Calories You Can Eat Without Putting on Weight

weasey

weasey

Gold Member
The other week I calculated the calories I can eat without putting on weight. I used a formula that was in the British Army Fitness book. It takes into account your age, gender, weight and activity level. Mine came out at 1380 a day. Shockingly low when we are constantly told that the GDA for a woman is 2000 calories a day. Also shocking when you consider that I do 3 or 4 heavy sessions at the gym a week goodness knows what it would be if I didn't do that! Partly it's because I'm 44 and the number of calories you can have as you get older decreases.

It gives me a new perspecitive on maintaining. I thought I'd probably be able to eat around 1800 and maintain. It appears not... It also explains why I'm around a stone higher than I want to be and why I've had some difficulty losing it through eating fewer calories - I wasn't eating few enough! Now I've set my calorie limit to 1200 a day and it's starting to shift.

My husband can have over 2800 calories a day. To think that before the diet I used to eat the same portion size...
 
Yes, that formula would be useful when it comes to maintaining.

1300, thats low, dont think I could do that forever................
 
I'll dig the formula out when I'm next at home...
 
I'd be interested to see this.
 
I'd also be very interested. I have 13lbs to go (I reset my goal back to 8st from 8st 7) as I feel I will need the buffer of 5-7 lbs once I refeed. I'm dithering about how to introduce food fully looking at slimming word using 5:2 fasting. However, I thin good old calorie counting with MFP may well be easier as I used this method during jan and feb when I was using slim and save and using real food In between. I really don't understand fully all the BMR and Tdee calculations.

I am scared I'm going to blow this now I'm so close. Two months is the longest after vlcd where I have maintained. I do not want undo this hard work now. I couldn't bear to regain and attempt vlcd again out of desperation.

Btw Adrian you look fab in your profile photo!
 
I have to say Adrian I've learnt to hard way! Since 2008 I've been up,and down like a yo yo in weight and "this" time I plan to maintain by incorporating a lifestyle change to the way I eat inclduing exercise. If I don't I fear I will go back full circle and I just don't want to that.

You not only look slimmer but younger! Now that's a great side effect of weight loss!

Weasey I would,love to,follow in your shoes as you are doing brilliantly since your weightloss. I appreciate you are 13-14 lbs higher than you'd like but you are still maintaining which is a great achievement and massive inspiration for the likes of me.
 
Thanks guys. Sorry I haven't posted the calculation yet but I need to be on my computer at home rather than my iPad as I need to enter lots of tables. I'm not at home much at the moment with mum and mum-in-law in hospital combined with a new job and a busy social life! I will get to it though - sorry again!
 
Hey! Weasey, that's not a problem. Hope your family are well, Ive spent last week visiting son in hospital and it is draining!
 
Hi all, thought I would pop in (as a maintainer-ish...)

I'm wondering if the formula Weasey mentioned is to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate, otherwise known as BMR. Your BMR is the number of calories you burn in a day if you don't move at all. Once you have worked out your BMR you can use another formula called the Harris Benedict Equation to work out how many calories you should really be consuming- taking into account how much exercise you do.

Copy and paste this into your browser for a BMR calculator (sorry iPad playing up and can't do hyperlinks at the mo): BMR Calculator - Metabolism Calculator (Basal Metabolic Rate)
That will also show you how to do the HB equation.

And in case anybody wants to do it the long way round!

Formula for BMR:

BMR for Men = 66.47 + (13.7 x weight [kg]) + (5 x height [cm]) − (6.8 x age [years])
BMR for Women = 655.1 + (9.6 x weight [kg]) + (1.8 x height [cm]) − (4.7 x age [years])

Harris Benedict Formula:

Little/no exercise: BMR x 1.2 = Total Calorie Need
Light exercise: BMR x 1.375 = Total Calorie Need
Moderate exercise (3-5 days/wk): BMR x 1.55 = Total Calorie Need
Very active (6-7 days/wk): BMR x 1.725 = Total Calorie Need
Extra active (very active & physical job): BMR x 1.9 = Total Calorie Need


(Equations lifted from diabetes.co.uk- unfortunately I don't know them to hand!)
 
