1670 Calories a Day? Woahh? Too Much?

I have not been exactly losing the way I'd like to. A few people suggested losing at 1 lb a week instead of 1.5 lbs. Changing from one to the other has brought my 1440 Calories up for 1670 calories! Does this seem like too much? Should I try this out for a few weeks or go back down to my 1.5lbs a week?
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Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Sounds reasonable, but why would eating more lead to more weight loss?
  • Jchambers1130
    Jchambers1130 Posts: 173 Member
    If you have less than 30lbs to lose you need to be at a goal of 1lb a week. And no you don't lose weight by eating more food.
  • Jessica_D_Shadow
    Jessica_D_Shadow Posts: 138 Member
    The suggestion was. That my body wasn't used to eating so little and even a normal 1200-1400 calories was putting my not trained body into starvation. & That starting higher would be more successful in training my body to maintain eating less without starvation mode? Does this sound right? Or just more bad advice?

    btw I have more than 30 lbs to lose.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.
  • Jessica_D_Shadow
    Jessica_D_Shadow Posts: 138 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    I've only been on 1400 Calories for a month now. I lost 3 lbs the first week. Then gained then lost half a pound. I'm down 4lbs now.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I don't think 1670 is unrealistic, nor do I think 1400 is too low.

    My guess is that your logging isn't accurate/honest/consistent enough and so you aren't really eating what you think you are eating.
  • freebirdjones
    freebirdjones Posts: 236 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    wow that's so weird that at 5'5 120 lbs I eat 1800-2000 cals and I lost inches.... what?!?!?! I must be an exception.. Am I lifting heavy wrong or eating more wrong to have such a big loss in one month? I believe it's because I power my body with fuel to lose maybe? But that advice was a gift. Starting at 1200 cals and a lot of cardio I was spinning my wheels now I am seeing results and eating more. Why eat less if you don't have to? sounds like bad advice to me? and also what will happen when you start to eat normal again? might as well eat as close to normal as you can in this journey so at the end if you start to eat normal you wont balloon.

    maybe read some of this and make a decision on your own: It was the best advice I've gotten in y whole life. It's saving me time and heartache:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

    I really though don't know why someone would say oh you lose when you eat a little bit more, why not just eat a little bit less for no reason, you were losing by eating more but you could always lose less... umm okay.... why?
  • Jessica_D_Shadow
    Jessica_D_Shadow Posts: 138 Member
    I don't think 1670 is unrealistic, nor do I think 1400 is too low.

    My guess is that your logging isn't accurate/honest/consistent enough and so you aren't really eating what you think you are eating.

    I often over exaggerate...in fear of underexaggerateing. Could that be hurting me?
  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 208 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    wow that's so weird that at 5'5 120 lbs I eat 1800-2000 cals and I lost inches.... what?!?!?! I must be an exception.. Am I lifting heavy wrong or eating more wrong to have such a big loss in one month? I believe it's because I power my body with fuel to lose maybe? But that advice was a gift. Starting at 1200 cals and a lot of cardio I was spinning my wheels now I am seeing results and eating more. Why eat less if you don't have to? sounds like bad advice to me? and also what will happen when you start to eat normal again? might as well eat as close to normal as you can in this journey so at the end if you start to eat normal you wont balloon.

    maybe read some of this and make a decision on your own: It was the best advice I've gotten in y whole life. It's saving me time and heartache:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

    I really though don't know why someone would say oh you lose when you eat a little bit more, why not just eat a little bit less for no reason, you were losing by eating more but you could always lose less... umm okay.... why?

    This!
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    wow that's so weird that at 5'5 120 lbs I eat 1800-2000 cals and I lost inches.... what?!?!?! I must be an exception.. Am I lifting heavy wrong or eating more wrong to have such a big loss in one month? I believe it's because I power my body with fuel to lose maybe? But that advice was a gift. Starting at 1200 cals and a lot of cardio I was spinning my wheels now I am seeing results and eating more. Why eat less if you don't have to? sounds like bad advice to me? and also what will happen when you start to eat normal again? might as well eat as close to normal as you can in this journey so at the end if you start to eat normal you wont balloon.

    maybe read some of this and make a decision on your own: It was the best advice I've gotten in y whole life. It's saving me time and heartache:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

    I really though don't know why someone would say oh you lose when you eat a little bit more, why not just eat a little bit less for no reason, you were losing by eating more but you could always lose less... umm okay.... why?

    This!

    x2!

    Getting that advice a few weeks into my time here really changed things for me. I was no longer exhausted and hangry, and I was still losing consistently.

    Find what works for you and is sustainable. Good luck!
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member


    I've only been on 1400 Calories for a month now. I lost 3 lbs the first week. Then gained then lost half a pound. I'm down 4lbs now.

