leaving calories

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pretty much long story short im very overweight and im dieting now i entered my info in MFP my daily goal is 2640 which is a 1000 diffrence but on top of that i leave like 700 or a little less behind basically like a 1700 or 1400 calorie deficit some days is that bad? and one more question when im making something homemade like meatloaf for instance to check calories how would i? scan all items in it to my MFP app?

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  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    You can enter a recipe in MFP, each ingredient and how much of it. THen you can indicate how many servings it is. Such as if you cut in 8 pieces, you could indicate such. Though I prefer to go by weight. So if possible I'll weigh the final product then also weigh my portion and take a % of the whole calorie.
  • gohun9008
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    thanks =)
  • debr1126
    debr1126 Posts: 28 Member
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    The thing to think about when you're trying to lose a lot of weight is, you're in it for the long haul.

    I understand the urge to really get out of the starting gate with a bang (by eating less than your recommended calories), but the danger is you'll make yourself so miserable and hungry that you give in to a binge, then throw in the towel.

    Why don't you try getting as close as you can to the recommended calorie allowance for the first couple weeks? You usually see big losses then anyway, and you won't risk discouraging yourself and giving up.

    Just my 2 cents' worth - the most I've lost was 30 lbs and I let myself gain almost all of it back since then . . . but it took me a good six months to do it. I could say I'm direct evidence that "diets" don't work--you have to change your eating habits gradually and never go back.
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
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    Just my opinion, but I would eat as close to what it gives you as you can. At least over the 2k mark. Simply because as you lose weight, losing will get harder and you will need to tweak and lower cals anyways. So, I would make small cuts back in chunks. Like, do this number for however many pounds, re-calculate and cut and so on. But that is just me. If you are comfortable and feel good at say, 1700, that is probably ok but you may want to check with your doc to make sure it isn't too much for you. Hopefully some others will jump on here with more experience, too. Good luck!
  • bethira
    bethira Posts: 132 Member
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    I try to eat all my calories everyday (or as close as I can get) and about half of my exercise calories. When I leave too many calories behind, I don't lose, it's just that simple. Now that's what works for me. But start with as many of your calories as you're allowed. You can always adjust down if you're really not losing, but I suspect you will see good loss even at the higher count.