calorie clarification

Mistraal1981

Hello lovely people!

I have looked through a few threads and it seems a calorie is not just a calorie. (This is new info for me). I was wondering though, would I still lose weight eating 1200? If yes, I assume the weight loss would be at a slower rate, does that sound right? Or am I totally confused?

I ask mainly because, although I exercise I do tend to indulge my chocolate cravings.

Thanks in advance.

Edit* I have opened up my diary for anyone who is interested.

4legsRbetterthan2

Well, 1200 is usually considered pretty low for calories so unless you are a really tiny lady you probably want to rethink that number. The lower your daily goal the faster you lose for the most part but you do not want to go so low that you are not longer taking the best advantage of your metabolism (you can slow it down by eating too little).

A calorie is a calorie from a basic standpoint. If you eat fewer of them than you burn then you will lose. The other half of that is taking the most advantage of the calories you have and getting the proper nutrients through them (vitamins, minerals, fat, protein, carbs)

I eat chocolate too, love it!

If you give people more information about yourself they can help you do calculation to figure out what calories you should be shooting for but here are 2 links

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Mistraal1981

What sort of info do you need? I'm 5'3" and currently weigh 11 stone 2. The 1200 cals is what mfp recommends for me to lose weight.

Edit* when people look at my diary can you see what I eat and the exercise I'm doing?

grimendale

MFP will give you number based on what you put in. If you set yourself to sedentary and 2lbs/week loss, it's going to spit out 1200 for a lot of women. That doesn't mean it's the best option. The two links below should help you find the right number as well as help you figure out your protein and fat goals. As long as you are eating under maintenance, you will lose weight.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Mokey41

1200 is probably low but your exercise also seems like extremely high numbers. Where are you getting those estimates from, what are you counting and did you really put in 3 hours on an elliptical in one day?

UsedToBeHusky

I'm not going to go into a whole lot in depth here. I'm sure you will get lots of helpful responses. I will say this... you really need to educate yourself better about nutrition, and from better sources than these forums.

I recommend that you read Nutrition for Dummies and the New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Also, this group can help. It is moderated by some very helpful and knowledgable individuals.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

Jacwhite22

Hello lovely people!

I have looked through a few threads and it seems a calorie is not just a calorie. (This is new info for me). I was wondering though, would I still lose weight eating 1200? If yes, I assume the weight loss would be at a slower rate, does that sound right? Or am I totally confused?

I ask mainly because, although I exercise I do tend to indulge my chocolate cravings.

Thanks in advance.

Edit* I have opened up my diary for anyone who is interested.

But a calorie is a calorie? What is your body weight? Body fat percentage? How often do you work out? What do you do for your workouts?



M.F.P. Hottest Person/M.F.P. Most awesome person
Ice cream afficionado
"Winning" Certified Instructor
Been in gifs for 2 years and have studied custom gif creation

Mistraal1981

1200 is probably low but your exercise also seems like extremely high numbers. Where are you getting those estimates from, what are you counting and did you really put in 3 hours on an elliptical in one day?

Yeah I really did. I am taking part in the Million Steps Challenge UK and 40 mins on the elliptical that I have at home is approx 5000 steps. I aim to do 20000 steps a day. Hence so much walking/elliptical. But I was also on holiday, went back to work today so I may struggle to keep it up. Will do my best though.

The Challenge is actually why I started on mfp. I figured I may as well monitor what I'm doing and the site seems well put together, so I thought, why not.

Mistraal1981

I have listed my body stats in a post above. I dont know what my bf% is, although I DO know my thighs and bum probably make up the most of it! I don't really have an exercise routine as before the Challenge when I wasn't at work at my desk job, I was at home playing Warcraft. Now I am walking and using the elliptical aiming for 20000 steps measured by a pedometer.


As for how I work out calorie info needed, eaten, burned its pretty much by when I set up my mfp profile and using the drop down menus to find the most accurate match. I realise there is a degree of error with accuracy, especially regarding the exercise bit by doing it that way.