What would YOU say I should be eating?

nicolemviolette · October 2014

Ok so here's a little about me. I'm 5'11" tall and im 145 pounds. I work out at least 4/5 times a week, and my job is a stay at home mom.

my current calorie goal is 1300, but i DO NOT want to lose any more weight, i would just like to gain muscle and tone up.

my question is: what would YOU say I should have my calorie goal set at? (I try not to eat back any exercise calories...but i do go over my goal most days.)

SideSteel · October 2014

If I were in your position, I would eat as many calories as I can without gaining weight. And you will need to track accurately and monitor your results in order to determine that calorie level.

oviedojen · October 2014

Ok so here's a little about me. I'm 5'11" tall and im 145 pounds. I work out at least 4/5 times a week, and my job is a stay at home mom.

my current calorie goal is 1300, but i DO NOT want to lose any more weight, i would just like to gain muscle and tone up.

my question is: what would YOU say I should have my calorie goal set at? (I try not to eat back any exercise calories...but i do go over my goal most days.)

I would go high protein and lift heavier weights! I wouldn't worry so much about calories but more about the types of foods and how clean you are eating.

_Terrapin_ · October 2014

If I were you I'd have as much food as possible and often.

itsbasschick · October 2014

1300 daily calories isn't enough for your goal. i'm 5' 3" and have been losing while eating 1200 net calories daily. you're a lot taller, yet on workout days i eat more than you and am losing.

check it out on this TDEE calculator
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
and keep in mind that BMR, which approximating your age i get 1475 calories per day, is what your body needs if you don't move AT ALL - so the equivalent of being in a coma. you need to eat enough more than that for daily walking, washing dishes, taking showers, etc, and then if you want to gain muscle, you need more calories.

even better, you can figure out about how many calories to eat using scooby
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
which would be well over 2000 calories a day to gain clean muscle. and it's not just about how much to eat, it's about what to eat. to fuel workouts and gain muscle, you need plenty of protein and a decent amount of carbs, preferably complex carbs, not sugars from fruits, etc.

diannethegeek · October 2014

If you don't want to lose any more weight then you don't need to be eating at a deficit. If you want to gain muscle mass then you need to be eating at a surplus. I'd use the links above and use your own accurate logs to figure out what your maintenance is. Eat a few hundred more calories than that, including lots of protein.

_Terrapin_ · October 2014

1300 daily calories isn't enough for your goal. i'm 5' 3" and have been losing while eating 1200 net calories daily. you're a lot taller, yet on workout days i eat more than you and am losing.

check it out on this TDEE calculator
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
and keep in mind that BMR, which approximating your age i get 1475 calories per day, is what your body needs if you don't move AT ALL - so the equivalent of being in a coma. you need to eat enough more than that for daily walking, washing dishes, taking showers, etc, and then if you want to gain muscle, you need more calories.

even better, you can figure out about how many calories to eat using scooby
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
which would be well over 2000 calories a day to gain clean muscle. and it's not just about how much to eat, it's about what to eat. to fuel workouts and gain muscle, you need plenty of protein and a decent amount of carbs, preferably complex carbs, not sugars from fruits, etc.

Solid post. Curious, What if she wants dirty muscles? heheheh I crack myself up.

itsbasschick · October 2014

thank you

dirty muscles? this concept boggles my imagination *LOL*

Solid post. Curious, What if she wants dirty muscles? heheheh I crack myself up.

Patttience · October 2014

I agree. Calculate your calories using a TDEE calculator. Protein should be about .34grams per pound of body weight for sedentary life and a bit more if you are active. A lot of people don't eat enough protein.

Sources of protein: beans, lentils, chickpeas, cheese, yoghurt, milk, tofu, nuts and seeds, vegetables - yes even vegetables has protein and of course fish chicken and red meat. But so do bread, pasta and rice but i've left these off the list as you may find it easier to eat more of the other foods and not gain unwanted weight.

amusedmonkey · October 2014

If I were you I would increase my calories 50 calories at a time each week and when I hit a point where I start to ever so slightly inch my way towards weight gain, I would subtract 50 and set that as my calorie goal for good, unless something about my activity level changes.

RaspberryTickleChicken · October 2014

1300 daily calories isn't enough for your goal. i'm 5' 3" and have been losing while eating 1200 net calories daily. you're a lot taller, yet on workout days i eat more than you and am losing.

check it out on this TDEE calculator
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
and keep in mind that BMR, which approximating your age i get 1475 calories per day, is what your body needs if you don't move AT ALL - so the equivalent of being in a coma. you need to eat enough more than that for daily walking, washing dishes, taking showers, etc, and then if you want to gain muscle, you need more calories.

even better, you can figure out about how many calories to eat using scooby
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
which would be well over 2000 calories a day to gain clean muscle. and it's not just about how much to eat, it's about what to eat. to fuel workouts and gain muscle, you need plenty of protein and a decent amount of carbs, preferably complex carbs, not sugars from fruits, etc.

+1

... I wouldn't recommend calories intake to anyone nor should you accept recommendations unless they are a trained dietitian or nutritionist.

Go to the links itsbasschick suggested to get a general idea.

Although I do have to say 1300 calories for 5'11" does seem a little low.

Good luck!

starcollapsing · October 2014

I'm 5'9" and don't work out in the gym but do usually 6+ hours of dance per week and I eat around 2200-2600 per day without gaining weight. 1300 is way too low!

TavistockToad · October 2014

If I were in your position, I would eat as many calories as I can without gaining weight. And you will need to track accurately and monitor your results in order to determine that calorie level.

this

47Jacqueline · October 2014

It doesn't matter what I say - everyone is different. If you have MFP calculate your calories for maintenance, they will give you more than you are eating now. Make sure you indicate the appropriate activity level and don't just put down sedentary or whatever if that's not true. 1300kcal isn't enough to maintain on. It's even too low to be losing at.

I'm 5'3" and very active, so I am supposed to eat almost 2,000kcal/day. I usually show an additional 1,000 or so in exercise. I rarely get to that (my brother thinks I eat all the time); however, I weigh 127 and have been doing weight and cardio classes on a regular basis as well as riding a bike for transportation and fun. Over time, my body has replaced fat with muscle and my clothing size has gone down. I'm a size 6, which is pretty damned good, I think. I wouldn't want to be smaller and below the muscle is bone, so my hips are as small as they'll get. ;-)

Have some fine with your food, now that you are at a weight you want to be at. It's very freeing. I have added the four basic food groups - fat, sugar, salt, bread back because sometimes I just need empty calories to get enough in. lol

5stringjeff · October 2014

Punched in your numbers here:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

At a moderately active level, you should be eating something like 2200 calories a day.

What would YOU say I should be eating?

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