1,500 for maintenance? Really?

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  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    poor things... poor hungry things :laugh:

    i eat between 1600-2000 to lose. the maintenance calories at my goal weight is around 2000, so I'm hoping that by eating what i'm eating now, maintenance wont be much of an issue because i'll already be eating the correct amount to keep my activity level and not lose or gain anything
  • hungryPHATbunny
    hungryPHATbunny Posts: 84 Member
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    What about height, weight etc etc...it's not a case of one number fits all women...good luck
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    I was told... take your goal weight..... so mine is 128lbs..... and add a 0 to it..... so my intake should be 1280 cal a day. That's what I SHOULD be using to reach my GW. Problem is here has a different idea.... 1430??? but that could be smaller GW to take it down a little at a time.

    So if Michelle wants ppl to weigh 150lbs by station 1500 cal is maintain then that's not so good cause if you are short, that means you are overweight still :(
  • ThatCindyGirl
    ThatCindyGirl Posts: 26
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    Bob and Jillian both said (on one of the episodes) they like their women to be around 1700 to lose weight on the ranch. But remember...they are doing intense weight training/workouts. In Jillian's book she says to jump start a metabolism that has been slowed down and stagnant you need to maintain a 1300-1400 calorie diet. There's lots of differing opinions on this from program to program but you can test a yourself a week to see how your body reacts.
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
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    poor things... poor hungry things :laugh:

    i eat between 1600-2000 to lose. the maintenance calories at my goal weight is around 2000, so I'm hoping that by eating what i'm eating now, maintenance wont be much of an issue because i'll already be eating the correct amount to keep my activity level and not lose or gain anything

    :laugh: thank you!
    I'm hoping for the same thing.
  • madamepsychosis
    madamepsychosis Posts: 472 Member
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    Given that contestants on The Biggest Loser eat nowhere near enough to fuel their intensive workouts, or to have a safe, realistic weight loss, 1500 probably is all their contestants can end up coping with. Me, I ate more than 1500 yesterday, often do most days and am still losing weight.
  • AngelikaLumiere
    AngelikaLumiere Posts: 862 Member
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    When I first started MFP I tried 1200 calories and didn't seem to be loosing so I dropped it to 1000 after 8 months I decided to try upping it to 1200 again and after six weeks my weight loss ground to a halt again, so I have lowered my calories again and I have begun to loose again. I seem to be maintaining at 1200, The moral of this story is: Not everyone maintains at the same level. You need to find the level that works for you.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    I'm 4' 10 1/2" and my maintenance is ~1500 calories. I just love reading about people eating 2000 calories to lose weight. Not fair! :angry:
  • shady81x
    shady81x Posts: 290
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    I'm 4' 10 1/2" and my maintenance is ~1500 calories. I just love reading about people eating 2000 calories to lose weight. Not fair! :angry:

    IKR! MFP has me set to 1360 cals for maintenance. Most days I end up going over and have that red number glaring at me - not that its gonna stop me from eating more if I'm hungry, but am so envious when I read abt those who eat 2,000 cals to lose. :grumble:
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    awkward cos i lose on 1700
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    Michelle Bridges, one of the Australian Biggest Loser trainers suggests that for women 1,500 calories is a good number for maintenence, or 1,600 for women who want to put on weight.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V--HyBw07M&sns=em

    (hope that works)

    This freaks me out because I've just upped my calories to 1700, based on my BMR.

    Let me break this down for ya:

    Firstly, she is a PT, not a nutritionist, and would automatically go for a conservative (low) number to mean that most people will either maintain or lose on that figure... and lessen her hate mail from prescribing a number that is too high and having people blaming her for putting on weight.

    One size does not, and can not fit all. Take two women as extreme examples. One is a 5' tall small framed woman who works in a sedentary desk job. The other is a 6' woman who has a naturally large frame, more muscle, and works in retail or on a production line etc etc.

    Bottom line, take this type of advice with a pinch of salt. Figure out what is best for you personally.
  • bigredhearts
    bigredhearts Posts: 428
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    when i first decided to lose weight, i was using a different site that had me at 1800 cals, and i was losing 2 lbs a week. when i came here it had me at 1250. the first two weeks at 1250 i quit losing weight and couldnt find a way to fix it so i tried cycling, spiking etc. nothing worked. i stood at a stand still till i injured myself and gained all my weight back. im now, back at it again and have lost 2 lbs a week steadily at 2,000, WITH a sedentary lifestyle.
  • deniseearheart
    deniseearheart Posts: 919 Member
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    I eat 1700 a day and I am loosing thank God. As soon as that slows I will lower my calories
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    Given that contestants on The Biggest Loser eat nowhere near enough to fuel their intensive workouts, or to have a safe, realistic weight loss, 1500 probably is all their contestants can end up coping with. Me, I ate more than 1500 yesterday, often do most days and am still losing weight.

    As scary as it is, on the Australian version they were talking about their daily cal intakes and it was 1200 and 1000 for men and women respectively. This is on top of several hours of physical training! To me this is just damned irresponsible and does not teach them sustainable habits to take with them in real life.

    Just goes to show that the drama and entertainment (read ratings and money) far outweigh morality and responsibility. Sad but true.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Baloney. ALL women are NOT the same. I hope she was just talking about some "average woman." At 1490 I'm in slow weight loss mode. I maintain (and have for 9 months) at 1750 and that's me being sedentary. It all depends on starting weight/height/body type (BMI) and activity level. That's why each person gets a unique number. A six foot tall woman at a healthy weight has to eat a lot more calories to maintain than a 4 foot tall woman at a healthy weight.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    One size does not fit all. IIRC you are 102kg? If so, there is no way that you're maintenance is 1500cals. That would be the maintenance for someone who weighs about 45kg. So yeah, no need to worry.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Given that contestants on The Biggest Loser eat nowhere near enough to fuel their intensive workouts, or to have a safe, realistic weight loss, 1500 probably is all their contestants can end up coping with. Me, I ate more than 1500 yesterday, often do most days and am still losing weight.

    As scary as it is, on the Australian version they were talking about their daily cal intakes and it was 1200 and 1000 for men and women respectively. This is on top of several hours of physical training! To me this is just damned irresponsible and does not teach them sustainable habits to take with them in real life.

    Just goes to show that the drama and entertainment (read ratings and money) far outweigh morality and responsibility. Sad but true.

    hence why biggest loser contestants rarely keep the weight off & also shed mass amounts of LBM during their time on the show.
  • Stazed
    Stazed Posts: 55 Member
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    I think it's impossible to say that for every woman there's one magic number. Your BMR, your activity level, your body composition, these are all going to make a difference. MFP's suggestions take these into account so it's probably a better indicator, but the best indicator is if you are gaining/maintaining/losing weight on this intake. You can always adjust it accordingly.

    Well said
  • Michelle650
    Michelle650 Posts: 218
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    Well I have been eating 1,500 calories for 1 month now and have lost 1 pound every week!
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
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    One size does not fit all. IIRC you are 102kg? If so, there is no way that you're maintenance is 1500cals. That would be the maintenance for someone who weighs about 45kg. So yeah, no need to worry.

    You are correct.

    I'm trying to chill out, do 1700 cals for a month and re-assess, just like you advised. :)

    Surgeon gave me the all clear on my knee today, no-impact training for a month, then I'm back. He says I'll have 95% of full function. Huzzah!

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