How Many Calories Should I Be Consuming?

I was consuming 1,560 calories,plus I was eating most of my exercise calories. I am not losing weight, so a friend of mine told me to try not to eat back my exercise calories.I also lowered my calorie limit to 1,400. My problem is I get so hungry after dinner. Is my calorie limit to low, or do Just have to get used to this . I have only been on this 1,400 calorie diet for 3 days. Any Ideas? 🤔
«1

Replies

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Where did the 1560 come from? Is that what mfp gave you?

    How long were you at that level?
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    How accurate is your calorie tracking? Too you weigh everything on a food scale? How are you calculating your exercise calories?
  • rainbowblu
    rainbowblu Posts: 119 Member
    Your body needs time to adjust to your new lower calories, eat more filling foods.Whats filling to me is Chicken breast,Greek yogurt, broth based soups,grapefruit,salads..find foods/meals that satiate you, you have to experiment to find what works. When I lost 100lbs I didn't eat my exercise calories,but I wasn't afraid to use them on days when I was still hungry or had a celebratory event..I would say I used them occasionally..
  • SoleTrainer60
    SoleTrainer60 Posts: 180 Member
    Thank you all very much. I am 62 years old ,5’ 3” tall and weigh 173 pounds. I try to walk 3-4 miles a day ,usually5 days a week. I have been on 1,560 calories for quite a few months and I use a measuring cup or measuring spoons, but I do not use a scale. I try to estimate meat portions. I know this probably isn’t t the best thing to do. 😊
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    I was consuming 1,560 calories,plus I was eating most of my exercise calories. I am not losing weight, so a friend of mine told me to try not to eat back my exercise calories.I also lowered my calorie limit to 1,400. My problem is I get so hungry after dinner. Is my calorie limit to low, or do Just have to get used to this . I have only been on this 1,400 calorie diet for 3 days. Any Ideas? 🤔


    You should experiment with different foods (e.g., more protein or more fat, low-cal foods like non-starchy veggies that you can eat in large volumes) and different meal timing (e.g., late breakfast) to see if they help you feel less hungry after dinner.
  • lonelystaarr
    lonelystaarr Posts: 221 Member
    I was consuming 1,560 calories,plus I was eating most of my exercise calories. I am not losing weight, so a friend of mine told me to try not to eat back my exercise calories.I also lowered my calorie limit to 1,400. My problem is I get so hungry after dinner. Is my calorie limit to low, or do Just have to get used to this . I have only been on this 1,400 calorie diet for 3 days. Any Ideas? 🤔


    You should experiment with different foods (e.g., more protein or more fat, low-cal foods like non-starchy veggies that you can eat in large volumes) and different meal timing (e.g., late breakfast) to see if they help you feel less hungry after dinner.

    I agree, great advice. And maybe investing in a food scale if you don't have one already?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Thank you all very much. I am 62 years old ,5’ 3” tall and weigh 173 pounds. I try to walk 3-4 miles a day ,usually5 days a week. I have been on 1,560 calories for quite a few months and I use a measuring cup or measuring spoons, but I do not use a scale. I try to estimate meat portions. I know this probably isn’t t the best thing to do. 😊

    Another vote to stay at 1560 but get a food scale.
  • tonyfastz06
    tonyfastz06 Posts: 35 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    She was just pointing out a simple oversight. You originally wrote 1g protein/day.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.
  • tonyfastz06
    tonyfastz06 Posts: 35 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

    almost every source of data and information i have ever researched for the last 2+ years PLUS two personal trainers/nutrition experts
  • tonyfastz06
    tonyfastz06 Posts: 35 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    She was just pointing out a simple oversight. You originally wrote 1g protein/day.

    LMAO you're right. Proves that checking your own work is useless even if you DO try it like 4 times!!! Apologies
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I was consuming 1,560 calories,plus I was eating most of my exercise calories. I am not losing weight, so a friend of mine told me to try not to eat back my exercise calories.I also lowered my calorie limit to 1,400. My problem is I get so hungry after dinner. Is my calorie limit to low, or do Just have to get used to this . I have only been on this 1,400 calorie diet for 3 days. Any Ideas? 🤔

    What are you eating? Calories are just energy...in and of themselves, calories aren't filling. I could eat a 500 calorie muffin for breakfast and I wouldn't be close to satiated, let alone full. On the other hand, I can eat 500 calories worth of oats with almonds and blueberries and a couple of eggs and I'm good to go until lunch easy.

