2360 calories really????

JenniferIsLosingIt

I am fairly new to MFP and I plugged in all my info and it said to consume 2360 calories. This seems so execessive, however I started at 387 pounds and 5 foot 5 inches tall. I was moderately active ( I am a home visitor so some days I am on the run all day some days I am in the office all day. Now I walk 4 to 5 days a week and have worked up to 2 miles in about 40 minutes. I always get about 700 calorie burn ( iguess because of my size) I am walking as fast as I can and am always breathing heavy and sweating profusely. My issue is that means I have to eat almost 3000 calories and that is crazy. I have been doing for the most part but some days I still end up with a 300-500 calorie deficit and then MFP gets on to me. So please help! I really want to make sure I am doing this right.

juggernaut1974

5'5 and 387? Yes that is probably correct.

As your weight comes down, be sure to re-run the numbers occasionally as your BMR will decrease and you will need less calories to continue losing weight.

Best of luck to you!

daniel_parrett

i think that sounds right, as well.

personally, i would put your activity level at sedentary and track your exercise calories seperately.

also, the calories burned sounds high- when i was 350, walking 3.5 mph for one mile, i was getting ~180 calories according to the machine.

even that, i take with a grain of salt... if the calorie burn loss is less than 300 or so i wont eat them back. if i do, i shoot for about half of what it says i burn.

cwolfman13

1 - yeah...the larger you are, the greater your calorie requirements...I say enjoy it while it lasts...as you lose weight you require less and less and your allotted calories go down, down, down.

2 - Your calorie burn sounds high...you'll want to make adjustments for estimation error where calorie burns are concerned...it is one of the trickier aspects of MFP. I never logged anything beyond 5 calories per minute for walking and 10 calories per minute maximum for an activity that left me pretty much unable to hold a conversation while I was doing it.

3 - At your size you can get away with a bigger deficit so I wouldn't worry so much about making sure you eat every last exercise calorie back at this point; this becomes more critical as you get leaner and your workouts become more aggressive.

DivineChoices

I am fairly new to MFP and I plugged in all my info and it said to consume 2360 calories. This seems so execessive, however I started at 387 pounds and 5 foot 5 inches tall. I was moderately active ( I am a home visitor so some days I am on the run all day some days I am in the office all day. Now I walk 4 to 5 days a week and have worked up to 2 miles in about 40 minutes. I always get about 700 calorie burn ( iguess because of my size) I am walking as fast as I can and am always breathing heavy and sweating profusely. My issue is that means I have to eat almost 3000 calories and that is crazy. I have been doing for the most part but some days I still end up with a 300-500 calorie deficit and then MFP gets on to me. So please help! I really want to make sure I am doing this right.

The calories goal sounds about right. I'm 5'5" and 318.6 and my goal is 2270.

salvationsdying

That seems about right to me. Although I agree I think your over doing the burned. Seems really high. Get a heart rate monitor or a fit bit something like that to help you know what your really burning.

bethaneyjayne

don't be scared off by what seems like a high amount of calories, you may be used to hearing about 1200 and 1500 calorie plans, which are way too low for pretty much any adult. The more you can eat without gaining weight the healthier your metabolism will be, slow loss is truly something to enjoy, rather than dieting hard and rebounding, If you like statistics then I believe it is around 95% of dieters end up putting the weight back on. low calories leads to binges. feed your body what it needs and look for small changes fortnightly to feel good about yourself. Keep plugging away and it will happen.
All the best.

aliakynes

3 - At your size you can get away with a bigger deficit so I wouldn't worry so much about making sure you eat every last exercise calorie back at this point; this becomes more critical as you get leaner and your workouts become more aggressive.

^^^ this.

It's the first time I'm going to recommend not worrying too much about exercise calories, either until you're no longer morbidly obese or until you start to get hungry for them.

For someone who is 300+lbs, you're not going to suffer the same consequences for big calorie deficits as an athlete with a healthy BMI.

You'll eventually get to a point where it matters and you'll feel it. Either you'll get hungrier or you'll have less energy for workouts.

Aaron_K123

Honestly OP to get to be 387 pounds you were eating more than 3000 calories a day for quite some time. You can definitely lose weight on 2300 calories at your size. 2300 may sound like a lot but if you doubt then I suggest that you eat like you used to eat for a week and log that and see how many calories you have been eating, my guess is that that number will make 2300 look not so large anymore.

I'm not sure if it is necessary for you to eat back 700 calories for a 2 mile walk though that seems excessive to me.

AliceDark

Yeah, 2360 sounds about right. We have incredibly skewed perceptions about how many calories "normal" people eat (for some reason, we've all heard 1200-1500 as "normal," either for dieting or for just everyday living, when in actuality that's a really, really low number).

