1500 Calories for males

stewarm01

I'm pretty sure this is in the incorrect area for this question, I apologize ahead of time.

MFP will never automatically let me go below 1500 recommended calories per day. I understand that for various reasons.

My question, how can I find out what my true calories should be daily to lose 2lbs per week? Even though all the warnings, etc...

5'9, male, 216 lbs now, I think my BMI is 32, sedentary lifestyle (office), 46 years old.

THANKS

quiksylver296

stewarm01 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure this is in the incorrect area for this question, I apologize ahead of time.

MFP will never automatically let me go below 1500 recommended calories per day. I understand that for various reasons.

My question, how can I find out what my true calories should be daily to lose 2lbs per week? Even though all the warnings, etc...

5'9, male, 216 lbs now, I think my BMI is 32, sedentary lifestyle (office), 46 years old.

THANKS

Change your sex to female and see what MFP gives you?

richln

Pick a calorie goal based on your best guess from calculators. Log as accurate as you can. Hit that number consistently. Revise based on the results you are seeing over time.

RonyMack

Not sure what you mean by "true calories". MFP is advising 1500 to lose 2x weekly, based on your stats. Why are you wanting to go below that and make things harder?

tbright1965

Actually, 1500 is pretty close for your age, sedentary, height and weight to drop 20 pounds by this time in December.

I think it has you at 1.4-1.5 pounds/week, which is pretty sustainable.

You could add an hour of walking every day and probably get to the 2#/week range at that metric for calorie consumption.

Carlos_421

At your height and weight, I would honestly expect 2 pounds per week at 1500-1600 calories.

diannethegeek

stewarm01 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure this is in the incorrect area for this question, I apologize ahead of time.

MFP will never automatically let me go below 1500 recommended calories per day. I understand that for various reasons.

My question, how can I find out what my true calories should be daily to lose 2lbs per week? Even though all the warnings, etc...

5'9, male, 216 lbs now, I think my BMI is 32, sedentary lifestyle (office), 46 years old.

THANKS

Calculate your TDEE and delete 1000 calories from it to get your goal for 2 pounds/week. You'll have to decide whether it's healthy or sustainable for you on your own.

Also, if you don't want this on the debate board you can message the mods and ask them to move it. Food and Nutrition or General Diet would both be good choices for 101-style questions.

WJS_jeepster

put in "lose 1 pound per week" and subtract 500 calories off the number it gives you

jemhh

Carlos_421 wrote: »

At your height and weight, I would honestly expect 2 pounds per week at 1500-1600 calories.

Agreed.

If you log your calories correctly, I would expect the same.

NovusDies

If you are strictly sedentary it would be below 1500 but at 216 you are really on the line for how safe it is to lose 2lbs per week anyway. You could very well be close to or below that line with some water weight loss that often happens in the first month. At 1500 you should lose about 1.5lbs per week which is going to be safer for you anyway.

As others have said it wouldn't be much of a shock to lose 2lbs per week even at 1600. The best way to tell is to start and establish a trend. The best way to establish a trend is to log correctly. I suggest reading this:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

stewarm01

Thanks everyone. I found it. It's 1171. Don't know if I will follow it though.

bpotts44

I'm similar and have been at 1500 calories for awhile. Been losing 1.5 lbs per week. I have virtually no hunger. I would go with the 1500 calories. I eat back most of my exercise.

stewarm01

Bpotts44,

MFP will never automatically go below 1500 for males or 1200 for females. I think you have to do some manual changes.

orion_81

TDEE - 500 calories is 2 pounds per week. I dont know what "magic" MFP works but it got mine very wrong in the past, giving me too little calories. For example it once suggested I eat 1200 calories a day while I am 68kg of muscle mass...

quiksylver296

orion_81 wrote: »

TDEE - 500 calories is 2 pounds per week. I dont know what "magic" MFP works but it got mine very wrong in the past, giving me too little calories. For example it once suggested I eat 1200 calories a day while I am 68kg of muscle mass...

2 pounds a week is a 1000 calorie deficit per day, not 500.

3500 calories = ~ 1 pound
7000 calories = 2 pounds, divided by 7 days per week = 1000 calorie deficit a day

stewarm01

Orion, it's minus 1000.

bpotts44

stewarm01 wrote: »

Bpotts44,

MFP will never automatically go below 1500 for males or 1200 for females. I think you have to do some manual changes.

I'm aware. I'm also suggesting to stick with 1500. That is roughly 1.5 lbs per week.

ceiswyn

stewarm01 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I found it. It's 1171. Don't know if I will follow it though.

