I need calorie help!

gamommaof3
gamommaof3 Posts: 59
in Health and Weight Loss
I started on MFP a week ago. I didn't lose anything this week. I have lost 30 lbs prior to joining here without counting calories. I just started watching what I eat, drinking lots of water, and exercising.

I think I may not be eating enough calories. I am exercising a decent amount. I started 30 Day Shred on 4/19 and I am doing that 6 days a week and also walking at least 5 days a week. I know I am building muscle mass, so that may be why I didn't lose this week. Last week I burned over 3,100 calories in exercise. It may have been more if I had counted my 4 hours of bowling I did yesterday also.

I weigh about 180 lbs currently and would like to get down to 145-150 lbs. I am 36 yrs old and about 5' 5" tall. How many calories would you recommend I eat? Feel free to look at my food diary for the last week and make any recommendations also. I am super excited about the 30 Day Shred and looking good in a swimsuit this summer so I am not solely looking at the weight number, but also how I look and feel.

Thanks for listening!!

Replies

  • mrsnathanandrew
    mrsnathanandrew Posts: 631 Member
    Hello dear, first off, welcome to MFP!

    Secondly, as far as calories go, how many are you eating now? It is very possible that you aren't eating enough. I had stuck pretty closely to 1200 calories for the longest time, then I bumped it up to 1700 calories, and saw a lot better results. With working out like you are doing with the shred, and with walking, I'd say your best bet is to increase your calorie intake.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I'd try out 1/2 to 1 pound per week according to MFP. Log your exercise and eat those calories back. I'd estimate it at 1800 a day.
  • beth40n2
    beth40n2 Posts: 233 Member
    Go through the set up on here with your height and weight and choose for MFP to choose your calories. It will ask you how active you are and how many pounds a week you want to loose and she what it says.

    Most women it will choose 1200 calories plus you eat your exercisse calories each day.
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    I haven't been eating my calories back. For example today I have eaten 1,328 calories. I burned 445 calories from exercise today. It is telling me my net is only 883 calories. I feel like I have eaten a lot though and had 3 meals and 2 snacks.

    MFP has my daily goal set at 1,380 before exercise calories.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I haven't been eating my calories back. For example today I have eaten 1,328 calories. I burned 445 calories from exercise today. It is telling me my net is only 883 calories. I feel like I have eaten a lot though and had 3 meals and 2 snacks.

    MFP has my daily goal set at 1,380 before exercise calories.

    well, if i were you i'd be eating 1380 + 445 today. So a grand total of 1825.
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    I haven't been eating my calories back. For example today I have eaten 1,328 calories. I burned 445 calories from exercise today. It is telling me my net is only 883 calories. I feel like I have eaten a lot though and had 3 meals and 2 snacks.

    MFP has my daily goal set at 1,380 before exercise calories.

    well, if i were you i'd be eating 1380 + 445 today. So a grand total of 1825.

    That seems like a lot, but I will try to up it and see what happens. I had forgotten to add in the little cream cheese I had today so I am up to 1,033 net now.
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
    Read the post that starts with "READ THIS" on this page.. I think in there is a way to calculate your BMR. I'm going to guess your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is above the 1300ish MFP has set for you. After you factor in all that exercise, you should likely be eating a lot more than 1300 calories.

    I'm 39, 5'4", 127lbs and my BMR is 1324, my TDEE (BMR plus activity) is 2,034. I eat in between those numbers to lose weight (I'm at 1,640 now).
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    Read the post that starts with "READ THIS" on this page.. I think in there is a way to calculate your BMR. I'm going to guess your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is above the 1300ish MFP has set for you. After you factor in all that exercise, you should likely be eating a lot more than 1300 calories.

    I'm 39, 5'4", 127lbs and my BMR is 1324, my TDEE (BMR plus activity) is 2,034. I eat in between those numbers to lose weight (I'm at 1,640 now).

    According to the sites and the excel sheet created by the MFP person my BMR is 1500-1600. What does maintenance number mean?

