Am I at the right calorie level?

westbrja
westbrja Posts: 111 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
So I'm fairly new to all of this and there's a ton of info to read and learn. I noticed on here that someone mentioned the caloric intake calculator is only an estimate and not correct for everyone. I also was told that, after having an extremely SLOW start to weight loss, that I may need to increase my calorie level. Can some of you more expert weight losers look at my info and suggest something that may be more accurate for me. I currently weigh 204 lbs and am 5' 5" tall. I would ultimately like to lose about 50ish pounds. I've already increased my protein levels and lowered my carbs. I also just realized that you can still have a unhealthy diet even if you come in below your calorie levels. Please disregard the carb levels as I was so hung up on only the calories until recently. Thanks in advance for any advice! You are all great! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • goldninja
    goldninja Posts: 28 Member
    whatever you do, don't go below 1200 calories/day. All that will do is slow your metabolism. Carbs aren't always bad, just choose whole grains, less processed flours. I bought a food scale to weigh my food so that I would know that I was always on portion control. That was the hardest part for me. I realized that what I had thought only had 100 calories in it actually weighed out to be 180 calories. What a mistake. Good luck on your life-style change! Everything in moderation!
  • vdavis_89
    vdavis_89 Posts: 334
    I also have a food scale and it takes a lot of determination to keep up on measuring everything... today I bought grapes and some carrots and measured them all out into individual bags so I could grab them and go :) took a little time but so worth it
  • niki108
    niki108 Posts: 65 Member
    I started at 206 and am 5'5'', ive been eating 1200 calories. i change it up though..between 1000 and 1500.
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    This is something on my mind lately also. And I have a small weigh scale. Just haven't used it yet for this purpose. I'm truly concerned I'm underestimating my calories and nutritional info on this website. Another thing... if I eat 1200 cals a day I feel stuffed. Aren't you supposed to eat when you're actually hungry????
  • westbrja
    westbrja Posts: 111 Member
    @ vdavis - That's exactly what I did with the Special K cereal. I measured into sandwich bags to grab and go for the morning. It's convenient and a lot less cheaper than buying the individual containers from the work cafeteria.

    @ cruizinkitty - I have switched over to whole wheat pasta, light bread, etc. The one thing I love is bananas but they add so many cabs and sugars. I know the quality of sugar from fruit is much better than sugar from a donut but does it really matter in the way of weight loss? A food scale is a good idea for fruits, veggies, meats, etc.
  • westbrja
    westbrja Posts: 111 Member
    This is something on my mind lately also. And I have a small weigh scale. Just haven't used it yet for this purpose. I'm truly concerned I'm underestimating my calories and nutritional info on this website. Another thing... if I eat 1200 cals a day I feel stuffed. Aren't you supposed to eat when you're actually hungry????

    Now I know I'm eating to many carbs because I have a hard time feeling satisfied at 1200. I think the carbs are burning off super fast.
  • westbrja
    westbrja Posts: 111 Member
    I started at 206 and am 5'5'', ive been eating 1200 calories. i change it up though..between 1000 and 1500.

    Do you stagger you calories daily? Weekly? Monthly?
  • SMK715
    SMK715 Posts: 108
    Your diary didn't show your sodium levels, but try to keep that low. Sodium makes you retain water so you could seem bigger than you actually are. The carbs shouldn't be too low. Low carb diets only work if you stay on them forever. If you use a low carb system, you will probably gain the weight back when you change that. Definitely eat 1200 calories at least. Smaller meals frequently throughout the day. If you don't feel hungry after a few hours, just try to eat a little snack. The female body goes into starvation mode after about 5 hours. So eating often is important. Strawberries are great if you like them. Only 7 sugars in 1 cup of halves. Almost no sodium or fat. Oh, try to get more fiber in your diet. Takes alot of energy for your body to break it down. And you should eat within an hour of waking up to start your metabolism right. Your body starves all night.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    I'm 5'6 and I eat 1550-1650 net per day and am losing 1.6 lbs a week. Your bmr is likely close to mine (1604) so you should be fine anywhere from 1200-1600 a day :smile: I had a 6 month plateau after losing 40lbs eating 1200-1300 a day.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    My professional opinion, you're not eating enough. Just doing a guesstimate calculation since I don't know your actual body fat % and activity level, I get a minimum of 1460 calories per day for your BMR, which you should never eat less then your BMR as that is what it takes to keep your major organs functioning. Basically, I guesstimated 35% body fat , so if you are less body fat (higher lean body mass), then you need more then that, but if you are more body fat (lower lean body mass) then you will need less. When I factor in sedentary for activity level, that gives 1753 calories per day as your maintenance. But again, if you are more active then that, you need more calories then that. At those levels, eating at BMR only gives you a deficit of 293 calories per day. That is the problem I see with MFP, they generalize and use 500 to 1000 calories per day as the deficit and it is too much of a deficit for a lot of people.
  • binkybaby1
    binkybaby1 Posts: 188 Member
    Great advice has been offered. Watching sodium, zig zaging calories, staying above 1200 and using your BMR as a guide are all good things. I was at a pleatau for about 4 weeks started zig zaging and increased my calories by 100 and the weight started dropping again. I always tell my daughter who is also losing weight "I like being a turtle and not the hare" My opinion is the turtle is slow and steady, doesn't burn itself out, and crosses the finish line in the story and ultimately beats the hare...lol... good luck.
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