    4 weeks / 4 pounds = 1 pound a week. Sounds like it's working. Maybe not as fast as you were hoping, but I probably would not (personally) up my calories if I was losing a pound a week.
  • I am a 50+ heavy gal who has dieted through a few children, night shift work; and many other weight gaining things! I have never been able to lost weight at over 1200 cals/day. I do feel full when choosing mostly salads, fish, veggies, and Jello desserts, and low cal dairy. I also have to exercise at least 30 min/day.
    After all this time of putting on weight and taking it off; you get to know what makes your own body lose again. Cheers!
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    I'm on 1600 a day (without exercise calories) and losing at least 1lb a week.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    wow that's so weird that at 5'5 120 lbs I eat 1800-2000 cals and I lost inches.... what?!?!?! I must be an exception.. Am I lifting heavy wrong or eating more wrong to have such a big loss in one month? I believe it's because I power my body with fuel to lose maybe? But that advice was a gift. Starting at 1200 cals and a lot of cardio I was spinning my wheels now I am seeing results and eating more. Why eat less if you don't have to? sounds like bad advice to me? and also what will happen when you start to eat normal again? might as well eat as close to normal as you can in this journey so at the end if you start to eat normal you wont balloon.

    maybe read some of this and make a decision on your own: It was the best advice I've gotten in y whole life. It's saving me time and heartache:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

    I really though don't know why someone would say oh you lose when you eat a little bit more, why not just eat a little bit less for no reason, you were losing by eating more but you could always lose less... umm okay.... why?

    I am 5'2" and eat 2000 a day (which is a 300 calorie deficit from my TDEE) - it works for me too!
  • patrickfish7
    patrickfish7 Posts: 190 Member
    My advice would be instead of trying to stick to a set calorie limit as dictated by losing half a pound or a pound, set it to maintain like I do and aim to get a numerical deficit. It is far more encouraging to see a minus than wondering if you are going to lose the weight by staying at a sometimes unrealistic figure. Give you an example. Today I'm on -1900 after exercise and food taken into account. If I was sticking to 1300 calories or something stupid, that would be 900 which may sound a lot but not for me! It doesn't take long for the deficits to add up! Good luck!
  • Jchambers1130
    Jchambers1130 Posts: 173 Member
    Throw the words starvation mode out the window too.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    4 weeks / 4 pounds = 1 pound a week. Sounds like it's working. Maybe not as fast as you were hoping, but I probably would not (personally) up my calories if I was losing a pound a week.
    Bingo. It's working. Slow and steady wins the race! I'm short at 5'3" and weigh in right now at 109 lbs (yes, that's accurate and yes, that's a very healthy weight for my height and frame size). I eat around 1450 or so each day and I've just started to up my calories again to maintenance level now that I've hit my goal weight. I expect to end up eating between 1500 and 1600 calories per day to maintain.

    I had STARTED at 1200 calories per day and NOT eating my exercise calories back. I changed that and lo! and behold, everything started working for me again instead of against me. :)
  • SoVeracious
    SoVeracious Posts: 17 Member
    I don't think 1670 is unrealistic, nor do I think 1400 is too low.

    My guess is that your logging isn't accurate/honest/consistent enough and so you aren't really eating what you think you are eating.

    I agree with this poster. Are you logging your foods accurately, eating proper portions sizes, etc? These could impact your weightloss. Also how often/long are you excercising?
  • freebirdjones
    freebirdjones Posts: 236 Member
    I am a 50+ heavy gal who has dieted through a few children, night shift work; and many other weight gaining things! I have never been able to lost weight at over 1200 cals/day. I do feel full when choosing mostly salads, fish, veggies, and Jello desserts, and low cal dairy. I also have to exercise at least 30 min/day.
    After all this time of putting on weight and taking it off; you get to know what makes your own body lose again. Cheers!

    almost sounds like you never found something that would last. Maybe eating 1200, when you add foods back in you gain again? I'd say eat a "diet" you can maintain for life. I eat cake if it fits in my macros. What are you doing for 30 mins per day? When you work out you tell your muscles to grow, when you rest them they are growing. So I'd do cardio on my rest days. But don't lift everyday unless you are working a different muscle group.
    I would go for this. What will ease becoming elderly? Good organs and bowels and bones. What can you do for strong bones and healthy cartilage? don't run, maybe lift weights and cardio that isn't hard on your knees like HIIT or swimming. Eating at least your BMR will ensure your organs don't work over time. Don't eat under your BMR after 40 years old you loose muscle every year so why eat so low that it will eat away at your muscle, you are already losing muscle. I honestly would eat somewhere you can almost live at, and make sure you are doing this for health and not vanity. You will be a lot happier in old age if you treat your body right now.