    "Mifflin-St Jeor
    (FOR WOMEN)" BMR 1,509
    Maintenance 2,415
    Cut (@ 15%) 2,052
    Build (@ 15%) 2,777

    Katch-McArdle BMR 1,628
    Maintenance 2,604
    Cut (@ 15%) 2,214
    Build (@ 15%) 2,995
  • Monde68
    Monde68 Posts: 8 Member
    I was just about to post a similar question to yours. I have been doing MFP for around 2 months now, and have not lost anything, in fact, have put on weight! I eat 1200 cals a day, and eat back my exercise cals most of the time. But now I'm thinking I'm going to stop doing that. I am so vigilant about what i eat, and documenting everything, and i exercise heaps, burning around 500 cals a day. Yet, the scales are going up, and my mood is going down :sad: So now i've stopped weighing myself but honestly I would have thought/hoped, with the calories I'm eating, and the cals I'm burning, that weight should be dropping off me :huh:
  • zukkiz
    zukkiz Posts: 362 Member
    Maintenance calories, are what you eat if you just want to maintain the weight that you are at.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    Darn!! I thought you were giving calories away....was going to "borrow" some for today. :bigsmile:
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
    Read the post that starts with "READ THIS" on this page.. I think in there is a way to calculate your BMR. I'm going to guess your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is above the 1300ish MFP has set for you. After you factor in all that exercise, you should likely be eating a lot more than 1300 calories.

    I'm 39, 5'4", 127lbs and my BMR is 1324, my TDEE (BMR plus activity) is 2,034. I eat in between those numbers to lose weight (I'm at 1,640 now).

    According to the sites and the excel sheet created by the MFP person my BMR is 1500-1600. What does maintenance number mean?

    "Mifflin-St Jeor
    (FOR WOMEN)" BMR 1,509
    Maintenance 2,415
    Cut (@ 15%) 2,052
    Build (@ 15%) 2,777

    Katch-McArdle BMR 1,628
    Maintenance 2,604
    Cut (@ 15%) 2,214
    Build (@ 15%) 2,995

    So, looking at the first set of numbers...2,415 (maintenance) is the number of calories that is needed each day to just maintain your weight based off how active you are. The BMR number (1,509) is the base calories needed to run your body without ANY daily activity. The cut (2,052) is a 15% deficit, which will allow for fat loss (some people use 20%).
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    Darn!! I thought you were giving calories away....was going to "borrow" some for today. :bigsmile:

    LOL! You can have my extras!!
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    It says my TDEE is 2,444. So that means that I should eat 10-20% below this number, correct? If so, I would need to eat between 1,955-2,199 and not eat back my exercise calories.

    Most of my exercise days I burn about 450 calories, so this sounds right I guess. Am I analyzing this correctly? So basically net 1,500-1,700 calories to lose weight and my BMR is in that range so I think it makes sense.
  • refractor82
    refractor82 Posts: 3
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    IMO - use this, -500 calories a day to lose a pound a week and stick to it. I think it's better to eat the same number of calories per day and keep up with exercise rather than exercise to eat. On the days you don't exercise, your body is probably going into starvation mode and then you exercise and eat more the next day and your body begins to store fat. 1300 calories is ridiculously low. That's near or below BMR for most people and it's just not healthy. You might be ok on 1300 calories if you were bed ridden.
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    IMO - use this, -500 calories a day to lose a pound a week and stick to it. I think it's better to eat the same number of calories per day and keep up with exercise rather than exercise to eat. On the days you don't exercise, your body is probably going into starvation mode and then you exercise and eat more the next day and your body begins to store fat. 1300 calories is ridiculously low. That's near or below BMR for most people and it's just not healthy. You might be ok on 1300 calories if you were bed ridden.

    I used this site to calculate my TDEE in the above post. So if I follow what you are saying I need to eat 1,944 calories. On my exercise days (6 days a week) I am burning about 450 calories. That puts me at about 1,500 net.
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    Last night I decided I would weigh in today. I joined the evening of 4/16 but really started focusing on it starting the next day. I was super happy to weigh in this morning and see a 2 lb loss!!!!
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
    It says my TDEE is 2,444. So that means that I should eat 10-20% below this number, correct? If so, I would need to eat between 1,955-2,199 and not eat back my exercise calories.

    Most of my exercise days I burn about 450 calories, so this sounds right I guess. Am I analyzing this correctly? So basically net 1,500-1,700 calories to lose weight and my BMR is in that range so I think it makes sense.

    Yes, correct.. if your net dips below your BMR when you execise, eat some of those calories back... you will still be at a deficit.
  • gamommaof3
    gamommaof3 Posts: 59
    It says my TDEE is 2,444. So that means that I should eat 10-20% below this number, correct? If so, I would need to eat between 1,955-2,199 and not eat back my exercise calories.

    Most of my exercise days I burn about 450 calories, so this sounds right I guess. Am I analyzing this correctly? So basically net 1,500-1,700 calories to lose weight and my BMR is in that range so I think it makes sense.

    Yes, correct.. if your net dips below your BMR when you execise, eat some of those calories back... you will still be at a deficit.

    Thanks, I upped my calories on here to help me keep track too!

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