I just updated my goals but cal hasn’t changed

Hannahwalksfar

So I’m 75.8kg with a goal of 65kg. 5’4” 31. I changed it from a goal of 1kg/wk to 0.8kg. From lightly active to not very active as suggested. Originally it was 1200 and now it’s still 1200. Is that right? It seems low? I start my new training regime next week so will be incredibly active then but for now I’m lightly active. I’m confused.

LyndaBSS

Did you change it on the phone app or website? I had to use the website to do mine.

Hannahwalksfar

I changed it on the phone. Everything has updated correctly but the cals have stayed the same.

Hannahwalksfar

I just tried another update to 0.5kg a week and it changed it to 1270. Maybe once I’m doing high intensity workouts daily I can update it properly.

Gisel2015

@Hannahwalksfar

If you are using MFP your exercise calories are not part of the activity level that you chose. You can still be light active with 1270 calories per day and then eat 50% of your additional exercise calories. Or if you prefer, you can use the TDEE method that already counts exercise calories.

Hannahwalksfar

So if I don’t do much of anything at all then I’ll gain if I eat over 1200? That seems low even for a bmr

Gisel2015

Nope, you wouldn't gain if you are at a deficit. What I was trying to explain is this (as an example):
MFP gives you 1200 calories a day for a goal of 0.8g loss a week, and that is based on the activity level that you described (NOT counting exercise, just living and working). If you exercise and burn 150 additional calories, then you can eat back those calories, or at least 50% (75). The more you exercise and burn, the more calories you can eat back.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

Duck_Puddle

Mfp takes your projected daily calorie burn not including exercise, then subtracts out the deficit that goes with whatever rate of loss you selected, and that is your calorie goal-with the caveat That mfp will never give you a goal less than 1200.

Not including exercise, I am sedentary (I work a desk job at home). Without exercise, I burn 1600 calories a day. So...if I do no workouts, I will maintain my weight eating 1600 calories a day.

Whether I select 1, 1.5 or 2 pounds a week-mfp gives me a goal of 1200. I get 1350 if I choose 1/2 pound a week.

I then add all of my exercise to that and eat those calories too.

When I trained for a marathon, my goal was still to NET 1200-i was eating well over 2000 calories a day - 1200 + 800-ish for running (and losing a little less than a pound a week as expected).

I am older than you but the same height and about the same weight.

Lillymoo01

Hannahwalksfar wrote: »

So I’m 75.8kg with a goal of 65kg. 5’4” 31. I changed it from a goal of 1kg/wk to 0.8kg. From lightly active to not very active as suggested. Originally it was 1200 and now it’s still 1200. Is that right? It seems low? I start my new training regime next week so will be incredibly active then but for now I’m lightly active. I’m confused.

This happens to me also. It is because 1200 at lightly active is less than 500 calorie deficit. Changing it to a higher activity level is still less than a 500 calorie a day deficit. For me, I had to go to very active with a 1/2 pound a week loss before it increased it above 1200.

In the end, I stuck with the 1200 calories and added additional exercise calories, eating back between 1/2 and 2/3's of them depending on how hungry I was so I was still eating at least 1500 calories, if not more while losing.