Help! I am confused and need help setting calorie goal!

Hi Jen

Exercise can build muscle which is heavier than fat so you may be losing fat and gaining muscle hence no movement on the scales. your body may also be holding more water. Sometimes we just hit a plateau and need to keep going to break through it.

I would suggest ditching the scales and getting a tape measure and maybe even body fat callipers (cheap on eBay) for a clearer indication of how you are doing.

My BMR is about 2700 but I wasn't losing weight eating 2400 calories so I dropped it to 2000 cals on sedentary days and 2400 on workout days.

Log everything on MFP and make small adjustments on a weekly basis, you will find what works for you.

I have lost 3kgs in 2.5 weeks on a keto diet without losing any strength or muscle.

Everyone is different, I hope you find the answer that is right for you.

Hi Jenn

You definitely want to keep above your BMR. I would suggest trying a few sites to get more information on your BMR and activity levels. With more info, it is easier to make a decision.

First I would recommend visiting Fat2Fitradio.com. They have tools to estimate your body fat percent (which is a great indicator to use when losing weight - I prefer it over weight lost). With your body fat percent, you can get better estimates of your BMR, and therefore can make a better estimate as to how many calories you should consume based on activity level. Keep in mind that this site promotes healthy weight loss by calculating the number of calories you will be eating at your GOAL weight. Essentially you will be eating like the thinner you. On this site, first select 'All Calculators' and complete the Military Body Fat calculator. Then select 'BMR Calculators' to figure out your calories. If you are far from your goal weight you can eat 200-300 cals above your BMR (but keep it below your TDEE which is your calories burned at your activity level).

Secondly, you can try this site to get another estimate. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

You basically want to eat between your BMR and TDEE, but not too close to BMR as that assumes you are laying in bed all day.

Okay, please bear with me here.
I think I am beginning to grasp this. It took a long time for me too see how there could be a deficit doing it this way.
I used the site recommened (scobbys workshop calorie calculator) This is saying me TDEE is 2705. And my BMR is 1966.
It also allows for a choice of percent of calories cut. I am not sure what is a good thing to try so I choose 25%.

So, the calculator says I should be eating 2028 calories each day. And I am assuming that this INCLUDES excersize calories?
I have chosen lightly active, as at this point I just walk for half an hour 4-5 times each week, moderate pace.

Can someone tell me if this makes sense? A different website told me that my BMR was 1735 so I set my calories at 1900.
Now it appears that is too low. Oooooh man this is confusing!!

25% is an aggressive calorie reduction, you may want to try this for a few weeks, and you can always adjust to 20% reduction if needed. Basically YES based on this you should be eating 2028 calories and this includes your exercise cals (they were taken into consideration when you chose your activity level). If you are still stalling eating at 2028 calories, then I would suggest increasing to 2200 to get a bit of distance between BMR and your calorie intake.

If you do any heavy exercises that you would consider OUTSIDE of your lightly active assessment, you should eat back those cals so that you don't have too much of a deficit.

It's trial and error for the most part, but you've got a good understanding.