Please dont be mad...i am SO confused hahahah

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acrawford2008
acrawford2008 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok i know this has been talked about and talked about but maybe i'm a little slow or something or over thinking it as i tend to do but i am still super confused even after reading everything over and over...so please be nice hahah.....ok so since october (minus some days) i stuck to 1200 calories a day and even with exercise i would still only eat the 1200. Well after a while is started binging and have "bad days' to where i would eat EVERYTHING. So now i'm trying to do this eating more to burn more or at least make sure my NET doesnt go under 1200. I am active i work out anywhere from 5-6 days a week for at least 2 hours. Mostly cardio but i do also weight lift. Anyway i calculated my bmr and tdee last night and did the calculations for that and it is 1852. My question is, is that the amount i should be eating everyday without adding my exercise calories in since that tdee added it in already? or do i put 1200 as my goal and exercise and then just eat those workout calories? I just see so many posts about things and i'm so confused at what i should be eating everyday. I do not want to go back to eating only 1200 a day flat because that is way too few calories and i'm always hungry. I hope this isnt too all over the place and someone can help me. Thank you again.

Replies

  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
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    If you are using TDEE that is a daily average of what you should eat regardless of whether you exercise, since, as you said, exercise is added in. So...no eating exercise calories back...eat the TDEE calculation each day or at least average that per day over the course of a week.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    you have to eat below your bmr. 1200 is def too low though, i'd try 1500 a day and see what happens. Usually the first 3 weeks you wont see a change and than by the 4th week weight starts dropping off. I used to do the 1200 calories a day and not eat back exercise calories and the weight was barely moving, since I upped my calories I have dropped 9lbs in about 3 months and almost 30inches
  • ClareWantsProgress
    ClareWantsProgress Posts: 173 Member
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    MFP accounts for your exercising and adjusts your calorie goal so that you NET what you have chosen as a weight loss (or maintenance) goal.

    If you are only taking in 1200 calories a day, but are exercising and burning up 500 calories, for example, that means your body is only getting 700 calories a day to "live on," which is not sustainable. I can see why you would be "bingeing" as you put it - you were in desperate need of fuel!!

    Don't over-think this. Plug in a reasonable weight loss goal of 1/2 to 1 pound a week plus your height and weight, and let MFP be a starting point. No, it's not the absolute end-all and be-all for everyone, but it should keep you at a sustainable daily intake.

    Good luck!
  • Adureeuh
    Adureeuh Posts: 24 Member
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    If you calculated your BMR and TDEE then eat between the two of them. Obviously if you are binging and starving all the time at 1200 while working out you are not getting enough fuel for your body. Take your TDEE (which is BMR plus the amount of energy you expend during the day) and subtract 200 or 300 calories, making sure it is above your BMR. You can eat that amount.

    Also, make sure what you eat is packed full of nutrients. I didn't check out your diary but if you find yourself binging it's a sign that you aren't getting what you need from your diet. Try and eat as many fresh vegetables as you can as well as some fruits for snacks. After your workouts try and get enough protein and carbs to give you fuel for the rest of the day and also so you can build lean muscle mass. Cook your food in a small amount of olive oil or use it as salad dressing (sparingly). Get other good fats from fish like tuna and salmon or nuts. If you eat a balanced diet you should be able to avoid binging.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    you have to eat below your bmr. 1200 is def too low though, i'd try 1500 a day and see what happens. Usually the first 3 weeks you wont see a change and than by the 4th week weight starts dropping off. I used to do the 1200 calories a day and not eat back exercise calories and the weight was barely moving, since I upped my calories I have dropped 9lbs in about 3 months and almost 30inches

    You mean TDEE?

    TDEE is what you expend daily.
    BMR is baseline organ function in calories.

    You should always eat above BMR but below TDEE to lose weight.

    The closer to TDEE, the less lean mass youll lose.
    The closer to BMR the more lean mass youll lose.

    You dont want to lose lean mass ever.
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
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    I misread...when you said you calculated TDEE I thought the calories you posted were what you should be eating based on TDEE. There a few ways to calculate your calories. If you want to aim for a 1 lb. Per week weightloss, simply deduct 500 calories from your TDEE total, and adjust from there depending on your results after a few weeks.
  • acrawford2008
    acrawford2008 Posts: 9 Member
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    ok so my bmr is 1406 and the tdee is 2179. but for moderate activity (what i chose) i followed the directions on the website and subtracted 15% from the tdee and it says that it is now 1852. That would be the calories i eat everyday no matter if i work out or not?
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
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    ok so my bmr is 1406 and the tdee is 2179. but for moderate activity (what i chose) i followed the directions on the website and subtracted 15% from the tdee and it says that it is now 1852. That would be the calories i eat everyday no matter if i work out or not?

    Yes...exactly!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    ok so my bmr is 1406 and the tdee is 2179. but for moderate activity (what i chose) i followed the directions on the website and subtracted 15% from the tdee and it says that it is now 1852. That would be the calories i eat everyday no matter if i work out or not?

