Calories?

tshirtartist

just wondering how many calories people were aiming for a day? My fitness pal has a default of 830 a day without exercise to lose 2lbs a week. So if I don't exercise I never make that and even have difficulties sometimes making the 1430 after burning 600 calories exercising.

Akimajuktuq

It's the food that matters. I supposedly had binge eating disorder. Interestingly, I only binge on unhealthy foods. If I stick to eating foods appropriate for me, the calories truly do not matter. Unfortunately I do not always make the right choices and because of food/calorie obsession for too long, I just got fed up with it and have been really struggling over the last year. Not because of the calories, but because of less than ideal food choice far too often.

How much weight do you have to lose? Only the most obese people might lose two pounds per week at first. 800 calories? 1400 calories? Please stop. The Paleo lifestyle is the opposite of under-eating and intentional rapid weight loss. Rapid weight loss is more often muscle loss than fat loss. The scale can't tell the difference. So people are cheering on getting weaker and weaker...

Under-eating is the biggest fail for long term health and sustainability of any fat loss strategy.

(WTH with MPF calorie defaults? It used to only go as low as 1200. Now I'm seeing lots of posts where people say they are being recommended to eat far less?!!! omg)

tshirtartist

I have a little over 20lbs to lose. Yes mfp recommends 830 calories to lose 2lbs a week. Might switch it to 1lb a week so at least I won't have to keep seeing the big red number showing how I didn't make my goal.

ProfessorCWG

I am maintaining my weight at 2,000 calories a day, even though MFP suggests 1,450. I'm 52 and reasonably active but not a crazed over-exerciser (any more, LOL, getting older does have some benefits!)

Dragonwolf

tshirtartist wrote: »

just wondering how many calories people were aiming for a day? My fitness pal has a default of 830 a day without exercise to lose 2lbs a week. So if I don't exercise I never make that and even have difficulties sometimes making the 1430 after burning 600 calories exercising.

If your profile picture is even remotely accurate, you don't have enough fat on you to sustain a 2lb/week loss. Set your goal to .5 or maybe 1 pound a week.

Then, start eating more calorie dense foods. It sounds like you've been doing the low calorie thing for quite some time if you think 830 calories is a lot. It's not. 2lb/week deficit is 1000 calories, which means your maintenance is 1,830 calories, and you're eating less than half of what you should be to maintain weight.

Calorie dense foods, like fatty meats and nuts, will help you get calories (and, by extension, nutrients) in.

Akimajuktuq

With only 20 pounds to lose, even a half pound per week average is aggressive. What about sustainability? Do you have a deadline when you are going to stop eating healthy foods because you see X weight on the scale?

It hurts my heart that you are under-eating with the help of MFP crappy calorie advice. Been there, did that. Failed hard.

Paleo is about eating healthy foods and being fully nourished and allowing the body to heal and recover to a healthy weight naturally. It is not about starving oneself for the sake of a weight goal that must be achieved at all costs and as soon as possible.

tshirtartist

Thanks dragonwolf picture was taken When I was 20lbs thinner and I carry most of my weight on my hips and thighs. But took everyone's advice and set goals at 1lb a week which allows 1330 calories before I add exercise which works better for me psychologically . I agree with everyone here and was just wondering why MFP was giving such a low caloric count which wasn't attainable for me. I haven't been using it for the calories but more to monitor my macronutrients. Just hated that red number glaring it me like was eating too much when I didn't think I was.

Akimajuktuq

I'd still recommend you set your calories much higher. Half a pound per week or just over-ride it and put in a healthier calorie goal. The red numbers are stupid. You will actually sabotage your weight loss if you under-eat for a prolonged period. And 1330 is still FAR too low. Been there, did that too.... and paying for it for over the last year with no end in sight.

Basically, logging is only useful for the macros imo.

cindytw

I just last week waved the white flag and quit the calorie game! I un-synced Fitbit and Couch to 5K, and set my tracker to 2500 calories. I basically eat what I want within Paleo. I lost 2.8# this week. I am focusing on fitness, and that is that. Low calorie is not for me, I can't stick to it.