    I lost 7 inches in one month with only lifting heavy and eating 1800 to 2000 cals so I would not take this advice. But that's because Im not doing this for "now" Im doing this "forever" I don't want to have to go to 1200 every time I want to lose inches. It's not about weight it's about inches and fat % loss. There are photo's out there where the starting chubby photo was less weight than the smaller "fit" after. So sometimes weight doesn't even matter on a journey. With my 7 inches lost my weight is the same.
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
    I am 5'6" and 137 pounds. I eat 1600 calories to lose weight and around 2,000 to maintain. I lift heavy 3 times per week and do cardio the other days.

    Maybe give it a try and see what happens after a few weeks. I used to do the 1200 plus eating back exercise calories and that worked well for me too, but I was always eating between 1400-1900 anyway.

    Good luck. It's a crazy science experiment to see what works for YOU.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    It's a crazy science experiment to see what works for YOU.
    Yes! This exactly!
  • How long have you been at 1200-1400 cals?

    Sounds like bad advice to me, though to be honest, the trendy response to most topics right now is a) eat more, b) lift. Neither are the right answer in a lot of situations.


    wow that's so weird that at 5'5 120 lbs I eat 1800-2000 cals and I lost inches.... what?!?!?! I must be an exception.. Am I lifting heavy wrong or eating more wrong to have such a big loss in one month? I believe it's because I power my body with fuel to lose maybe? But that advice was a gift. Starting at 1200 cals and a lot of cardio I was spinning my wheels now I am seeing results and eating more. Why eat less if you don't have to? sounds like bad advice to me? and also what will happen when you start to eat normal again? might as well eat as close to normal as you can in this journey so at the end if you start to eat normal you wont balloon.

    maybe read some of this and make a decision on your own: It was the best advice I've gotten in y whole life. It's saving me time and heartache:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/983158-all-in-one-info-page-halp

    I really though don't know why someone would say oh you lose when you eat a little bit more, why not just eat a little bit less for no reason, you were losing by eating more but you could always lose less... umm okay.... why?

    This!

    x2!

    Getting that advice a few weeks into my time here really changed things for me. I was no longer exhausted and hangry, and I was still losing consistently.

    Find what works for you and is sustainable. Good luck!

    x3 - trust me, this is the way to go - I was plateaued for 4 weeks and I upped my calories and the weight came back off. I'm at 1400-1500 a day, 5'5 131 needing to lose 11 more pounds.

    The more you work out, the more fuel you need - simple as that.
  • patrickfish7
    patrickfish7 Posts: 190 Member
    Further to my earlier post, I lift weights five days a week with cardio such as rowing and running thrown in and keep to under 1900 calories a day in food intake. You can have the best diet in the world but if your metabolism is very slow, your weight loss will be reduced. The effects of this can almost be as bad as poor nutrition.

    I'm not a big ripped dude, nor do I want to be. But I understand what is needed, when and how. That's the key in my book. If you KNOW how to do something, you are able to carry it out exponentially more efficiently than if you didn't know.
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    The suggestion was. That my body wasn't used to eating so little and even a normal 1200-1400 calories was putting my not trained body into starvation. & That starting higher would be more successful in training my body to maintain eating less without starvation mode? Does this sound right? Or just more bad advice?

    btw I have more than 30 lbs to lose.


    ....it's my belief that a human body won't go into 'starvation mode' until it's used up most of its fat stores....
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    Try it. You'd be surprised. I can lose at 1900. It's different for each of us, but what you should be thinking about it long term. If you restrict yourself to 1,400 now and eventually reach your roal weight, you will gain as soon as you start eating more again. You should figure out what is the MOST amount of calories you can eat and still lose. For me I tip the scales at around 2000, any more than that and I start gaining again. I maintain nicely around 2000, and can lose at 1900. Just play around.
  • I've been at 1200 since i started about 3 months ago, set to lose 2lbs/wk and I've been losing about that (more for the first couple weeks) . I figured that way I don't have to freak out if I go over a bit because I'll still be under enough to lose at least a lb. My activity level is set at sedentary and I had a total of about 75lbs to lose when I joined. I plan on staying at 1200 until I plateau, then I will most likely increase my calorie limit.
  • ...although I have it set at 2lbs/wk MFP tells me I'll lose more like 1.7 lbs/wk with my current limitations.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    1600 calories is really not that much!

    I ate 2000 yesterday without even "slipping up" it was just the natural amount of food I ate because I was hungry. No biggy.
  • jimshine
    jimshine Posts: 199 Member
    I would give it some time. There are weeks I lose 1 pound, and others I lose 4. And I am really good about staying within my goals. I tend to look at things in terms of progress over the course of months. I am averaging about 10 pounds a month, regardless of what one week does versus the next. Give it some time and see what the long term loss is.
  • wwwdotcr
    wwwdotcr Posts: 128 Member
    Buy a Food Scale, weigh all your food. Do a Keto / CKD diet (that way your eating a huge amount of food one day, throws your body metabolism off the plateau).