    YEP!
    Set protein to 30% and carbs to 40% and eat that daily.
  • acrawford2008
    acrawford2008 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thank you SO much everyone!
  • KarinFit4Life
    KarinFit4Life Posts: 424 Member
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    NEVER eat below BMR. Eat between BMR and TDEE.
    Use this very accurate calc to get ure numbers:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    For healthy, long term weight loss (FAT LOSS) not lean body mass, use the 15% reduction. If you have 100 lbs to lose its recommended to use 20-25% You can use 20% Im not saying its wrong, 15% is just so much healthier for your body as it gets your body to believe in the fueling its getting. Also you feel so much stronger, energised, great hair and skin and best of all - you never feel deprived, like you are on a "diet"
    Its a healthy lifestyle, you still eat at a deficit so you will still lose weight and you can still eat that ice cream if it fits in your macros and calorie goal. ;-)
    Manually adjust your macros to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

    If interested visit our group. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Good luck! :-)
  • acrawford2008
    acrawford2008 Posts: 9 Member
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    ok i am sorry but i have one more question...when i was looking at the original post about bmr and tdee it said the 15% difference or whatever its called is 326.85 calories and the lady mentioned that if you burn more than that at the gym you need to make up the difference to make sure your getting enough calories. So today for instance at the gym i burned 850 so if i take that and minus the 326.85 it comes to being negative by 523.15 so should i then eat back the difference of 523? or just stick to eating just the tdee number regardless? thank you again.
  • AnnMarie518
    AnnMarie518 Posts: 93
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    NEVER eat below BMR. Eat between BMR and TDEE.
    Use this very accurate calc to get ure numbers:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    For healthy, long term weight loss (FAT LOSS) not lean body mass, use the 15% reduction. If you have 100 lbs to lose its recommended to use 20-25% You can use 20% Im not saying its wrong, 15% is just so much healthier for your body as it gets your body to believe in the fueling its getting. Also you feel so much stronger, energised, great hair and skin and best of all - you never feel deprived, like you are on a "diet"
    Its a healthy lifestyle, you still eat at a deficit so you will still lose weight and you can still eat that ice cream if it fits in your macros and calorie goal. ;-)
    Manually adjust your macros to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

    If interested visit our group. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Good luck! :-)

    Thank you so much for sharing this. It really helped me get more accurate numbers for my goals. Now I have a question: My BMR is 1601. TDEE 2482
    I am aiming for a 40lb loss, so at 15% reduction it would be 2109. I am currently on an 1800 calorie per day plan. Think I should stick with that? Or would upping it by 100 or so be more benificial?
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
    Options
    NEVER eat below BMR. Eat between BMR and TDEE.
    Use this very accurate calc to get ure numbers:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    For healthy, long term weight loss (FAT LOSS) not lean body mass, use the 15% reduction. If you have 100 lbs to lose its recommended to use 20-25% You can use 20% Im not saying its wrong, 15% is just so much healthier for your body as it gets your body to believe in the fueling its getting. Also you feel so much stronger, energised, great hair and skin and best of all - you never feel deprived, like you are on a "diet"
    Its a healthy lifestyle, you still eat at a deficit so you will still lose weight and you can still eat that ice cream if it fits in your macros and calorie goal. ;-)
    Manually adjust your macros to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

    If interested visit our group. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Good luck! :-)

    Thank you so much for sharing this. It really helped me get more accurate numbers for my goals. Now I have a question: My BMR is 1601. TDEE 2482
    I am aiming for a 40lb loss, so at 15% reduction it would be 2109. I am currently on an 1800 calorie per day plan. Think I should stick with that? Or would upping it by 100 or so be more benificial?

    I believe 15% is a conservative starting point. If you have a significant amount of fat to lose, you should be fine at 1800 calories, unless you are very hungry and having compliance issues.
  • KarinFit4Life
    KarinFit4Life Posts: 424 Member
    Options
    NEVER eat below BMR. Eat between BMR and TDEE.
    Use this very accurate calc to get ure numbers:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    For healthy, long term weight loss (FAT LOSS) not lean body mass, use the 15% reduction. If you have 100 lbs to lose its recommended to use 20-25% You can use 20% Im not saying its wrong, 15% is just so much healthier for your body as it gets your body to believe in the fueling its getting. Also you feel so much stronger, energised, great hair and skin and best of all - you never feel deprived, like you are on a "diet"
    Its a healthy lifestyle, you still eat at a deficit so you will still lose weight and you can still eat that ice cream if it fits in your macros and calorie goal. ;-)
    Manually adjust your macros to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

    If interested visit our group. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Good luck! :-)

    Thank you so much for sharing this. It really helped me get more accurate numbers for my goals. Now I have a question: My BMR is 1601. TDEE 2482
    I am aiming for a 40lb loss, so at 15% reduction it would be 2109. I am currently on an 1800 calorie per day plan. Think I should stick with that? Or would upping it by 100 or so be more benificial?

    Youre welcome! :-)

    Yes, eating 2100 would be recomended. Weight loss might be slower, but you will be sure lose fat and keep as much lean body mass as possible. Which is ideal as we want to stay firm as we lose and not sit with loose skin right. :-)
    This is a lifestyle, not a quick fix, it should be do-able and even fun, never feel deprived and feel the terrible "hangry" (hungry & angry ;-))
    symptoms....
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    Options
    you have to eat below your bmr. 1200 is def too low though, i'd try 1500 a day and see what happens. Usually the first 3 weeks you wont see a change and than by the 4th week weight starts dropping off. I used to do the 1200 calories a day and not eat back exercise calories and the weight was barely moving, since I upped my calories I have dropped 9lbs in about 3 months and almost 30inches

    You mean TDEE?

    TDEE is what you expend daily.
    BMR is baseline organ function in calories.

    You should always eat above BMR but below TDEE to lose weight.

    The closer to TDEE, the less lean mass youll lose.
    The closer to BMR the more lean mass youll lose.

    You dont want to lose lean mass ever.

    Yes i meant TDEE

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