Why on Earth would you want to do something unhealthy and unsafe?

pinuplove

stewarm01 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I found it. It's 1171. Don't know if I will follow it though.

I'm a cranky hangry *kitten* on 1200 a day. Your mileage may vary. However, given that the deficit you'd have to run to lose 2 pounds a week leave your calories so low, it doesn't sound like an appropriate goal for you in the least.

estherdragonbat

ceiswyn wrote: »

stewarm01 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I found it. It's 1171. Don't know if I will follow it though.

Why on Earth would you want to do something unhealthy and unsafe?

Going by an earlier post from the OP, it appears that suffering and sacrifice are virtuous. Or something.

singingflutelady

Another post by @stewarm01 states he lost 46 pounds in 12 weeks so I don't think OP is concerned with malnutrition or undereating. You are playing with fire dude.

stewarm01

@singingflutelady, you're correct. I may be but unfortunately being fat for the past 30 years and I'm FINALLY mentally ready and able to do it I like it. I tend to want to continue to see if I will succeed. I'm only 36 lbs away from my goal.

AnvilHead

Just don't be surprised if you're not happy with the results when you get there. Eating at a huge deficit also increases the loss of muscle mass, so it's quite possible that you just end up a smaller version of your current self.

NovusDies

stewarm01 wrote: »

@singingflutelady, you're correct. I may be but unfortunately being fat for the past 30 years and I'm FINALLY mentally ready and able to do it I like it. I tend to want to continue to see if I will succeed. I'm only 36 lbs away from my goal.

So do you expect your body to not eat away at your muscle because you think you have a good excuse for going too fast?

stewarm01

@NovusDies, I'm no expert and I'm sure I'm doing this all incorrectly. Listening to (y'all) on here I have decided to start strength training next month as opposed to when I got to my goal weight.

I'm planning on strength training 3 days and on off days cardio.

Nony_Mouse

AnvilHead wrote: »

Just don't be surprised if you're not happy with the results when you get there. Eating at a huge deficit also increases the loss of muscle mass, so it's quite possible that you just end up a smaller version of your current self.

Especially if you're not getting sufficient protein. Which, if you go for your sub-1500 plan, I fail to see how you will unless that's pretty much all you eat.

stewarm01 wrote: »

@singingflutelady, you're correct. I may be but unfortunately being fat for the past 30 years and I'm FINALLY mentally ready and able to do it I like it. I tend to want to continue to see if I will succeed. I'm only 36 lbs away from my goal.

This is actually a pretty good recipe for not succeeding. Adherence is going to become harder and harder, because your body is going to fight back. You're going to completely tank your leptin, thyroid is going to go down with that, and cortisol will go sky high, all leading to metabolic adaptation far beyond what is necessary. In other words, even at the same calorie deficit on paper, your rate of loss is going to be slower, because your metabolism will be slower. And you know what most people do then if they've been severely restricting? Binge. And then keep on binging.

stewarm01

Thanks everyone. I am going to readjust what I'm doing. Going to eat at calorie recommendations, heavier proteins and carbohydrates, and start to integrate full body strength training 3 days and cardio 3 days.

NovusDies

stewarm01 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I am going to readjust what I'm doing. Going to eat at calorie recommendations, heavier proteins and carbohydrates, and start to integrate full body strength training 3 days and cardio 3 days.

Remember that you have to eat back exercise calories.

Nony_Mouse

stewarm01 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I am going to readjust what I'm doing. Going to eat at calorie recommendations, heavier proteins and carbohydrates, and start to integrate full body strength training 3 days and cardio 3 days.

That's good news. Given your fast rate of loss thus far, I would highly recommend a structured diet break for a couple of weeks (scroll down the forum a bit, the refeeds and diet breaks thread was bumped a few hours ago) to bring those hormones back in line a bit. Then set MFP for 1lb per week loss.

AnnPT77

That explains the "we all know it's very, very hard" and "fought and battled" stuff. Jeesh.

Dude, seriously, you're risking your health. Don't. Especially since you're not 22 anymore: You really, really can't afford to lose unnecessary amounts of muscle mass.

Rethink! I mean this in the kindest, most caring possible way - truly. (I like to see people stay strong and healthy while achieving their weight loss goals.)

singingflutelady

The only reason I mentioned anything @stewarm01 is because of a medical condition I can not eat very much and my body is ravaged by malnutrition. I am now in the hospital on TPN (nutrition through a central line). You feel ok until you don't. Your body can only take so much before it starts to break down. I really hope you never have to experience the hell I have gone through.