Help me calculate my calorie intake!

[LBOCS]

Right. I am fat, and I was avoiding weighing myself but the deed is done now and I need to lose weight.

I'm intending to use MFP to calorie count, but it's offering me 1200 calories. According to other calculators, my BMR is 1799 and my TDEE is 2177.

What should I be eating to maximise weight loss? I'm upping my exercise from none as well.

Sorry, have no idea what bmr or tdee are.

Think you can alter mfp so that you goal is 1500 or 1800 a day. Don't forget though that you are allowed extra for exercise and you can include housework and walking the do to school

As for foods, think you are looking at good old fruit and veg...

Do not go below your BMR.

About 500 cals below your TDEE is a sensible amount to work with. Remember what you eat is also important. If you aren't losing any weight adjust the number slightly. Remember your weight will fluctuate - trends are what is important.

Thanks both :)

I'm a bit confused though - 500 under my TDEE is well below my BMR?

Argh!

Oh, and I am eating better. I've cut out junky snacks and wine mostly!

What goals did you put into MFP?

2lb a week loss, to start with.

Oops, sorry I didn't do the maths

You shouldnt go below your BMR but the tools used to calculate your BMR/TDEE are reasonably inaccurate (best to get an average from several different sites).

Also, you don't say how big you are (and I'm not asking!) but I think the advice In have me be wrong for larger people who can afford a more drastic calorie cut as they have greater reserves.

Your TDEE is quite close to your BMR - are you very sedentary? In your shoes I would try and increase my TDEE. I would also knock say 250cals off of my TDEE initially, log religiously and note how my weight trends.

There are some very knowledgeable people on the MFP forums (and many who think they are) try asking on there, and read the replies with a critical eye.

My cousin is a personal trainer and has explained it to me in terms of eating 500 cals per day less than you use creating a 1lb loss per week as 1lb of fat is roughly worth 3500 cals. So 2lb per week would need a 7000 calorie "debt" per week.
1200 is the lowest MFP will go I believe and it will give you a warning screen if you try to complete for the day on less than 1000.
I've been eating around 1200 per day for a while and am losing slowly, its not as hard as it sounds once you get used to it. I follow SW principles fairly loosely and have changed my eating habits a lot but its taken several months for me to be comfortable with it and change my mindset.