Tracking calories

[Anonymous]

I am trying to use MyFitnessPal to track my calories and am a bit confused as to what activity level to use. BTW I am the OP of this thread: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1186282.page

Based on "lightly active" I should be eating 1450 calories a day. I read articles about which activity level to choose and it says not to base it on your exercise but on your daily activity. I have a desk job but also walk my dog about 3.5 miles a day and then work out in addition to that.

I also did a calculation on my macros and am aiming for 128g of protein, 146g of carbs and 40g of fat.

Does this all seem about right? I am currently 5'7" and 153 pounds. I would like to be down to 140 by May. Ideally I would like to weigh 135 but I know that might be a pipe dream.

[Anonymous]

You only need 1200 calories a day if you are trying to lose weight. You'll never get to 140 on 1400 calories a day. Reset the calorie count in your profile...it's under goals or something.

[Anonymous]

I think that sounds reasonable. It isn’t an exact science. You have to view it as trial and error. Try this calorie goal for 2 weeks and see what happens. If no weight loss, go down to 1300 calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You only need 1200 calories a day if you are trying to lose weight. You'll never get to 140 on 1400 calories a day. Reset the calorie count in your profile...it's under goals or something.

OP here - is eating 1200 calories a day even possible if you are working out every day and walking 5-7 miles? I feel like I would probably pass out if I ate that little.

Yesterday I ate 1480 calories and exercised burned approximately 410 calories. I walked 13,000 steps and lifted for 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

1200 calories is ridiculous. Sure, you will lose weight more quickly but you will be unhappy and more likely to break out of your diet because you are HUNGRY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1200 calories is ridiculous. Sure, you will lose weight more quickly but you will be unhappy and more likely to break out of your diet because you are HUNGRY.

Also this doesn’t work well for everyone, eating such v low cal can make your body go into starvation mode, trying to store as much fat as possible. A smaller calorie deficit is preferable and I’m not sure that the myfitnesspal calculations are right. You might want to try tracking your normal diet for a weeek and see how many calories that is, and then after that shave a couple of hundred off and that should help you lose weight in a slower but more sustainable way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1200 calories is ridiculous. Sure, you will lose weight more quickly but you will be unhappy and more likely to break out of your diet because you are HUNGRY.

Op here - if I did this I would get so hungry I would eat everything by the end of the day. Which defeats the purpose.

[Anonymous]

I’m losing 1/2 pound a week on 1500 calories a day. Slow and steady. I’ve lost 10 pounds in 5 months - 140-130 pounds. 1200 would not have been sustainable for me.

[Anonymous]

1450 is already very low for your stats. You could start at 1800 and see how quickly you lose and adjust further down if it is not working. I am very similar size at you and with some 12k steps a day and four weight lifting workouts a week, I lose 1lb a week at 2000 calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1450 is already very low for your stats. You could start at 1800 and see how quickly you lose and adjust further down if it is not working. I am very similar size at you and with some 12k steps a day and four weight lifting workouts a week, I lose 1lb a week at 2000 calories.

Yes I also lose weight at 2000 as well as long as I never ever cheat.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately how many calories you need per day varies pretty wildly from person to person. To the extent that these calculators are often pretty off for many of us. So maybe take that as a starting point and see how it goes. But don’t be surprised if your body actually uses a lot less calories per day than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You only need 1200 calories a day if you are trying to lose weight. You'll never get to 140 on 1400 calories a day. Reset the calorie count in your profile...it's under goals or something.

OP here - is eating 1200 calories a day even possible if you are working out every day and walking 5-7 miles? I feel like I would probably pass out if I ate that little.

Yesterday I ate 1480 calories and exercised burned approximately 410 calories. I walked 13,000 steps and lifted for 30 minutes.

We are all different. I wouldn’t lose weight at all if I didn’t get down to at least 1200 cal a day. Any more than that and I will not lose weight. FWIW, I’m 5’7” and over 200lbs and moderately active.

[Anonymous]

So I have been eating 1500 calories a day. I am freaking starving.

Op here

[Anonymous]

For me 1400-1500 worked well to lose about 1/2 lb per week. It was much more sustainable that 1200, those 200 calories deficit left me ravenous and prone to slipping and over eating. Start with 1450 and see how you manage that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You only need 1200 calories a day if you are trying to lose weight. You'll never get to 140 on 1400 calories a day. Reset the calorie count in your profile...it's under goals or something.

OP here - is eating 1200 calories a day even possible if you are working out every day and walking 5-7 miles? I feel like I would probably pass out if I ate that little.

Yesterday I ate 1480 calories and exercised burned approximately 410 calories. I walked 13,000 steps and lifted for 30 minutes.

Op, if you are working out every day and walking 5-7 miles, then you’re definitely not in “light activity” category. You probably could benefit from an additional 100-200 calories.