how to work out how many calories I should eat

[RavioliOnToast]

how do I work out how many calories I should be eating when calorie counting? is it in mfp or is there a calculation I need to do?

Mfp will calculate it for you when you first set up. It'll ask what you weigh now, what you want to weigh and how active you are. It'll then give you a daily intake goal.

thank you purple

MFP WILL give you a cal allowance, but it often sets people's allowances very low, at 1200 cals, which some people find it difficult to stick to.

It's a good idea to google TDEE and BMR and use calculators that they give you to find those figures.

BMR is how much energy your body would use if you slept/lay down all day. Lots of people recommend you eat at least that amount - for most people it is higher than the 1200 that MFP would give you.

Another way to do it is to find your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which is the amount of cals your body uses at your average rate of activity. You then deduct 500 cals a day from that if you want to lose a lb a week.

My other tip for MFP would be not to enter your 'exercise calories' - just don't bother (to log them, I mean, not to exercise!!) . I cycle several miles a day, do vigorous gym/swim activity several times a week, always take stairs not lifts, etc, and set my activity level as 'light' - but didn't start losing weight till I stopped eating the exercise calories it gave me back.