Weight loss goals and calories- weird!

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fiddletime
fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'2", am 62, and weigh 133. I started at 145 and my goal is 125. I have MFP set for lightly active. I eat back most of my exercise calories. MFP says I should eat 1200 cal a day, whether I set it to a 2, 1 or 0.5 pound weight loss a week. That just seems very strange to me. Any ideas?

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  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    1200 is likely what you need for just .5 loss. You'd have to eat less than 1200 for more than that, but Mfp won't advise less than 1200.
  • Enjcg5
    Enjcg5 Posts: 389 Member
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    Because you are small and don't have much to lose at all.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    1200 is the minimum MFP will give as a goal for women. Since you're older, shorter, and don't have much to lose, your maintenance calories are going to be fairly low (in this case under 1450 calories).
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    1200 is the minimum. So if it takes say 900 calories for you to lose 2 lbs a week it week still say 1200. At your small size you shouldn't be trying for more than a half lb a week max anyway.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    MFP won't set your calorie goal for less than 1200, period. So if your calculated deficit is going to put you under 1200, you're still going to see 1200. You're small, and your BMR isn't going to be as high as someone who is 24, weighs 200 pounds, and is 5'9. It's not practicable for you to lose 2 pounds a week and still eat enough to satisfy your nutritional needs.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    What does it say when you set it to maintain current weight?
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    Maintenance is 1344.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    Hate to say this but at out age, height, and weight, the cals are really tight.

    I am a year older and 5'1, lost from a 130 high to a 100-105 maintenance when I was 54. My cals all the way along were 1200 sedentary, 1400 with exercise.

    It was a very slow year dropping that weight, and to top it off maintenance is 1200. I actually get close to 1600 with exercise and keeping my daily activity level higher. (No longer log so cals are an educated guesstimate)

    If maintenance is 1344 you will be on a quarter pound a week loss, it sucks.

    Keep your logging tight, and your everyday activity high.

    Cheers, h.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    Thanks. I had a feeling it was a very very narrow window. Am losing about a pound a month now.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    fiddletime wrote: »
    Maintenance is 1344.

    There's your answer. If estimated maintenance is only 1344 + exercise you can't subtract 250 cals for a half pound a week loss without hitting the minimum allowed goal of 1200 + exercise.

  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    MFP won't set your calorie goal for less than 1200, period. So if your calculated deficit is going to put you under 1200, you're still going to see 1200. You're small, and your BMR isn't going to be as high as someone who is 24, weighs 200 pounds, and is 5'9. It's not practicable for you to lose 2 pounds a week and still eat enough to satisfy your nutritional needs.

    It really depends on how much you exercise. I lost around a pound a week or a bit more by only eating back half of my exercise calories. With enough exercise I was able to eat around 1500 calories a day, have a 500 daily calorie deficit and meet all of my nutritional needs. Not bad when my maintainance weight is only 1315 calories a day. I still exercise for a few hours a day though, just so I can meet nutritional needs and squeeze things like dark chocolate in most days.

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