Im so lost, Need some help.

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kristinhull1
kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All. I am on 2 different weight loss sites because I am so confused. I just started using this one about 5 mins ago. My names Kristin. I am 23 years old, I am 4'11 and weigh 184lbs. I just started my journey 13 days ago when someone sent me a link to do a 90 day bikini body mommy challenge. I got so excited I had to try. I am a stay at home Mother to a almost 2 year old little boy. Everyone knows how hard that job can be. But when I check my BMR it gives me 1500 cals. I know BMR means how many calories you burn a day just living. I started using LIVESTRONG.com first. When I sign in for the day it goes from 1750 down everytime I eat. I always have calorie remaining at the end of the day. I am so confused about how many calories I should be eating and burning a day. I workout 6 days a week. Some of my workouts are between 8-45 mins a day. Usually 8 mins for 3 days, 45 for 2 and a rest day. My calories flactuate everyday. But I always have positive calories remaining. Someone said I should be at zero at the end of the day. But that makes no sense. If I eat all 1750 cals and burn 100-400 cals a day working out plus doing my everyday routine, Shouldnt eating 1750 cals maintain my weight. Shouldnt I be eating less then 1750 to lose weight and burn 100-400 cals with my workouts. I am so lost. Please someone dumb this answer down like 500 notches. Cause im so confused and I think im doing this all wrong. I have been working out for 13 days and on day 9 I went from 183lbs to 184lbs.

So my questions I need answered are

How many cals should I eat if my LIVESTRONG app says I should eat 1750 every morning when I sign on?

How many cals should I burn a day if I have to eat that 1740 a day?

Right now on my LIVESTRONG I have 786 cals consumed and 354 burned. It says I have 1300 calories left. Im so lost. Should that number be 0 if I want to lose weight?

Someone help =)

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    You're confusing BMR with TDEE, which is everything you burn...your BMR, exercise, and everyday tasks/work. That is the number you need to be below in order to lose weight.

    What goal does MFP give you? I don't know if Livestrong works off TDEE or NEAT (which is the method MFP uses where you eat back your exercise calories), but I would stick with 1750 for a couple more weeks, then adjust if you aren't losing. And make sure you're accurately measuring everything you eat with a food scale.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    When I do my bmr on a calculator it says 1500. I just dont understand how many cals to eat and how many I should burn exersicing.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    MFP says my bmr is 1,491 cals a day.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I put your numbers in a TDEE calculator here...BMR 1497, TDEE based on 1-3 hours of exercise per week is 2059. To lose weight, you would eat at a 20% deficit of your TDEE, which comes to 1647. 1650-1700 sounds like a good range for you.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    MFP doesn't give you BMR, it gives you the number of calories you should eat to reach your goal. So you put in your stats and how much weight you want to lose per week and MFP tells you how many calories to eat to get there. At your weight, 2 lbs per week is probably too fast, you should choose 1 lb or 1/2 lb per week.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    So 1600 cals is good. Its okay to have cals remaining instead of 0 or negative numbers?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    You'll want to hit as close to your goal as possible. Assuming you go with MFP, that means eating your exercise calories back. But many of the estimates in the database are inaccurate, so generally go with 1600 plus about 50% of exercise calories.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    Got it. So if I burned 354. I take 354 and divide it by 2. Which gives me 176. Which means I should eat 1776 today?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Pretty much, your new goal will be 1954 calories. And it doesn't have to be exact; you can work with the exercise calories too to figure out what works the best. Some people eat them all back, some people eat none because they don't lose with them.
  • tryagain32
    tryagain32 Posts: 2
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    Could someone explain what all of these initials mean? I have been on my fitness pal for about a week and it appears that I am initial-challenged.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    Here are some good posts to read that will give you lots of info. Some of the advise is based on the assumption that you are logging your calories and activities here on MFP, not Livingstrong site but you can still get the gist of it.

    Calculating your BMR, TDEE and daily calories:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1


    Logging Accurately:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1



  • covens04
    covens04 Posts: 76 Member
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    I will tell you what I do, which is purely log calories and don't eat back or log my workout calories. For you, I probably wouldn't go under 1400-1600 cals. I would also try to keep your macronutrients (prot, carbs, and fat) at a 40/40/20 ratio.

