How many calories should I really be eating??

aehrmantraut
aehrmantraut Posts: 8 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I'm 5'8'', 163-164 lbs, I strength train for about 30-45 mins 5 times a week, and I live a sedentary lifestyle as I am a student. My goal is to lose body fat/weight, and tone my muscles. MFP told me I should be eating 1200 cals a day, but I have talked to a few other people and they said 1200 is too low. How many calories should I really be eating to see and feel the best results possible with losing body fat and toning my muscles?

Replies

  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    It really depends on what you set up as your goal for losing per week. You should set it up something like 1 lb/week so you don't feel tired all the time, and you have enough nutrition in you. I think 1350 calories/day is easily enough for you to lose weight. Don't have to go too low and starve yourself. Don't forget to add your workout calories.
  • aehrmantraut
    aehrmantraut Posts: 8 Member
    subcounter wrote: »
    It really depends on what you set up as your goal for losing per week. You should set it up something like 1 lb/week so you don't feel tired all the time, and you have enough nutrition in you. I think 1350 calories/day is easily enough for you to lose weight. Don't have to go too low and starve yourself. Don't forget to add your workout calories.

    I never add my workout calories frankly because I just don't trust the accuracy of calorie/step trackers. I also do literally no cardio (maybe 10 mins of kickboxing a week if I'm really feeling like it) and with weightlifting its hard to tell how many calories you've burned and there is also an after burn affect
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    How many lbs/week did you tell MFP you want to lose? Given that you're at the high end of a normal BMI, you should be aiming to lose .5lb/week. Maybe 1 lb/week, but that will likely be too aggressive for you.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I suspect you entered a rate of loss of 2lbs per week. Because of your current weight, 1200 is the lowest calories MFP will give. If that is the case, your weight loss goals are probably too aggressive. Adjust your rate of loss to 1lb or .5lb and you will get more calories.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    I usually use HR strap, and do a mix of lifting and cardio, its been accurate for me. Scosche Rhythm+ is quite good, or any kind of heart strap as well. Strength training can burn a lot of calories if you do it with high intensity.

    I mean I guess it depends on your goals too, like, I wouldn't wanna lose muscle, as its much harder to gain it back, compared simply losing fat.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    As I mentioned in your other thread, you're already at a healthy BMI. 1 lb/week will likely be too aggressive for you. I would change your settings to .5 lb/week, which will give you more calories.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited February 2017
    OP you don't have much weight to lose, so you should set your goal to no more than 1 lb per week, probably less. The MFP calorie goal assumes that you will eat back your exercise calories. As you noted, burns can be inflated, so log your exercise and try eating back half to start.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    CafeRacer808 wrote: »
    As I mentioned in your other thread, you're already at a healthy BMI. 1 lb/week will likely be too aggressive for you. I would change your settings to .5 lb/week, which will give you more calories.

    I agree 100%
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm 5"8 and the only exercise i do is walking. 1600 calories is as low as I'll go.l, and I'm losing weight just fine.

    I've tried 1200, 1450 calories, but just cant stick to it for long. I lasted a whole 3 miserable days on 1200 calories.

    I started at around 180lbs, and am currently 147.
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    Not really. I'm supposed to be 1200 calories. That too little. So I added in 1400.
  • trisha1207
    trisha1207 Posts: 10 Member
    How long did it take you to lose that much weight?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    trisha1207 wrote: »
    How long did it take you to lose that much weight?

    Who me? 4mths to lose 24lbs, and I've been bouncing around with the rest for flippan ages! I did get down to my goal of 143lbs last year, but regained around 6 over winter. I'm pretty happy with my current weight, so I'm not as dedicated and vigilant as i should be.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    subcounter wrote: »
    I usually use HR strap, and do a mix of lifting and cardio, its been accurate for me. Scosche Rhythm+ is quite good, or any kind of heart strap as well. Strength training can burn a lot of calories if you do it with high intensity.

    I mean I guess it depends on your goals too, like, I wouldn't wanna lose muscle, as its much harder to gain it back, compared simply losing fat.

    HR strap/monitor is not good to use for weight lifting it will estimate high.Their main purpose is to be used for steady state cardio. which will still be an estimate.but weightlifting calories burned wont be accurate.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    aehrmantraut wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    It really depends on what you set up as your goal for losing per week. You should set it up something like 1 lb/week so you don't feel tired all the time, and you have enough nutrition in you. I think 1350 calories/day is easily enough for you to lose weight. Don't have to go too low and starve yourself. Don't forget to add your workout calories.

    I never add my workout calories frankly because I just don't trust the accuracy of calorie/step trackers. I also do literally no cardio (maybe 10 mins of kickboxing a week if I'm really feeling like it) and with weightlifting its hard to tell how many calories you've burned and there is also an after burn affect

    the afterburn is not as big as you think and you dont tone muscle, you get a "toned" look by losing fat over any existing muscle you have. you can strengthen the muscle while losing weight and get stronger too. but 1200 for 5 days of weight lifting I agree is too little.I would put your settings to lose .5 lb/week,also make sure you are getting enough protein as well.
  • bethanyraezel
    bethanyraezel Posts: 2 Member
    A good method for determining your calorie needs for weight loss is to take your body weight x10x1.3
    This gives you an idea of your resting metabolic rate, or the calories your body burns during a 24 hour period. Eating this many calories per day will mean you will not lose or gain weight. If you want to loose 2lbs per week, subtract 1000 from that number to get your daily calorie intake max. Or subtract 500 if you want to loose 1lb per week, or 250 for .5lbs per week.

    Example: my body weight: 212 x 10 x 1.3 = 2,756
    To maintain my weight, I should eat 2,756 calories a day. But since I want to lose 2lbs a week, I subtract 1,000.
    So my max daily calorie intake is now 1,756 (plus a little more if I exercise)
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    bethanyraezel wrote: »
    A good method for determining your calorie needs for weight loss is to take your body weight x10x1.3
    This gives you an idea of your resting metabolic rate, or the calories your body burns during a 24 hour period. Eating this many calories per day will mean you will not lose or gain weight. If you want to loose 2lbs per week, subtract 1000 from that number to get your daily calorie intake max. Or subtract 500 if you want to loose 1lb per week, or 250 for .5lbs per week.

    Example: my body weight: 212 x 10 x 1.3 = 2,756
    To maintain my weight, I should eat 2,756 calories a day. But since I want to lose 2lbs a week, I subtract 1,000.
    So my max daily calorie intake is now 1,756 (plus a little more if I exercise)

    I entered my info and with that it says my maintenance is 200+ calories less than my true maintenance.If I were to lose 2lbs a week I would have to eat less than 1200 calories according to the math.it would also put me under my BMR which is 1400+. eating your TDEE calories means you wont lose or gain.

    you subtract from your TDEE, you dont subtract from your RMR or BMR.BMR is what your body burns at rest without exercise and you dont eat less than that,you may get away with it if a person were obese,but not someone with little to lose . and the 1.3 is not going to be the same for everyone else. this explains the different ways to figure out burn ESTIMATES https://www.completehumanperformance.com/calorie-needs/
  • poorlittlefish
    poorlittlefish Posts: 38 Member
    You are my body twin
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