Is my calorie limit too low?

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Alexstrasza
Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My daily limit is 1400 calories.

I am 5'10" and 239 lbs. I try to do at least 30 mins of Zumba cardio a day. Sometimes I try to do 30 minutes of it twice a day.

Is my limit too low or maybe even too high? I'm having trouble losing weight and I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong.
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Replies

  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    Hi...try this it works for me:

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    I'm currently set at 1420 calories a day.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    It can be daunting to drop to a level that's quite a bit less than what you consumed before. I would try 1400 for at least a week, and if it really feels too difficult, then you could get there in stages (say, 1 week at 2000, 1 week at 1800, 1 week at 1600)
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    Hi...try this it works for me:

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    I'm currently set at 1420 calories a day.

    Is this calculator pretty accurate?

    According to it my calorie intake should be about 1800
  • bosleysaf
    bosleysaf Posts: 24
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    No I dont think it is too low, becuase as I have found (and I am new to this) is that with every excerise you do and track you gain calories, I set mine at 1200 & I am 5ft 9in and currenlty 170lbs and I find with all the cardio I do every day it gives me another 274 ontop of that.

    I am struggling a lot with getting mine all used up because it says if you dont use all of your calories you can go into starvation mode I dont understand that at all!

    Bosleysaf :smile:
  • ahsats
    ahsats Posts: 75 Member
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    Do you record your exercise? Your calories will be upped for working out and according to the MFP plan you should eat them.
  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    Hi...try this it works for me:

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    I'm currently set at 1420 calories a day.

    Is this calculator pretty accurate?

    According to it my calorie intake should be about 1800

    I used to eat 1200 calories or a little less and then I upped my calories to 1420 based on the calculations on that particular page. What this ensures is that you retain as much lean body mass as possible as you lose weight. I'm losing weight slowly but I'm definitely losing inches...which suggests to me that I'm losing fat but retaining most of my muscle mass (which is good). If you're scared it's too high then try eating at 1500...I understand how scary it is to eat "more" calories than you are accustomed to...but I'm really happy with how I'm doing thus far...it's up to you!

    I weight 139lbs and I also do about the same amount of exercise as you...I've also been eating my exercise calories back
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html), you calculate out to this:

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 1921 cals per day
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure adjusted for activity (TDEE): 2305 cals per day.

    This means that to maintain your current weight you should be eating approx 2300 cals per day
    To lose 1lb a week you will need to eat approx 1800 calories a day (a 500 calorie per day deficit)

    Bear in mind that these numbers are just a starting guesstimate point, you may need to dial it in based on trial and error over the course of a month or two.

    You should be eating most of your exercise calories back. I.e. if you burn 300 cals on a treadmill, you eat 200 or so extra cals for the day

    If you're exercising like you say you are and only eating 1400 cals per day then you may be running too much of a deficit and gradually slowing your metabolism down. Perhaps try eating a bit more so your body doesn't think you're trying to kill it. The body is a perfect conservation machine... if it thinks it's in trouble it's going to hold onto those fat stores even more tightly than ever... don't starve it.

    Hope this helps.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    Do you have your weekly weight loss goal set to 2lbs/wk? If you are just starting out, I would change that to 1.5 or 1lbs per week and it will give you more calories. Then over the next few weeks your body will adjust and if you really want to, you can move it back to 2lbs/wk. And be sure to eat your exercise calories back - then you will be eating more than 1400/day, but your NET should be close to 1400. :smile:
  • texancountess
    texancountess Posts: 52
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    I'm 5'10 and 148.5 and my daily limit is 1520 + exercise calories. What activity level did you choose and are you eating back exercise calories? If you have your goal set to lose 2+ pounds a week, then I'd recommend dropping back down to just 1 a week. You don't want to eat too little and get discouraged and give up.
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    Thank you everyone! I was feeling so confused on all of this and started to lose my motivation!
  • reddcat
    reddcat Posts: 314 Member
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    bump. I like all the calculations on here!
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    I just changed it to losing 1 lb a week and it bumped my calorie intake up to 1800. I think I have been semi-starving my body.

    Thank you guys so much for the help. Maybe now I can get that motivation flowing again!
  • Lorie66
    Lorie66 Posts: 66
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    I think it is fine..remember to eat back the calories you burn or it will be too low..
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
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    I don't understand that site that was mentioned. There is nowhere to input your current weight?
  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    Don't lose your motivation! It can be frustrating trying to figure out everything...especially when you're not seeing fast results on the scale...but seriously your scale is NOT your friend! If I were you, start taking measurements of yourself and try on clothes every now and then and notice how different they look on you! The scale does not know the difference between weight that comes from the water you drink...the food you ate...and more importantly it CANNOT tell the difference between the weight that comes from muscle or fat! Just be confident that everyday you eat healthier and exercise is one day closer that you will be to your goal....no matter what! There will come frustrating weeks where you "gain" weight or you don't "lose" any weight (according to your scale)...that's why it's really important to not measure your success based solely on your scale. Every single day you eat well is another day you're closer to your goal...one day that you "mess up" or w/e ONLY means that you will reach your goal one day later. Know this...internalize it...and good luck!

    -Rose
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    You should be eating back most of your exercise calories. You have been consistently 500 - 1000 calories under your calorie goal.
  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    I don't understand that site that was mentioned. There is nowhere to input your current weight?

    On the right hand side Calculations based on body fat % you can enter your weight...if you don't know your body fat % there is a calculator on that site that can help you ESTIMATE it based on a couple of factors. I put the word estimate in caps so that you know that it's not going to be as accurate as if you actually get your body fat measured. Hope this helps
  • todaysanewday
    todaysanewday Posts: 91
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    Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html), you calculate out to this:

    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 1921 cals per day
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure adjusted for activity (TDEE): 2305 cals per day.

    This means that to maintain your current weight you should be eating approx 2300 cals per day
    To lose 1lb a week you will need to eat approx 1800 calories a day (a 500 calorie per day deficit)

    Bear in mind that these numbers are just a starting guesstimate point, you may need to dial it in based on trial and error over the course of a month or two.

    You should be eating most of your exercise calories back. I.e. if you burn 300 cals on a treadmill, you eat 200 or so extra cals for the day

    If you're exercising like you say you are and only eating 1400 cals per day then you may be running too much of a deficit and gradually slowing your metabolism down. Perhaps try eating a bit more so your body doesn't think you're trying to kill it. The body is a perfect conservation machine... if it thinks it's in trouble it's going to hold onto those fat stores even more tightly than ever... don't starve it.

    Hope this helps.

    ^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^
  • cleoleigh
    cleoleigh Posts: 76 Member
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    I am 5'10" starting weight was 25lbs, currently 227.3lbs (23 lost) I have a very seditary life in an office 10hrs a day, and have not begun working out due to pending neck surgery. I stay between 1200-1300 per day. So long as I am getting those calories from the right kind of foods and watching my sugar...I continue to loose.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    First, use MFP "tools" tab to find your BMR. You shouldn't be eating less than your BMR as this is the number of calories your body needs just to function even if you laid in bed all day or if you were in a coma.

    Next, double check all of your settings. Do NOT include dedicated exercise in your activity/lifestyle setting.

    Log your workouts in MFP's "exercise" tab. Eat back all or most of your extra earned calories. Note: if you're relying on MFP's default database to figure your calories burned, remember this is a very rough estimate and it could be overstating your burn.

    Are you using a digital food scale to measure EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth? Most people drastically underestimate food portions. Are you logging all beverages? Are you logging everything used to cook with (butter, oils, marinades, etc.)?

    Good luck and stick with it!

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