Struggling with right amount of calories

[SueSkinner]

Hi I am going to try and lose weight without joining a class. I am wondering what the right daily amount of calories should be? Been on a few sites but seem to vary quite a bit. I am 4ft 10 and current weight is 9stone 8lb

[Hamiltoc]

Hi Sue, I had the same idea, losing weight without joining a class as I don't want to count points, checks or have red/green days!! I just want to count easy calories! So here on NHS web you can in put your stats and it tells you your BMI and suggested calorie intake. Mine was 1600 but also on the first page of the NHS diet plan it suggests 1400, so I'm going to do 1500!! Let us know how you get on!

[joanie-o 1 stone in reply to Hamiltoc]

Good morning Hamiltoc, seems like we have a bond forming here! My GP practice nurse referred me to slimming world, I am half way through a free twelve week course and I am hating it. When I checked the calories in the meals I was eating with what the nhs bmi calculator it suggested I was eating far too little. Only losing half a pound weekly. Just glad I am not paying a fiver a week! This is the first forum I have ever been on so I'm not great at posting but feel that this is the place to be for me at this time. I will be interested to hear how you get on.

[joanie-o 1 stone in reply to Hamiltoc]

Hello Sue, After I have finished my free course of twelve weeks at slimming world I will be ditching it in favour of calorie counting. I know SW works for a lot of people, my daughter-in-law has lost five stones in just over a year, but I find there is more support from all the lovely people on this forum. From today I'm counting calories!! Tuesday is a significant birthday for me so a good time for a new beginning. I look forward to hearing how you get on

[Bevb1107]

take a look on the NHS bmi tracker, that will give you a good idea of how many calories to eat based on age, height and weight

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello SueSkinner and welcome to the weight loss forum 😊

Have a look at the newbies post which has links to the NHS 12 week plan and also the bmi checker as suggested by the others to find a daily calorie target range. i suggest starting out at the top of the range initially so you have somewhere to go.

Have a good look around the site, there are several challenges running plus a weekly weight in. We are a very friendly bunch so ask if you have any questions.

Good luck

[Able99]

Hi , if you use a smart phone you may consider a calorie counting app. If you add all you details it will tell you your calorie limit for how much you want to lose per week. It's also good to have something to look up the calories of something before you eat it while you are out and about it shopping. Sometimes when I check something I change my mind about eating it. I use my fitness pal

[jo13bi 2 stone in reply to Able99]

Me to and I find it great. I love that you can scan barcodes to get the calories.

[MrNiceGuy]

Hello Sue and welcome to the forum.

You’re certainly not wrong in stating that there’s a plethora of calculators available to help ascertain recommended calorie intake, based upon current measurements (age/weight/height) and levels of activity.

Of all the calculators available, the two most common methods of measuring BMR are the Harris Benedict and Miflin St. Jeor formulas.

The Miflin St. Jeor method is more recent and is said to be a more accurate way of determining the calories required to satisfy basal metabolic rate.

However, don’t confuse BMR with RMR (resting metabolic rate), since the two are different.

If you wished to ascertain the calories needed to satisfy BMR by way of the Miflin St. Jeor method, the following equation would be used:

10 x weight (in KG) + 6.25 x Height (in cm) – 5 x age – 161 = BMR.

However, BMR simply refers to the amount of calories that ought to be consumed on a daily basis to ensure that metabolism continues to fire, in addition to providing sufficient energy to maintain existence.

(Important) Begin to consume fewer calories than is needed to meet BMR and metabolism will begin to slow, making it difficult to lose weight, in addition to adversely affecting energy levels, leaving you less inclined to exercise, for example.

Additionally, bear in mind that as weight is lost, the body will require fewer calories to satisfy its BMR, so you should re-assess with every 7lb lost. Doing so reduces the risk of plateau.

To begin introducing a calorie deficit, allowing weight to be lost, you need to know how many calories are required to maintain current weight based upon your level of activity (something also known as total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)), since it’s this figure from which a daily calorie deficit is maintained, not BMR, for the reasons explained above.

To ascertain TDEE, you’d multiply BMR by one of the following:

Sedentary = 1.2, Lightly Active = 1.375, Moderately Active = 1.55; Heavy Activity = 1.75; Athlete 2.

Having obtained your TDEE, seek to implement a daily calorie deficit from the figure presented, ensuring that any deficit introduced doesn’t push intake below that required to satisfy BMR.

Based upon your current measurements and level of activity, by using the above formulas, you may find that there’s only a difference of 350-400Kcal between your BMR and TDEE, so you’ll need to be astute with the deficit introduced, ensuring that the body continues to be provided with sufficient energy (calorie intake), thus, encouraging it to expend calories (stored in fat) to fuel your level of activity.

Since you’ll be working within a fine margin, weight loss will be slower since you can’t introduce huge calorie deficits, however, a daily deficit of 200Kcal should be sufficient to encourage the loss of a 1lb each week, provided regular exercise is incorporated alongside.