Minimum daily calories?

gnarlykickflip

I see people on the forums saying that 1500 is what MFP sets as the minimum daily calories for men. My profile is marked as male but my minimum calories are 1200. Am I misreading what people mean when they say this? Or is it just because I'm short?

When I say "minimum daily calories" I mean the minimum calories I can eat without MFP telling me I'm under eating when I try to complete my diary for the day. Is this what you guys mean?

SezxyStef

The 1500 min for men comes from FDA I believe or USDA.

MFP will give you at least 1200 but it is defined by the stats you put in (height, weight, age, gender) and your weekly weight loss goals.

If you are at 1200 it is due to a large weekly weight loss goals and/or stats.

gnarlykickflip

Oh okay! That makes sense that its from an outside source. Thank you!

cerise_noir

If MFP is giving you 1200, you may have set a too-aggressive weight loss goal such as 2lbs per week. What are your stats (height, current weight, goal weight, age)?

jkal1979

What is your actual calorie goal?

gnarlykickflip

I have my goal set to 2lbs per week to account for inaccurate measuring. I don't have a food scale and sometimes eat out at restaurants.

I'm 5'7", 188lbs, goal is 180, 24 years. MFP gave me 1440 when I started at 226. Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post, when I said "minimum calories" I meant that when I eat less than 1200 and try to complete my diary, it gives me a warning that I'm not eating enough. I was mostly confused because I saw people on other forum posts say that 1500 is the minimum that I should be eating. Does that make sense?

KhaleejiKhaleesi

The minimum for you to maintain basic bodily functions without having to start exhausting your storage is 1200-1500kcal/day for a man and 1000-1200kcal/day for a woman. This gap (500 and 200) exists to account for differences of metabolism across different body types, races, and activity level. The minimum you should eat is 1200, eating less for a long period of time would cause your muscles to atrophy and your metabolism to slow down a lot.
Goodluck and congratulations on losing so much weight!

rileysowner

gnarlykickflip wrote: »

I have my goal set to 2lbs per week to account for inaccurate measuring. I don't have a food scale and sometimes eat out at restaurants.

I'm 5'7", 188lbs, goal is 180, 24 years. MFP gave me 1440 when I started at 226. Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post, when I said "minimum calories" I meant that when I eat less than 1200 and try to complete my diary, it gives me a warning that I'm not eating enough. I was mostly confused because I saw people on other forum posts say that 1500 is the minimum that I should be eating. Does that make sense?

2 pounds a week is far too aggressive a weight loss goal for only 8 pounds to lose. Even one pound per week is too much. To minimize muscle loss half a pound a week would be far more appropriate. As a man you should not be eating less that 1500 even though MFP lets males go below that. Change you goal, you should be eating more.

gnarlykickflip

rileysowner wrote: »

2 pounds a week is far too aggressive a weight loss goal for only 8 pounds to lose. Even one pound per week is too much. To minimize muscle loss half a pound a week would be far more appropriate. As a man you should not be eating less that 1500 even though MFP lets males go below that. Change you goal, you should be eating more.

Alright! I'll try bumping my goal up to 1500-1700 for a week or two and see how that makes me feel. Thanks!

KhaleejiKhaleesi wrote: »

The minimum for you to maintain basic bodily functions without having to start exhausting your storage is 1200-1500kcal/day for a man and 1000-1200kcal/day for a woman.
Goodluck and congratulations on losing so much weight!

Thanks! I'll try to stay at the top end of that 1200-1500 range.

perkymommy

cerise_noir wrote: »

If MFP is giving you 1200, you may have set a too-aggressive weight loss goal such as 2lbs per week. What are your stats (height, current weight, goal weight, age)?

I have the lowest goal on MFP of 0.5 per week and sedentary days and it still only gives me 1200. I also have not been losing consistently while eating that many either. I'm only 4'11 and 125 lbs at this point.