How many calories should I be eating to lose weight? (Very desperate to know)

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Jenna6734
Jenna6734 Posts: 13
edited March 2015 in Getting Started
I'm 19 4'11 115 pounds ( i just want to lose like 5 pounds)

My bmr is 1335 And I want to burn 500 calories from running

I don't get it though, If i burn 500, my daily calorie intake would be 800 calories a day.

Thank you if you help


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Replies

  • NaughtyNibbling
    NaughtyNibbling Posts: 11 Member
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    then just stick with that? or eat back half of your burn?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Read this thread: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    do not eat under 1200 cals a day. please dont listen to anyone that would say otherwise. u risk losing muscle and lacking in serious nutrients. being quite small already set ur calorie goal to 1200 and try and maybe workout 20-30 min per day? that will help! it will probably take u some time to lose 5lb since ur already at a healthy weight. be patient u will get there! good luck
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    also if ur hungry eat back half ur exercise calories. aiming for a 500 calorie burn per day is a bit extreme if ur just starting out
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
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    Agree with Jen - don't go under 1200 cals a day, especially if you are running every day.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Why are you desperate about losing five pounds? Relax and take your time. Eat enough.
  • Jenna6734
    Jenna6734 Posts: 13
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Why are you desperate about losing five pounds? Relax and take your time. Eat enough.




    I'm desperate to know how much I need to eat because I spent two hours trying to know thanks
  • Jenna6734
    Jenna6734 Posts: 13
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    Thanks you guys for replying
  • madeleineld
    madeleineld Posts: 75 Member
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    If you're burning 500 calories from running, that would be +500 to your total, NOT -500. You will probably lose at 1300 or 1400 calories.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
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    jenncornelsen wrote: »
    do not eat under 1200 cals a day. please dont listen to anyone that would say otherwise. u risk losing muscle and lacking in serious nutrients. being quite small already set ur calorie goal to 1200 and try and maybe workout 20-30 min per day? that will help! it will probably take u some time to lose 5lb since ur already at a healthy weight. be patient u will get there! good luck

    OP is 4'11 ...
  • Jenna6734
    Jenna6734 Posts: 13
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    madeleineld wrote: »
    If you're burning 500 calories from running, that would be +500 to your total, NOT -500. You will probably lose at 1300 or 1400 calories.

    So 1300 plus 500?

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Here's the thing. Take the recommended calories a day and check how you do in a week. If you maintained or lost a little, you are eating enough. If you gained, adjust the calories downward a little (I'd say 50 calories a day adjustment) because you are so tiny to begin with.
  • Jenna6734
    Jenna6734 Posts: 13
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Here's the thing. Take the recommended calories a day and check how you do in a week. If you maintained or lost a little, you are eating enough. If you gained, adjust the calories downward a little (I'd say 50 calories a day adjustment) because you are so tiny to begin with.



    Okay I'm small but Im a little big so that's why I wanna lose some pounds

  • MsBeverleyH
    MsBeverleyH Posts: 99 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I wrote this long thing then realised I had a mistake in the math but I can't delete this post, soooo just ignore this for now.
  • MsBeverleyH
    MsBeverleyH Posts: 99 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Let's see if this makes more sense...
    • Your BMR is 1335 calories (actually it's 1343, but close enough). [Your BMR "Basic Metabolic Rate" is the minimum amount of calories you need per day to weigh the same, assuming you just laid in bed all day and did nothing.]
    • If you lived a sedentary lifestyle (getting out of bed but then mostly sitting at a desk all day), then it would be 1444 calories per day. Calculator I used is here: http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/calorie-maintenance-calculator-daily-calorie-requirements/ It’s a gray box near the end of the page.
    • To lose weight, you should be reducing your calories by about 20%. So of those 1444 calories, 20% is 288.8 calories reduced per day, bringing you to only 1155.2 calories. But you need to eat 1200 calories per day to survive, SO:

