. People who exercise consistently tend to gravitate to the TDEE method where as people who are new to fitness and a bit inconsistent do better with the MFP method generally speaking.
  • kimnsc
    kimnsc Posts: 560 Member
    Options
    You aren't that heavy and don't have that much to lose so 2 lb a week is way too aggressive and will lead to frustration and serious hunger. Don't do it. I tried it in the past and just gained it all back. Why not do it more slowly and learn some good eating habits? I started at 165 and am now at 147, losing around 1/2 lb a week (stalled right now at 147, but I'm close to my goal). I'm glad I did it this way as I know it'll be sustainable for life.

    Here's a few things to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    And check out the Scooby Workshop calculator to figure out your TDEE and don't eat below TDEE-15%!
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Thank you for sharing the link to the Scooby Workshop! It's the best one I've ever seen on this site!
  • redsonaroll35
    redsonaroll35 Posts: 2
    Options
    Thanks for the feedback!
  • anglergirl3
    anglergirl3 Posts: 113 Member
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    Thank you for the advice.

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