How do you determine a good daily caloric intake?

nadjam1234

Hi All,
I am new to Myfitnesspal, although not new at all to eating and exercising for good health.

My background. About 9-10 years ago, I found myself overweight. Stats back then: 5' 1 1/2" and weighing in at 151 lbs (the most I had ever weighed). I had a minor "female" surgery and during my recovery decided enough was enough. I started eating healthy, based on a weight watchers diet that I had done several years earlier. Then, I started running...and discovered a passion for it. I had never done a combination of eating right and exercising and was amazed at the results. I shed the weight and for several years easily maintained 121-125 lbs. The last 3-4 years (and especially in the last year), my work has gone crazy, and I have slid back into very old patterns of eating too much, and not exercising enough. My weight has crept back up to about 140 lbs. Clothes are very tight and uncomfortable and I'm not happy with how I feel or how I look. So, back on the bandwagon.

I downloaded the app on my phone a few days ago and I love how it works. So easy to add food (I love that you can scan barcodes!!!) and exercise and I love the summary.

Here is my question. The app automatically "assigned" 1200 calories per day. What I am trying to figure out is if that is right for me? I don't know how to gauge this, or if I should be increasing this amount. I get it that going any lower and I'll be in "starvation" mode....not the direction I want to go. Let's put it this way...I love to eat! I know I could never live on fewer calories. I definitely don't want to cut out tons of food - I just want to get back to better choices, reasonable portion sizes, and daily exercise - a healthy lifestyle.

So, back to the issue of 1200 calories. Is this a standard number that everyone is supposed to come in at? What about body size? height? starting weight? What about the netting out? Should I always end up at 1200 calories even after I add in exercise? The Weight watchers points system in some ways was easier to understand, but I don't want to re-join. And, I am loving how easy the phone app is to use.

Your thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated!

noon1200

MFP calculated your daily caloric expendature based on your height and weight, then subtracted 500 for every pound per week you told it you wanted to lose. Lastly, if that number was under 1200, it bumped it up to 1200 because it doesn't want to advise anyone to eat less than that.

With only fifteen pounds to lose, you should probably choose a half pound per week loss, or maybe one pound.

cmriverside

MFP calculated your daily caloric expendature based on your height and weight, then subtracted 500 for every pound per week you told it you wanted to lose. Lastly, if that number was under 1200, it bumped it up to 1200 because it doesn't want to advise anyone to eat less than that.

With only fifteen pounds to lose, you should probably choose a half pound per week loss, or maybe one pound.

Absolutely this ^^

The site will try to help you with your goals. But with less than 25 pounds to lose, set it at "Lose 1/2 lb per week." You will be given a lot more calories - and still lose weight. You can't afford a large deficit at your weight.

_HeartsOnFire_

MFP calculated your daily caloric expendature based on your height and weight, then subtracted 500 for every pound per week you told it you wanted to lose. Lastly, if that number was under 1200, it bumped it up to 1200 because it doesn't want to advise anyone to eat less than that.

With only fifteen pounds to lose, you should probably choose a half pound per week loss, or maybe one pound.

Absolutely this ^^

The site will try to help you with your goals. But with less than 25 pounds to lose, set it at "Lose 1/2 lb per week." You will be given a lot more calories - and still lose weight. You can't afford a large deficit at your weight.

Agree with both of these posters.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Ely82010

Let me add to the above information that 1200 calories is your NET goal, which indicates that if you burn 400 calories exercising, MFP will give you a Total of 1600 calories to eat.

joshdann

at the risk of sounding like a broken record... let me add that MFP is just giving you an estimate based on a few pieces of information that are only part of the puzzle in determining your metabolic rate. MFP has no way of actually testing you to know what your real goal calories should be. Start there, but adjust up or down based on the results you see.

auntiebabs

Okay,
A couple of questions... what option have you chosen under goals?
Lose 2 lbs a week? 1lb/wk? 1/2 lb/wk?

(MFP will never give you less than 1200 cal a day and in most cases (probably yours, too) this is a very good thing.)

So if you are assigned exactly 1200 calories... it probably means that you're expected weight loss is slightly different from the option you selected

Now click on the HOME, then click on goals.
In the right column look down to the bottom in RED it will say PROJECTED WEIGHT LOSS this is the rate you MFP actually expects you to make when eating 1200 cal/day.

