1200 Calories
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I am 5'9 and want to lose 2 lbs/wk.
Aha, we've identified the issue.
Reset to 1lb/week. 2lbs/week is really only for very large people (usually men) with tons to lose.
Think of it as a percentage of calories instead of an amount of calories. Your calorie goal should be at about a 20% deficit from the amount you burn each day. For most women, that's no more than 1lb/week unless your TDEE is higher than 2500 calories.0 -
Thanks for all of the advice. Because of y'all, I changed my goal to 1.5 and am now being given 1470 for the day. Sounds a lot better
)) 0 -
I'm 5'2" and less than 10 pounds from my goal weight. I'm also not lifting--yet. Want to lose more fat before I add muscle. So, 1200, most days, works for some of us shorties. That said, I worked out hard today and was hungrier than usual, so it's 1300 today. It's all about being flexible.0
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I'm 5'2" and less than 10 pounds from my goal weight. I'm also not lifting--yet. Want to lose more fat before I add muscle. So, 1200, most days, works for some of us shorties. That said, I worked out hard today and was hungrier than usual, so it's 1300 today. It's all about being flexible.
I'm not saying 1200 is wrong for all women. I'm saying that 2lbs/week is usually wrong for people. Unless their TDEE is really high (4000+), or unless they have a medical reason for needing to lose the weight very rapidly, it's usually too steep a deficit.
If you're getting 1200 with a moderate goal -- and with 10 pounds to go until your goal weight, 0.5lbs/week is probably appropriate -- then go for it.
Most people are impatient and want to see quick results. But the quicker you lose them, the more likely you are to regain them. Slow and steady wins.0 -
I stay under 1200/cal a day, eating back some (but not all) of my exercise calories, and snacking throughout the day. I usually try to keep breakfast and lunch under 300 calories. My diary is open, add me if you want some meal planning ideas!-1
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I eat around 1500 a day. A life without wine is not a life I want to live
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I'm 5'2" and less than 10 pounds from my goal weight. I'm also not lifting--yet. Want to lose more fat before I add muscle. So, 1200, most days, works for some of us shorties. That said, I worked out hard today and was hungrier than usual, so it's 1300 today. It's all about being flexible.
You should be lifting anyway. You will build practically 0 muscle on 1,200 calories. To really build muscle, you need to be eating in a calorie surplus. Lifting weights on 1,200 calories will help you maintain the muscle you have and give you more definition when you lose the fat. All you are doing is removing the fat so you can see the muscle you already have!
You've probably been losing fat at a lower rate without the strength training than you would have if you were doing strength training. Hit those weights asap lady! 0 -
I eat around 1500 a day. A life without wine is not a life I want to live
^ This. Ditto a life without chocolate. Or a life without beer. Or a life without ice cream.
I eat 1325/day and fit all those things in on occasion... and chocolate almost every day.
Then again, I'm 5'1" and relatively small, so 1325 is actually TDEE-20% for me. If I felt deprived or restricted, I'd eat more.0 -
GoPerfectHealth, I agree with you. I think that I may aim for the 1400 range. It seems more practical for me. I am 5'9 and want to lose 2 lbs/wk. 1250 is what MFP is allowing me. I am cutting my exercise credits in half (I know-that topic seems like a permanent discussion on the threads). I may go back and aim for 1.5 pounds per week and see what it will allow me.
I'm 5'2.5," 65 years old and my calorie allowance is 1260 for a .5lb loss per week. At 5'9" you should eat way more than 1200 calories. Follow Segacs advice and reset for 1lb. per week. You must be starving. Eat back 1/2 to 2/3rds of your exercise calories. You have to nourish and fuel your body so that you can lose weight and maintain long term.
Check out this web site for help in figuring out your BMR and TDEE; it may help you determining your calorie allowance. scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/http://0 -
MaryDrummer wrote: »I'm 5'2" and less than 10 pounds from my goal weight. I'm also not lifting--yet. Want to lose more fat before I add muscle. So, 1200, most days, works for some of us shorties. That said, I worked out hard today and was hungrier than usual, so it's 1300 today. It's all about being flexible.
You should be lifting anyway. You will build practically 0 muscle on 1,200 calories. To really build muscle, you need to be eating in a calorie surplus. Lifting weights on 1,200 calories will help you maintain the muscle you have and give you more definition when you lose the fat. All you are doing is removing the fat so you can see the muscle you already have!
You've probably been losing fat at a lower rate without the strength training than you would have if you were doing strength training. Hit those weights asap lady!
This doesn't answer her question at all.
