HELP!!!

cameragirl20
cameragirl20 Posts: 9
edited September 24 in Motivation and Support
Hi, everyone my name is Erin I currently weigh 274 and my height is 5'4 I'm really just looking for advice and help. I been reading all kinds of things about exercise and what goes in and what needs to go out but am so confuse. I know to lose a pound I need to burn 3500 calories and my bmr for my weight and height is 1900 calorie based on active exercise 3-5 times a week and 1700 if I work out 3 times a week but I want to know is this right I know cardio is the best fat burning exercise to do but I know I don't normally eat 1900 calories but normally on average 1500 so how much should I be eating if I average exercise 1000 calorie burn per day. I would gladly appreciate any help and advice thanks.

Replies

  • karizmah78
    karizmah78 Posts: 13
    well I try to really fuel up in the morning - so I am not trying to cram calories at the last minute at night! My suggestion to you is to look at other people food diaries and see what they are eating to make their calories count! I love eggs and cheese - so I eat them as often as I can for breakfast and that sets me on my way to getting enough cals for the day!

    the other trouble you seem to be having is the cals burned offset - if you keep track of both your food and excercise - this site will tell you how many cals you need each day!

    Good luck hun!
  • JulieSBrown
    JulieSBrown Posts: 1
    my recommendation is to get with a personal trainer at least for a month so they can help. I am a nationally certified personal trainer; every body is different and responds differently. Continue to read info but remember, general info may not work for YOU :) get with a trainer, tell him/her your biggest concerns and focuses and get on the path to successful fitness :) make sure to ask him/her about your target heart rate so whatever cardio you are doing, you are in YOUR target heart rate for optimal fat burn! good luck chikita!!
  • cameragirl20
    cameragirl20 Posts: 9
    @Karizmah78 Thanks girl I will try to find more calorie dense foods to help me with that the bad thing is I do eat breakfast but I do the special k because I'm not really a breakfast person at all but I will look into that. thank you

    @Julie that's sounds amazing but the only thing is most trainers want money which I don't have much to pay anyone but maybe I can find someone to help me but I will keep reading and like the first few weeks I ate around 1200 to 1500 calories healthy foods and work out burning 1000 calories on average a day and didn't see but less then a pound on the scale lost so yeah but maybe something will come up thanks for the advice to the both of you.
  • mindeemoo25
    mindeemoo25 Posts: 7 Member
    wait, let me see if i understand you. you're eating 1500 calories per day and you're working off 1000 calories per day? 1500-1000=500 calorie intake/day. target intake/day is at LEAST 1200 calories. so, you're in starvation mode. when this happens, your body starts holding on to all the calories and fat. you're supposed to eat back most (or all) of your exercise calories. it sounds crazy but it works because when you exercise, you need to minus the calories you burned by your daily intake. you'll see results a lot faster if you do this. good luck, girl :)
  • cameragirl20
    cameragirl20 Posts: 9
    @mindeemoo25 thanks for the reply yes that's correct that's why I been so confuse lately but what you said makes sense thanks :)
  • MysticMaiden22
    MysticMaiden22 Posts: 324 Member
    Here's some advice:

    Stop following BMR. It's known as the Basal Metabolic Rate, which means it's the number of calories you burn if you stay in bed all day. Obviously, you're not an invalid so you do get up every day.

    Now, if you take your height and weight into consideration along with age, this is what I found on a calorie calculator.

    Age: 21
    Height: 5'4"
    Weight: 274
    Gender: Female

    Calories needed per day to maintain weight: 2,807

    So, 2,807 is how many calories your body needs to maintain your weight of 274. Now, in order to lose weight, you stated you already understood that you need to cut 3,500 calories to lose a pound. Now I'm doing some math to give you some figures.

    In order to lose 1 pound per week, you need to cut out 500 calories a day. You'll need to eat a NET calorie intake of 2,307 calories.

    In order to lose 1.5 pounds per week, you need to cut out 750 calories per day. You'll need to eat a NET calorie intake of 2,057 calories.

    In order to lose 2 pounds per week, you need to cut out 1,000 calories per day. You'll need to eat a NET calorie intake of 1,807 calories.

    These are all healthy amounts to lose. MFP should be giving you close to these amounts depending on how much you want to lose.

    When I speak of net calorie intake, that means the amount of calories you have left for the day after exercise. It is very important to eat back most of your exercise calories. Exercise is not just for burning calories, but it's meant for toning your body, regulating blood pressure, strengthening your lungs, and removing toxins from your body. Reading your previous posts about eating 1,500 calories a day and burning off 1,000 kind of scared me since that can send your body into starvation mode. I've heard of people doing this and see testimonials from others on this site of the damage that it can do to your body. Not only does it slow down your metabolism, it can ruin your immune system (you'll get colds and infections easily), and your hair can fall out amongst other health issues. And when you try to increase your calorie intake to maintain, you'll easily start gaining weight right back.

    I'm in the middle of working out my own plan, but this is what I'm basing my current diet/exercise plan off of. It worked for quite a while until I got lazy (believe me, we all do...it's only human nature), but I'm getting back on the horse. I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you on your journey. Good luck!
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