calorie goal confusion

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cafwinjacks
cafwinjacks Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
I'm 29 5'5 and currently weigh 139lbs. I am confused as to the amount of calories I should be eating. MFP set me goal of 1200 but when I calculate 20% of my BMR that gives me a calorie goal of 1500. Any advice on which one to go with?
I excercise on average 3 times a week
Thanks

Replies

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Hi
    I'm 29 5'5 and currently weigh 139lbs. I am confused as to the amount of calories I should be eating. MFP set me goal of 1200 but when I calculate 20% of my BMR that gives me a calorie goal of 1500. Any advice on which one to go with?
    I excercise on average 3 times a week
    Thanks

    I'm guessing you're confusing BMR with TDEE. TDEE - 20% being 1500 calories for you sounds about right. I'm also guessing that you set your weight loss goal to 2lbs per week which is probably why you're getting such a low calorie goal with MFP. I'd go with the 1500 calorie number and be sure not to record exercise calories in your diary as it will throw off the number. See how you do with 1500 total calories a day for a 3-4 weeks and adjust accordingly based on your weight loss
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Have you set your activity level correctly in MFP? MFP sets it to "sedentary" by default.

    Otherwise, you can change the settings in MFP to 1500 and adjust as needed.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    You only have 8 lb. to go. (Congratulations!) Set your goal to .5 lb. per week—which is way more than 1,200 calories—and be patient. The smaller deficit will also help you transition to maintenance.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • cafwinjacks
    cafwinjacks Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank you. I will give it a go.

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