Setting the right Calorie Goal, im sure asking for the 1234532th time

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Citgk044
Citgk044 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
HI!!

I'm pretty confused about having the app set the right calorie goal for me... I have read a bunch of posts and done some research and my BMR says that i should be eating around 1500 cal a day for weight loss.

My understanding is BMR is your sedentary state, so when my fitness pal shows i should be eating 1290 its a bit discouraging.

it's been 7 days and it just doesn't feel right, I was already a healthy eater and pretty active (3 workouts a week and spend a good amount of time on my feet) i put slightly active and have been adding in my workouts.

I really do enjoy logging the food and learning where i need to add or subtract certain macros but i think im not eating enough.

I want to lose in a healthy and permanent way and my main issue is and has always been too much wine.

also open to diary sharing and getting an accountability community going.

Thank you and good luck on you life change everyone

K



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Answers

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,195 Member
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    The real gauge of whether we're eating enough (or not) is our actual weight loss rate. Any calorie goal from MFP, an outside calculator, or even a fitness tracker, is just an estimate, the average for people superficially similar to us.

    Generally, the right approach IMO would be to follow a new calorie goal and activity routine for 4-6 weeks, whole menstrual cycles for those who have them (in order to compare body weight at the same relative point in at least two different monthly cycles). Average weekly weight loss over that time will be the best possible gauge of actual calorie deficit. Even then, if the first week or two are dramatically different from what follows, I'd ignore those weeks and go on for a couple more weeks to get enough data for a meaningful average.

    Seven days in, if you're feeling weak/fatigued for no other reason, you could be eating too little. If that's not the case, what's making you think you're eating too little: Theories about numbers? Hunger? Other negative effects?

    I hear you on the "too much wine" thing. Yes, it's calorie dense (from alcohol and residual sugars), and non-nutritive . . . actually technically poison, in one sense. (I'm saying that as someone who drinks alcohol sometimes, BTW, but there's no point in denying that aspect.) Only you can decide whether to drink alcohol and how much. Within reason, if you count the calories, some may be able to be included.

    If you're looking for an accountability group, take a look at some of the groups/threads in the Motivation or Challenges parts of the Community:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/motivation-and-support
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/challenges

    You can read intro posts there to get ideas of what the group/thread is about, and join in one or more that seem helpful for you. It's a good way to virtually meet like-minded people.

    Best wishes!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,473 Member
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    I’m assuming you’re logging and counting your wine. Maybe it’s eating into your calorie goal too much.

    Tough decisions afoot.
  • Citgk044
    Citgk044 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you all for your answers!

    So Im just going to be super transparent so that there is no grey area, i think allot of my confusion is that there isnt clear cut info.

    Im 5'6 currently 165 i listed lightly active and my calorie goal for 1.5 lbs a week is 1290. If that is what it is fine but when i was looking up bmr it said that my lose weight goal is closer to 1400.

    As i am commited to a good reset i am logining everything to the gram, weighing it out and loosing weight but it just seems like calorie goal is more geared to fast weight loss.

    Maybe thats what i need to undersatnd, is 1.5 lbs a week considered fast?

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,195 Member
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    Yes, IMO 1.5 pounds a week is somewhat fast at 165 pounds.

    I'm a believer that it's ideal to lose no faster than 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that if not severely obese. (Faster might be OK if very obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications.)

    At 165 pounds, that range would be around 0.8-1.6 pounds per week. At that weight and 5'6", you're at BMI 26.6, just a bit over the line into the technical definition of overweight. It's not even close to the definition of obese, which starts at 186 pounds at that height.

    Just my opinion, though.
  • Citgk044
    Citgk044 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you! So much maybe that was the price I needed to reconsider
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,021 Member
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    Citgk044 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your answers!

    So Im just going to be super transparent so that there is no grey area, i think allot of my confusion is that there isnt clear cut info.

    Im 5'6 currently 165 i listed lightly active and my calorie goal for 1.5 lbs a week is 1290. If that is what it is fine but when i was looking up bmr it said that my lose weight goal is closer to 1400.

    As i am commited to a good reset i am logining everything to the gram, weighing it out and loosing weight but it just seems like calorie goal is more geared to fast weight loss.

    Maybe thats what i need to undersatnd, is 1.5 lbs a week considered fast?

    It’s trial and error for all of us until we get several months in — then once we lose for a while it’s trial and error again as we adjust to our updated caloric needs / deficit based on progress we made. No reason why you couldn’t eat at 1400 for 6-8 weeks consistently then see if you are happy with your loss or wanting to speed it up,

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