Aggravated over calories!

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snailwhale91
snailwhale91 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So mfp says to eat 1200 calories a day. Then everyone tells me I'm not eating enough. I've been doing 1200 for 20 days now and have lost 10 pounds. Im 5'3 and weigh 200 lbs now. I work in a call center and try to work out 5-6 days a week.

But the information I'm getting about calories is so conflicting!

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    What is your weekly loss goal on MFP?

    Congrats on the loss of 10 pounds. Way to go!!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Based on your stats and your weight loss goal, MFP says to eat 1200 + additional for exercise. So if you're not eating additional but exercising 5-6 days a week, then 'everyone' and MFP are in agreement. You can eat more.

    But ultimately, you have to decide what is best for YOU based on how you feel. Do you have energy? Feel like you're eating enough? If so, keep doing what is working for you.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Are you sure your goals and stats are set correctly? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    MFP is designed so that you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. Are you? (Since the burns are not considered accurate, many people suggest you just eat back 50% of the calories you earn from exercise.)
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    snailwhale91 wrote: »
    So mfp says to eat 1200 calories a day. Then everyone tells me I'm not eating enough. I've been doing 1200 for 20 days now and have lost 10 pounds. Im 5'3 and weigh 200 lbs now. I work in a call center and try to work out 5-6 days a week.

    But the information I'm getting about calories is so conflicting!

    1200 is the minimum. If you really lost 10lb of fat in 20 days, then you would be seriously under eating. You would be eating 1750 calories under TDEE of 2950 calories and losing at a rate of 3.5lb/week. Pretty much every medical source says 1-2 weeks is safe and sustainable and most likely to keep weight off.

    However, I'm sure some of the 10lb is water weight. Keep an eye on your weight and intake and do some TDEE calculations (not with a website, but with your actual numbers). Set your calorie intake so you lose 2lb/week if that is what you want to do. Just know that 2lb/week is a hard goal to meet for a long period of time (10 days isn't long). The process is simple, but it takes tons of dedication.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    A large portion of that 10 pounds has been water weight. It is completely normal and to be expected to have a big drop in water weight when you first start losing weight. The heavy you are, the more you'll lose. Just keep in mind that, soon, your weight loss will slow.

    You should be eating your exercise calories. If you are not, start logging them now. You can use an HRM for cardio or use the MFP exercise numbers but, either way, I would suggest checking out a couple of other sources (there are tons of calculators online) to see if the numbers are reasonable. I'd log strength training too. You can also start by eating 50% of the calories from exercise if you are really troubled by eating all of them. Do that for four weeks and then reevaluate.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    1200 is the minimum
    track your exercise as well as your food.
    I try to eat 25 to 50 percent back of my exercise calories because most trackers seem to overestimate caloric burn

    eating less on a regular basis can lead to health issues and nonsustainable weight loss.

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