upping my cals to 1400 from 1200+why I chose 1400

xx_donna_xx
xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

I'm just sat here thinking its so hard trying to eat more and not focus on weight when your used to the 1200cals& have lost all your weight on that.
I'm now aiming for about 1400 a day, plus any exercise cals. Why I went for 1400 is i've read a lot of people saying to think of the weight you want to be then multiply by 10.
What do you guys think? In my head I want a quick loss but know its prob not the best way to get this last 7lb off and gain a little muscle.

I'm 28, 5ft 10, 147lb, working in an office&trying to do the 30ds everyday at the min.

Any advice would be great. Thanks

Replies

  • toutepechtite
    toutepechtite Posts: 32
    I'm curious about that "weight you want x10" quote as well. I'm a petite 5ft2 and would like to be about about 110lbs which would mean 1100 calories/day which, of course, is below the ever important 1200. The more I read, the more confused I get!
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    I no its so confusing isn't it. I want to get to 140lbs or 10stone.
  • toutepechtite
    toutepechtite Posts: 32
    I also used this recommended site fat2fitradio.com and got a recommended calorie intake of about 1900! Huge difference to say the least and I honestly can't imagine eating that many calories every day. I thought I was doing well until I started looking into it. I'm starting to think I need to go back into my shell.
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    I just dunno how to get a proper safe amount where i'm not over eating or under eating as both are as bad for you& I really don't know how to get this& like you say the more you look into it the more confusing it gets.

    The way i'm looking at it 2000 is the maintenance cals it says everywhere, if I eat 1400 that's a defecate of 600 everyday so I can't put on weight&I'm over the1200 min so I should be ok but quite honestly I don't have a clue lol
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I just dunno how to get a proper safe amount where i'm not over eating or under eating as both are as bad for you& I really don't know how to get this& like you say the more you look into it the more confusing it gets.

    The way i'm looking at it 2000 is the maintenance cals it says everywhere, if I eat 1400 that's a defecate of 600 everyday so I can't put on weight&I'm over the1200 min so I should be ok but quite honestly I don't have a clue lol

    Does 2000 include your exercise calories? If so, why don't you aim for 1600 as it's a 20% deficit.
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    I just dunno how to get a proper safe amount where i'm not over eating or under eating as both are as bad for you& I really don't know how to get this& like you say the more you look into it the more confusing it gets.

    The way i'm looking at it 2000 is the maintenance cals it says everywhere, if I eat 1400 that's a defecate of 600 everyday so I can't put on weight&I'm over the1200 min so I should be ok but quite honestly I don't have a clue lol

    Does 2000 include your exercise calories? If so, why don't you aim for 1600 as it's a 20% deficit.



    Sorry what I meant was on the back of packets it says a womans daily cals should be around 2000 if they're not dieting so if I eat 1400 plus exercise cals I should still lose weight.....shouldn't I?
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    The '2000 for a woman' is extremely, extremely variable depending on age, height, exercise level, and weight.

    Where does MFP tell you that you should maintain?
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    Figure out your TDEE:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Then google search a BMR calculator. Subtract about 15-20% from your TDEE and make sure it's ABOVE your BMR. Then eat that :)

    Remember, when calculating your TDEE to INCLUDE your exercise (as in DO NOT pick sedentary, if you workout).
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    The '2000 for a woman' is extremely, extremely variable depending on age, height, exercise level, and weight.

    Where does MFP tell you that you should maintain?

    It doesn't tell me anywhere on MFP that I should maintain
  • toutepechtite
    toutepechtite Posts: 32
    Thank you tabl26. That seems easy enough to figure out! I'll give it a try.
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    Figure out your TDEE:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Then google search a BMR calculator. Subtract about 15-20% from your TDEE and make sure it's ABOVE your BMR. Then eat that :)

    Remember, when calculating your TDEE to INCLUDE your exercise (as in DO NOT pick sedentary, if you workout).