    What type of workouts are you doing? Did you take before pictures? Did you take measurements? Let me know if I can be of more help or message me. Keep us updated and good luck!
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    Im gonna stay in the 1600 cals range from now on. Ive eaten 1305 so far and have 781 left on my LIVESTRONG and 354 Burned. IM not gonna eat the 781 cals. Just gonna eat 1600 today. My workouts go like this Monday is a fittest test. I do 1 min each of jump squats, speed squats, tricep dips, burpees, push ups, Alternating lunges and a plank, Theres one other one. Cant really remember what it is. But its a 8 min workout. The next day I do the same 8 workouts but 20 reps 3 different times. Next day is cardio for 20-45 mins. I usually dont make it the full 45. But I walk with my Son in the stroller, climb up and down 4 stairs, Or do a 20 minute high cardio challeneg doing irish jigs, figure 8's, jumping jacks, jumping rope. 1 min each twice. 4th day is back to the first day workout. 8 workouts for 1 minute. Day 4 is 40 reps of push ups, 60 seconds worth of high knees, 40 alternating lunges, 40 tricep dips, 40 squat jumps, 60 second plank. Then day 5 is doing that 1st day challenge but 20 reps 3 times in a row. Then day 6 is cardio day again, dancing, zumba, a HIIT workout. Then day 7 is rest day.
  • aSaltandBattery
    aSaltandBattery Posts: 82 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    I put your numbers in a TDEE calculator here...BMR 1497, TDEE based on 1-3 hours of exercise per week is 2059. To lose weight, you would eat at a 20% deficit of your TDEE, which comes to 1647. 1650-1700 sounds like a good range for you.

    I'm literally the same height and weight as you and this is what I found when I looked up my TDEE. I use the 1200 calorie goal and I eat back my exercise calories. If I go over by 100 or so I don't beat myself up because 1200 is quite low. I have also been losing consistently since I started at the end of August. I have PCOS and find that eating around 1600 causes the weight loss to become stagnant or very slow - this could definitely be different for you plus I find eating 1200 to be hard so maybe trying out 1400 - 1600 a day would be helpful and just see where it leads then adjustments can be made :)
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
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    Thank you so much
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
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    tryagain32 wrote: »
    Could someone explain what all of these initials mean? I have been on my fitness pal for about a week and it appears that I am initial-challenged.

    No problem! There's a lot of acronyms floaring around MyFitnessPal.

    BMR means "Basal Metabolic Rate". This number represents the number of calories you would burn just by living, excluding any physical activity. Your BMR number is the amount of calories you could eat in a day while laying in bed, only living, and not lose or gain any weight. Because BMR does not take in to effect your daily activity or exercise, it's generally recommended to use your BMR only as a starting point to determine your calorie intake.

    TDEE means "Total Daily Energy Expendture". This number indicates how many calories you burn each day including your normal physical activity and exercise. To lose maintain, eat your TDEE and stay at that general activity level. To gain or lose, you can add or subtract a percentage, generally 20% or less either direction. This is a more convenient number to use to determine intake for many people, because you can have a stable amount of calories each day, and activity is already accounted for. The catch is you need to maintain the activity level used to calculate your numbers, or you may start maintaining/regaining.

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    edited October 2014
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    Looks like the forum disappeared another post which I had responded to, so I will add it here
    kristinhull1 wrote: »
    HI all. You probably seen me on here before. Im still totally confused about calorie tracking. I am 23 years old 4'11 and 184lbs. I workout 8-45 mins a day for 6 days and 1 rest day, im also a stay at home Mom/Wife. I understand that 3500 cals eaten over gains a lb or 3500 calories under mean you lose a lb. I calculated the numbers of calories I have consumed in 6 day and the number I have burned just working out. Heres my numbers



    Calories consumed for 6 days

    11185 cals consumed in 6 days.



    Calories burned by exercising 6 days
    1403 calories burned in 6 days from exercise.

    My BMR is supposebly 2000. So wouldnt I take the 2000x7+1403 which equals 15403 to see how many cals I lost in 6 days. Then 15403/3500 because 3500 equals a lb and get 4.4.............and a whole bunch of numbers. Meaning I lost 4 lbs this week. Need calculations Lost yet again.

    Hmm yeah there was an excellent post on finding out your TDEE based on numbers logged and actual weight lost in a month. I'll find and link it for you

    As explained above, BMR is not directly the # you want to lose. BMR is the number of calories it would take to fuel your body if all you did was lay in bed all day. As explained what you want is your maintenance calories, which you could get from MFP by plugging in your stats and changing to "maintain my current weight". I did that, and the number I got was 1870 - assuming sedentary outside of intentional exercise

    So, 1870 * 6 is 11220 cals just going about your day. 11220 + 1403 exercise cals = 12,623 total calories burned

    Your deficit over six days is 12623 cals burned - 11185 cals eaten = 1438. Over six days you have created a deficit equal to

    1438/3500 = 0.41 lbs of fat

    So some issues with your calculations:

    You're mixing 6 days and 7 days. Days do not just disappear :P

    BMR vs. maintenance calories - I realize this may just have been a terminology thing for you

    You're expending calories but you're also eating them. You can't just divide your calories expended by 7 and be all, yay! Here's the lbs I've lost. If you're like me you've eaten A BUNCH of calories and must account for them!

    As stated MFP calculator does all this for you but I like dinking with and understanding the numbers too, so I'll be happy to clarify further if you want!

    Omg, the calculate your TDEE link is broken too now. And it gives me the error in Spanish!!!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/it/topics/show/1141259-what-is-your-actual-tdee?page=1

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