How many calories to eat?

missmatalini
missmatalini Posts: 30 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So when I signed up on MFP it gave me a goal of 1200 calories to eat. Shortly after I had a fitness work up with a personal trainer who told me I wasn't losing weight because 1200 calories a day was starving myself and suggested I start eating 1600....now I'm scared I'm over eating!
I'm 5'3, trying to put in 30-40 minutes at the gym every day and I am active during the day since my job requires me to be on my feet and moving

Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    • Do you weigh your food on a food scale?
    • What activity level did you select on MFP when you set up your account?
    • How much did you tell MFP you wanted to lose per week?
    • Do you eat a portion of your exercise calories back?
    • What are your stats? (age, height, weight)
    • How much are you trying to lose?
    • How much time have you given it?
  • missmatalini
    missmatalini Posts: 30 Member
    I don't weigh, but I do measure everything out.
    Moderately active I think is what I put.
    A pound per week
    I haven't been eating my excersise calories back.

    20, 5'3 and pushing 185lbs
    I'm trying to lose 50lbs
    I started back in March doing the 1200...about a month and a half in was suggest 1600.
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
    I would agree that 1600 may seem kinda high, but if you're active everyday and workout that much on a daily basis, you need the calories to refuel your body. Otherwise you'd be sluggish and tired a lot. But you have to understand that when you log in your exercises it will add that to your daily goal. So if you burn 500 calories, it will say you have 1700 to eat. But you don't have to eat that much. You want to remain on the positive side
  • ercarroll311
    ercarroll311 Posts: 295 Member
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Eating 80% of this number (.8xTDEE) has worked for me in the past, but I agree with the above poster that we need that information, especially how much time you have given it. If you're working out with a personal trainer and that active, I would think 1600 would be more realistic. I'm your height, 26 years old, and have ranged from 175-128 lbs (unfortunately on the higher end of that now after medical issues and laziness had me putting back on what I had lost), and my biggest success has been when I was eating a little more along with staying really active, as it sounds like you are.

    Best of luck!
  • missmatalini
    missmatalini Posts: 30 Member
    ercarroll311 wrote: »
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Eating 80% of this number (.8xTDEE) has worked for me in the past, but I agree with the above poster that we need that information, especially how much time you have given it. If you're working out with a personal trainer and that active, I would think 1600 would be more realistic.

    Best of luck!

    I'm not working with a trainer anymore, but I'm still following the workout plan I had when I was.
    I just don't want all of my effort to be in vain because I'm consuming 400 calories more than what MFP suggested.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I started at 150lb, 5'4, and was eating over 1,600/day and losing with my loss set at .5lb/week. Since you want to lose 50lbs, punch in your information (active activity level, ect) and set your weight loss to 1lb or 1.5lb a week. Try that out for a month, and see if you have a loss during that time. The number seems big, but you can still possibly have a deficit due to your starting weight and BMR.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    Sounds crazy and I struggle with this concept as well but, it really works.

    "YOU NEED TO EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT"

    Read:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited June 2015
    Have you tried recalculating the goal? 1200 seems awfully low from what you said. You might want to double check your goal settings (there was a glitch a not that long ago that was giving people calorie goals that were too low for their actual needs). My reason:

    5'4.5"
    25
    around 135lbs
    Lightly Active
    1lb per week gives me a goal of 1420

    I also, suggest investing in a food scale:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Oh and do you use any entries from the database that start with "Generic -" or "Homemade -"? If you do, you should probably stop. Those entries are typically only accurate for the person who put them in the database in the first place and even then they have to be using the same ingredients in the exact same amounts every time.
  • missmatalini
    missmatalini Posts: 30 Member
    I've been entering my own home recipes. Usually I scan barcodes and adjust if necessary as well.
    Guess I'm going to be buying a food scale tonight.

    How long should I keep at this before potentially seeing a result? A month?

  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    By not weighing your food, you may be eating more than you think. Measuring isn't an accurate way to log. Do you have or can you get a food scale?
  • missmatalini
    missmatalini Posts: 30 Member
    PaytraB wrote: »
    By not weighing your food, you may be eating more than you think. Measuring isn't an accurate way to log. Do you have or can you get a food scale?

    I went and bought one last night. I was shocked this morning when I weighed my cereal and it was wayyy over what the box said it was.

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