How many calories should I really be eating?

Chalktawmom · January 2011

So, I am on week 3 of exercise and week 2 of mfp (I think) and have not lost a pound. I'm truly not used to this calorie thing at all but learning quickly. I have done Atkins with much success in the past and of course gained every bit back with pregnancies.

My question is:

How many calories should I really be taking in to lose? Is the standard 1200 for women a safer bet then using my BMR of 1540? Because I can make either one work if it means I'm going to see some results? And if am under do I want to eat something else to make it higher or just my deficit alone? Also, What should my protein, fat and carbs ratio be ideally? I keep thinking the more protein the better? Wrong?

All it takes for me to stay motivated is a pound or two...geesh! Whats a girl gotta do?

Thanks!

reddcat · January 2011

I feel your pain. I have been at this thing since Jan 1. Lost six pounds the first week....not squat since. Keep reading blogs about upping the calories from 1200 to a higher amount. How do you know??? I am tagging on yours hoping someone will help us both!

eating4balance · January 2011

First off, I see the best results eating 1200 calories a day. In my opinion, your BMR is more of a maintenance number.
As for ratios, I try to follow the zone diet ratios of 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates. I believe that there is a thing as too much fat and a thing as too much carbohydrates, but rarely have I heard of someone gaining weight (fat, not muscle) from too much protein.

Good luck on your journey, and I hope you see results soon!

P.S. Check out how you portion out your meals as well, I aim for 200 calories for breakfast, 300 calories for lunch, 200 calories for snack (at about 3-4 pm), 300 calories for supper and 200 calories for a snack (at least 2 hours after supper). Going hungry can also lead to a reverse in weight loss so try to eat at least every four hours.

TiniTurtle · January 2011

you want to eat under your BMR to lose weight & i'm a little surprised you haven't lose anything in the past 3 weeks just from changing your habits & starting to exercise. MFP suggests you eat more if you're under the 1200 so you're not under your minimum intake, but there are going to be days that you are over the ideal 1200 calories, so i figure it evens out on the days you're less hungry or managed to exercise more & starvation mode doesn't happen from a few days of having low calories, that takes consistency & time. lean proteins are good if you're exercising & it takes more effort for your body to digest them. i almost daily go over the amount of protein MFP suggests. i suggest increasing your fiber (20-30g of fiber ideally for digestive health) & making sure you get at least 8 cups of water a day & give it another 2 weeks to see if you've lost any.

) good luck!

ps- i used to do atkins in college for a quick weight fix when i had events coming up or if i was starting to sneak on that freshman 15, but i never tried going past stage 1 & making it a lifestyle, i like my carbs too much & i always kept the weight off for a while.

Lisamarie7574 · January 2011

Okay, let me say this:

When I first joined MFP five days ago, and plugged in all my info, the site gave me 1220 calories a day. I tried it for two days, and was going OUT OF MY MIND. A pigeon could subsist on that amount of calories. NOT ME, I was a starvin' marvin to the point where my hunger was so distracting that I was ready to throw it all away at the end of those two days and say "screw it". However, I found out that by either exercising more (I was already doing four days a week - how can a mom with small kids fit more, right?) or decreasing the amount per week I wanted to lose (which is what I did), I was able to increase my calorie allowance per day. I would start maybe by increasing the amount per week that you want to lose and decrease your calorie intake, but I wouldn't make a crazy jump in calories right away - I feel like that's a recipe for disappointment cuz you might find you're so hungry you can't think! At least that was my issue.....hmmmmm, am I helping here? Or just venting about my own woes? SORRY!

Brennabean · January 2011

how much you eat and WHAT you eat really depends on your lifestyle too... i am VERY active so I do a high protein diet... Now with that being said i think its a defecit of 500 calories a day from the original way you were eating before the diet to lose one pound of fat a week so a defecit of 3500 cal a week.. i usually do around 1200-1400 cal a day.. it says i need more but honestly im fine with what im doing ive found what works for me.. but then again i guess my multi vitamins and fish oils etc help with that. lol if you really want 100 percent acurate advice for what YOU need to do you should talk to a nutrionist because everyones lives, schedules, activities, and BODIES are different and react differently to things.

sophiajackson99 · January 2011

I would play with the numbers and see what happens. I shoot for 1300 and usually end up between 12-1300 each day. Sometimes as high as 14-1500 when I'm hungrier. My goals are to drop the weight slowly and to never go to bed hungry. If losing weight is about deprivation and being starved, then I am going to be content at the weight I am for the rest of my life. If I only lose a half pound a week, I'm good with that.

You also mentioned that you just started working out. It reminded me of something I read recently that I wish someone had told me a looooong time ago. When you first start working out, your muscles hold extra water - a pound or two! I have always noticed that when I start working out, the scale does go up.

I know it's hard not to see that "reinforcement" that we want to on the scale, but if you're doing the right stuff, then trust the process. Your body will respond.

Chalktawmom · January 2011

Thanks everybody!!!

How many calories should I really be eating?

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