Calories given

rachel82_mfp

Hey
Ive just setup a profile with mfp and input my details. Its given me a calorie goal of 2070 cals per day with the aim to lose 1lb a week. Im 5 ft 8 and 245lbs. Does this seem high for loss? I also input exercise 3x week.
Any advice would be great!

MikePTY

If MFP gave it to you based on what you inputted, then it's going to be correct with the caveat that it is an estimate, and that individual results vary slightly. The amount of exercise you put in doesn't affect your goal, as you are supposed to eat back calories you burn from exercise seperately. The activity level you chose affects your goal.

You can try it and see how it works for you. At your stats, you have the ability to go more aggressive with your rate of loss should you choose. So you could go 1.5 pounds or 2 pounds a week if you wanted and it would give you a goal of 1820 or 1570 respectively.

rachel82_mfp

Thanks Ive stuck to what mfp says and have gained this week so going to alter slightly and decrease cals by 150 per day to see how that turns out.

LyndaBSS

Are you using a food scale? If not, you're most likely eating over your calorie allotment.

Good luck with your journey!

cwolfman13

rachel82_mfp wrote: »

Thanks Ive stuck to what mfp says and have gained this week so going to alter slightly and decrease cals by 150 per day to see how that turns out.

Two days isn't long enough to know anything at all. Bodyweight fluctuates up and down...any "gain" or loss in a couple of days is a normal fluctuation...not actual weight gain or loss. To gain 1 Lb of actual fat, you'd have to eat 3500 calories over your maintenance calories...pretty sure you'd know it if you did that in a day or two because that would be a *kitten* ton of food.

heybales

rachel82_mfp wrote: »

Hey
Ive just setup a profile with mfp and input my details. Its given me a calorie goal of 2070 cals per day with the aim to lose 1lb a week. Im 5 ft 8 and 245lbs. Does this seem high for loss? I also input exercise 3x week.
Any advice would be great!

Oh, that goal of exercise 3 x a week is merely a goal for the Exercise Diary page - it has no bearing on calories eaten math.

When you actually do exercise and log it, you have then done more than MFP was accounting for.
So if you burned 200 more calories, then you get to eat 200 more calories.

The deficit for losing the weight stays the same, and if you picked a reasonable deficit you don't increase it that way.

And sounds like you picked reasonable activity level for non-exercise daily life.

That is indeed correct calorie goal - you may just not be used to how many calories were in what you used to eat.

So your only idea on calories may be articles talking about 1200 cal diets and junk like that.

Oh, if username is correct with Rachel - be prepared with monthly water fluctuations - it'l take over a month to see beyond the noise of those.
Use trendweight or such.

quiksylver296

I'm 5'9, and I can lose on that amount of calories.

As for not losing any weight, read this article. If you've started any new exercise, your muscles are retaining water to repair themselves.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

zebasschick

what activity level did you set? that makes a big difference!

setting my activity level to sedentary gives me 1,690 calories per day to maintain my current weight.

setting my activity level to active gives me 2,150 calories per day to maintain my current weight.

heybales

Lightly active is the only way to get to those calories, which is so true for so many compared to sedentary.
Very few are truly a bump-on-a-log all night and weekend outside of exercise.
Though if you exercise a lot your remaining time may indeed be sedentary.

kyle0404

rachel82_mfp wrote: »

Hey
Ive just setup a profile with mfp and input my details. Its given me a calorie goal of 2070 cals per day with the aim to lose 1lb a week. Im 5 ft 8 and 245lbs. Does this seem high for loss? I also input exercise 3x week.
Any advice would be great!

For the most part the calorie goals on here are pretty accurate. The caveat to any daily calorie goal is that lean mass (muscle) needs calories, and fat doesn't. So if you have a higher body fat percentage you might consider dialing back the calories some, but any adjustments should be small. Losing one pound per week means only cutting out a total of 500 per day from what you need to maintain current weight. The recommended calories on here is a great place to start. If you don't lose weight consider trimming off a little more.

Emmapatterson1729

I started at similar place. I was around 230 5'8" originally it gave me 1410 calories. Started losing very quickly. I wanted to slow my loss down a little, changed goals. Now eating around 1600-1700 and still losing.

Nothing on MFP is set in stone. Can always play with goals and numbers until you start seeing the results you like!

Good luck!

rainbowblu

Adjust your activity level