Don't know how to calculate calories

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pandabearretherford
pandabearretherford Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone I know this is going to sound stupid but I had to five up my gym pass cuz of money so I dont get to exercise much anymore I have 2 kids I play with they are 8 and 10 but still not much of exercise..... I'm a in home health provider so other words I clean house for a living and I know I burn calories foing that but I don't know how to find out how many I do count my steps and it tells me how many calories I durn just from walking around at work but still.....
I would ask friends but I don't have many to help me out with all of this cuz they think I'm crazy for trying to loss weight they think it will just come off on it's own but then again my best friend has 5 kids so hers dose..... if anyone can help I would really appreciate it thank you for reading and hope you can give me some advice on in this alone

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Use your activity level setting...look at the descriptors for your activity level settings and pick the appropriate one for what you do. Trying to calculate these independently is going to be very difficult to do with any accuracy.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Agreed with the above. Don't add work/house cleaning as exercise and adjust your activity to the appropriate setting (I like the idea of selecting "lightly active" and seeing how you do.

    Add purposeful exercise to your diary using the exercise tab. Eat back 1/3-1/2 of those calories back since mfp likes to overestimate calorie burns.
  • pandabearretherford
    pandabearretherford Posts: 28 Member
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    I'm already set to lightly active so that's good and I'm trying to eat just around 1000 calories a day and hope that works
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    1200 is usually the minimum recommendation for women. I don't know your stats (height, weight, amount you want to lose), but unless you're short and sedentary, you really don't want to go less than that. (I'm 5'3" and on a base 1380, plus eating back half my exercise calories. Currently, I probably eat 1600-1800/day.)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    pandabearretherford wrote: »
    I'm already set to lightly active so that's good and I'm trying to eat just around 1000 calories a day and hope that works

    Eat what MFP tells you to eat...your GOAL is your target for weight loss.
  • pandabearretherford
    pandabearretherford Posts: 28 Member
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    I am 29 years old 510 tall and 290lbs they say in intake should be 1900 calories a day and that's without exercise but when I eat normal and stay under my calories I gain weight I want to loose the pounds so I can be healthier but it's hard to do that's why I figured if I stay around 1000 - 1200 calories a day I should loose some weight right I'm trying to walk more and do some exercise at home but it's hard to do
  • brznhabits
    brznhabits Posts: 126 Member
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    Yeah, No. I'm ten years older than you and fall between sedentary and light active, am 5'4 and 200 lbs my maintenance is about 2200 and I lose on 1800. If you were accurately tracking and weighing your food intake you'd be losing on anywhere from 2200-2800 cals a day.
  • pandabearretherford
    pandabearretherford Posts: 28 Member
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    I measure out all my food and no I must be just eating wrong things but all the meat I eat we hunt and clean our self and we always have veggie for dinner then something like potatoes and I only eat a little bit of those...... that dinner breakfast I struggle to eat anything cuz I don't get hungry till around lunch but my mom says I have to eat breakfast..... much is harder cuz I try and pack like left overs but most of the time I only make just enough for dinner but my client like to go out for lunch so there is most of my calories for the day I've cute down on going out to lunch but still hard
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    So when you say a little bit, what's the actual weight? Eating clean or eating "a little bit" doesn't matter. What you are actually weighing and eating does matter.

    Not a cup, or a half cup, but the actual grams or ounces.

    And if you're going out all the time for lunch, no you're *not* measuring all of your food.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Sunna_W wrote: »
    I lost / am losing weight without exercise.

    I am fairly strict about logging my calories and I seek to sustain a reasonable calorie deficit (1400 calories a day).

    Last November I weighed 190 by May I weighed about 155. I am 5'6".

    Also I tried to use the keto / paleo way of eating (I was successful about 75% of the time). I really didn't feel as if I was denying myself food because I wasn't really hungry most days. Note: the Weston A Price foundation says that you should eat about 100 carbs a day...

    Some cheap meal ideas include:

    For breakfast - 2 hard boiled eggs; 1 cold (boiled) potato.
    For lunch - salad greens (olive oil / apple cider vinegar); cucumber, celery, carrot, TBSP slivered almonds, either 2 oz cheese or 3 oz meat or fish.
    Snack - 1 oz peanut butter
    For dinner - cook normally BUT weigh your food and use less than half a serving of your carb (rice, pasta, etc.) or switch the rice / pasta out for yellow squash / sweet potatoes.

    Avoid box food / convenience food when you can. Look for canned goods / frozen without added sugar / sauces.

    Note: I don't eat back my calories at all. I just try to keep within my allowances and keep going.

    Your response has absolutely nothing to do with what OP asked, though.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    The reason you weren't losing on 1900 with the lifestyle you describe is that you were actually eating more than that without knowing it. Get a food scale and weigh your food portions. That will help with accuracy.

    ..Or didn't wait long enough to see more than daily water-weight fluctuations.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
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    pandabearretherford wrote: »
    I am 29 years old 510 tall and 290lbs they say in intake should be 1900 calories a day and that's without exercise but when I eat normal and stay under my calories I gain weight I want to loose the pounds so I can be healthier but it's hard to do that's why I figured if I stay around 1000 - 1200 calories a day I should loose some weight right I'm trying to walk more and do some exercise at home but it's hard to do

    If you keep eating so little you will soon crash and burn, honestly. You'll get tired, irritable, hungry, and you will just want to stop.

    I started at a similar weight to you and I'm 5' 7". I'm losing on 1500 kcal a day with no exercise (currently injured), and I was losing on 1800 kcal a day when I could walk my dog and go about my day normally. 1000 - 1200 is too little, end of. You need to eat more and find out what works for you without starving yourself.
  • patsyacs
    patsyacs Posts: 1,322 Member
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    When I got my step counter I wore it a few days(full 24 hours) just to see what my normal calorie burn is. 1600+ per day (with 2000-3000 steps around the house, would you believe 500 of that is a night's sleep!) then I added short walks and tried to get my step count up closer to 5000. I set my calorie goal about 1500. I found that when I add 100 or 200 calories for a day then drop back to 1500 the scale goes down a day or so later. I was not counting the water aerobics or any exercise where I did not wear the counter. I have made some changes in food - eating one or two pieces of chocolate instead of 5, half the amount of mixed nuts, more veggies. It took a while for the weight to start falling off. A lot of people here have found that MFP over states the calorie burn for different activities so usually eat back half that amount.
    Good luck figuring out where your numbers are
  • pandabearretherford
    pandabearretherford Posts: 28 Member
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    Thank you all it helps to hear what all have to say I have started packing my lunch so no more out to eat school is starting for my kids so planing meals will get easyer to do I'm finding out if I prep the night before for the day then less chance for me to go over my calories I've been eating around 1200 to 1500 in calories and I hope that will work for me I'm also going to try and start walking after dinner with my daughter..... fingers crossed this will help
    If any one what's to be friends plz request and I will add you thanks again for all your help

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