Surely I shouldn't be eating 3200 calories a day...
QUEENxo1992
Posts: 69 Member
MyFitnessPal says I can eat 3251 cals/day. That makes no sense to me since 3500 is 1 pound. I have it at 1.5 lbs to lose per week. But that many calories is not possible for me on my low carb diet. I eat around 1,500 and I'm trying really hard to eat more. (1.200 is starvation) is it lying to me or should I change my macros so it's easier to eat that much? Advice please ?
EDIT: My weight is 456 lbs. I'm 5'8. And my goal weight is 200 lbs at the highest. I don't measure my food just use the scanner and this app so far to count calories.
EDIT: My weight is 456 lbs. I'm 5'8. And my goal weight is 200 lbs at the highest. I don't measure my food just use the scanner and this app so far to count calories.
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Replies
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What is your weight and height?1
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I was given what seemed like an unrealistically high number of calories as well (I don't remember what it was, but definitely in the 3000's). The more you weigh, the more calories you burn doing regular things like walking, climbing stairs, etc. so it takes this into consideration when calculating what your calories should be.
But to be honest, I started at over 300 lbs and found that keeping my calorie intake closer to 1800 helped me lose the most weight. I would only add calories when any exercise burned 250+ calories on any given day (that's just my rule of thumb, I know a lot of people eat all the calories they burn during exercise!).10 -
QUEENxo1992 wrote: »MyFitnessPal says I can eat 3251 cals/day. That makes no sense to me since 3500 is 1 pound. I have it at 1.5 lbs to lose per week. But that many calories is not possible for me on my low carb diet. I eat around 1,500 and I'm trying really hard to eat more. (1.200 is starvation) is it lying to me or should I change my macros so it's easier to eat that much? Advice please ?
We need your height, weight, and goal weight to figure.
3500 calories is the deficit you need to lose 1 lb. So if you want to lose 1 lb per week, you need to eat 500 calories less per day than your body needs.
Are you using a food scale to determine your portions? 1500 cals is not a lot, if you are struggling to eat anymore than that, you are probably eating more than you think.
Check out the sticky posts at the top of each forum for some great tips on logging and using the app
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What's your height and weight? Did you set your weight loss goal to 1.5 lbs per week? If you get 3251 calories to eat, and you put in your stats correctly, it means that you have enough fat on your body to sustain a loss of 3 or maybe 4 pounds per week, which you will achieve if you consistently eat around 2000 calories per day.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »MyFitnessPal says I can eat 3251 cals/day.
It's just a number, coincidence. At your weight, you need more than a pound of fat worth in calories per day to maintain your weight. At a lower weight, you'll need less energy to maintain weight.That makes no sense to me since 3500 is 1 pound.
Eat however you want. I think you should aim for 2000 calories, but make sure you aren't lying to yourself - log correctly and hit that goal every day.I have it at 1.5 lbs to lose per week. But that many calories is not possible for me on my low carb diet. I eat around 1,500 and I'm trying really hard to eat more. (1.200 is starvation) is it lying to me or should I change my macros so it's easier to eat that much? Advice please?2 -
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kommodevaran wrote: »
What's your height and weight? Did you set your weight loss goal to 1.5 lbs per week? If you get 3251 calories to eat, and you put in your stats correctly, it means that you have enough fat on your body to sustain a loss of 3 or maybe 4 pounds per week, which you will achieve if you consistently eat around 2000 calories per day.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »MyFitnessPal says I can eat 3251 cals/day.
It's just a number, coincidence. At your weight, you need more than a pound of fat worth in calories per day to maintain your weight. At a lower weight, you'll need less energy to maintain weight.That makes no sense to me since 3500 is 1 pound.
Eat however you want. I think you should aim for 2000 calories, but make sure you aren't lying to yourself - log correctly and hit that goal every day.I have it at 1.5 lbs to lose per week. But that many calories is not possible for me on my low carb diet. I eat around 1,500 and I'm trying really hard to eat more. (1.200 is starvation) is it lying to me or should I change my macros so it's easier to eat that much? Advice please?
Good ideas thank you.