Just for comparison's sake, I'm 5'4" and 129lbs, and getting ready to cut a pound or two off. When I switch to cutting, I'm going to be eating 1900-2000 to lose.

You'll see a lot of people who start trying to lose weight with this attitude: "I'm going to cut out all junk food and just eat 1200 calories of boiled chicken and spinach!" Those people have lost their d@mn minds, and they almost never stick with it for the long term. Who wants to eat that little every day? Your goal should be to eat as much as you can while still losing weight, not to try to live on as little food as possible. As you lose, you're going to have to drop your intake anyway. If you start at rock-bottom, what are you going to do when you've lost your first 50 pounds?

JenniferIsLosingIt

That seems about right to me. Although I agree I think your over doing the burned. Seems really high. Get a heart rate monitor or a fit bit something like that to help you know what your really burning.

I have been worried that the calories burned was too high. Although I can tell I am making progress, I am shrinking lol! I can wear clothes I havent been able to wear and even my husband noticed that my tummy area is smaller and since he sees me naked I am trusting him lol! How can I adjust for my burn? I have been just using what map my run tells me, also I will be opening up my diary. I know where and what I am doing wrong and everyday i make a point to try and :bigsmile: improve.

JenniferIsLosingIt

Yeah, 2360 sounds about right. We have incredibly skewed perceptions about how many calories "normal" people eat (for some reason, we've all heard 1200-1500 as "normal," either for dieting or for just everyday living, when in actuality that's a really, really low number).

Just for comparison's sake, I'm 5'4" and 129lbs, and getting ready to cut a pound or two off. When I switch to cutting, I'm going to be eating 1900-2000 to lose.

You'll see a lot of people who start trying to lose weight with this attitude: "I'm going to cut out all junk food and just eat 1200 calories of boiled chicken and spinach!" Those people have lost their d@mn minds, and they almost never stick with it for the long term. Who wants to eat that little every day? Your goal should be to eat as much as you can while still losing weight, not to try to live on as little food as possible. As you lose, you're going to have to drop your intake anyway. If you start at rock-bottom, what are you going to do when you've lost your first 50 pounds?

Thank you because that makes sense and I totally appreciate that! I LOVE to eat!

JenniferIsLosingIt

Honestly OP to get to be 387 pounds you were eating more than 3000 calories a day for quite some time. You can definitely lose weight on 2300 calories at your size. 2300 may sound like a lot but if you doubt then I suggest that you eat like you used to eat for a week and log that and see how many calories you have been eating, my guess is that that number will make 2300 look not so large anymore.

I'm not sure if it is necessary for you to eat back 700 calories for a 2 mile walk though that seems excessive to me.

Thank you! ANd I am sure you are right about how much I was eating before. I was a bad emotional eater and I have been conquering that beast! Thanks for your input!

JenniferIsLosingIt

3 - At your size you can get away with a bigger deficit so I wouldn't worry so much about making sure you eat every last exercise calorie back at this point; this becomes more critical as you get leaner and your workouts become more aggressive.

^^^ this.

It's the first time I'm going to recommend not worrying too much about exercise calories, either until you're no longer morbidly obese or until you start to get hungry for them.

For someone who is 300+lbs, you're not going to suffer the same consequences for big calorie deficits as an athlete with a healthy BMI.

You'll eventually get to a point where it matters and you'll feel it. Either you'll get hungrier or you'll have less energy for workouts.

Thank you so much! All the input I have gotten is phenomenal!!!!! and I feel like I have a clearer idea of what i need to do!

rodduz

I'd reccomend eating 2000 calories max until your weight stalls and don't eat back any exercise calories. 2000 calories is ample for anybody that just walks and works, regardless of size etc.

Eat 2000 max per day and the weight will fly off you, track your cals, don't track your exercise. Ignore the guidance MFP gives. When you stop losing weight then change things.

shannashannabobana

That seems about right to me. Although I agree I think your over doing the burned. Seems really high. Get a heart rate monitor or a fit bit something like that to help you know what your really burning.

I have been worried that the calories burned was too high. Although I can tell I am making progress, I am shrinking lol! I can wear clothes I havent been able to wear and even my husband noticed that my tummy area is smaller and since he sees me naked I am trusting him lol! How can I adjust for my burn? I have been just using what map my run tells me, also I will be opening up my diary. I know where and what I am doing wrong and everyday i make a point to try and :bigsmile: improve.

It sounds like what you are doing is working, then! I don't know how long you've been doing it, but I would stick with what is working mostly until you stall out.

AlyssaJoJo

The calorie burn MIGHT be right. I'm 220+ and my 44 minute walk yesterday burned over 500 calories via my HRM. I just have a higher heart rate. ANd it doesn't tkae much for it to start going when I'm active.