Don't stress if it's less than the option you selected, but be aware of it so you don't berate yourself for failing.
If you are doing better tracking than you were before you were tracking then YOU ARE SUCCEEDING

++Rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.)
I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

---

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

---

Shooting for one specific number makes every other number wrong... I needed more of a chance to be right.

++Only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
++If you weigh frequently.. you got to think of it like the stock market. they'll be up days and they'll be down days it is the overall trend that matters as long as you are consistently moving in the right direction, it's all good.

REMEMBER that MFP does not know every last detail about you... It is a good starting point and a good approximation, but it's just than and approximation. For example I've a slow metabolism and while MFP says as a 50 yr. woman at 1600 calories a day should maintain a weight of 140 lbs... When I eat 1550 a day I maintain 145....

But regardless of what the differential between MFP and real life... Tracking is key, because if you track carefully you'll see cause and effect between what you do and how your body respond. (i'm a firm believer in tracking EVERYTHING, it's too easy to lie to yourself, but you can't lie to your body... If you track with absolute honestly you have more info to make better decision

I had success starting off with the MFP guidelines, but after a while I made gradual adjustments that worked for me... I maintain well, while I'm tracking... now I experimenting with figuring out guideline that I can apply so I that I can maintain on my own...

So I disappear from time to time and come back when I need to tweak my plan.

And remember You don't have to be perfect, you just have to do better a series of small sustainable changes are what works best for me.

Good Luck

auntiebabs

Ugh, I can never seem to write out short response!

cwolfman13

MFP calculated your daily caloric expendature based on your height and weight, then subtracted 500 for every pound per week you told it you wanted to lose. Lastly, if that number was under 1200, it bumped it up to 1200 because it doesn't want to advise anyone to eat less than that.

With only fifteen pounds to lose, you should probably choose a half pound per week loss, or maybe one pound.

Absolutely this ^^

The site will try to help you with your goals. But with less than 25 pounds to lose, set it at "Lose 1/2 lb per week." You will be given a lot more calories - and still lose weight. You can't afford a large deficit at your weight.

Just to reiterate...

Arnpobgyn

I thought about surgery for weight loss and even saw a specialist about it. Was told needed to eat no more than 1100 calories a day if you were female and under 5ft 4 in. and 10% of it needs to be protein. I have been doing this to the best that I can and have lost about 14 pounds total since I started about 7 weeks ago. That is 2 pounds a week. I am walking anywere from 20-45 minutes at least 4 x week. Got rained out today and only 10 minutes today. I decided to hold off on the surgery until I could see if I could do it on my own and so far, so good.
I am eating a lot of green leafy vegetables and steamed stir fry vegetables without oil. Tuna and chicken by portions. Some beef but trying to eat it no more than once a week and in portion size. Egg whites instead of whole eggs, no bread and very limited potatoes and rice. Eat a lot of lean cusine's and EAS Advantage Carb control drinks for breakfast.

MsWallwoman

Ugh, I can never seem to write out short response!

I always love when I come across a topic where you have commented. You are always so helpful and have great advice. :flowerforyou:

nadjam1234

Great long response...I really appreciate it! I had downloaded the app onto my phone, and I'm discovering that the website is so much more expansive than the app. When I had originally input my information, I did it on the app, not really understanding the process.

I have played with the goals a bit now, and put in weight loss from .5 lbs to 2 lbs, and I get the same numbers each time. Which only supports what you described in your long post. With the "minimal" amount I need to shed, 1200 calories is the lowest I can go. Suits me just fine - with my exercise routine as it is, it allows me to eat healthy, and more on the days I do a good workout. Yeah! My next step is to make sure that my portion sizes stay reasonable. Weight watchers taught me this a long time ago, and I need to not go for 2nd helpings anymore.

I appreciate everyone's responses. I am learning that the community on MFP is fantastic and so supportive. Thank you everyone!

nadjam1234

Good luck with your approach! Always better to avoid surgery whenever possible. If you are tackling this "naturally" that is the best way to go. Years ago, I joined weight watchers. Great program and it taught me a lot about how to eat. I remember focussing on vegetables...If I could get in the recommended daily dose of vegetables (5-10 servings per day), then I found I didn't gravitate to the other things as much and I hit my recommended points on a daily basis. The other thing I remember is that they said you need to each each food group at each meal to feel full and stay full until your next meal. This is sound advice that I really believe. My current weight gain comes from eating too much of everything, and not enough exercise. A trend I am reversing.

Your weight loss is nice and steady - just as it should be. I wish you the best of luck...you can do it!

TwoPointZero

Let me add to the above information that 1200 calories is your NET goal, which indicates that if you burn 400 calories exercising, MFP will give you a Total of 1600 calories to eat.

Yes, this is how it currently works. However . . . I'm not sure that this is the best idea. In particular, this allocates the calories associated with your exercise to the day that you exercise, as opposed to spreading your exercise calories out over seven days, as is done here:

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

The MFP method can result in significant caloric fluctuations per day (mine can be 600-700 calories), versus IIFYM, which results in constant caloric levels. I will definitely say that it would be really difficult for me to eat 600 extra healthy calories a lot of days, so that is why I like the extra calories spread out over the whole week. Of course, this assumes that you can predict your workouts reasonably well at the beginning of each week.

That being said, if it works for you, great.

Cheers,

N

auntiebabs

I thought about surgery for weight loss and even saw a specialist about it. Was told needed to eat no more than 1100 calories a day if you were female and under 5ft 4 in. and 10% of it needs to be protein. I have been doing this to the best that I can and have lost about 14 pounds total since I started about 7 weeks ago. That is 2 pounds a week. I am walking anywere from 20-45 minutes at least 4 x week. Got rained out today and only 10 minutes today. I decided to hold off on the surgery until I could see if I could do it on my own and so far, so good.
I am eating a lot of green leafy vegetables and steamed stir fry vegetables without oil. Tuna and chicken by portions. Some beef but trying to eat it no more than once a week and in portion size. Egg whites instead of whole eggs, no bread and very limited potatoes and rice. Eat a lot of lean cusine's and EAS Advantage Carb control drinks for breakfast.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... why are you doing this to yourself????

Okay, let's review our macros: CARBS - FAT - PROTEINS
Now, all food fall's into at least 1 of those 3 categories, many foods are a combination of at least 2 of these categories.
You are going to have a really hard time if you severely restrict any one category let alone 2 of the 3 categories.

Recently found out that most vitamins are fat soluble... So you should add a little fat to your veg so that you can access their nutrition. If you have cholesterol issues you may want to use Olive Oil, rather than butter, but if you don't go for it! YUM

I THINK the key is nutrient dense foods ...
The purpose of eating is to fuel your body, hunger is the signals that your body needs fuel/nutrients.
When you eat crap, your body doesn't get the nutrition it needs and you will be hungry much sooner than if you had nutritious food.

The more nutrition per calorie the fewer calories it takes to satisfy you bodies needs and the less hungry you will be.

Rather than demonizing a whole category of the food I try and keep any eye on the types of Fat, Carbs and Proteins I eat :

1) COMPLEX Carbs
2) HAPPY Fats (Mono and Poly Unsaturated fats, good for brain and nerve function, helps prevent diabetes and depression)
3) LEAN Proteins.

CARBS.
rather than limiting carbs focus on switching the carbs you do eat to COMPLEX CARBS... more fiber, takes longer for your body to break down so you are full longer. (The simpler carbs hit your system quicker and if you don't use them right away they get stored)

Fiber. Fiber is a good thing right....? Well, guess what's a good source of fiber COMPLEX CARBS.
You can eat 160 calories in almonds, but you absorb only 130. The fiber in the almonds delays absorption of calories into the bloodstream, delivering those calories to the bacteria in your intestine, which chew them up. Because a calorie is not a calorie.

FATS
rather than limiting overall fats I track CHOLESTEROL & SATURATED FAT. As well as SUGAR because sugar makes cholesterol stickier. (And what makes cholesterol a problem is when it gangs up and creates blockages.)
Healthy plant and fish based fats brain function and nerve health.

Add HAPPY FATS to your diet.
Plant and fish based fats: they are calorie dense, but it takes a small amount to feel satisfied...
They are needed to absorb vitamins, prevent diabetes, enhance brain function, fight depression, protect your nervous system and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Fish has lovely Omega 3s which protect your heart. Egg Yolks also have Omega 3s
Avoid hydrogenated fats and oil, and limit saturated fats.

rosielko

bump