Does ~1600 sound reasonable for a 180lb woman trying to lose weight

meghanduprey
meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a desk job but do a step class or body pump/try to do 10k steps/day and MFP estimates that i should eat around 1600 cals per day, does this seem reasonable? I'm 34, 5'6" and 180lbs hoping to get down to 150. other calorie calculators say 1800 or so but that seems high. I try to stay 100-200 under 1600, never above if i can help myself
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Replies

  • Chadillac8884
    Chadillac8884 Posts: 24 Member
    Try it out for a week or two. If you don't see results, then try reducing it 100 more calories.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I'm 33, 5'6", 189 and I eat 1720+Fitbit calories a day on lightly active, so it sounds good to me
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    My only advice is to not eat less than the 1600, as you say you do.
  • Kate5283kate
    Kate5283kate Posts: 87 Member
    I'm 187, on 1600 a day, pretty active. It has worked for me since November (and I am still losing). I find it's really important for me to get a lot of protein (I aim for 100 grams), otherwise I get hungry. I do think my gym performance would be better with more calories, but right now I am prioritizing losing weight over performance.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    why not eat less arditarose?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    why not eat less arditarose?

    Why not eat 1600 if you're losing? Food is good.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    As you get closer to goal, it's harder to lose and keep a large deficit. Better to lose while eating as much as you can now.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask

    Are you weighing all your food on a food scale? How long have you been at this?
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    malibu927 are you losing at 1700/day?
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    yes i weigh everything on a scale/with measuring cups/spoons, etc. i've been on MFP for about 6 weeks now. it's super frustrating
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    yes i weigh everything on a scale/with measuring cups/spoons, etc. i've been on MFP for about 6 weeks now. it's super frustrating

    So you use a food scale...

    Hm. What are your exercise burns and how many calories are you eating back?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    edited April 2015
    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask

    Looking at your diary, you're probably eating more than you think. Are you using a food scale? Where are your calorie burns coming from? (you're actually eating 1200+a good portion of your exercise calories, which can be greatly overestimated)

    I've lost 60 pounds eating anywhere from 1550-2200 at 1.5 pounds a week deficit, and I just changed it to a pound a week. You should have your goal set to a pound a week and not higher.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    i'm on some anti-depressants/anxiety meds so i'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I'm 5'4" and 133 pounds, and I can lose weight on 1600. With your stats, if you're logging right-you should be losing.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    i'm on some anti-depressants/anxiety meds so i'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.

    They can effect your appetite, but not the basic rule of calories in/calories out.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    yes i use a food scale.
    i start at 1200 for the day and so far it has added in nearly 500 from exercise (i've done step class this morning), i'll also end up walking another 2-3m before the end of the day which will probably give me another 200ish because it will bring me up to my 10k steps total for the fitbit
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    why not eat less arditarose?

    Why not eat 1600 if you're losing? Food is good.

    Agreed..this is the longest I've ever stayed on a "diet" and it's because I'm not viewing it as a diet...I'm looking at it as trying to stay at the calorie goal set and losing it slowly. I'm not "eliminating" anything from my diet but I am conscious that if I spend all my calories for the day on a Venti Starbucks Capuccino I might be starving at day's end. If I burn up enough calories with exercise, I can (and do) eat more. Food IS good...as long as I'm maintaining my deficit.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    i am measuring everything!!!!!! that's why i'm asking if this is the right amount of calories for me :( i can't seem to crack the scale number to save my life.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    i am measuring everything!!!!!! that's why i'm asking if this is the right amount of calories for me :( i can't seem to crack the scale number to save my life.

    I believe you! Just checking one more time though...I see a lot of 1 Cup this or that (pasta, yogurt, etc), did you weigh those in grams first or use a measuring cup?

    Have you lost even 1 pound?
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    i am measuring everything!!!!!! that's why i'm asking if this is the right amount of calories for me :( i can't seem to crack the scale number to save my life.

    You're weighing your bread slices? Your bread entry is always the same. My bread is rarely the same weight 2 days in a row. Some brands I've noticed are only out a few grams but I bought a brand that listed one slice as 35gms yet I didn't get a single one weighing under 50gms. Multiple underestimations like that in a day will quickly erase your deficit.

    Use a food scale to weigh everything and save the cups/spoons for caloric liquids only.

  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    i used measuring cups for the pasta the couple times i had it, the yogurt i do by grams, i use less than the amount that i log... i go back and forth between 179 and 180.
    i don't weigh the bread, does it really make that much of a difference with 1 sandwich a day?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    i used measuring cups for the pasta the couple times i had it, the yogurt i do by grams, i use less than the amount that i log... i go back and forth between 179 and 180.
    i don't weigh the bread, does it really make that much of a difference with 1 sandwich a day?

    The bread, the pasta not being weighed, maybe veggies or your PB2 not weighed...it starts to add up. Maybe it can put you 100 calories up for the day, at the end of the week that's 700 calories more than you thought.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I personally don't weigh my bread slices (I have-so I get it, and yes they are not always what the package says), but I also have different goals and am still losing. If I really wasn't losing, I'd tighten it up.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    How often are your classes?

    You HAVE to weigh pasta.

    Regarding your diary setting, why do you have it set to 1200? Are you syncing your fitbit to MFP and logging your exercise as well?

    How consistent is your exercise?
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    i used measuring cups for the pasta the couple times i had it, the yogurt i do by grams, i use less than the amount that i log... i go back and forth between 179 and 180.
    i don't weigh the bread, does it really make that much of a difference with 1 sandwich a day?

    I looked through your diary and most of it looks like it isn't being weighed. You're complaining the scale isn't moving. I'd say, yes, it's made that big a difference.

  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    @mamapeach910
    How often are your classes?

    You HAVE to weigh pasta.

    Regarding your diary setting, why do you have it set to 1200? Are you syncing your fitbit to MFP and logging your exercise as well?

    How consistent is your exercise?

    I put it to sedentary because i work a desk job so other than exercising and walking i don't really have an active job. I do step class 3x/week, body pump (which is like lots of reps weight class) 2x/week and try to walk at least 2-3m most days per week. i sync my fitbit too

  • krysmuree
    krysmuree Posts: 326 Member
    edited April 2015
    I'm eating slightly less (1584) and losing weight. I've lost 11lbs since January (with several small breaks - oops!). When I focus and eat that set amount, I lose an average of a pound a week. It's totally reasonable. Try it for a few weeks and lower it 100 calories if you see no loss. That being said, if you're not losing, you MUST weigh. Get a digital scale. $20 and it'll be a great investment in yourself.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
    oh- when i put it to sedentary it automatically put it to 1200! that's what i meant to add in there
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited April 2015
    @mamapeach910
    How often are your classes?

    You HAVE to weigh pasta.

    Regarding your diary setting, why do you have it set to 1200? Are you syncing your fitbit to MFP and logging your exercise as well?

    How consistent is your exercise?

    I put it to sedentary because i work a desk job so other than exercising and walking i don't really have an active job. I do step class 3x/week, body pump (which is like lots of reps weight class) 2x/week and try to walk at least 2-3m most days per week. i sync my fitbit too

    So you synced your Fitbit and are logging your exercise into MFP as well? And then are eating back a good bit of your exercise calories?

    Could someone who knows how Fitbit syncing works confirm that this is what is going on?

    It also sounds like you picked 2 pounds a week for loss?

    What's your goal weight?

This discussion has been closed.