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QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.6 -
With your current weight you will get a higher calorie intake, even with a deficit included. As you get further into the process and begin losing weight your calorie intake will change and decrease to line up with your new weights. Trust the process, it really does work 8
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RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
Hmmm okay. I will try my best.OliveGirl128 wrote: »With your current weight you will get a higher calorie intake, even with a deficit included. As you get further into the process and begin losing weight your calorie intake will change and decrease to line up with your new weights. Trust the process, it really does work
Okay thanks for the advice.3 -
That's not important now (I don't get why MFP asks about this. It makes no difference for your calorie goal.)QUEENxo1992 wrote: »And my goal weight is 200 lbs at the highest.
But if you don't WEIGH your food, you don't know how much you're eating. The scanner is just as good as the entry it points to - aka not necessarily reliable, you have to check if the nutritional values are the same as on the label.I don't measure my food just use the scanner and this app so far to count calories.
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QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
To be honest, at that weight, I would think you would want to get some professional advice on dietary requirements. Good advice above on weighing food.
Best of luck.8 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.10 -
Packerjohn wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
To be honest, at that weight, I would think you would want to get some professional advice on dietary requirements. Good advice above on weighing food.
Best of luck.
I am seeing a dietician also as well as making sure my heart was okay from my doctor
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kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already20 -
Also note : I want to avoid any surgery if I can so trying to lose it the natural way the best way I know how: exercise and low carb. My blood sugar is okay and gets checked every two weeks. I see a dietician and my doctor regularly. I also see a personal trainer (at no cost at my gym) twice a week. Thank you so far for your help.18
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That is great to hear - and I'd assume it will at 1500; but you don't have to eat that little. In fact, if you eat too little, you'll probably struggle to stick to it - not now, but soon, and then it's not going to be "ok, I'll just eat 3000 calories, then", it's going to be uncontrollable binges. That's why we're recommending finding a middle groud - an amount that leaves you well nourished and pretty satisfied, but also makes you lose weight rapidly.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already17 -
Personally, I'd set my calories at between 1800 to 2000 and not eat the exercise calories. You'll lose at a reasonable rate, and the closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go, so you'll need to re-evaluate and possibly lower to 1600-1800 cals per day and increase your exercise. Eat clean, measure all food at first, record it all honestly, even when you eat more than you would have liked. It doesn't matter, you just need to be accountable to yourself for what you eat and do. Some people like to have "free" days, where they can eat whatever they want without worrying about the calories; I might do that sometimes, but I still like to input it into MFP, regardless. Make sure you don't starve yourself, that only slows down the process. Three meals a day with snacks in between is a healthy way to lose and keep your body moving in the right direction. I still want to stress that you eat CLEAN! It matters WHAT you put in your body; it should be the most nutrient dense food you can get, eat lots of low-cal foods so that you feel satisfied, and don't eat to feel full. Eat to nourish your body so that you can have lotsa energy and do the things you want to do! God bless you on this journey! Susie15
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kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
I wasn't meaning that the OP would die, just explaining bmr in laymans terms3 -
QUEENxo1992 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already
That's a great start.
Try to think long term, find an amount of calories and types of foods that you can stick to for life.
I could never eat low carb as an example as I love crisps/chips. I just limit the serving to 30g packets.
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Please don't add more confusionSusieSonshine wrote: »Personally, I'd set my calories at between 1800 to 2000 and not eat the exercise calories. You'll lose at a reasonable rate, and the closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go, so you'll need to re-evaluate and possibly lower to 1600-1800 cals per day and increase your exercise. Eat clean, measure all food at first, record it all honestly, even when you eat more than you would have liked. It doesn't matter, you just need to be accountable to yourself for what you eat and do. Some people like to have "free" days, where they can eat whatever they want without worrying about the calories; I might do that sometimes, but I still like to input it into MFP, regardless. Make sure you don't starve yourself, that only slows down the process. Three meals a day with snacks in between is a healthy way to lose and keep your body moving in the right direction. I still want to stress that you eat CLEAN! It matters WHAT you put in your body; it should be the most nutrient dense food you can get, eat lots of low-cal foods so that you feel satisfied, and don't eat to feel full. Eat to nourish your body so that you can have lotsa energy and do the things you want to do! God bless you on this journey! Susie
OP, yes - an appropriate (and updated) calorie goal is important, and accuracy and consistency, AND not giving up even if you can't hit your goal for a day, or a week, AND a nutritious diet, is all important.
BUT "eating clean" can mean anything, so it means nothing. There are low calorie and calorie dense nutritious foods as well as low calorie and calorie dense junk foods. Our bodies need a range of nutrients every day, but exactly HOW to get in that nutrition, has to be up to the individual. Number of meals is completely up to personal preference, we should at the most say "eat regularly" and "most people thrive on 3 to 5 meals per day" or something like that.
Someone who is overweight, is most likely not "in touch with" hunger and satiety signals, and that's why tracking is so important. Those signals can be picked up over time, by feeding oneself sufficiently, regularly and reliably, aiming for a awareness and allowing oneself to enjoy eating, without any should's.15 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
Please don't add more confusionSusieSonshine wrote: »Personally, I'd set my calories at between 1800 to 2000 and not eat the exercise calories. You'll lose at a reasonable rate, and the closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go, so you'll need to re-evaluate and possibly lower to 1600-1800 cals per day and increase your exercise. Eat clean, measure all food at first, record it all honestly, even when you eat more than you would have liked. It doesn't matter, you just need to be accountable to yourself for what you eat and do. Some people like to have "free" days, where they can eat whatever they want without worrying about the calories; I might do that sometimes, but I still like to input it into MFP, regardless. Make sure you don't starve yourself, that only slows down the process. Three meals a day with snacks in between is a healthy way to lose and keep your body moving in the right direction. I still want to stress that you eat CLEAN! It matters WHAT you put in your body; it should be the most nutrient dense food you can get, eat lots of low-cal foods so that you feel satisfied, and don't eat to feel full. Eat to nourish your body so that you can have lotsa energy and do the things you want to do! God bless you on this journey! Susie
OP, yes - an appropriate (and updated) calorie goal is important, and accuracy and consistency, AND not giving up even if you can't hit your goal for a day, or a week, AND a nutritious diet, is all important.
BUT "eating clean" can mean anything, so it means nothing. There are low calorie and calorie dense nutritious foods as well as low calorie and calorie dense junk foods. Our bodies need a range of nutrients every day, but exactly HOW to get in that nutrition, has to be up to the individual. Number of meals is completely up to personal preference, we should at the most say "eat regularly" and "most people thrive on 3 to 5 meals per day" or something like that.
Someone who is overweight, is most likely not "in touch with" hunger and satiety signals, and that's why tracking is so important. Those signals can be picked up over time, by feeding oneself sufficiently, regularly and reliably, aiming for a awareness and allowing oneself to enjoy eating, without any should's.
It's okay. I wasn't confused.
I know what all of that means. I eat three meals a day and snacks. I know when I am full or satisfied or have had enough because I eat plenty of low cal foood like big salads with no carbs and fresh veggies with protein. I eat a lot of fruit, that's where it gets hard to stay low cash but I say f* it, at least it's not a chocolate bar and it's usually at breakfast. This isn't my first time losing weight. So thank you everyone for trying to help.
** I changed my goals to 2lb lost per week, it says about 2900 cals per day and that makes more sense to me. Even tho I might not reach it everyday. **
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To lose weight, you dn't need surgery, exercise or low carb. You need a consistent, true, real calorie deficit, for a long time.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »Also note : I want to avoid any surgery if I can so trying to lose it the natural way the best way I know how: exercise and low carb. My blood sugar is okay and gets checked every two weeks. I see a dietician and my doctor regularly. I also see a personal trainer (at no cost at my gym) twice a week. Thank you so far for your help.
Don't worry about carbs. Aim for a balanced diet filled with a variety of foods you like, the bulk of it in the form of whole, nutritious foods. A single serving chocolate bar per week is not going to wipe out your effort, but you don't have room for one every day. You need the nutrition from food, and you have a calorie budget to stick to. (It's just like any budget - you have to pay for rent, gas, food, clothes, but you can choose where you want to live, what to wear, where to drive - and what to eat. But you can't choose the consequences of those choices.)QUEENxo1992 wrote: »It's okay. I wasn't confused.
I know what all of that means. I eat three meals a day and snacks. I know when I am full or satisfied or have had enough because I eat plenty of low cal foood like big salads with no carbs and fresh veggies with protein. I eat a lot of fruit, that's where it gets hard to stay low cash but I say f* it, at least it's not a chocolate bar and it's usually at breakfast. This isn't my first time losing weight. So thank you everyone for trying to help.
I think that is a good goal. But you have to make sure you are hitting that goal. You can't be sure unless you weigh and log correctly.** I changed my goals to 2lb lost per week, it says about 2900 cals per day and that makes more sense to me. Even tho I might not reach it everyday. **6 -
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Low carb is a great way to lose weight quickly, because you often drop water weight. It can be exciting to see that number come down fast. Eventually, though, there will be no more excess water weight to lose and your weight loss may slow. Many people become frustrated and quit. When you stop losing 25 lbs a month, will you still be encouraged to stick to your plan?
