MFP Calorie Goal

exuberantself
exuberantself Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Is the calorie goal that MFP sets for you a limit or a specific goal? I understand that most people need at least 1200 calories daily, and I have a general idea about the recommended (although I keep wish-washing between "lightly active" and "active"). I guess my question is: how close to my calorie goal should I be getting?

Replies

  • exuberantself
    exuberantself Posts: 10
    As close as I want to, I guess.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    1200 calories is the bare minimum recommended for a sedentary woman to help ensure you're getting adequate nutrition. If this is the number MFP has given you, please don't go below it.

    You can go above that and still lose weight. How far above depends on your stats and how you've set your goals. Anything below your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - you can find calculators online to get an estimate of yours) and you should still lose weight, albeit a little more slowly than expected.

    Be sure that with MFP you're logging any exercise you do and eating back the extra calories that you earn.

    This thread is full of great advice to be sure you're setting your numbers accurately: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    And three other great threads I recommend to anyone new to the boards:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Generally speaking, a GOAL is something to be achieved. MFP establishes your calorie GOAL as per all of that information you put in...your stats, activity level, loss rate desired, etc. It establishes this GOAL by taking all of that information and determining what your non exercise maintenance number would theoretically be given statistical averages of people of similar stats and then takes a cut from that number for weight loss...thus establishing your calorie GOAL for weight loss without any exercise.

    1,200 calories is the minimum that MFP will go to as it is generally not recommended to go below 1200 calories without medical supervision and is generally the default when women put in sedentary and 2 Lbs per week loss rate given that a sedentary woman on average is going to maintain on roughly 1800 calories or so and a 2 Lb per week loss rate goal would require roughly 1,000 calories deficit from that number.

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