Stupid Stupid Question

emdeesea

Here's the calculator I have been using for the last 2 or so years. I've lost more than 50 pounds and I started off weighing about 190 pounds.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

You plug in your stats and it will tell you how many calories you should eat.

If I started out at 1400 calories a day I'm not sure I would have made it.

emilybeaver

Ok so by that it says I should be eating 1760 a day...holy *kitten* that's a lot calories!

dubird

emilybeaver wrote: »

Ok so by that it says I should be eating 1760 a day...holy *kitten* that's a lot calories!

Try starting at 1700 and see how that goes. If you don't hit that goal, oh well, but if you consider that your upper limit, that might help when you start getting hungry. Just do your best to plan your day and how you split up your meals so you don't accidentally go over.

emdeesea

If you go to eating 1,700 like Dubird said, I can almost guarantee you you won't get hungry, and you'll still be losing weight at a fairly steady rate. And it's so much easier to stick with if you don't feel deprived.

lauraesh0384

MFP suggested 1300 calories for me to lose 1.5 lbs/week. I didn't feel like that was enough so I increased my calories to 1500 and I'm still losing weight. You might want to try increasing your calories a little and see how your body responds.

emilybeaver

I never would have thought about eating more calories. I will for sure try to do that and see how it goes.

emilybeaver

How do I go in and change the calorie setting?

maxit

It's been great to see the helpful information posted here. I have found that macro content makes a big difference in terms of hunger pangs when I am in a calorie deficit, particularly that first meal of the day. So for me, that first meal consists of at least 20 g of protein (plain greek yogurt, e.g.) and a slow-digesting carb (like oatmeal - for some reason, if I decide on bran flakes instead, the appetite is roaring the whole day) and about 150g of blueberries. I plan for snacks that also include 20 mg of protein at minimum. I make sure to reach the fat g I have set for macros, and have at least 21 g of fiber. When I was working, I would bring raw vegetables and humus and plain greek yogurt and an apple for lunch and would have additional yogurt and veggies/fruit for snacks. I'd have to leave room for a late afternoon snack since dinner doesn't happen until 7 at the earliest.

zyxst

emilybeaver wrote: »

How do I go in and change the calorie setting?

Settings>Update Fitness Profile> change weight loss to appropriate number (half a pound or 1 pound)

ThomasWright1997

Celery.

It takes more calories to eat than it provides, apparently

emilybeaver

I put that I wanted to lose 1 lb and it puts me back to the 1400 calories

shantinque32

emilybeaver wrote: »

I've been STARVING this past week. I can't get enough food and I know I need to stop. But my belly is growling at me. I've been drinking tons of water as well to see if it's just being thirsty. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I feel like I could eat tons at every meal....

Ik how you feel im trying my best to stop eating so much and its hard so try some appetite suppressers such as green tea, coffee, mint tea, apple cider vingar, and ginger

jaga13

emilybeaver wrote: »

I put that I wanted to lose 1 lb and it puts me back to the 1400 calories

You could change it to .5 lb. That should give you 1650. MFP numbers aren't going to translate to that scooby calculator since MFP is based on how many lbs per week you want to lose. That other calculator does not (it's giving me a deficit of 310 calories a day, which is more than a 1/2 lb but less than a whole lb).

emdeesea

The scooby calculator factors in your activity level; MFP does not, you have to do that yourself. Which is why I use the Scooby one - I don't want to have to add in my activity level every single day and then figure out how many calories to eat back or not.

SingRunTing

emilybeaver wrote: »

I put that I wanted to lose 1 lb and it puts me back to the 1400 calories

My Home > Goals > hit the edit button for the "Daily Nutrition Goals" and manually input your new calorie goal.

enterdanger

I always feel hungry in calorie deficit. I know a lot of people on here are like "I ate at a 1000 calorie deficit and was never hungry once." I've never experienced that in the 18+ months I've counted calories. I think if you are on a diet (lifestyle change) you are going to be hungry.

I don't really have any suggestions but I did want to mention that your baby is so so cute.

minties82

emilybeaver wrote: »

I'm about two weeks out from that time!

Ovulation hunger. Gets me every time.

emilybeaver

The ovulation hunger I guess could be a big part of it! I went to the store last night and bought some healthier options and snacks! Thanks everyone!

emilybeaver

enterdanger wrote: »

I always feel hungry in calorie deficit. I know a lot of people on here are like "I ate at a 1000 calorie deficit and was never hungry once." I've never experienced that in the 18+ months I've counted calories. I think if you are on a diet (lifestyle change) you are going to be hungry.

I don't really have any suggestions but I did want to mention that your baby is so so cute.

Thanks :-) that is a really old picture of him. That was almost a year ago!

sw777y

So you should have at least 1000-1200 calories a day. Try eating every 2-3 hours... Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. And try not to eat past 730-8pm.
Hope this helps.

emdeesea

sw777y wrote: »

So you should have at least 1000-1200 calories a day. Try eating every 2-3 hours... Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. And try not to eat past 730-8pm.
Hope this helps.

My lord woman, if she's hungry on 1,400 a day how on earth do you think she'll feel on 1,000 a day???

Starving yourself is entirely unnecessary to lose weight and a sure path to failure.

ahoy_m8

californiagirl2012 wrote: »

So we learn over time that the feeling of hunger is not really "starving" like we once thought it was.

I think this is an important observation. Also that managing hunger isn't a stupid question at all. Its crucial, actually. I expect my stomach to growl about an hour before my next meal. For me, 100g protein and 25g fiber daily keep me full, and a big breakfast makes me hungry all day. BUT it's very individual, YMMV. Probably the single most important consideration isn't meal timing or macros but having an appropriate calorie goal.

ahoy_m8

Pinnacle_Fitness wrote: »

emilybeaver wrote: »

I've been STARVING this past week. I can't get enough food and I know I need to stop. But my belly is growling at me. I've been drinking tons of water as well to see if it's just being thirsty. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I feel like I could eat tons at every meal....

What's stupid?
Anyway, that's how I felt when I began, and it was my body fighting against my efforts to lose the fat.
It's like a battle.
After losing 3o pounds, it stopped, and all was well until I hit that 50 pound wall.
BANG!
It was the same all over again...and it happened at 70 pounds, then again at 80 pounds lost.
Over time I have learned to break past these walls, and it's never easy.
Today, I am maintaining my 100 pound total weight loss, and some days are still like this.

That's inspiring. Thanks for sharing it!