BMR/ CAL DEFICIT/ CAL INTAKE ETC ETC..

greatsimplicity
greatsimplicity Posts: 7
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay for some reason the more I think about this and the more confused I am !
I am trying to create a 500 cal deficit to burn 1 lb per week ( I also want to calculate 1000 cal deficit for the weeks I want to work harer ) but by all my calculations I always come up with different numbers (400 cal difference even :/ )

So what should my calorie intake be?!?!

Im 23
Weight 163 lbs
Height 5'2"

Replies

  • StarryEyed500
    StarryEyed500 Posts: 225 Member
    MFP can give you an answer if you put in the correct information. Go to Home -> Goals -> Change Goals. Select Guided then fill in the info. Select to lose 1lb a week and you should get an answer. Eat the Goal it gives you each day and see how you get on.

    Depending on your activity level, it could range from 1250 to 2100!
  • nebulinda
    nebulinda Posts: 120 Member
    According to MFP's BMR calculator, your BMR is 1448 calories. This is the amount of calories your body burns just stay alive, with zero movement (ie, if you slept all day). To get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), multiply your BMR by 1.2 for a sedentary person, so 1448*1.2=1738. This is how many calories you burn just going about your life, assuming you are sedentary. You would need to eat 1738 calories a day for maintenance, to not lose any weight at all. So subtract 500 from your TDEE to get your daily recommended calories, 1738-500=1238. This is what you need to eat to lose 1 pound a week.

    That was the math, now for some advice. You already don't weigh too much, so you probably don't have a lot to lose. This means that losing quickly might be more difficult for you than for someone who weighs a lot more. I would recommend changing your goal to 1/2 pound per week or else you might get discouraged because you may not be losing as quickly as you want. Also, I would have trouble getting full on only 1200 calories a day, however many people do just fine with that much, so you'll have to try it for a while to see how you feel. Keep in mind that MFP recommends that women don't below 1200 net calories for the day, or else you body probably won't get all the fuel and nutrients it needs, and you could end up feeling like crap and/or hitting a plateau further down the line.

    You will also have to eat more on the days you exercise. Eating back your exercise calories is controversial on the MFP forums. Some people say to always eat them back, some say to never eat them back. I say, eat them back or not if you want, as long as your net calories for the day is over 1200. Also, in my calculations in the first paragraph I assumed you were sedentary, with a job where you sit all day. If you have a more active job/lifestyle you get to eat more calories.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html


    using this calculator and the stats you ( I entered lightly active 1-3 days a week exercise ) supplied it comes up with 2110 for TDEE calories or maintenance. Shoot for five hundred below that to start. Do that for a few weeks and reevaluate. I hope this provides some help.
  • Thanks guys this was ALL very helpful !!!
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