How many calories do you eat a day....

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Amyaya
Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
I have set my goal calories per day to 1200cal however I am finding it so hard to stay on that. I end up eating about 1500 -1600cal a day.

I am an active person who does a class 30 - 45 mins, 4 to 5 times (Les Mils class normally - Grit, BP, BS, BA) a week and plus one 45 mins personal training session just to do weight lifting + I work out alone after. I incorporate weight training every time before the class starts too.

How many calories should I really be eating and so I can still lose body fat and build muscle?
I try to take about 120 - 130g of protein a day too.
«134

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    If you want to try to lose body fat and build muscle, you should be working at a recomp. Eating at maintenance, and sticking to a progressive lifting program.

    If you're trying to lose fat...I don't know anything about your stats. How tall are you, what do you weigh?

    1200 is usually too low for many people, or at least not necessary.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    I am 5'5" tall and about 133lb Thank you!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    I am 5'5" tall and about 133lb Thank you!

    So you're at a healthy weight. Perhaps you just want to lose a few pounds? Set MFP to .5 lbs a week. I'm 5'4" and I have had mine set to .5 since I hit 140.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    Yes I do - however you look a lot more muscular and fitter than me :) So you might have lower % body fat than I do. How many calories do you eat a day can I ask?
  • portugaline
    portugaline Posts: 95 Member
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    i eat 4200, what is your weight?
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I also have mine set at 1200, but I burn anywhere between 250-400 calories working out so I use some or sometimes all of those to eat more. Today I ate almost 1500 cals. I still hit under 1200 net though due to exercise calories.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    Yes I do - however you look a lot more muscular and fitter than me :) So you might have lower % body fat than I do. How many calories do you eat a day can I ask?

    Maybe so, but I got to where I am by eating at a small deficit and lifting weights so that I maintained muscle. Really if you're 5'5" and 133 you don't want to be losing more than .5 lbs per week, in two months you will have lost 4-5 pounds and that is a big difference on our frames.

    I eat at maintenance now, but when I was aiming for .5 lbs a week at 133 I was eating an average daily net of about 1550 calories. My maintenance is around 1800.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    I eat 1800-2000 but I really really really really like to eat so I have MFP set to lose .5 pounds a week.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    i eat 4200, what is your weight?

    133 :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.
  • portugaline
    portugaline Posts: 95 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    i eat 4200, what is your weight?

    133 :)

    so you have about 45% your calories from protein. that gives you almost no space for any fat on your diet, what carbs you use?
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
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    At just a few inches taller than you at 132 lbs I'm at about 1,400 (I was at 1,200 until I reached my goal). 1,200 was rough going but it worked.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    i eat 4200, what is your weight?

    133 :)

    so you have about 45% your calories from protein. that gives you almost no space for any fat on your diet, what carbs you use?

    Sorry I don't know what those mean lol but..
    I take about 120 - 130g of protein per day though. I was once advised I should be taking at least 1g per my body weight for an active person.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.

    That's a decent leg day. But you're only with him once a week, so how are you hitting everything else? Beginners definitely benefit from full body 3x a week, although I started with a split too and liked it.

    My trainer showed me my compound lifts, then a little routine, 4 day split. Eventually I had to break off on my own and find a tried and true lifting program.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.

    More like .5 or .8 per pounds of body mass.

    I think my goal is around 115, but honestly I eat at least 130 too. I just like the protein. But you don't really get extra credit for it.
  • portugaline
    portugaline Posts: 95 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    Amyaya wrote: »
    i eat 4200, what is your weight?

    133 :)

    so you have about 45% your calories from protein. that gives you almost no space for any fat on your diet, what carbs you use?

    Sorry I don't know what those mean lol but..
    I take about 120 - 130g of protein per day though. I was once advised I should be taking at least 1g per my body weight for an active person.

    yes if you eat 130gr of protein day you are eating 520 calories from protein.

    i would not set the calories lower than 1600, would have it for 1600 in the days you don't workout, and about 2100 in the workout days.

    this will give you 1080 calories you can eat apart from your protein, you can now have about 200 gr of carbs and some fat, try to get carbs from complex carbs, some good fats.

    the more muscle you gain the more calories you will be able to eat and stay lean over time.
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.

    More like .5 or .8 per pounds of body mass.

    I think my goal is around 115, but honestly I eat at least 130 too. I just like the protein. But you don't really get extra credit for it.

    My lean mass is 103bls at the moment. So maybe I should really only eating about 83g maximum??
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.

    More like .5 or .8 per pounds of body mass.

    I think my goal is around 115, but honestly I eat at least 130 too. I just like the protein. But you don't really get extra credit for it.

    My lean mass is 103bls at the moment. So maybe I should really only eating about 83g maximum??

    How did you get your body fat tested? I go by body mass just because I can't really be sure of my BF%
  • Amyaya
    Amyaya Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    arditarose wrote: »
    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Amyaya wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, what kind of weight training are you doing with your trainer? With your stats, you could start working on your body comp if you do a good progressive lifting program.

    Not following any specific program but for example on a leg day I do Leg press, squat with bar, leg extension and curl, walking lunges with dumbbells. At the end of every session with him I am out of breath or shaking.

    I have just started getting into the real weight training so I am still a very beginner and my trainer has been showing me what to do.

    More like .5 or .8 per pounds of body mass.

    I think my goal is around 115, but honestly I eat at least 130 too. I just like the protein. But you don't really get extra credit for it.

    My lean mass is 103bls at the moment. So maybe I should really only eating about 83g maximum??

    How did you get your body fat tested? I go by body mass just because I can't really be sure of my BF%

    My trainer did it all for me, that was about 7 weeks ago when I first started with him. He measured my body fat (those ones to pich yoru fat lol) and everything.