I need help with the 1240 calories daily that my profile said I should have.

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I am new to MyFitnessPal, I am 73 and not active and my goal is to get rid of the 7 lbs I gained. When I set up my profile it said I could have 1240 calories daily, I am not very active and I have been unable to stay at that 1240. My husband has been on MyFitnessPal a long time and ,of course, had no problem.

Answers

  • fatal_degree
    fatal_degree Posts: 24 Member

    It is SO hard to keep calories that low! At the age of 39 I had to lower my calories to 1100 to lose weight and at that time I was very active & working a highly labor intensive job. Now I'm 46 with a 3yo daughter & 30 extra pounds....sigh.... I just started this journey again & I am aiming for 1000 or less. I miss pasta. I'm an easy keeper.

  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 508 Member
    edited August 1

    That is quite low, but with only 7lbs to lose, at least you won't need to stay at that level forever. Even if you lose at a modestly slow rate of around 0.5lbs a week, that's only 14 weeks until you can eat at maintenance.

    Can you walk at all, or is your mobility restricted? I would try adding some daily movement for general health as well as getting a little more leeway with the calories. Otherwise….plan what you will eat each week, pre log if you can, and then stick to it. Plan the occasional treat (piece of chocolate, whatever) and prelog it so that you aren't feeling too deprived.

    Best of luck to you!

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 2,063 Member

    In my experience, it's all about finding low calorie density foods (vegetables, fruits) and foods high in protein (meat, beans, legumes, soy) to help keep you full.

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,054 Member

    Make sure you set your goal to lose .5 lbs a week and like @sollyn23l2 said, eat filling foods.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 37,323 Community Helper

    Can you be specific about what it is that's making it difficult to hit your calorie goal: Appetite? Cravings? Difficulty hitting some important nutritional goals at that calorie level? Some variant on fear of missing out that comes with living with a partner who has a higher calorie goal? Cooking to meet the needs of two people who have different calorie goals? Something else?

    Folks above have suggested some good ideas to try, but I feel like we're shooting in the dark a bit. More info about what your challenges are might help us help you better.