Is my calorie limit too low?

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)

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

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

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.

I don't understand that site that was mentioned. There is nowhere to input your current weight?

You should be eating back most of your exercise calories. You have been consistently 500 - 1000 calories under your calorie goal.

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 ^^^^^^^^^^

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!

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!

Wow.....my BMR was like 1921 (Like Sabrinany posted). I've been eating 1400 a day. =/

Are digital food scales super expensive?

I got my digital food scale from WalMart for under $20.

If you haven't already, set your weight loss goal on MFP to lose ONE pound a week. Now that you've already lost 23 pounds (kudos!! by the way), your weight loss is going to naturally slow down as your body tries to reach equilibrium, and you need to adjust for that or else you are not only expecting something unrealistic, but also slowing down your metabolism in the process.

Always log your exercise and eat your exercise calories, some people will tell you not to, but in my successful experience, you should eat the calories you burn during exercise as long as you still have a 500-calorie deficit total.

Also, (and this is sort of unrelated to your question) try to vary your exercise. Zumba is a great form of exercise (and fun!) but try other things as well to keep your body guessing and constantly challenged. Consider adding High Intensity Interval Training (which you can do on a treadmill or stationary bicycle or some fitness classes do it). Also, consider adding some strength training to your weekly routine (with resistance bands or free weights). Building muscle speeds up your metabolism and allows you to burn more calories throughout the day!

Good luck and be well