This is what I was told when I was at my highest. Because of how large I was I was able to take a bigger calorie hit. So I didn't worry about HOW MANY calories I was eating, but instead was teaching my self new eating habits. I'm not saying that I was eating 1200 a day - buuut I didn't worry about getting what was some days too much for me.I just focused on greens, fruits, and lean meats and being more active. That was it. Once I hit a lower weight then I started taking in my calories more. I still don't eat all my work out calories - but right now I'm eating about 800 more calories a day than I did when I was bigger. But I'm also able to do more, work out harder, etc.

Do what you think is right for you. If you're hitting most your macros and you're going for your walks and are feeling good then that's what matters!

blackfrost08

Yeah that definitely sounds right. To maintain my current 200 pounds the site said I should consume a little under that. If you keep with it, you should start losing weight.

MelodyandBarbells

I'd reccomend eating 2000 calories max until your weight stalls and don't eat back any exercise calories. 2000 calories is ample for anybody that just walks and works, regardless of size etc.

Eat 2000 max per day and the weight will fly off you, track your cals, don't track your exercise. Ignore the guidance MFP gives. When you stop losing weight then change things.

I have to say I.... Agree with this. And whenever you dang well feel like eating 3000 calories you know you can actually fit it and still lose weight. You can manually set your daily goal to whatever you feel like you can realistically eat everyday and if that number is 2000 or 1900 calories it seems like you would still get adequate nutrition from it

89nunu

Yeah, 2360 sounds about right. We have incredibly skewed perceptions about how many calories "normal" people eat (for some reason, we've all heard 1200-1500 as "normal," either for dieting or for just everyday living, when in actuality that's a really, really low number).

Just for comparison's sake, I'm 5'4" and 129lbs, and getting ready to cut a pound or two off. When I switch to cutting, I'm going to be eating 1900-2000 to lose.

You'll see a lot of people who start trying to lose weight with this attitude: "I'm going to cut out all junk food and just eat 1200 calories of boiled chicken and spinach!" Those people have lost their d@mn minds, and they almost never stick with it for the long term. Who wants to eat that little every day? Your goal should be to eat as much as you can while still losing weight, not to try to live on as little food as possible. As you lose, you're going to have to drop your intake anyway. If you start at rock-bottom, what are you going to do when you've lost your first 50 pounds?

Thank you because that makes sense and I totally appreciate that! I LOVE to eat!

Yeah what Alice said (and the others)!

I really just wanted to butt in and say your are awesome! Good luck to you and all the best on your journey! :flowerforyou:

laurie04427

I have been worried that the calories burned was too high. Although I can tell I am making progress, I am shrinking lol! I can wear clothes I havent been able to wear and even my husband noticed that my tummy area is smaller and since he sees me naked I am trusting him lol!

Congrats on your progress! :happy:

cindiva65

I agree with the suggestions to get a heart rate monitor. I noticed that MFP way overestimates what I actually seem to burn for activities. I wear my HRM walking, weight lifting, mowing the grass, etc. I bought the basic Polar model for under $100 and I find its a great investment. Good luck!!!

lporter229

Yeah, 2360 sounds about right. We have incredibly skewed perceptions about how many calories "normal" people eat (for some reason, we've all heard 1200-1500 as "normal," either for dieting or for just everyday living, when in actuality that's a really, really low number).

Just for comparison's sake, I'm 5'4" and 129lbs, and getting ready to cut a pound or two off. When I switch to cutting, I'm going to be eating 1900-2000 to lose.

You'll see a lot of people who start trying to lose weight with this attitude: "I'm going to cut out all junk food and just eat 1200 calories of boiled chicken and spinach!" Those people have lost their d@mn minds, and they almost never stick with it for the long term. Who wants to eat that little every day? Your goal should be to eat as much as you can while still losing weight, not to try to live on as little food as possible. As you lose, you're going to have to drop your intake anyway. If you start at rock-bottom, what are you going to do when you've lost your first 50 pounds?

Completely agree with this. So many people on this site under eat and then complain about how hard losing weight is or how they have these uncontrollable binges. I am not sure exactly what they expect to happen when they try to continually eat at that level. Do yourself a favor and make this as easy as possible on yourself. It is the best way to ensure success in the long run.

TJ_Rugger

700 calories burned in a 2 mile walk sounds a bit high. If you search in the cardio exercises for "Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace" and enter in 40 minutes it gives you 403 calories. I assume that the number is not based on my weight or my numbers, I assume that if the person is 125lbs/200lbs/300lbs it would give the same number. I am not sure it is all THAT accurate, but gives you a rough estimate.

Also, heartrate monitors are the way to go... and you can pick up a decent one for ~$80, of course if you spend more money for one that tracks elevation change with a GPS it might be more accurate, but I would start with a decent standard HRM.

