We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Setting calorie goal for weight loss

sarajobutcher
sarajobutcher Posts: 4 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My RMR was tested and it’s extremely low 1203...I’m 46..5’11 and weigh 175...I would like to lose 30 pounds. My calories are set at 1200 as my understanding is that I require that minimum amount to hit nutritional needs. Should I be eating back the exercise calories MFP calculates?
I am on a half marathon plan (14 weeks 4-6 days training/week).

Replies

  • sarajobutcher
    sarajobutcher Posts: 4 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Your RMR is pretty irrelevant, especially for someone training 4 to 6 days a week for a half marathon. MFP is set up for you to eat your exercise calories back. Did you use MFP to determine the 1200 calorie goal, which seems awfully low for someone who is 5'11" and 176 lbs? If you just chose 1200 out of the air, it's likely you're already undereating before you even consider your exercise burns.

    MFP set my calorie allowance based on a 2 pounds/week weight loss goal. I will eat my earned exercise calories..thank you.
  • sarajobutcher
    sarajobutcher Posts: 4 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    If it were me, I'd eat more like 1700 as base and then eat whatever the exercise calories are. All of them.

    No way 1200 is in any way a good idea.

    Set your Goals on this site to, "Lose 1/2 pound per week," then set your Activity Level based on your normal daily routine, using the parameters it suggests (without the exercise.) When you exercise, enter that into the Exercise tab and eat those additional calories.

    That's how this site calculates.

    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    Thank you. I set up my profile as indicated above..MFP established the 1200 calorie requirement based on a 2 pound/week weight loss goal. I will eat the additional calories MFP establishes based on my exercise.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    sarajobutcher wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    If it were me, I'd eat more like 1700 as base and then eat whatever the exercise calories are. All of them.

    No way 1200 is in any way a good idea.

    Set your Goals on this site to, "Lose 1/2 pound per week," then set your Activity Level based on your normal daily routine, using the parameters it suggests (without the exercise.) When you exercise, enter that into the Exercise tab and eat those additional calories.

    That's how this site calculates.

    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    Thank you. I set up my profile as indicated above..MFP established the 1200 calorie requirement based on a 2 pound/week weight loss goal. I will eat the additional calories MFP establishes based on my exercise.

    With only 30 lbs to lose, 2 lbs per week is too aggressive a rate of loss. 2 lbs a week is only appropriate if you have 50 lbs or more to lose. Odds are very good that you will find 1200 calories too low and unsustainable. Also, if you set it to maintain just to see what that calorie goal is, I’m going to guess that 1200 wouldn’t be a big enough deficit for 2 lbs a week anyway. MFP won’t let you go below 1200 though because that isn’t healthy.

    I suggest a more reasonable rate of loss such as 1 lb a week. You didn’t gain the 30 overnight and you won’t lose it in 15 weeks no matter what you do anyway.
  • sarajobutcher
    sarajobutcher Posts: 4 Member
    I appreciate the insight! Thanks for the information.

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,770 Member
    With only 30 lbs. to lose, 2 lbs. a week is too aggressive. At your height, 30 lbs. is pretty aggressive as well. Healthy is 132 to 180 lbs. for a 5' 11" woman. Set the goal at 1 lb. a week for now, then drop it to .5 when you get within 20 lbs. Eat back your exercise calories. If you don't, you won't have the energy to do your training well.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,132 Member
    sarajobutcher wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Your RMR is pretty irrelevant, especially for someone training 4 to 6 days a week for a half marathon. MFP is set up for you to eat your exercise calories back. Did you use MFP to determine the 1200 calorie goal, which seems awfully low for someone who is 5'11" and 176 lbs? If you just chose 1200 out of the air, it's likely you're already undereating before you even consider your exercise burns.

    MFP set my calorie allowance based on a 2 pounds/week weight loss goal. I will eat my earned exercise calories..thank you.

