Confused

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ConnorBanthorpe
ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
in Getting Started
Hi,

Im really confused on what MFP is asking me to do....

Im 20 years old 6ft and i weigh 16 stone 10 pounds. i would like to get down to 13 stone 6 pounds losing 1.5 - 2lb a week.

I am eating 1200-1400 cal a day and doing atleast 300-400 cal exercise per day, am i ok to eat back my exercise cal to maintain 2lb a week loss?

Thanks
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Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Yes, that is how this program is designed
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    yup MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise cals.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    agreed with both prior comments.
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    Do you have any tips on managing food cravings, keeping my mind off food etc?

    I used to eat alot, well over 2500 Cals a day, and now im down to eating 1400 max with exercise, do i have to just wait for my stomach to shrink?

    Thanks
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Low cal foods; things such as veggies, egg whites, oatmeal, low fat greek yogurt are all pretty filling and low calorie
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Unfortunately, no I don't. It's something I struggle with too, as do many people.

    I've found 2 things to help -

    1) stay busy. The busier I am, the less I'm thinking about food and the less chance I have to eat simply because I'm bored or there's food around or whatever else.

    2) make good decisions. I've found that good decisions lead to more good decisions, and bad ones lead to more bad. For me, there is a bit of a snowball effect to how I eat. If I eat well for a couple of days, my cravings start to fade, which makes it easier to eat well, which cause my cravings to fade further, which makes it even easier to eat well, etc. Similarly, eating poorly seems to increase my cravings, making it harder to eat well, which leads to more bad choices which leads to more cravings, etc.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I would recommend setting your MFP to a less aggressive goal, like 1 pound a week instead of 2.
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    Got it, I think sheer willpower to keep going and keep thinking of the benefits that being 14 stone will bring.

    Thanks everyone for your feedback!

    How do you get that 3lb pounds lost thing as your sig btw?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Hi,

    Im really confused on what MFP is asking me to do....

    Im 20 years old 6ft and i weigh 16 stone 10 pounds. i would like to get down to 13 stone 6 pounds losing 1.5 - 2lb a week.

    I am eating 1200-1400 cal a day and doing atleast 300-400 cal exercise per day, am i ok to eat back my exercise cal to maintain 2lb a week loss?

    Thanks

    So you are about 235 lbs?
    And you are only eating ~1400 calories / day?

    Mate, that is really low......
    Your TDEE w/ about 3 days worth of exercise is ~2800 - 2900 calories.
    Even on an aggressive weight loss plan, calories would be ~2000 - 2100 calories / day.

    You may lose some weight....but I think over time you will frustrate yourself.....hit plateaus.....
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    So why was I gaining so much weight at 2600ish cals a day?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    How do you get that 3lb pounds lost thing as your sig btw?

    I think you need to go to your profile
    You should see your My Progress ticker there....
    And try one of those two links beneath it.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    So why was I gaining so much weight at 2600ish cals a day?

    Not properly tracking food? Are you weighing your food? or just guessing?
    Eating more than 2600 calories.?
    Exercise was not enough to require the calories your were ingesting......so eating above maintenance?
    Maybe you should see a doctor?

    Those are things that come to my mind initially.
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    So why was I gaining so much weight at 2600ish cals a day?

    Not properly tracking food? Are you weighing your food? or just guessing?
    Eating more than 2600 calories.?
    Exercise was not enough to require the calories your were ingesting......so eating above maintenance?
    Maybe you should see a doctor?

    Those are things that come to my mind initially.

    In total in guessing I was eating around 2200 tops Cals on a bad day iv always had bran flakes in the morning, a ham sandwich, strawberry yoghurt , few prices of fruit and a pack of crisps for lunch and then a home made meal for dinner.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    Do you have any tips on managing food cravings, keeping my mind off food etc?

    I used to eat alot, well over 2500 Cals a day, and now im down to eating 1400 max with exercise, do i have to just wait for my stomach to shrink?

    Thanks

    Eat more filling foods. Veggies are the most effective for me. You can eat A LOT of (most) veggies for very few calories. Sometimes it's nice to get that "oh, I'm so full!" feeling. The other thing I do is avoid junk food. While I agree with the notion that you don't want to entire deprive yourself of things, I have found that the less junk food I eat, the less I want it. The healthier I eat, the healthier I want to eat. (The other night, I had 200 calories left. I love Heath bars and have some in the freezer. I could have had that or an apple with peanut butter. The apple/PB actually appealed to me more. Sometimes I feel like I should eat the Heath when I have the calories in order to prevent uncontrollable cravings later. But I actually think that if I had eaten it, I would have just wanted more. So for me, I mostly avoid.)
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    So you are guessing?
    And not properly tracking food?

    Trust me mate, it is really easy to go over when eyeballing.....

    Go for 30 days, actually weighing and properly tracking your food......
    You will be shocked, I assure you.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Especially if the food is processed food, like cereals.....they all tend to be very high in carbs.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
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    I would recommend setting your MFP to a less aggressive goal, like 1 pound a week instead of 2.

    Common sense!
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    So you are guessing?
    And not properly tracking food?

    Trust me mate, it is really easy to go over when eyeballing.....

    Go for 30 days, actually weighing and properly tracking your food......
    You will be shocked, I assure you.

    Yep when I wasn't tracking my weight. Now everything is tracked
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    So you are guessing?
    And not properly tracking food?

    Trust me mate, it is really easy to go over when eyeballing.....

    Go for 30 days, actually weighing and properly tracking your food......
    You will be shocked, I assure you.
    Are you weighing it?

    Are you getting in your veggies and fruits?

    What do your macros look like?
    Yep when I wasn't tracking my weight. Now everything is tracked
  • ConnorBanthorpe
    ConnorBanthorpe Posts: 13
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    I wasn't getting my fruits for sure, now my lunch consists of 2 pears an orange and a muller fruit yoghurt.

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