    Thanks so much for that, i'll go take a wee look :smile: hopefully i'll understand it lol
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    Figure out your TDEE:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Then google search a BMR calculator. Subtract about 15-20% from your TDEE and make sure it's ABOVE your BMR. Then eat that :)

    Remember, when calculating your TDEE to INCLUDE your exercise (as in DO NOT pick sedentary, if you workout).


    Thanks again for that, according to that site my BMR is roughly 1500 and my TDEE is roughly 2300 so 1800 is prob a better goal for me, rite?
    Sorry i'm such a dumb *kitten* :blushing:
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Hey everyone,

    I'm just sat here thinking its so hard trying to eat more and not focus on weight when your used to the 1200cals& have lost all your weight on that.
    I'm now aiming for about 1400 a day, plus any exercise cals. Why I went for 1400 is i've read a lot of people saying to think of the weight you want to be then multiply by 10.
    What do you guys think? In my head I want a quick loss but know its prob not the best way to get this last 7lb off and gain a little muscle.

    I'm 28, 5ft 10, 147lb, working in an office&trying to do the 30ds everyday at the min.

    Any advice would be great. Thanks

    Perfect weight for a woman 5'10 is 153lbs.
    Whats your body fat%?
    Maybe you dont need a straight deficit but instead should be zig zagging to add muscle?
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Just keep it simple. Go for 1800 calories. When you're at your ideal weight/size, eat a bit more every day to stabilise.
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    Figure out your TDEE:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Then google search a BMR calculator. Subtract about 15-20% from your TDEE and make sure it's ABOVE your BMR. Then eat that :)

    Remember, when calculating your TDEE to INCLUDE your exercise (as in DO NOT pick sedentary, if you workout).


    Thanks again for that, according to that site my BMR is roughly 1500 and my TDEE is roughly 2300 so 1800 is prob a better goal for me, rite?
    Sorry i'm such a dumb *kitten* :blushing:

    Yes! :) And if you're afraid to eat that much, then even try NETTING close to your BMR :) you'll still lose weight, and probably won't feel too deprived of the foods you enjoy :). Because we are all in this for the long haul, and eating too little is just not sustainable for most people :)
  • MrsLong1980
    MrsLong1980 Posts: 181 Member
    Pulling figures out from thin air isn't the way to go - have a read of this, do the calculations and go for it!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    Hey everyone,

    I'm just sat here thinking its so hard trying to eat more and not focus on weight when your used to the 1200cals& have lost all your weight on that.
    I'm now aiming for about 1400 a day, plus any exercise cals. Why I went for 1400 is i've read a lot of people saying to think of the weight you want to be then multiply by 10.
    What do you guys think? In my head I want a quick loss but know its prob not the best way to get this last 7lb off and gain a little muscle.

    I'm 28, 5ft 10, 147lb, working in an office&trying to do the 30ds everyday at the min.

    Any advice would be great. Thanks

    Perfect weight for a woman 5'10 is 153lbs.
    Whats your body fat%?
    Maybe you dont need a straight deficit but instead should be zig zagging to add muscle?

    That's it you see I don't necessarly want to lose weight more want to shape my body. Never heard of zig zagging, must look into this. Thanks
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    Sorry for the awful spelling
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    Pulling figures out from thin air isn't the way to go - have a read of this, do the calculations and go for it!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr

    Thanks, gonna have a wee read now
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    V informative and interesting. I didn't have time to read it all but :grumble:

    For now i've upped my min cals to 1500 net, i'll see how that goes for a while&re assess in a month to give it a decent chance.

    Thanks everyone who replied x
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Make sure you are doing weight training as it's critical to cutting fat which is what you seem to want. I generally suggest figuring out your TDEE and cutting 20%
  • xx_donna_xx
    xx_donna_xx Posts: 144
    TDEE is apparently 2300!! V high I think.

    I'd love to do weight training but can't afford the gym and we can't afford to buy weights either, atm i'm using tins of beans lol
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    TDEE is apparently 2300!! V high I think.

    I'd love to do weight training but can't afford the gym and we can't afford to buy weights either, atm i'm using tins of beans lol

    Don't over complicate things. Eat 1800 calories total (pending your 2300 includes exercise) and maybe look into getting some resistance bands as they are fairly cheap.
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