MassiveDelta

Honestly OP to get to be 387 pounds you were eating more than 3000 calories a day for quite some time. You can definitely lose weight on 2300 calories at your size. 2300 may sound like a lot but if you doubt then I suggest that you eat like you used to eat for a week and log that and see how many calories you have been eating, my guess is that that number will make 2300 look not so large anymore.

I'm not sure if it is necessary for you to eat back 700 calories for a 2 mile walk though that seems excessive to me.

Thank you! ANd I am sure you are right about how much I was eating before. I was a bad emotional eater and I have been conquering that beast! Thanks for your input!

You have gotten ALOT of great advice and I just wanted to encourage you to Log Log Log all the time. Emotional eating addiction is hard to overcome because its emotional and we succumb to our emotions so easily. Dont let your emotions control what you want in your Heart and mind. As an emotional eater you really have to work extra hard to change that habit so you need to replace that habit with a new one. Failure in breaking habits is almost always caused by just trying to quit instead of replacing one bad action with a new good action. Replace your desire to emotionally eat something bad with either eating something good or doing something good.

ALWAYS LOG BEFORE YOU TASTE! Go Get Healthy!

JTick

2360 doesn't seem too high. I agree with the others about probably not eating back your exercise calories right now, or at most only 50% of them. If your not weighing and measuring your food yet, then I definitely wouldn't eat any of them to allow yourself room for error.

If you want to adjust the exercise numbers, you can go into your diary and edit them. If you choose not to eat them back, enter 1 calorie (MFP doesn't like 0), or you can adjust them to 50% as needed.

dunnodunno

I am fairly new to MFP and I plugged in all my info and it said to consume 2360 calories. This seems so execessive, however I started at 387 pounds and 5 foot 5 inches tall. I was moderately active ( I am a home visitor so some days I am on the run all day some days I am in the office all day. Now I walk 4 to 5 days a week and have worked up to 2 miles in about 40 minutes. I always get about 700 calorie burn ( iguess because of my size) I am walking as fast as I can and am always breathing heavy and sweating profusely. My issue is that means I have to eat almost 3000 calories and that is crazy. I have been doing for the most part but some days I still end up with a 300-500 calorie deficit and then MFP gets on to me. So please help! I really want to make sure I am doing this right.

That does sound about right. When you're heavier you can eat more calories & still lose weight. I also agree with buying a heart rate monitor to more accurately gauge what your calorie burn is. It's not 100% either but will be more accurate than MFP's estimation & machines at the gym.

Also it might seem excessive to you now, but at your higher weight you may have been eating more than 2,360 before using MFP. I was over 300 pounds & estimate that I used to eat anywhere from 4,000-6,000 some days.

JenniferIsLosingIt

Oh wow! I am sure I was doing the same! :bigsmile:

GBrady43068

Honestly OP to get to be 387 pounds you were eating more than 3000 calories a day for quite some time. You can definitely lose weight on 2300 calories at your size. 2300 may sound like a lot but if you doubt then I suggest that you eat like you used to eat for a week and log that and see how many calories you have been eating, my guess is that that number will make 2300 look not so large anymore.

I'm not sure if it is necessary for you to eat back 700 calories for a 2 mile walk though that seems excessive to me.

^ This

I second the suggestion of the person who said you should list yourself as sedentary (since your activity level seems to vary so much) and then log the exercise you get.

I also agree your burn is probably too high. I would multiply the MFP suggestion by either .50 or .66 and then manually enter THAT number as your calorie burn to avoid overestimation.

And I would also say you should eat your 2360 most days until MFP asks if you want to readjust. It's definitely easier to "stick with the program" if you aren't perpetually starving and the calories will help keep your body consuming fat (YAY!) instead of lean muscle (BOO!)

kbeckley11

700 calories burned in a 2 mile walk sounds a bit high. If you search in the cardio exercises for "Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace" and enter in 40 minutes it gives you 403 calories. I assume that the number is not based on my weight or my numbers, I assume that if the person is 125lbs/200lbs/300lbs it would give the same number. I am not sure it is all THAT accurate, but gives you a rough estimate.

Also, heartrate monitors are the way to go... and you can pick up a decent one for ~$80, of course if you spend more money for one that tracks elevation change with a GPS it might be more accurate, but I would start with a decent standard HRM.

The number MFP gives is based on weight. If I put in 40 minutes for 4.5mph, very very brisk pace, I get 501 calories burned. That's not to say that I don't agree that 700 calories burned is a lot for a 40 minute walk, because I do think that seems high.

lrmall01

Keep in mind it is just a starting point. Try it for about a month and if you aren't losing weight, re-evaluate what you have been doing and adjust accordingly.