startup settings, calorie calculations, exercise goals, etc.

mrs_mouse

Hey everyone!
I'm sure this question has been asked and answered a million times before, but I'm not finding anything specific when I try to search, so please forgive a newbie asking again!

When I input my stats and goals, MFP calculates and tells me I should be eating 1200 cals/day, and based on 7 workouts of 60mins each, tells me that the most I can plan to lose is 1.1 per week. Does this sound right? I feel like 1200 cals/day is low (but doable... I know lots of others are doing it!)... and when it is giving me this number, is it taking into account that when I track exercise it will give me extra calories to eat? I feel like I should be able to lose more than 1.1 per week at 1200 cals/day, but maybe I'm wrong??

I calculated my BMR and got 1388. Is this for maintenance?

So confused about all the numbers! Aaaagh!

Jess21684

ur right.. mfp is only considering your normal daily rountine NOT any excercise you may do so if you workout and log your excercise mfp actually gives you those calories back so you will need to eat more to NET 1200 if u workout, you will be eating more than 1200!

ladyhawk00

Here are some threads that explain how MFP works and how it gets the numbers it gives you. Hope this helps. Good luck to you!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

Jess21684

when u go to log ur workouts, u will see they give those extra calories back to you.. its designed for you to eat them bc your burning more than what its assuming you do.. you would want to net 1200 some people swear by eating all your calories back, some say they dont and it works good that way for then, some say they eat some of them back i personally dont always eat them all back bc i dont kno how accurate the estimates are and i may not b 100 percent w my logging so i usually do eat around half of them and keep a lil left over just incase! whatever works best for u. hope this helped!!

amysambora

Jess is right! The exercise goals you put in at the start dont have any effect on your calorie allowance, its more like just making a committment to yourself in regards to how much you want to work out. The 1200 calories is based on your daily activity level (sedentary, lightly active etc). Also, your BMR is not your maintenance. That's how many calories you need just to survive if you were to lay in bed all day, motionless! It's not generally recommended to eat below your BMR. If you eat your exercise calories, you should be fine!

mrs_mouse

I guess my confusion comes in that MFP is saying that if I net 1200, I will lose 1.1 per week..... I'd prefer to lose 2 per week. Does this mean I should be aiming for LESS than 1200 per day?? That just doesn't seem healthy to me, and I know that 2 lbs a week is well within my capabilities when using other programs (like weight watchers), without struggling as much as I think I will struggle to stay under 1200 cals a day...

mrs_mouse

and to add to that, if my BMR is almost 1400, why is MFP suggesting I net 1200? I'm so confuddled...

ladyhawk00

Please read the first thread I posted - it should help explain

Edit to add: You do not have enough weight to lose to lose 2 lbs per week in a healthy manner. 2 lbs per week is for someone who is obese or morbidly obese. The less you have to lose, the more slowly you should lose it. The leaner you are, the higher your risk of losing more muscle mass in addition to fat mass, resulting in being "skinny fat."

mrs_mouse

I will read the thread.... thx.

I feel I have quite a bit to lose to get into the "healthy" range with my BMI (I'm right on the cusp of obese)... but I see that the links above suggest that 1 to 1.5 a week is healthy for the amount I have to lose... I have at least 30 to go until I'm in my healthy range... I will start tracking and aiming for 1200 and see how it goes!

Thanks everyone for your quick responses!!

ladyhawk00

Then you're slightly outside the curve and may need to tweak things a bit. Since you're smaller than average, the 1200 lower limit MAY not apply to you. MFP uses the 1200 lower limit as that is what experts recommend as the minimun for most women to receive adequate nutrition. But, if you're smaller than average, you may do ok with a little less.

MFP won't allow a guided goal of less than 1200, but you can set it lower if you use custom goals. However, I would be very careful with that. When on less than that, you need to be extra careful that your intake is very clean and meets the necessary macros (protein/fat/carbs) AND micros (vitamins/minerals). And I would not recommend going below 1000.

With the stats you provided, your BMR at about 1400, and (just guessing) an activity level of lightly active, puts your maintenance cals at about 1800. This means that for a 2 lb a week goal (1000 cal deficit), your daily cal goal would be 800 - not what I would recommend. Unfortunately, for smaller women it's often not healthy to attempt a 2 lb/week goal because your BMR is so low to begin with, that a large deficit would require a diet that wouldn't provide enough nutrients.

If you can eat very cleanly and get sufficient macros (ie are willing to be very precise in your diet), you may do ok on 1000, but I would strongly discourage going below that.

ladyhawk00

Also, I would add, that whether you are on 1200 or less, I would be diligent in getting accurate burn numbers (ie get an HRM) and then eat most of the cals added for that to ensure that your NET is close to your initial daily goal (ie 1200). Your net can be seen on your homepage. First, this allows you to eat more (and get better nutrition) and ensures that you are fueling those workouts properly.

mrs_mouse

thanks ladyhawk, you've been extremely helpful!!! I'm going to start with 1200 and see how it goes for the first week or so. If I
really stick to 1200 and I'm not getting good results, I will try lowering a little. Appreciate your patience and advice!!

ladyhawk00

Quite welcome - keep us updated, I'll be interested to see how it goes. :flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

love it when ladyhawk answers, it means less typing for me.

Anyway, just an add on, give it more than 1 week, your body doesn't think in terms of weeks, give it a month, it takes a little while for your metabolism to become used to a new eating/workout routine.

ladyhawk00

love it when ladyhawk answers, it means less typing for me.

Anyway, just an add on, give it more than 1 week, your body doesn't think in terms of weeks, give it a month, it takes a little while for your metabolism to become used to a new eating/workout routine.

:laugh: I've been wanting to get one of the voice dictation programs to save my fingers.

Good point, as well. Seen a bunch of people (especially leaner ones) this week being a bit too impatient for immediate, steady progress and freaking out when they see a 1/2 lb gain for one day. If I did that, I'd be in a nuthouse cause I have huge fluctuations. :noway:

SHBoss1673

:laugh: I've been wanting to get one of the voice dictation programs to save my fingers.

Good point, as well. Seen a bunch of people (especially leaner ones) this week being a bit too impatient for immediate, steady progress and freaking out when they see a 1/2 lb gain for one day. If I did that, I'd be in a nuthouse cause I have huge fluctuations. :noway:

too easy, I'll keep my mouth (fingers?) shut.

ladyhawk00

:laugh: I've been wanting to get one of the voice dictation programs to save my fingers.

Good point, as well. Seen a bunch of people (especially leaner ones) this week being a bit too impatient for immediate, steady progress and freaking out when they see a 1/2 lb gain for one day. If I did that, I'd be in a nuthouse cause I have huge fluctuations. :noway:

too easy, I'll keep my mouth (fingers?) shut.

LMFAO - made the dogs jump cause I cackled...

Yeah, I guess I didn't think much before I typed that one out....:embarassed: