Does this sound right?!

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I will admit that I am blindly following the suggested calories on here, with no knowledge of how it all really works. So far it's going well and I'm losing weight with relative ease. I'm approaching the last 5-10 pounds and know that I should slow my weight loss to .5 per week. So today I reset my goals and now it's giving me 1530 calories per day. Seems like a big jump from 1280? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to eat the food haha. Just want to some reassurance! It's been low numbers from the get go, so more calories is exciting. And I think it's good preparation for maintenance.

5'7" female
154lbs
I have my activity level set to lowest because I work a desk job but do work out and eat some exersice calories back.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2018
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    I will admit that I am blindly following the suggested calories on here, with no knowledge of how it all really works. So far it's going well and I'm losing weight with relative ease. I'm approaching the last 5-10 pounds and know that I should slow my weight loss to .5 per week. So today I reset my goals and now it's giving me 1530 calories per day. Seems like a big jump from 1280? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to eat the food haha. Just want to some reassurance! It's been low numbers from the get go, so more calories is exciting. And I think it's good preparation for maintenance.

    5'7" female
    154lbs
    I have my activity level set to lowest because I work a desk job but do work out and eat some exersice calories back.

    1 Lb per week is a 500 calorie deficit from maintenance...you reset it to 1/2 Lb per week and MFP added 250 calories which is half of 500.

  • Iwantahealthierme30
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    That sounds about right. My goal weight is 160 and the maintenance for that is just above 1600.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
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    Looks exactly right. 500 cal/day deficit for 1 lb/wk loss. Half that is 250 for 1/2 lb, which is how much your goal increased. Enjoy, and nice work so far!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Sounds to me you have a good understanding of the hows and whys, and a great attitude. Yes, you can trust the numbers. Well done on your loss so far, too :)
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I will admit that I am blindly following the suggested calories on here, with no knowledge of how it all really works. So far it's going well and I'm losing weight with relative ease. I'm approaching the last 5-10 pounds and know that I should slow my weight loss to .5 per week. So today I reset my goals and now it's giving me 1530 calories per day. Seems like a big jump from 1280? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to eat the food haha. Just want to some reassurance! It's been low numbers from the get go, so more calories is exciting. And I think it's good preparation for maintenance.

    5'7" female
    154lbs
    I have my activity level set to lowest because I work a desk job but do work out and eat some exersice calories back.

    1 Lb per week is a 500 calorie deficit from maintenance...you reset it to 1/2 Lb per week and MFP added 250 calories which is half of 500.

    Ah makes sense!! Thanks for explaining it!! I really do want to learn all the math and calculations behind it all!
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I've learned so much on here. Everyone is such a big help and so encouraging! I went about my weightloss wrong in the beginning (not eating enough, in a hurry) my habits all changed thanks to this board and I want to make sure I've got a good foundation to maintain my weight. Knowledge is power!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I will admit that I am blindly following the suggested calories on here, with no knowledge of how it all really works. So far it's going well and I'm losing weight with relative ease. I'm approaching the last 5-10 pounds and know that I should slow my weight loss to .5 per week. So today I reset my goals and now it's giving me 1530 calories per day. Seems like a big jump from 1280? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to eat the food haha. Just want to some reassurance! It's been low numbers from the get go, so more calories is exciting. And I think it's good preparation for maintenance.

    5'7" female
    154lbs
    I have my activity level set to lowest because I work a desk job but do work out and eat some exersice calories back.

    1 Lb per week is a 500 calorie deficit from maintenance...you reset it to 1/2 Lb per week and MFP added 250 calories which is half of 500.

    Ah makes sense!! Thanks for explaining it!! I really do want to learn all the math and calculations behind it all!

    To lose about a pound per week you need a 3500 calorie deficit from maintenance which is 3500/7=500 calorie daily deficit. That's pretty much all the math there is.

    So in this case, MFP is estimating your maintenance calories to be 1530+250=1,780. Regular exercise will also increase your maintenance requirements.