    You have two realistic options:
    1. Option A: if you're not exercising one day, eat the 1200 calories. Since 1200 is a lower number than 1444 (the amount of calories needed to stay the same weight), you will gradually lose weight eating this amount. [This is a deficit of 244 calories per day.]
    2. Option B: exercise (such as the running that you're doing) so that you now have those "bonus" calories to play with. So, if you're burning 500 calories running one day: 1155.2 calories (the 20% reduced to lose weight) + 500 calories (from exercise) = up to 1655.2 calories that you could eat that day. You can just eat 1200 of those calories (the amount really recommended for proper survival), leaving 455 leftover at the end. Those 455 calories are the deficit that your body needs to lose weight. You would theoretically lose weight faster than Option A, while still having enough calories needed to function properly. You can even eat some/all of those 455 bonus calories some days, and still lose weight (though not as quickly).

    ...I hope that makes sense?
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    OP is 4'11 ...
    yes she is short. for someone taller i would recommend more. she can burn extra by working out and choosing to not eat back those calories. to go too low can mean ur metabolism will become used to such a low number, and she will have trouble later on eating a 'normal' amount. would u recommend something else? if people have other ideas im always interested in hearing them

  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    msbeverlyh thanks i also found that very informative!
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
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    MsBeverleyH wrote: »
    Let's see if this makes more sense...
    • Your BMR is 1335 calories (actually it's 1343, but close enough). [Your BMR "Basic Metabolic Rate" is the minimum amount of calories you need per day to weigh the same, assuming you just laid in bed all day and did nothing.]
    • If you lived a sedentary lifestyle (getting out of bed but then mostly sitting at a desk all day), then it would be 1444 calories per day. Calculator I used is here: http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/calorie-maintenance-calculator-daily-calorie-requirements/ It’s a gray box near the end of the page.
    • To lose weight, you should be reducing your calories by about 20%. So of those 1444 calories, 20% is 288.8 calories reduced per day, bringing you to only 1155.2 calories. But you need to eat 1200 calories per day to survive, SO:

    You have two realistic options:
    1. Option A: if you're not exercising one day, eat the 1200 calories. Since 1200 is a lower number than 1444 (the amount of calories needed to stay the same weight), you will gradually lose weight eating this amount. [This is a deficit of 244 calories per day.]
    2. Option B: exercise (such as the running that you're doing) so that you now have those "bonus" calories to play with. So, if you're burning 500 calories running one day: 1155.2 calories (the 20% reduced to lose weight) + 500 calories (from exercise) = up to 1655.2 calories that you could eat that day. You can just eat 1200 of those calories (the amount really recommended for proper survival), leaving 455 leftover at the end. Those 455 calories are the deficit that your body needs to lose weight. You would theoretically lose weight faster than Option A, while still having enough calories needed to function properly. You can even eat some/all of those 455 bonus calories some days, and still lose weight (though not as quickly).

    ...I hope that makes sense?

    This is wrong, unless you assume 0 exercise (and even then there are smaller errors). OP: Either use MFP's calorie recommendation and eat back a portion of your exercise calories on top of that, or find (google) a TDEE calculator and eat 10% less than your TDEE.
  • MsBeverleyH
    MsBeverleyH Posts: 99 Member
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    Sorry, yes, I should have clarified that I was using a Sedentary Lifestyle as an example. The numbers will change based on how you live.

    Regardless, I agree that you can also use MFP's recommendations.

    Honestly, just do whatever is best for you. :smile: I was simply trying to explain some of the general math behind it all. (And I'm pretty shotty at math, so there may be some errors!)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You would look tiny beside me, LOL! Your relative height means you have less room in your calorie range. You can't eat too much and you can't eat too little. That's why I suggest you make SMALL changes to your calorie limits and check your progress (wait at least a week).

    I am sure five pounds looks like a lot to you but I can swell that much in a single day on water weight.

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