Help with calorie goals

Picurr
Picurr Posts: 6 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone help me out with my calorie goals please?

I go to school all day and when I get home I usually sleep so that would fall under sedentary or lightly active?

Also, I have basketball first period (hard to count the calories burned from this), I lift weights 5th period (again hard to count) and walk home for an hour, so according to MFP I burn 280-300 calories walking home. My sedentary calorie goal is 1700 calories so do I just put in the walking home and have it at 2000 calories for the days I walk home and not count the weight lifting or basketball?

I'm 6'3, 234 pounds and am looking to lose 2 pounds a week and am wondering if I'm going to be eating enough

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Are you over the age of 18? If not, then you need to visit sparkteens.
  • Picurr
    Picurr Posts: 6 Member
    Yes I'm 18....
  • heyfathead
    heyfathead Posts: 6 Member
    Heart rate monitor (such as polar ft4) to track HR and calculate colories, other than that, just tracking with what MFP told me to intake to lose 2lbs a week.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    With 30 pounds to go 2 pounds a week is really aggressive.

    These are modest goals. Aggressive goals make it hard for your body to support lean muscle mass.
    Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
    Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range

    MFP as designed does not include exercise (some people can't exercise). When you log exercise MFP gives you calories back. This is what they mean by "net" calories.

    Don't put sedentary if you walk home. Most young people are not sedentary. Put lightly active at least. Then log basketball. Cardio burns more that strength anyway.

    Another option is TDEE less a % - the TDEE would include exercise up front. With this you take a cut (not 20%)....but if you log exercise....use calories burned 1.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Pick one and try it for a while. Adjust as necessary. In the long run, they're all just estimates. No one fits into the activity categories exactly, so the best thing you can do is track your progress and see what works for you.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    If it is something (like walking everyday for an hour) that you do everyday I would put it as activity level as opposed to an actual workout. Make your activity level active in that case, but do not log the exercise as calories burned.

    If you want to be sure, HRM if you want to know for sure. I have never worried too much about the actual specifics and just trusted MFP based on my height, age and weight and activity level. Worked pretty well for me.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    heyfathead wrote: »
    Heart rate monitor (such as polar ft4) to track HR and calculate colories, other than that, just tracking with what MFP told me to intake to lose 2lbs a week.

    Keep in mind that HRMs are really only accurate for steady-state cardio. They aren't going to be useful for a lot of the activities in the OP's day.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I agree with the previous poster. Most 18 year old males I know can lose weight without trying very hard. Your metabolism is pretty high. My son dropped 30 pounds in about 2 months simply by cutting out junk food. Set MFP to Lightly Active and record anything beyond walking and strength training sessions as additional exercise.
  • Ainesilver
    Ainesilver Posts: 72 Member
    From the information you have provided, it sounds like you would fall in the active category, at least during the week. If you are reasonably active during the weekend also, then 2000 calories a day is probably not enough.
  • Picurr
    Picurr Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for all the help guys, with all the advice my new calorie goal is going to be 2520 calories before any exercise outside of the walking home
  • mwebster01
    mwebster01 Posts: 111 Member
    set your strength training to lightly active.you should log your walking hours.you should also log your strength training so you'll know how often and how much you strength train.if you want to increase your strength training,you'll know how much.strength training is important in weight loss,too.
  • heyfathead
    heyfathead Posts: 6 Member
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    heyfathead wrote: »
    Heart rate monitor (such as polar ft4) to track HR and calculate colories, other than that, just tracking with what MFP told me to intake to lose 2lbs a week.

    Keep in mind that HRMs are really only accurate for steady-state cardio. They aren't going to be useful for a lot of the activities in the OP's day.

    You know, I see that a lot around here, but I fail to understand since the HR monitor can't tell the difference in my activities, and I have exceeded my weight loss goals while utilizing the HR monitor during strength training.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2015
    heyfathead wrote: »
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    heyfathead wrote: »
    Heart rate monitor (such as polar ft4) to track HR and calculate colories, other than that, just tracking with what MFP told me to intake to lose 2lbs a week.

    Keep in mind that HRMs are really only accurate for steady-state cardio. They aren't going to be useful for a lot of the activities in the OP's day.

    You know, I see that a lot around here, but I fail to understand since the HR monitor can't tell the difference in my activities, and I have exceeded my weight loss goals while utilizing the HR monitor during strength training.

    A heart rate monitor measures the difference in heart rate at rest vs. heart rate at exertion. That's it...that's all they do. Your heart rate may or may not be elevated during a strength straining session. Strength training isn't about trying to get your heart rate up. It's about pushing muscles....doing more than before.

    If you've lost weight despite using a HRM for strength training....good for you. Some people rely on HRMs to capture many types of activities they are not designed for (eating calories back) and then complaining when they haven't lost weight.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    1700 is a good starting point. If you find you are losing weight too quickly, increase it after a couple of weeks or so.
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