Lifting weights to build muscle at a surplus is an entirely different goal from losing fat.0 -
Funny is that there is no difference in allowed calories for me when i have my settings on 2 or 1.5 pounds a week.
So if i have my goal at 2 pounds a week or 1.5 pound a week ( which i switched too 2 weeks ago because i have less to lose) My calorie amount was 1200 and still is 1200.
I wonder what happens when i go to a pound a week. Because i still have a lot to lose but at one point i go to 1 pound a week.
Time for a little test. brb0 -
oke lol yep than it changes for me to 1400 calories
Oke well still some to go before that change, i did it back to 1.5 pound
But soon.......0 -
TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Funny is that there is no difference in allowed calories for me when i have my settings on 2 or 1.5 pounds a week.
So if i have my goal at 2 pounds a week or 1.5 pound a week ( which i switched too 2 weeks ago because i have less to lose) My calorie amount was 1200 and still is 1200.
I wonder what happens when i go to a pound a week. Because i still have a lot to lose but at one point i go to 1 pound a week.
Time for a little test. brb
This is because 1200 calories is the lowest that MFP will set for a woman (and 1500 calories the lowest for a man).
So if you ask it to set you a higher deficit, it will set you up at 1200 calories.
2lbs/week is a deficit of 1000 calories/day. 1.5lbs/week is 750 calories/day.
This means you're probably burning less than 1950 calories/day from normal daily activity. Which means these goals are probably too aggressive for you.
Somewhere in your goals section there will be something that says "calories burned from normal daily activity". Take that number. Divide it by 5. That should give you a rough idea of what your deficit can be. So if it's 500, that's 1lb/week. If it's 250, that's 0.5lbs/week. If it's somewhere in between, round up or down.
Then, if you work out a lot, eat back roughly 80% of your workout calories on top of that.0 -
For now i stick with what i am doing. This is a monitored program so not going to mess with it. But thank you for explaining i wondered about that one.
But it wont be long before i go to 1 pound a week I thought 8 pounds to go. 0 -
Yeah, it's just math in the end.0
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MaryDrummer wrote: »I'm 5'2" and less than 10 pounds from my goal weight. I'm also not lifting--yet. Want to lose more fat before I add muscle. So, 1200, most days, works for some of us shorties. That said, I worked out hard today and was hungrier than usual, so it's 1300 today. It's all about being flexible.
You should be lifting anyway. You will build practically 0 muscle on 1,200 calories. To really build muscle, you need to be eating in a calorie surplus. Lifting weights on 1,200 calories will help you maintain the muscle you have and give you more definition when you lose the fat. All you are doing is removing the fat so you can see the muscle you already have!
You've probably been losing fat at a lower rate without the strength training than you would have if you were doing strength training. Hit those weights asap lady!
This doesn't answer her question at all.
Lifting weights to build muscle at a surplus is an entirely different goal from losing fat.
I know. I'm not telling her to eat at a calorie surplus. I'm just telling her that NOT doing weights coz she doesn't want to put on muscle when she eats at 1,200 calories is not doing her any favours at all. She'd lose more fat by adding in the strength training.
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Indeed
And last test result was that i burn with normal daily activity 1892 calories.
So thats about right.
Start was a 1000 deficit but because you cant get enough nutrition on 892 i was on 1200 the minimum.
Than couple weeks ago i went to 750 deficit So means 1132 but under the 1200 still so i stayed on that level
BTW i eat 1/4 back of my burned calories.
So next level is to the 500 deficit which will indeed mean 1392 ( so same as the 1400 that MFP gives me)
Plus ofcourse eating a 1/4 of my burned calories.
But steady as it goes I feel marvelous and it is going great
Stats are good, i feel good so win win situation
Just wondered about the MFP settings0 -
Thanks for all of the advice. Because of y'all, I changed my goal to 1.5 and am now being given 1470 for the day. Sounds a lot better))
That's a better bet for you - unless you're very heavy, 2 pounds a week is too aggressive (because it essentially means you're dropping 1000 calories/day below maintenance. For someone like me that maintains on 1600/day, I'd have to eat 600 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week, and that is obviously not acceptable.)0 -
Yep, sounds like you've got it!
1/4 of your burned calories seems low. Try to eat back at least 50-75% of them.
Also, remember that all of this math is based on calculators and estimates, which may or may not be accurate for your body. MFP estimates that I burn fewer calories per day than I actually do.
The way to check is by how much weight you lose: If MFP says you should be losing 1lb/week, and over the next 30-60 days you're actually averaging 1.5lbs/week, then eat more calories. If you're actually averaging less weight lost, then drop your calories.0
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