How many calories should I burn a day?

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ashleydanaila
ashleydanaila Posts: 6
edited January 2015 in Getting Started
Ok, I need help here :)

I need to loose 20lbs. I am 4' 11" and weight 120. I am also breastfeeding so i don't really want to cut calories. I would say I want to eat at least 2000 cals a day. How many calories a day should i burn to still loose 1lb a week? I of course can try and fit in a 30 min workout somewhere in there also to reach the calories burned but I am constantly running around the house too. To maintain my weight at my height, I need 1600 cals a day. it's tough being short :(

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  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    You're asking a question that can't really be answered. But from what you say, if you maintain at 1600 you would have to eat less that that to lose.
  • BL_Coleman
    BL_Coleman Posts: 324 Member
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    I would say about 1800 , although they say you burn 400+ calories BF, honestly I'm currently BF and not so sure about that. I try and keep my calories at about 1650, but I am actively trying to lose weight. I am 5/'2. My BMR is at 1450, to maintain I need to be at 1800 so I should lose some weight at 1650.
  • BoxingChick
    BoxingChick Posts: 124 Member
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    3500 calories is equal to 1 pound. Remember you burn extra while breastfeeding and making sure baby is getting nutrients is more important right now than losing weight. If you eat healthy nutrient rich foods and breastfeed you will probably naturally lose some of the baby weight.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    OK, so you will be cutting calories by not eating them or burning them through exercise. Either way you won't have the caloric values that would have if you didn't eat either. Are you trying to lose weight or maintain? Your post is kind of confusing on what is your overall goals. Generally (and this is debatable) you would need to burn about 3500 calories a week than you take in to lose one pound. If you say your maintenance is 1600 a day, you would need to eat about 7,700 calories a week to ensure you lose that one pound. However, if you exercise, you can add in calories in relation to the calories burned. Everyone is different, it's a lot of trial and error.
  • Starsdescendslow
    Starsdescendslow Posts: 2 Member
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    Generally, you would have to eat about 500 less calories than what it takes for you to maintain. so around 1100, but most experts will tell you not to eat below 1200. you can cut that 500 through food or exercise, ex. burn 250 and eat 250 less calories. Now I have never breastfed, but I am pretty sure your body burns extra calories while doing that so you probably would be alright at least eating 1600 calories. I just read it can help you burn an extra 300-500 calories a day.
  • ashleydanaila
    ashleydanaila Posts: 6
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    Thank you all. Sorry if that was confusing. I only want to lose the weight by burning, not cutting calories! So i would like to allow myself to eat 2000 a day.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    In which case you'd need to figure out how to burn an additional 900 calories on top of your current maintenance.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    900-1000 calories is a lot to burn off - I work out an hour minimum a day, I also do a lot of walking and the most I clock up according to Fitbit is 750 cals burned per day. I'm 5ft 2", currently maintaining eating a total of 2000-2200 cals.
    I'm glad you're not thinking about cutting your calories too much when breast feeding. The main thing is to get some sort of activity in daily, even a good walk and you'll be burning calories :)
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,070 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'm short, too, (5') so I can relate. Eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and see if you gain or lose. Adjust from there.

    A slow loss is best. If you lose just a bit (1-2 lbs.) on maintenance, keep it at that calorie level. If you lose more than that, add about 100 calories to your allowance. Try that for 2 weeks, etc.

    If you gain, do the opposite of the above (lower by 100 calories...) or increase exercise.

    Good luck!
  • ashleydanaila
    ashleydanaila Posts: 6
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    Thank you ladies!
  • ashleydanaila
    ashleydanaila Posts: 6
    edited January 2015
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    RunRutheeRun: Help with this and tell me why my fitbit already says i've burned 1,041 calories today and I haven't exerciser. I must be reading it wrong :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    edited January 2015
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    It depends on how much you're breastfeeding as that alone burns calories. I've also heard the range of 300-500.

    Let's do the math. If you maintain at 1600, you'll need to reduce to 1350 in order to lose 1/2 a pound per week (a perfect rate for someone with less to lose like OP). You want to eat 2000 calories per day so that means you have to burn 650 calories to get your net intake down to 1350. Let's say 400 of those calories are already burned with the breastfeeding, which leaves you with only 250 left to burn with exercise.

    ETA: you may want to talk to your pediatriciton or lactation consultant (or whatever they're called) before cutting calories to make sure you're getting enough for milk supply.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    ashleydanaila wrote: »
    Ok, I need help here :)

    To maintain my weight at my height, I need 1600 cals a day. it's tough being short :(

    Did you get that number from an online calculator or is that based on experience? If you used an online calculator, did you include (did it allow you to include) the information that you're breast-feeding? If it's based on experience, was that maintenance from before you were pregnant? Or now, since you gave birth? (A number based on experience and accurate tracking and logging is superior to an estimate from an online calculator.) If the 1600 is from before you were pregnant (and possibly weighed a little less than you do now??), then 2000 should roughly be maintenance now while you're breast-feeding (assuming your child is exclusively breast-feeding), and you'll need to burn about 500 additional calories from exercise (above whatever you were burning at the time you were maintaining on 1600) a day.

    But if your goal of eating 2000 a day and achieving your calorie deficit through extra exercise is so that you'll be able to breast-feed, you should realize your body may not respond any differently to a deficit created through extra exercise than it would respond to one created by reduced intake -- it's still a deficit, and if your body can't metabolize stored fat fast enough to keep up with the deficit, it may stop putting energy into producing milk.

    You might want to try a more modest deficit (e.g., 200 calories a day) and see how your body responds.

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    edited January 2015
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    ashleydanaila wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun: Help with this and tell me why my fitbit already says i've burned 1,041 calories today and I haven't exerciser. I must be reading it wrong :)

    That 1041 includes your maintenance calories as well. So if you want to eat 2000 cals/day and lose 1 lb/week you will have to burn 2500 cal/day. You get 300-500 for breastfeeding, so your fitbit should show a burn of 2000-2200 in order for you to get you to 2500 total in order to lose your goal amount of weight each week.

    If you set a goal of 0.5lbs/week you could aim for 250 less cals burned/day which would put you at 1750-1950 burned according to your fitbit, or 300 cals from exercise (assuming your maintenance is 1600 without exercise)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    ashleydanaila wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun: Help with this and tell me why my fitbit already says i've burned 1,041 calories today and I haven't exerciser. I must be reading it wrong :)

    That 1041 includes your maintenance calories as well. So if you want to eat 2000 cals/day and lose 1 lb/week you will have to burn 2500 cal/day. You get 300-500 for breastfeeding, so your fitbit should show a burn of 2000-2200 in order for you to get you to 2500 total in order to lose your goal amount of weight each week.
    ^^ thanks for answering :) also FYI there is a fitbit group on here you could join which answers any questions you might have.
  • ashleydanaila
    ashleydanaila Posts: 6
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    Thank you all so much for help, I understand it all now!

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