calories?

 Hi, I'm pretty new here.  I had lap band surgery 7 weeks ago and I'm feeling great.  I've also joined myfitnesspal.com (MFP) and I've started a rigorous exercise program.

In the weeks since surgery, I've been steadily increasing my calorie intake so I have enough energy to exercise.  Initially I didn't care about calories, just about getting in the protein and water.  Now, however, I have a normal appetite for the most part (I feel full more quickly, of course), and I have to be careful not to overeat.

I'm a bit confused about my calorie requirements.  Normally, I would look at my TDEE and then subract 20% from that to find my daily calorie needs to lose 1-2 lbs/week.  This can be pretty complicated when you're obese!  For one thing, my BMR is somewhere between 1300-1700 cals (depending on which formula I use) -- yet MFP suggests I eat 1200 cals/day to lose 2lbs per week.  According to MFP, my TDEE is 2100, and I read that for obese people it's ok to subtract 30%, so I come up with 1470 cals per day to lose 1.3 lbs per week.

For the past several weeks I've been sticking to the 1200 (except on days when I exercise, I go up to around 1400-1500)...but I'm SO HUNGRY!  My hunger is causing me to make some bad food decisions and I don't want this to be the beginning of a slippery slope!

So that's what I'm working with as of yesterday: 1470.  Does this seem ok?  Since I don't know exactly what my BMR is, I may be eating too little....?

I'm 5'3" CW209 GW130

Thanks for helping me with this!  :)

 I do www.fitday.com. I try to keep my calories around 1000. When I first started at 1800. As I have lost I have decreased them slightly. I never stick with 1000. I mixed it up so I don't plateau. 1200 some days and one day a week a 1500 day. You have to eat and workout out to lose. Feed your body!

 I don't want to eat too little bc then I have no energy to exercise, I'm hungry all the time, and I make bad food choices and end up overeating.

I don't want to eat too much bc I don't want to slop my weight loss or even, god forbid, start gaining...then I'd get discouraged, depressed and end up overeating.

I'm trying to find the right balance bt cals in cals out for me so I can eat enough to be satisfied and still lose weight.

I'm stressing out about this bc I'm so afraid of failing...again.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

The best thing I can suggest is pretty much trial and error. Keep very good logs of what you eat (myfitnesspal.com is awesome) and just see week to week what is working. If something is working, that is if you're losing 1-2 lbs per week, then you are doing excellent and stick with that till you need to change.

As early on as you are with your band you probably haven't got a lot of fluid in it. So don't worry, the hunger will get better. For now, make sure you're drinking plenty of water, getting in as much solid protein as you can. I understand needing to eat more cause I'm really athletic but you've got to make sure the additional you're eating is in fact protein more than anything else.

My nutritionist once said that if you can eat over 1600 calories you probably need a fill and I've found she's correct BUT ONLY IF you're eating enough solid protein. It's easy to get more than 1600 if you're eating calorie dense foods (carbs and sugar). So just make sure that when you're hungry the first thing you go for is some turkey, tuna, lowfast cheese stick, etc.

Also, 1200 a day doesn't seem abnormally low for someone of your height. I am 5'7" and have to eat 1200 with the majority of it being protein in order to lose any weight. Don't pay attention to the calculations on Myfitnesspal, they seem really off to me.