Is that right??? Mine works out as 2370!!!!
 
Lollster said:
Is that right??? Mine works out as 2370!!!!
Click to expand...

Well in theory, yes. The problem is that it doesn't consider medical problems that affect your metabolism, such as PCOS, thyroid issues etc. Also some diets, particularly very low calorie ones, can lower your metabolic rate. It also assumes that your idea of activity levels are the same as the formula creators. So in theory it's a good formula but it only gives you a ball park figure, play around with it and see what happens. If it's 1370 and you go 1000 below for a 2lb a week loss you might lose 2lb a week or it might only be about 1.5lb a week but either way should still be a fairly decent weekly loss I would say based on your numbers, which sound fairly typical :)
 
Mine is 1548cals a day!? This could explain why I yo-yo so much. I've never eaten excessively but I've stuck to the whole 2000cals for women a day thing. Sigh.


Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins.com mobile app
 
Mine seems excessively high. I have a very active job but still over 2000!!! I'm currently having under 1000 and the weightloss is still good, don't think I want it to get this high though :-/
 
I used a fancy expensive scale at work that sends an electric signal through your body to record how much of your weight is fat, water etc and it also tells me my daily calorie allowance. I'm currently 1400 something, but I envision that will be lower once I loose another stone. I'm probably going to be about 1200 once at goal I reckon.
 
snakers said:
I maintain around 1500 cals normal activity and no exercise. Yes, still really low compared to the average 2000 per day!
Click to expand...

I don't think 2000 is average though. How many women do you know that work out over an hour every day that would need 2000 calories to maintain their weight? I think it's a guesstimation that's been blown out of proportion. If at 10 stone, running 2.5 miles a day 4 days a week I only come in at 1.4k then how much are you going to have to do in order to burn 2k a day?
 
Thanks for the insight, Kuromi. You're probably right. I guess I've been lurking too much around the MFP forums where those fit and fab people post about eating over 2000 cals per day! A bit disheartening reading about the exercises they do and the food they can consume to lose weight, lol.
 
According to my recent logs, I'm burning approx 2.2k a day, however that usually involves running, so I think my safe limit would be below that as an average.
 
Saddlebag said:
Hi all, thought I would pop in (as a maintainer-ish...)

I'm wondering if the formula Weasey mentioned is to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate, otherwise known as BMR. Your BMR is the number of calories you burn in a day if you don't move at all. Once you have worked out your BMR you can use another formula called the Harris Benedict Equation to work out how many calories you should really be consuming- taking into account how much exercise you do.

Copy and paste this into your browser for a BMR calculator (sorry iPad playing up and can't do hyperlinks at the mo): BMR Calculator - Metabolism Calculator (Basal Metabolic Rate)
That will also show you how to do the HB equation.

And in case anybody wants to do it the long way round!

Formula for BMR:

BMR for Men = 66.47 + (13.7 x weight [kg]) + (5 x height [cm]) - (6.8 x age [years])
BMR for Women = 655.1 + (9.6 x weight [kg]) + (1.8 x height [cm]) - (4.7 x age [years])

Harris Benedict Formula:

Little/no exercise: BMR x 1.2 = Total Calorie Need
Light exercise: BMR x 1.375 = Total Calorie Need
Moderate exercise (3-5 days/wk): BMR x 1.55 = Total Calorie Need
Very active (6-7 days/wk): BMR x 1.725 = Total Calorie Need
Extra active (very active & physical job): BMR x 1.9 = Total Calorie Need

(Equations lifted from diabetes.co.uk- unfortunately I don't know them to hand!)
Click to expand...

I hope this quote works.
Follow link and fill in the BMR part :)
Then take the number and multiply to what level of activity you have in the harris benedict formula part.
I did mine for light to moderate exercise, as although I do exercise more, I dont walk about and sit for most if the day as part of my job :)
 
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