    Calorie counting is also not an exact science and prone to user error...using bad entries from the database, eyeballing servings, etc.

    In regards to eating back exercise calories, the tricky part of that is accurately determining your energy expenditure for an exercise activity. It's one of the reasons I ultimately moved to the TDEE method once my exercise became a consistent and regular thing. A lot of people will eat back only a certain arbitrary % to account for potential error in both logging and estimation of energy expenditure.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,213 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

    <curmudgeon>

    FWIW: It's the level that makes me think the person typing it has been reading mostly bodybuilding sites, in the same way that protein recommendations like "10% of calories is more than enough" make me think the person typing has been reading poorly-scienced WFPB sites. ;)

    </curmudgeon>

    1g/pound body weight is in some of the examine.com recommendations for certain sub-groups, though. (https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/)

    OP doesn't seem to be in any of those subgroups. I think they'd put her in the category where "Several meta-analyses involving people with overweightness or obesity suggest that 1.2–1.5 g/kg is an appropriate daily protein intake range to maximize fat loss", which is pretty close to the .6-.8g per pound of bodyweight you often see recommended around here (though Examine is using current bodyweight, I believe, vs. goal weight).
  • tonyfastz06
    tonyfastz06 Posts: 35 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

    almost every source of data and information i have ever researched for the last 2+ years PLUS two personal trainers/nutrition experts

    Suggest widening the net a little more, as 1 pound per gram of body weight is far from being the universally recognized standard.

    Whatever works for you...
  • tonyfastz06
    tonyfastz06 Posts: 35 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

    <curmudgeon>

    FWIW: It's the level that makes me think the person typing it has been reading mostly bodybuilding sites, in the same way that protein recommendations like "10% of calories is more than enough" make me think the person typing has been reading poorly-scienced WFPB sites. ;)

    </curmudgeon>

    1g/pound body weight is in some of the examine.com recommendations for certain sub-groups, though. (https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/)

    OP doesn't seem to be in any of those subgroups. I think they'd put her in the category where "Several meta-analyses involving people with overweightness or obesity suggest that 1.2–1.5 g/kg is an appropriate daily protein intake range to maximize fat loss", which is pretty close to the .6-.8g per pound of bodyweight you often see recommended around here (though Examine is using current bodyweight, I believe, vs. goal weight).

    I'm relaying my experiences, what works for me. Everyone is entitled to share the results of what works for them. It's proven to be healthy and delivers what makes me happy. Call it bodybuilding, training, fitness, working out... whatever...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    do a search for "BMR Calculator". Once you have your BMR calories, you should also see a link to the Harris Benedict formula which adds a factor to the number you got in the first step. This will give you your "maintenance" calories for your age, weight, activity level etc. Then take that number and subtract 350 calories (you might go as far as 500 eventually but save this as a next step).

    once you have your calories, you need to set your macros. Start with 1g of protein/day. Then set your fats at 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    this will give you the starting point for calories and macros. Then, eat your carbs usually around your activity and save your protein/fats for dinner/after dinner as a start and this should help with managing hunger pains.

    this is all just a guide. Don't know anything about you or your situation so it is very generic in nature.

    Always good idea to double check information. Typos happen.

    no idea what you're talking about but.. sure, will keep that in mind. Set the % of protein to whatever percentage will give you 1g protein per lb of body weight, set fats to 25% and use carbs for the rest.

    Where are you getting that recommendation from? What I usually read is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

    almost every source of data and information i have ever researched for the last 2+ years PLUS two personal trainers/nutrition experts

    Suggest widening the net a little more, as 1 pound per gram of body weight is far from being the universally recognized standard.

    Whatever works for you...

    You're providing prescriptive advice to other people on specific nutritional goals. I think we're beyond the "everything can be right, whatever works for you" area.

    OP wanted a suggestion... i gave them one. You want a "net"? go play tennis.

    I have no idea what the word "net" is expressing here so I have no idea if I want one.