Should My Daily Calorie Goal Be Higher?

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Aimstew22
Aimstew22 Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
This is my second real attempt at this, last spring/summer I was pretty good about logging things on here and running on average 4 times a week and I lost a decent amount of weight and was basically at my goal weight. Then winter came and I got lazy and stopped logging and running, so here I am again, now about 2 weeks into my second real go around at this.

I've set my MFP setting at Sedentary, since I have a desk job and aside from walking the dog before/after work etc. for her to go potty I don't do a ton of activity, that is aside from my specific exercise so it seemed fitting. I'm currently running 5 days a week, and am totaling about 20 miles a week with the mileage increasing as I train for a half again. But let's say right now a safe estimate of my calories I am burning is about 2,000/week from exercise. I have a GPS watch and heart rate monitor I wear when running so my calories burned should be fairly accurate.

I've recently adjust MFP my weight loss goal per week from 1.5 to 1 (though ideally I'd like it to be more so it doesn't take me 10 weeks to lose these last 10 lbs) and MFP is telling me that my calorie goal should be 1,240 calories versus the 1,200 it was before. Anyways in a little over 2 weeks (16 days) I am down 8 lbs already, yay right!, normally I would say yes but the past couple of days I've been feeling really tired and have struggled to complete my workouts/runs. So I feel like maybe I need to up my daily calorie goal to allow me to eat more? Clearly between the calories I am eating & burning from workouts I am somehow at a deficit large enough to average a 3-4 lbs loss a week right?

Looking to try and get some help on if I am thinking about this correctly and people's thoughts on if I am in fact eating too few calories to fuel my body to complete my workouts. Wondering if I should maybe just adjust my MFP activity setting to the next level higher than sedentary to adjust my daily calorie intake to be higher? Or what you think my actual daily calorie goal should be to lose 1.5-2lbs per week.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited June 2015
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    If you're training for a half and doing 20 miles a week - and intend to increase - you certainly need more than 1240/day. If you estimate 2000/week burned from running, take about 75% of that and divide by 7. Would give you an extra 200-225 per day.

    I don't know your height & weight but to lose 1.5-2 pounds per week might not be realistic if you have 10 pounds to lose. You'd need a deficit of 750-1000/day. Eating a minimum of 1240-1465 per day, this means you'd need to burn ~2500 per day or more. You can google your BMR, factor in another 25-30% for normal daily activity. And about 75% of the running calories since part of those are already counted in BMR. With 10 pounds to lose .5-1 pounds per week is probably the most you should aim for.

    Your initial loss was likely partially water, unlikely to all be fat. Its also not a rate that is realistic to sustain long term unless you have hundreds of pounds to lose.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    are you eating back exercise calories?

    And if it's only 10lbs try 1/2lb a week...you didn't gain it in 2 months it was over the winter...which where I live is about 6 months...

  • Aimstew22
    Aimstew22 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm 30 years old, 5'6, and currently weigh 145. Based on BMR calculators online this = 1,455 calories per day, then select Sedentary which multiplies by 1.2 = 1,746 calories per day to maintain

    1,746 per day x 7 days a week = 12,222 per week to maintain
    To loose 1lb per week = 3,500 (2,000 of which I am burning from running/training already)
    So I'd need to deficit another 1,500 calories a week (or 215 per day) to then total the 3,500/week right?
    If this math is right then I should be able to eat 1,530 calories per day?

    1,530 cal/day = 10,710 cal/week
    -2,000 cal from running/training
    =8,710 net calories/week

    12,222/week to maintain - 8,710 net cal/week = 3,512 calorie deficit/week (or 1lbs lost per week).

    Am I doing all of this right? It looks to me like I should be able to eat 1,530 calories a day if I continue my running burning 2,000 per week and be able to lose 1 lbs per week.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Yes, looks like 1530/day should be a good # for you based on the running you're doing, your stats, and 1 pound per week.

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