Also, do you plan on eating this way forever? If you do the low carb, reach your goal weight, and go back to what you were eating when you started, all the weight will come back.
Not trying to discourage you, I just want you to have long term success 4 -
Low carb is a great way to lose weight quickly, because you often drop water weight. It can be exciting to see that number come down fast. Eventually, though, there will be no more excess water weight to lose and your weight loss may slow. Many people become frustrated and quit. When you stop losing 25 lbs a month, will you still be encouraged to stick to your plan?
Also, do you plan on eating this way forever? If you do the low carb, reach your goal weight, and go back to what you were eating when you started, all the weight will come back.
Not trying to discourage you, I just want you to have long term success
I believe it is the healthiest route for me right now. I have certain days where I eat more carbs than others, that's just a given. And I enjoy fruit too much to completely cut it out. I know the process will slow, but I've done this before and I never really plateaued until I got to a healthy weight. I'm heavy and tall - so it balances it out. I just want to feel happy in my clothes and feel the most healthiest. And eating low carb does this ++ more! I also want to note that I look up new recipes all the time to keep my food heart (my love for food) happy. And I will incorporate a cheat day once in a while when I see fit.
Yes I know it was mostly water weight that I lost at first. But I am just so happy I cut out pop and sugary drinks, why waste my calories on that? And fast food was a big one for me so I'm actually saving money on that too(by not buying it).
I am prepared for low carb to be my life. I really need this change
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I agree with kommodevaran....you do not need to cut carbs to lose weight, you have to simply stick with a diet that suits you, that doesn't make you miserable and making sure you are at a caloric deficit. To lose weight, it is very important to understand that, many people I speak with fail to understand that part for whatever reason because they are too focus and obsessed with their fad diet. All the diets out there (keto, atkins, Intermittent Fasting, Vegan, etc...) are only tools to help you lose weight, they are not the reason that you lose weight. You can gain weight with any diet too, one thing is certain though, is being in a caloric deficit will make you lose weight no matter what. If cutting out carbs completely makes you acheive that and you enjoy it go ahead and do keto....but don't do keto because you think that will guarantee weight loss. You might not even enjoy the process either, it's usually personal preference. I can tell you that I lost weight by eating carbs which proves that you can still lose weight without needing to eliminate one macro. The most important thing of all is to weigh your food, unfortunately not many do the effort of weighing their food and then they wonder why they aren't losing weight. I wish you best of luck in your weight loss journey
First of all, thank you for your response. I will consider that but I do enjoy the low carb life. Just saying.
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Speaking as a former super-obese person I just have two perspectives on long-term significant weight loss. I acknowledge they philosophically contradict one another a little.
1. Losing a lot of weight will take a long time, whether you "go hard" or take it easy. Even if you severely restrict your diet beyond what is healthy, it would take more than a year to lose > 100 lbs. So from that perspective, think about long-term success. Set yourself up for long-term success by establishing a diet (and activity plan) that you can sustain for the long term. Don't make yourself miserable with the conscious or unconscious assumption that you can grit your teeth and bear it because it's only temporary. If it's to be successful, it will be for the rest of your life. More specifically, I'd advise against totally "giving up" foods that you love. Rather, find a way to make peace with them so you can include them in your life w/o letting them control you.
2. Sometimes you are going to have to do things you don't want to do. This one I'd limit to the big picture. I have met so many people on here who want to lose weight but who are utterly unwilling to monitor and control the amount of food they will eat. Portion size matters, even for "healthy" foods. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can avoid downsizing or even measuring your portions because you are eating all "healthy" foods or "avoiding carbs." Chicken breast and yogurt can add up to big calories when we eat monster portions. I didn't get to weigh close to 350 pounds because I like eating reasonably-sized portions. Downsizing was ... quite an adjustment.
Also for what it's worth, as a super-obese person I was perfectly well-fuelled on 2400 cal / day, though at my top weight I was probably about 25% lighter than you are now. 2800 sounds like a great place to start and see how it goes -- but do measure your portions.17 -
Great ideas and perspectives. Thanks!3
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Mine was bonkers high too. Turned out I'd checked the extremely active box by mistake. Adjusted it and things are more reasonable now! Had some fun on day one though
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