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!

I'm losing faster than predicted, Do I need to add more calories?

Paindeme
Paindeme Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After a month of eating what was supposed to be 1 lbs a week according to mfp in reality I lost close to 1.5 pounds a week after fluctuations. My question is do I just stick with this calorie goal and it'll even out once I'm smaller or is it better to add in a extra few hundred every day?

If it helps I'm only a couple pounds overweight now (140 at 5'2 started at 146) so I'm looking to only lose 10 or 15 more

Replies

  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 181 Member
    IMO, add some calories. That’s a benefit of tracking, learning what works for you 😊
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,987 Member
    Sometimes people lose water weight at the start alongside the fat loss. If this quicker rate is still going on the past 2 weeks, yes, I would recommend increasing your calorie goal. MFP gives a calorie goal based on population averages: adjusting based on real life results is definitely the best strategy, since we're all individuals.

    Losing too fast carries the risk of losing muscle mass. Losing more slowly: no risk except requiring more patience 🙂
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,970 Member
    Aside from MFP and any TDEE calc being a guess, are you correctly estimating net workout calories, and eating those back?
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,142 Member
    Like stated above, probably some initial water weight dropped, and your rate will probably slow down, but if you aren’t hungry and looking for a reason to eat more, I’d just enjoy the little bit of accelerated loss!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,128 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Aside from MFP and any TDEE calc being a guess, are you correctly estimating net workout calories, and eating those back?

    If the end result is going to be the same (that OP should be eating a couple hundred calories more each day), does it really matter how they get there (just boosting base calories versus logging more exercise cslories)?
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,970 Member
    edited September 2022
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    If the end result is going to be the same (that OP should be eating a couple hundred calories more each day), does it really matter how they get there (just boosting base calories versus logging more exercise cslories)?
    If they aren't logging workouts and eating it back, that's an obvious fix, which will work if they take time off from workouts.
  • coryhart4389
    coryhart4389 Posts: 73 Member
    250 more calories is like 10 almonds per day, not much imo. If you are lighter from a month ago your body requires less calories. IMO, adding calories when I’m doing well is a recipe for failure. I would continue what your doing and maintain my current calorie intake. 1.5 lbs per week is a very reasonable goal or result.
  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 181 Member
    Jupiterballs wrote: »
    Thank you for the input! I'm pretty sure I'm past the beginning water woosh because I've been at it for over a month and the last 2 weeks have been pretty consistent.

    I also don't do any workouts but I think in my daily life I'm closer to lightly active than sedentary so I changed my settings to light activity and now I'm eating to the amount MFP gave me. I guess I'll see in another month how it goes haha

    Good plan
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,362 Member
    Jupiterballs wrote: »
    Thank you for the input! I'm pretty sure I'm past the beginning water woosh because I've been at it for over a month and the last 2 weeks have been pretty consistent.

    I also don't do any workouts but I think in my daily life I'm closer to lightly active than sedentary so I changed my settings to light activity and now I'm eating to the amount MFP gave me. I guess I'll see in another month how it goes haha


    Sounds good.

    I would continue on this amount for another month - that month will be data past the initial water weight loss that often happens in the very beginning.

    If your loss rate is still more than 1 lb per week, on average, (given the smallish amount of weight you have to lose) then I would slightly increase your calories for the next month.

    Or slightly decrease them if the rate is significantly less than a pound per week.

    However even half pound per week would be good rate in your circumstances.


Categories