    Two pounds per week is too low for you. Mfp will never give you less than 1200 calories, thus if you see the number 1200 it means that you want too much too fast - and won't get it. A 2lbs loss per week means eating 1000 calories less every day. If 1200 was correct, then your maintenance calories were 2200.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,462 Member
    sarajobutcher wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    If it were me, I'd eat more like 1700 as base and then eat whatever the exercise calories are. All of them.

    No way 1200 is in any way a good idea.

    Set your Goals on this site to, "Lose 1/2 pound per week," then set your Activity Level based on your normal daily routine, using the parameters it suggests (without the exercise.) When you exercise, enter that into the Exercise tab and eat those additional calories.

    That's how this site calculates.

    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    Thank you. I set up my profile as indicated above..MFP established the 1200 calorie requirement based on a 2 pound/week weight loss goal. I will eat the additional calories MFP establishes based on my exercise.

    You are still set too aggressively. Set it for "Lose ONE pound or Lose on HALF pound." not two pounds. You don't have enough spare weight to be set so aggressively.

    What did you set your "Activity Level" to? If you are not sitting on the couch all day, then choose "Lightly Active" or above.

    You're heading for a crash. 5'11" AND 175 pounds and an active Marathon trainer? You should be at a minimum of 1600-1800 PLUS Exercise calories.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,128 Member
    sarajobutcher wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Your RMR is pretty irrelevant, especially for someone training 4 to 6 days a week for a half marathon. MFP is set up for you to eat your exercise calories back. Did you use MFP to determine the 1200 calorie goal, which seems awfully low for someone who is 5'11" and 176 lbs? If you just chose 1200 out of the air, it's likely you're already undereating before you even consider your exercise burns.

    MFP set my calorie allowance based on a 2 pounds/week weight loss goal. I will eat my earned exercise calories..thank you.

    You are within the normal/healthy BMI range for your height, albeit it at the high end, so 2 lbs a week is too much for you.

    General recommendations are to max out at 1% of your current weight per week, so 2 lbs a week is too much for you.

    Go back in and revise your goals for 1/2 or 1 lb a week and see what MFP recommends. Eat that, plus exercise calories. Maybe use a mileage-based formula to calculate net exercise burns instead of MFP's calculations. Personally, I lost just fine using MFP's calculations for walking/jogging, but some people do feel they're too high.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    sarajobutcher wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    If it were me, I'd eat more like 1700 as base and then eat whatever the exercise calories are. All of them.

    No way 1200 is in any way a good idea.

    Set your Goals on this site to, "Lose 1/2 pound per week," then set your Activity Level based on your normal daily routine, using the parameters it suggests (without the exercise.) When you exercise, enter that into the Exercise tab and eat those additional calories.

    That's how this site calculates.

    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    Thank you. I set up my profile as indicated above..MFP established the 1200 calorie requirement based on a 2 pound/week weight loss goal. I will eat the additional calories MFP establishes based on my exercise.

    Here's a graphic illustrating the other comments about 2 #/wk being too aggressive for you:

    9kjwnia17qv9.jpg
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,128 Member
    J72FIT wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Your RMR is pretty irrelevant, especially for someone training 4 to 6 days a week for a half marathon. MFP is set up for you to eat your exercise calories back. Did you use MFP to determine the 1200 calorie goal, which seems awfully low for someone who is 5'11" and 176 lbs? If you just chose 1200 out of the air, it's likely you're already undereating before you even consider your exercise burns.

    Agree.

    I also question wanting to lose 30lbs and train for a marathon at the same time. I feel like you need to pick one over the other. Training for a marathon and dieting IMO, will not play nice with one another.

    Personally I would choose the performance goal...

    Yeah, I considered making these points, but I'm prone to overwriting which I know sometimes ends up with the message getting lost, but definitely agree on both points: choose one goal, and training for the half marathon seems like a better choice then dieting to lose what are essentially vanity pounds, assuming OP hasn't left out pertinent info about why the loss of additional pounds when already a healthy BMI is needed/desired.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories