Ok I have a question

Dtho5159

According to MFP, my calories each day is 2230.. In order to lose weight, how many calories should I eat each day? Im 5'6 and 267lb if that matters. Im sick of doing everything wrong so Id love some advice on how to get rid of this for good lol. I don't want to eat too much and not lose but my Dr told me to be careful not to eat too little or I won't lose so IDK whats right for me LOL

TrainerRobin

You need to eat 2165 calories each day to maintain your current weight. To lose about a pound a week, your daily calorie level should be about 1665 calories.

bethvandenberg

Did you set mfp to calculate a weight loss? if yes then that should be the number you eat. If no go back in and look at you totals and adjust to show a 2 lb weight loss per week or whatever your goal is.

Dtho5159

Did you set mfp to calculate a weight loss? if yes then that should be the number you eat. If no go back in and look at you totals and adjust to show a 2 lb weight loss per week or whatever your goal is.

No I haven't.. Im new here and haven't tinkered with anything.. How do you do that LOL

jhackenmueller

it should have told you on here on your goals. Go fill out your goals, like you want to loose one lb a week and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating. I told it I wanted to lose 1.5 lbs per week and I can only eat 1200 calories a day.

Dtho5159

it should have told you on here on your goals. Go fill out your goals, like you want to loose one lb a week and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating. I told it I wanted to lose 1.5 lbs per week and I can only eat 1200 calories a day.

Ohh ok I found goals and it reset to 1660. Now another dumb question lol. How do the exercise calories work? If I eat my 1660 but then gain extra for exercising, does that effect my weight. I know NOTHING about this which is why I need to lose so much weight lol

elainegsd

According to MFP, my calories each day is 2230.. In order to lose weight, how many calories should I eat each day? Im 5'6 and 267lb if that matters. Im sick of doing everything wrong so Id love some advice on how to get rid of this for good lol. I don't want to eat too much and not lose but my Dr told me to be careful not to eat too little or I won't lose so IDK whats right for me LOL

Which calories are 2230? Is that your Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories you burn when you are just breathing/pumping blood), or is that the calorie goal that MFP set up for you when you went through the initial setup?

Dtho5159

According to MFP, my calories each day is 2230.. In order to lose weight, how many calories should I eat each day? Im 5'6 and 267lb if that matters. Im sick of doing everything wrong so Id love some advice on how to get rid of this for good lol. I don't want to eat too much and not lose but my Dr told me to be careful not to eat too little or I won't lose so IDK whats right for me LOL

Which calories are 2230? Is that your Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories you burn when you are just breathing/pumping blood), or is that the calorie goal that MFP set up for you when you went through the initial setup?

I just checked and that was to lose half a pound. What happened was, I joined in the fall and forgot about this site until the 1st of the year.. I totally forgot about the goals thing until I just checked them. So I understand more now lol

Dtho5159

Ok I have another question. Sorry!! when I logged in my exercise, it added more calories to my day. Do I need to eat those also or no? Im sorry for all the questions but Im new and was hoping some people wouldd be helpful

Mindful_Trent

Ok I have another question. Sorry!! when I logged in my exercise, it added more calories to my day. Do I need to eat those also or no? Im sorry for all the questions but Im new and was hoping some people wouldd be helpful

Yes, you should eat most those (maybe leave a little leftover in case you overestimated exercise calories). This is because the goal MFP gives you assumes that you aren't going to do any exercise, so when you exercise, you earn more calories to eat.

Dtho5159

Ok I have another question. Sorry!! when I logged in my exercise, it added more calories to my day. Do I need to eat those also or no? Im sorry for all the questions but Im new and was hoping some people wouldd be helpful

Yes, you should eat most those (maybe leave a little leftover in case you overestimated exercise calories). This is because the goal MFP gives you assumes that you aren't going to do any exercise, so when you exercise, you earn more calories to eat.

Thank you!! Im trying to do things the right way this time and can use all the help I can get so this site is amazing!

katbass

(My trusty old response that I will repeatedly copy and paste until someone proves me wrong):

I wrote this in response to several posts, and I just copied and pasted it for convenience sake, so ignore the parts that dont pertain to your situation. But the BMR stuff is important MFP sets your calories based on what you tell it. If you told it you want to lose 2lbs per week, its gonna go as low as 1200 calories. But thats not necessarily healthy or the right thing to do. Really...check out your BMR and stick to it:


Short answer: Try Searching this topic, as it has been discussed ad nausea here on the site.

Longer (but not nearly long enough) answer:
Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is called your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say I lay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive in a coma-like state.
The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.

So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.

MFP gave me 1200 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but I wanted to lose FAST. And the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbitrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the rest of their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. Wahoo! Yeah me!! Right? WRONG. The second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on without causing longterm troubles.

It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lose some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

Bottom line: eat more, keep moving, lose more, keep it off
BMR + exercise calories = longterm success



Hope that helped!

Also, if you put your goal as "lose 2 lbs per week" then MFP will set your calorie goal accordingly. That is why it gave you 1200 cals rather than your BMR. Its fruatrating to repeatedly see people say "eat 1200 if youre a girl and 1500 if youre a guy" because every body is sooo different. Dont take that 1200 "golden" number and assume you will lose weight. You might initially, but youll likely stall if your frame/height/etc arent getting enough calories to exist on.

Dtho5159

Ugh this is more complicated than I thought LOL. Ok it says my BMR is 1968 calories a day. So I have to eat all those calories PLUS half my exercise calories?! Thats a whole lotta calories!! Or am I missing something and am really dumb lol

RosieGB33nz

I have the same calorie intake and have been doing it for 4 days so far.... how long have you been doing it? Does it work and do you exercise aswell?? Sorry for all the questions

katbass

Eat 1968 MINIMUM. Your body needs at least that many calories just to keep you alive if you were laying in bed all day. So if you eat 1968 (I'd round to 1970 or even 1950) , any activity you do will already begin burning calories and creating a deficit. Thats when the weight loss starts

Good luck!

