Weight loss and calories?

NoahGoldstraw
NoahGoldstraw Posts: 11
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm male 18 I'm 5ft 6in and around 128 pounds. I know this isn't much but I still have belly/love handle fat I need to get rid of I exercise 4 times a week. How many calories should I eat on exercise days and how many on my lazy days to lose weight and how many to maintain please help I have no idea how much I need to be eating!

Replies

  • ruffnstuff
    ruffnstuff Posts: 400 Member
    edited November 2014
    First, are you 18 (as this post states) or 19 (as your bio states)? Me thinks it's neither....and less than both. Anyhow, you are already in a weight category that would make me think NO to losing any more. If you are concerned with body composition, then hit the weights, boy. If you are (as I suspect) pretty young, than you are still maturing, growing, and shedding your pre-puberty fat.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    If I were you, I would focus on building muscle rather than losing fat right now. Use a calculator such as the one at IIFYM to determine your TDEE and then eat above it while lifting heavy weights to build muscle. One of the results on there gives you a suggested bulking about. Actually, it gives you three different bulking amounts. I will leave it to another poster to suggestion which might be better as that is getting outside of my realm of knowledge.
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,440 Member
    Agreed with above. Eat more, and lift more. It will help.
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
    If you are of age (at least 18) this is tricky because your BMR is roughly 1,543 calories. That means if you eat around 1543 calories per day you will maintain your current weight. In theory if you cut your calories to 1293 per day you would lose 1/2lb per week however most sites recommend men do not go below 1500 calories. As "ruffnstuff" said it is likely your body is still growing/adjusting and some fat is common. Maybe instead of focusing on losing weight focus on maintaining your weight while working out to change the composition of your body. A mixture of cardio and strength training/weights may give you the results you are looking for. Do you work out currently?
  • NoahGoldstraw
    NoahGoldstraw Posts: 11
    I genuinely am 18 but when I made a myfitnesspal account I was 17 and had to be 18 to join that's why it's a year above. At the moment I do cardio twice a week and weights twice a week I just don't want to undereat I've made the mistake of doing that before because I'm bad at working out calorie amount I should eat to lose/maintain so any insight to calories I should to to maintain and also lose would be a big help in the right dorecti
  • ruffnstuff
    ruffnstuff Posts: 400 Member
    mommyrunning wrote: »
    If you are of age (at least 18) this is tricky because your BMR is roughly 1,543 calories. That means if you eat around 1543 calories per day you will maintain your current weight. In theory if you cut your calories to 1293 per day you would lose 1/2lb per week however most sites recommend men do not go below 1500 calories. As "ruffnstuff" said it is likely your body is still growing/adjusting and some fat is common. Maybe instead of focusing on losing weight focus on maintaining your weight while working out to change the composition of your body. A mixture of cardio and strength training/weights may give you the results you are looking for. Do you work out currently?

    You are misunderstanding BMR, mommy. BMR is what your body needs to function in a coma, basically, NOT the calories needed to maintain weight. OP - please do NOT xtart eating under your BMR. Your TDEE is what you need to calculate your maintenance calories. An above poster gave you a link to IIFYM, which is one site that can calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditures; you put in your average weekly exercise so it already takes that into account). Google other sites to calculate your TDEE and this will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. You do NOT need to lose weight. You are an 18 yr old male who weight 128 lbs!
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
    ruffnstuff wrote: »
    mommyrunning wrote: »
    If you are of age (at least 18) this is tricky because your BMR is roughly 1,543 calories. That means if you eat around 1543 calories per day you will maintain your current weight. In theory if you cut your calories to 1293 per day you would lose 1/2lb per week however most sites recommend men do not go below 1500 calories. As "ruffnstuff" said it is likely your body is still growing/adjusting and some fat is common. Maybe instead of focusing on losing weight focus on maintaining your weight while working out to change the composition of your body. A mixture of cardio and strength training/weights may give you the results you are looking for. Do you work out currently?

    You are misunderstanding BMR, mommy. BMR is what your body needs to function in a coma, basically, NOT the calories needed to maintain weight. OP - please do NOT xtart eating under your BMR. Your TDEE is what you need to calculate your maintenance calories. An above poster gave you a link to IIFYM, which is one site that can calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditures; you put in your average weekly exercise so it already takes that into account). Google other sites to calculate your TDEE and this will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. You do NOT need to lose weight. You are an 18 yr old male who weight 128 lbs!

    Thanks for clarifying. I was trying to keep it simple using BMR #'s but didn't properly explain.
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