How many calories should I be eating?

Rolynthunder
Rolynthunder Posts: 30 Member
edited October 6 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All,
I'm 5ft 4, 131lbs and 25 years old. About a month ago I started running and for the first 1.5 weeks I was losing weight (about 2lbs) and then for the next 1.5 weeks I didn't lose anything and then this past week I gained 2lbs. I'm running a decent amount (about 15 miles a week) but I am getting frustrated that I am not losing weight. I am having a VERY difficult time with the 1,200 cals per day and especially on days that I run I go way over that. Some people said that they don't eat back their exercise calories, but I have a hard time staying at 1,200 even when I'm not exercising.

I am going to set my calories at maintenance level (1,640) and not eat back my exercise calories (which would give me around 2,000 cal deficit a week). I don't mind losing the weight slowly (1.5-2lbs a month), but I just don't want the weight to creep back on.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks!
~Carolyn

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member

    Any thoughts on this?

    Thanks!
    ~Carolyn

    I would look up a few different calorie calculators online and see what you come up with for TDEE. Compare it to MFP and make decisions on that.

    Katsch-McArdle would be a good starting place.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    I agree with sidesteal on this, but keep in mind, while Katch McArdle is the most accurate method, it relies on you having a close estimation of your body fat as it's one of the variables in the algorithm.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I agree with sidesteal on this, but keep in mind, while Katch McArdle is the most accurate method, it relies on you having a close estimation of your body fat as it's one of the variables in the algorithm.

    ^ Correct. Since OP is not very large, an arbitrary estimate of bodyfat% would likely yield a fairly accurate result. I recommended it based on her stats. You could probably assume ~25% ish bodyfat and end with a reasonable starting place.
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
    I agree with sidesteal on this, but keep in mind, while Katch McArdle is the most accurate method, it relies on you having a close estimation of your body fat as it's one of the variables in the algorithm.

    I used the Katch McArdle method, and when figuring things out I found that the caloric recomendations only moved about 100 calories for a 5% change in Body fat. So OP can get really close, and adjust up or down by 100-150 calories after 2 weeks of trying it if losses or gains are different than expected.
  • Rolynthunder
    Rolynthunder Posts: 30 Member

    Any thoughts on this?

    Thanks!
    ~Carolyn

    I would look up a few different calorie calculators online and see what you come up with for TDEE. Compare it to MFP and make decisions on that.

    Katsch-McArdle would be a good starting place.

    Thanks! I just entered all my numbers in that and it told me I should be eating about 1,601 cals a day. Even though I spend half my job at my desk and half my job walking around, I go for 4 runs a week ranging from 4-7 miles a piece and I really didn't feel like 1,200 calories could fuel that. Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it!
  • Rolynthunder
    Rolynthunder Posts: 30 Member
    Thank you, that is a really good idea!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Thanks! I just entered all my numbers in that and it told me I should be eating about 1,601 cals a day.

    That still seems low for a maintenance intake, even at your size (you don't weigh much). Did you multiply by an activity factor after you did your calculations and if so, what did you choose as an activity factor?

    I suspect you calculated your BMR but didn't multiply by activity.

    You may wish to double check this.


    In closing, if you did this intentionally because you're going to eat back exercise calories then this should balance out, in theory. I would still recommend checking on this though.

    I could be wrong, I'm eyeballing this.
  • Rolynthunder
    Rolynthunder Posts: 30 Member

    Thanks! I just entered all my numbers in that and it told me I should be eating about 1,601 cals a day.
    That still seems low for a maintenance intake, even at your size (you don't weigh much). Did you multiply by an activity factor after you did your calculations and if so, what did you choose as an activity factor?

    I suspect you calculated your BMR but didn't multiply by activity.

    You may wish to double check this.

    In closing, if you did this intentionally because you're going to eat back exercise calories then this should balance out, in theory. I would still recommend checking on this though.

    I could be wrong, I'm eyeballing this.


    Sorry for the confusion. My TDEE would be 2,101 and if I wanted to lose it would be 1,601. I don't want to lose a lot (about 5-10lbs), I'm more interested in gaining muscle and endurance. I would rather gain some weight due to muscle building, however I know I can't build muscle with big calorie deficits. I guess overall I am not sure what I am doing as far as how many calories I need to gain muscle while not eating too much that I will start storing it in less appealing forms. I'm also going to start strength training and I know I need to boost up my protein intake to help with muscle building.

    I said moderate activity (3-5 times a week) because I'm currently running (1) 7mile run (2)3-4 mile run and (1) 2-3 mile. I also have done a 40 min swim workout and will be doing a 30 min circuit training workout this week as well.
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
    If you're not losing weight you are probably still eating too much. I see you run, do you lift weights too? If not you should try it. It has a longer lasting effect on your metabolism. Are you staying hydrated?
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Sorry for the confusion. My TDEE would be 2,101 and if I wanted to lose it would be 1,601. I don't want to lose a lot (about 5-10lbs), I'm more interested in gaining muscle and endurance. I would rather gain some weight due to muscle building, however I know I can't build muscle with big calorie deficits. I guess overall I am not sure what I am doing as far as how many calories I need to gain muscle while not eating too much that I will start storing it in less appealing forms. I'm also going to start strength training and I know I need to boost up my protein intake to help with muscle building.

    I said moderate activity (3-5 times a week) because I'm currently running (1) 7mile run (2)3-4 mile run and (1) 2-3 mile. I also have done a 40 min swim workout and will be doing a 30 min circuit training workout this week as well.

    This makes much better sense, thanks for clarifying.

    If you are completely new to strength training I would consider eating right at your TDEE when you start lifting, for a couple of months. You'll gain some water weight but your bodyweight will only make minor changes after that, and you will probably recomp a bit (gain a little muscle and possibly lose some fat).

    I'd only do this for a short time but it's perfectly viable in your situation.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    for the first 1.5 weeks I was losing weight (about 2lbs) and then for the next 1.5 weeks I didn't lose anything and then this past week I gained 2lbs
    Sounds like you also went through exactly one monthly cycle. I only weigh myself officially every four weeks because I have big monthly fluctuations (up as much as 5 pounds sometimes). I wouldn't stress too much about it; weight loss is rarely perfectly linear.
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