Do I really have to eat 1400 calorie forever?

shortone100
shortone100 Posts: 4 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm 4'11, 110 pounds. I walk at least 10,000 steps a day, but I also have a desk job; I go to the gym about 3 times a week but I tend to do weights not cardio. I've been told that's sedentary, so I'm going with that to be safe.

I think my bmr is about 1150, which at sedentary (x1.2) would put my total calorie needs at about 1400.

Am I off with my calculations? Do I really need to eat such a low amount just to maintain? I might be shorter but my appetite is pretty much the same. I hear my friends talk about how impossible it is to eat at 1400 while they're losing weight. It just doesn't seem sustainable. Am I just doomed to gain weight?
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Replies

  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    Well, hello there. It's not often that I come across a fellow 4'11 shorty. ;)

    My appetite, regardless of how active I am, typically falls in the 1500-1800 calories mark. Eating that amount keeps me in the 110's, so long as I'm not completely sedentary. If I were to engage in the activity level that you describe, going by my own history, I'd definitely be able to eat around 17/1800 calories without gaining, and I'm in my 30s.

    I hope you find that you can up the calories. :)
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    I agree w/bbell, probably should be lightly active! I'm retired and not sure how many steps a day I do. I also workout 3 times a week (mostly weights w/some light cardio) and am eating around 1600 cals a day and have my activity level set for lightly active. I'm 5'3" and have trouble maintaining 114/15 eating that much.
  • xingchao
    xingchao Posts: 27 Member
    I am also 4'11" and don't like the low TDEE as well. I don't know how to make it work just yet after tracking my calories for only about three months. As I'm nearing maintenance (probably by the end of the month), I have been having more and more re-feed days to stop binging on other days. This way is probably only sustainable for me for another 2 or 3 more months, but other than increasing NEAT/cardio like bbell1985 has mentioned, eating 1400 calories seems like the only way to maintain.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    Yeah, I know I have more calories than you guys, but I am taller and bigger. I probably feel almost the same way. I have an appetite for at least 2200. Maintaining and losing are both rather uncomfortable for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    shortone100 wrote: »
    I'm 4'11, 110 pounds. I walk at least 10,000 steps a day, but I also have a desk job; I go to the gym about 3 times a week but I tend to do weights not cardio. I've been told that's sedentary, so I'm going with that to be safe.

    I think my bmr is about 1150, which at sedentary (x1.2) would put my total calorie needs at about 1400.

    Am I off with my calculations? Do I really need to eat such a low amount just to maintain? I might be shorter but my appetite is pretty much the same. I hear my friends talk about how impossible it is to eat at 1400 while they're losing weight. It just doesn't seem sustainable. Am I just doomed to gain weight?

    you're not sedentary.

    how many calories have you been eating to lose weight?
  • mari5466
    mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
    I'm the same height as you but in 115. On the days I walk 10,000 sets my Fitbit gives me a minimum of 1800 calories to mantain and it's been working. Maybe since your lighter it could a little less. Maybe add 10-15 minutes of cardio to your workouts. On the days im more sedentary I burn closer 1600. I would definitely think your maitenance is higher than 1400.
  • Tabbycat00
    Tabbycat00 Posts: 146 Member
    lol. 1400 is my goal and I find it hard to eat that many! I'm 5'2 and trying to maintain no less than 98 lbs. I say listen to your body. Eat a few more calories if that's what feels right and pay attention to your weight. Everyone is different.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    shortone100 wrote: »
    I'm 4'11, 110 pounds. I walk at least 10,000 steps a day, but I also have a desk job; I go to the gym about 3 times a week but I tend to do weights not cardio. I've been told that's sedentary, so I'm going with that to be safe.

    I think my bmr is about 1150, which at sedentary (x1.2) would put my total calorie needs at about 1400.

    Am I off with my calculations? Do I really need to eat such a low amount just to maintain? I might be shorter but my appetite is pretty much the same. I hear my friends talk about how impossible it is to eat at 1400 while they're losing weight. It just doesn't seem sustainable. Am I just doomed to gain weight?

    If you walk 10,000 steps per day and go to the gym 3x per week, you're not sedentary...
  • suzievv
    suzievv Posts: 410 Member
    Have you logged for a while? If not, my guess is that you'll find that you need more than 1400, since you walk a lot and work out 3x per week. I would try setting the activity level to "lightly active" and trying that calorie recommendation for a few weeks, and then adjust as needed.
  • BHFF
    BHFF Posts: 421 Member
    My first question would be (and i dont know if anyone has asked yet) is what is your goal? That is important to know before anyone can answer any of your questions. The 10,000 steps a day doesnt mean really anything. Its better than 1,000 yes and its a start but its not really doing much for you in the way of burning of fat. 3x a week at the gym lifting weights is great. How long are you there? What does your split look like? Do you do any cardio? So many questions to be asked prior to giving an answer :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    If you do no exercise and don't want to gain or lose...yes.

    But you do exercise, you live life, you move etc.

    BMR is what you need just to survive...the rest is extra and you get to eat that extra.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    BHFF wrote: »
    My first question would be (and i dont know if anyone has asked yet) is what is your goal? That is important to know before anyone can answer any of your questions. The 10,000 steps a day doesnt mean really anything. Its better than 1,000 yes and its a start but its not really doing much for you in the way of burning of fat. 3x a week at the gym lifting weights is great. How long are you there? What does your split look like? Do you do any cardio? So many questions to be asked prior to giving an answer :)

    The 10,000 steps a day means that she is not sedentary and can eat at the slightly active level. The additional calories might possibly help her to eat within that goal. For me at least half of those (or more) should be at a speed that qualifies for aerobic activity...at least a 3.0-3.5 level. The main thing that those 10,000 steps show is that she not just sitting...she is moving.

    I think resistance training of some type should be included. However as a beginner does she really need to worry about what split she is doing. I am a beginner...I just do a 3 day full body workout...with weights that are heavy for me. I am sure that some people would tell me that they are not doing much good.
  • SymbolismNZ
    SymbolismNZ Posts: 190 Member
    Strength and conditioning work will help you increase the amount of calories that your body burns naturally.
  • Aniston_T
    Aniston_T Posts: 25 Member
    It might depend on what you eat too, if you bulk up your meals with lots of low calorie vegetables that also have a lot of fiber you will feel satisfied with 1400 a day. I was at 1400 on weekdays for a year and 1800-2000 on weekends. I was satisfied with the 1400 on weekdays however, I don't know if it also helped that I ate more on weekends. Some foods make you want to eat more and usually these have the highest calories.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP - have you been losing weight prior to this? Were you logging and tracking your calories in and calories burned during the weight loss process? Or are you starting from scratch? While the calculators and activity trackers are helpful to assess your TDEE (maintenance calorie levels), ultimately the best numbers come from your own results.

    Otherwise, I agree with others that if you are exercising regularly and getting 10K steps or more each day, that's not necessarily sedentary. I'm a petite female over 40, with a desk job, and the calculators would generally put me at a low maintenance level based strictly on stats. However, once I got my FitBit and realized that I was also averaging 10K steps/day, I got the good advice here that I wasn't sedentary, and I raised my activity level and my base calories at that time. I now average 15K steps/day and have a TDEE of about 2200 (I'm 5'2) so it is definitely possible to maintain at higher calorie levels than often predicted, simply by working to raise your overall activity level.

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