Should I use all the calories suggested by MFP?

BakingGranny

Should I use all my calories suggested by MFP?
I have a question. MFP has given me a goal caloric intake of 1370. In order to lose,do I use ALL those calories? I DON'T want to gain. I am afraid of the numbers going up.

In 2000,I had the gastric bypass surgery. My highest wt was 320#. I dropped 150#. I remember my surgeon telling me,"I'm doing surgery on your stomach not your brain". I know now what he meant. With this type of surgery,sugar is NEVER to be eaten.He told me it would stop the wt loss and possibly I would start to put some on. I tried it. I am a big baker,(that's how I got the name Bakinggranny) I put 37# back on. It crept up so slowly that I did but didn't really notice. He was right-no sugar.

Now my dau-in-law lead me to this awesome sight and here I am. I'm on a whole new journey but the best part is,I have you to journey with me.You are all so encouraging. And I know I'm not the only one with this wt problem I have had this ever since birth.When ppl ask me how much I weighed at birth,I tell then 25# and that's why I am the way I am:) But it's not a laughing matter. I don't want to be obese. I'm actually about 10# away from being just over-weight

So I could use insight on this calorie thingamajig:):)Thanks a lot.I love you all..

erickirb

at 1370 cals MFP already factors in a caloric deficit to meet your weekly weightloss goal. So to meet your goal you must eat all the calories, plus any calories you burn during exercise.

superjae5

Yes, because you don't want your body to go into starvation mode. You can look up what your body uses if you just lay in bed all day, can't remember the technical term for it. Mine's about 1400 and they've given me a goal of 1310 calories per day. Since I don't just lay in bed all day I'm burning other calories moving, walking, standing, sitting, etc. So 1310 means I'll be losing (which I have). If you exercise you get bonus calories according to what you've done. I've eaten cookies and ice cream on my heavy exercise days because I stayed in the calorie limit and I'm still losing weight. But as it advises definitely DON'T eat less than 1200 calories per day or your body will go into starvation mode which means a slower metabolism and making it harder to lose or keep off weight.

I'm sure you'll do awesome, especially if you're a baker. I've got this homemade pizza recipe, turns out, at least for my recipe, homemade pizza is half the calories of regular pizza--like Papa John's. Just up the veggies, lessen the meat, and cut out the processed foods and sugars--including sweeteners, like what they put in Diet Coke, as many articles I've read said while it may not increase the calories it makes you hungrier, which makes it harder to keep your eating habits under control.

Again, just stay at the calorie limit and you'll be fine. Even go for walks and that's extra calories if you're worried you'll go over.

wiggleroom

I agree with Erick -- but do be careful about eating the exercise calories, since MFP sometimes (often!) overestimates calories burned. If you have a heart rate monitor, you can be sure of what you're burning so you don't wind up eating more than you burned.

If you go too low on calories, you WILL gain weight. Your body will think it's in crisis and it will store rather than burn. Seriously.

Best of luck!

NoAdditives

Yes, eat them all. A calorie deficit is already calculated for you. So even if you didn't exercise you'd still lose weight. I eat all my exercise calories as well and it hasn't slowed my weight loss.