Dtho5159

Eat 1968 MINIMUM. Your body needs at least that many calories just to keep you alive if you were laying in bed all day. So if you eat 1968 (I'd round to 1970 or even 1950) , any activity you do will already begin burning calories and creating a deficit. Thats when the weight loss starts

Good luck!

thanks, so if I eat some of my exercise calories as well, I'll lose as well or should I just stick at 1970? I really am sorry for all the questions, I just don't want to not know and keep doing it wrong lol

Mindful_Trent

Eat 1968 MINIMUM. Your body needs at least that many calories just to keep you alive if you were laying in bed all day. So if you eat 1968 (I'd round to 1970 or even 1950) , any activity you do will already begin burning calories and creating a deficit. Thats when the weight loss starts

Good luck!

No offense, but there's no reason anyone HAS to eat their BMR, especially people who have a lot to lose. If I ate my BMR plus exercise calories, it would be hard to lose weight. People with a lot to lose can safely have higher deficits. If someone has only a little to lose, I'd buy sticking to BMR, but not someone who is significantly overweight.

Generally, 1200 is considered the minimum (before exercise) for women and 1500 for men - these numbers are lower than many people's BMR.

No reason to make things more complicated than it needs to be - plug your info into MFP, use the goal they give you (including eating most of your exercise calories).

To the OP - you have a bit to lose per your ticker, so I'm sure you're fine with MFP's calculations. I'd go with the 1660 plus most of your exercise calories. As you lose weight and get closer to your goal, then decrease your weight loss goal to 1/2 a pound or 1 lb per week, which should bring your goal calories closer to your BMR.

Dtho5159

Eat 1968 MINIMUM. Your body needs at least that many calories just to keep you alive if you were laying in bed all day. So if you eat 1968 (I'd round to 1970 or even 1950) , any activity you do will already begin burning calories and creating a deficit. Thats when the weight loss starts

Good luck!

No offense, but there's no reason anyone HAS to eat their BMR, especially people who have a lot to lose. If I ate my BMR plus exercise calories, it would be hard to lose weight. People with a lot to lose can safely have higher deficits. If someone has only a little to lose, I'd buy sticking to BMR, but not someone who is significantly overweight.

Generally, 1200 is considered the minimum (before exercise) for women and 1500 for men - these numbers are lower than many people's BMR.

No reason to make things more complicated than it needs to be - plug your info into MFP, use the goal they give you (including eating most of your exercise calories).

To the OP - you have a bit to lose per your ticker, so I'm sure you're fine with MFP's calculations. I'd go with the 1660 plus most of your exercise calories. As you lose weight and get closer to your goal, then decrease your weight loss goal to 1/2 a pound or 1 lb per week, which should bring your goal calories closer to your BMR.

Err.. lol.. Ok thanks. Yeah I have about 90 more lb to go so I have a ways to go..

katbass

DOnt apologize for asking questions We all started out in a similar place, and it took me a long time to understand that had to FEED my body in ourder for it to behave properly

Everybody is different. I would start by eating 1970. See how that feels and how much you lose. Then, maybe next week, start eating half your exercise calories. See how you feel. Just keep adjusting til you find your own sweet spot. And as you lose weight, your BMR will adjust...so keep re-checking it after every 5 or 10 lbs loss.
While the science is basic math, every human body is different and every metabolism will respond at its own rate and pace depending on how abused or neglected it was in the past. Dont be surprised if you see a slight weight gain at first...its just your body getting excited for the things to come

Dtho5159

Thanks, the tone I was getting at first from people was that I was annoying them and Im really just trying to get as much info as possible so I don't go backwards. So I figured I was bothering everyone.

katbass

Eat 1968 MINIMUM. Your body needs at least that many calories just to keep you alive if you were laying in bed all day. So if you eat 1968 (I'd round to 1970 or even 1950) , any activity you do will already begin burning calories and creating a deficit. Thats when the weight loss starts

Good luck!

No offense, but there's no reason anyone HAS to eat their BMR, especially people who have a lot to lose. If I ate my BMR plus exercise calories, it would be hard to lose weight. People with a lot to lose can safely have higher deficits. If someone has only a little to lose, I'd buy sticking to BMR, but not someone who is significantly overweight.

Generally, 1200 is considered the minimum (before exercise) for women and 1500 for men - these numbers are lower than many people's BMR.

No reason to make things more complicated than it needs to be - plug your info into MFP, use the goal they give you (including eating most of your exercise calories).

To the OP - you have a bit to lose per your ticker, so I'm sure you're fine with MFP's calculations. I'd go with the 1660 plus most of your exercise calories. As you lose weight and get closer to your goal, then decrease your weight loss goal to 1/2 a pound or 1 lb per week, which should bring your goal calories closer to your BMR.

Firstly, I dont take offense because its not my theory, its science. Calories in vs Calories out. No offense taken

Secondly, I would like you to please site a reputable source claiming that 1200 is "right" for all women and 1500 is the magic number for all men. I am asking because I have honestly never seen a registered dietician or doctor make the blanket statement that all women are good on 1200 and all men are good on 1500. That's just not individualized enough for me to believe. (LEt alone the fact that I WRECKED my metabolism eating 1200 calories a day. I am just now learning to do this the right way, as a lifetsyle, not a diet. and I was actually yelled at by my primary care doc AND my dietician when they found out I was trying to stick to 1200 a day and half my exercise calories. Personal experience speaks much louder than generalizations.)