Calorie goal question...

tillzie

I was just wondering about the calorie goal given with my profile... Should I be trying to eat that number of calories... Or more or less? Today I was a bit under and got a prompt about not taking in enough calories and my nody going into starvation mode so i should be eating more... But I ate heaps!! Any wisdom on what this 'goal' actually is all about or any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Crystal817

I would try and stick pretty closely to your goal. How much under were you?

_clare_

Hi Tillzie,

Try to eat that many, but realistically it doesn't matter if you're slightly over or under on any given day, so long as you're pretty much getting it right.

Did you go under 1,200 calories? My goal per day is 1,300 but I've noticed if I go under 1,200 I get that message. I am just wondering if 1,200 is the cut-off for everyone, or if this is somehow varied by your weight / gender / age etc?

Good luck :-)

Clare

bjshields

This is THE biggest issue I see, especially with younger women (and to me, you are almost ALL younger!:laugh: ) -- not eating enough. According to Jonny Bowden, women who lose weight healthfully do it on about 1,400 calories a day. My daily intake on MFP is 1580, and then it adds in more calories when I exercise. It all depends on your daily activity level, not just how long your workout is, and how much you weigh currently. If you are sedentary, you are going to require less calories than someone who has a physical job or is moving a lot during the day. For now, I'd say eat your calories and see what happens. Good luck!

Crystal817

Did you go under 1,200 calories? My goal per day is 1,300 but I've noticed if I go under 1,200 I get that message. I am just wondering if 1,200 is the cut-off for everyone, or if this is somehow varied by your weight / gender / age etc?

I believe it varies by starting weight, your goals (how much weight you want to lose per week) and your activity level.

tillzie

Thanks so much everyone. My goal is 1290 and I ate 1013 and burned 275 in the gym. I found at the end of the night I had all these extra calories in my 'goal' but had eaten alot and wasn't hungry...

Atlantique

I was just wondering about the calorie goal given with my profile... Should I be trying to eat that number of calories... Or more or less? Today I was a bit under and got a prompt about not taking in enough calories and my nody going into starvation mode so i should be eating more... But I ate heaps!! Any wisdom on what this 'goal' actually is all about or any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You should try to MEET your goal every day.

If you go to your goals page, you can see exactly how MFP calculated your daily calorie goal. The daily calorie deficit is fac tored into your goal--you do not need to create one yourself.

Basically, when you signed up for MFP, you gave your height, weight, age and sex, which MFP used to calculate your BMR. Your BMR is the number of calories needed to keep you alive and healthy if you just lay in bed all day.

Then you chose an Activity Level. On MFP, your Activity Level is meant to represent calories burned at your job (not intentional exercise).

Then you chose how many pounds you hoped to lose per week. Let's just say you chose "1lb per week" for the following....

So the formula looks like this:

(BMR calories + Activity Level Calories) - 500 calories = Your Daily Calorie Goal

If you exercise, it looks like this:

(BMR calories + Activity Level Calories + Excercise Calories) - 500 calories = Your Daily Calorie Goal


So in essence, MFP aims to keep you at a CONSISTENT calorie deficit whether or not you ever exercise at all.

tillzie

Thanks for that! It makes sense... I don't want to overeat though... Or eat more because I've been to the gym and excersised! The point is weightless right? Not maintenance?

suzysues

Hi Tillzie,

Try to eat that many, but realistically it doesn't matter if you're slightly over or under on any given day, so long as you're pretty much getting it right.

Did you go under 1,200 calories? My goal per day is 1,300 but I've noticed if I go under 1,200 I get that message. I am just wondering if 1,200 is the cut-off for everyone, or if this is somehow varied by your weight / gender / age etc?

Good luck :-)

Clare

I wondered that too, as I reduced my amount to loose each week, but my calorie amount stayed at 1,200. I do a lot of excercise & really don't think this is enough. I have already had 900 & still have dinner to go!! :~O

_clare_

I wondered that too, as I reduced my amount to loose each week, but my calorie amount stayed at 1,200. I do a lot of excercise & really don't think this is enough. I have already had 900 & still have dinner to go!! :~O

I find 1200 to be a good amount (most days I do go to 1300 though - got to love mini cupcakes)!! That said, I am pretty lazy and only make it to the gym once a week, so I definitely see why you'd be hungrier than that if you're working out heaps MFP does let you eat your exercise calories though - so that's a good bonus!

Atlantique

Thanks for that! It makes sense... I don't want to overeat though... Or eat more because I've been to the gym and excersised! The point is weightless right? Not maintenance?

People are often very confused about why they are told to eat their exercise calories here.

This link explains it quite well: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108362-eating-to-fuel-your-body-very-long

t_rog

Thanks for that! It makes sense... I don't want to overeat though... Or eat more because I've been to the gym and excersised! The point is weightless right? Not maintenance?

Your daily calorie goal on this site is NOT intended for maintenance. It's already set for you to lose weight every week. So going under that is unhealthy. If you work out, you're going to require even MORE calories to remain healthy.

Brownski860

mine shows 1200 per day is my target, i eat 3 meals a day with 2 snack in between and still hit around 900-1000 per day.
So far so good and I'm not starving. I think it's all about WHAT you are choosing to eat.
Good luck this weekend!