1370 Calories for a 222 lb male??

spencerabc

I just signed up today, entered my profile, 222 lbs, 5'10", low-exercise job (desk) - according to Myfitness pal, I should be shooting for 1370 calories a day, according to other sites, that is in the Starvation area. Any thoughts?

kealambert

what do you have put in for your weight loss goal (lbs/week)?

arkansascountrygirl

honestly that would be starvation mode. so I would not advise it. I would up your calories.

xmandadollx

Did you set it to lose 2 pounds a week? If so, you might change it to lose one pound a week. That way, you can get more calories. You can always adjust the settings any time you like. Good luck! MFP started me off at 1200 calories! I quickly changed my settings to a pound a week and I frequently lose 1.5-2 pounds a week.

spencerabc

I entered 2 lbs per week - that may be too much to start with?

weightlosshippie

Go to 1 pound a week or .5 a pound per week

kealambert

Go to 1 pound a week or .5 a pound per week

this!

jg627

Holy Jeez! I'm eating 2500 net calories (3000 gross on gym days) and I'm not much heavier than that. There is no way in... anything at all that I could handle eating that little. I just went to the gym last night and I've been hungry like crazy all day.

Wildgirl10

Yes 2lbs a week is a ridiculous goal in the beginning...don't deprive

spencerabc

I entered 1 lb per week, which brought me up to 1870 calories per day, that seems a lot more reasonable.

doyledozo

Something isn't right there. I'm 5'10" 220, started at 230. Setup to lose 2lbs a week and I'm allowed 1600 cal, It was 1670 until I hit 220.

katiej122

I'm 158 pounds and 5"5 and I'm eating 1390 a day...I think you could definitely eat a lot, lot more! You'll still lose weight for sure

jonski1968

I`m 194lb and its set to 2lbs a week...My base line is 1800 cals..Don`t know why yours is set so low..

BigDaddyBRC

Your goal is fine. There is already a deficit built into what you want. If you add exercise...you get to eat MORE. So, BURN IT!!!!!!!!

jsapninz

Starvation mode is largely a MYTH. What isn't a myth is people aiming too low for what they are capable to stick to diligently.

That being said, you probably don't have alot of weight to lose (less than 30 lbs?). The less you have to lose, the slower you can/should go. Suggest making your goal 1 or 1.5 lbs a week. It's all about what you can stick to without hating yourself.

And ignore the fear mongers.

spencerabc

I like the 1lb per week with 1870 calorie goal, I know that is less than I eat now - this program will really help me track all the little snacks that add up (the 30 lbs I need to lose snuck on in the past 4.5 years after I quit smoking)

ShirleyBMason

i wouldn't start off with so little calories. I would be hungry which would cause me to over eat and that would defeat the whole purpose fo setting a weight-loss goal. I'd rather start of slow and increase as the time goes on. Remember slow and Steady wins the race.

jg627

Starvation mode is largely a MYTH. What isn't a myth is people aiming too low for what they are capable to stick to diligently.

That being said, you probably don't have alot of weight to lose (less than 30 lbs?). The less you have to lose, the slower you can/should go. Suggest making your goal 1 lb a week.

And ignore the fear mongers.

Maybe, maybe not, but I'm just sayin, he's gonna be one hungry dude. I'd definitely be chasing my dog around the yard with a bottle of barbeque sauce within a week.

jsapninz

Starvation mode is largely a MYTH. What isn't a myth is people aiming too low for what they are capable to stick to diligently.

That being said, you probably don't have alot of weight to lose (less than 30 lbs?). The less you have to lose, the slower you can/should go. Suggest making your goal 1 lb a week.

And ignore the fear mongers.

Maybe, maybe not, but I'm just sayin, he's gonna be one hungry dude. I'd definitely be chasing my dog around the yard with a bottle of barbeque sauce within a week.

yeah, exactly. It's all about what is doable for you. But I hate it when people say" OMG YOUR METABOLISM WILL SHUT DOWN" about low cal goals, instead of "wow, you won't be able to keep that up."

spencerabc

I sit at a desk all day, that probably is one reason for the low calorie setting, I will try the 1870 calorie setting and see how that goes.

nerhardt

Once you start doin it, it isn't that hard. Just choose things that fill you up that are low in calories. I ate an whole cucumber today with my chicken lunch instead of pasta. it was great. And stay away from alcohol and sugar. However, if you do get a craving for sweets, Skinny Cow and Weight Watchers have ice cream bars that are only 100 calories and they are great. Weight loss is not only physical, it's psychological too. Just work on it every day.

ironanimal

You will slow your metabolism down to a crawl at that low. I tried going too low to start with and stopped losing weight after 2 weeks. Hit up www.fit2fatradio.com/tools and the Military Bodyfat and BMR and Calorie calculators. I'm now eating a 1000 more than MFP said I should and losing bodyfat steadily again.

notbigliz

Im not male but i am 256 and my cals for 2 lbs a week is 1370 I think. Which if my meals are chosen well I can eat more than I can fit and still have some left over. My diary is public if you want some ideas and I also have some great recipes I can share. Also anyone add me!

divegeek

If you can do 2 lbs per week, go for it. If you can't, don't be so aggressive. Time and consistency will get you there, short term extreme deprivation will not.

Personally, I don't have a hard time maintaining a 1000 calorie daily deficit. I'm 215 lbs, and my daily calorie limit is 1440. I'm pretty much always hungry, but I'm okay with that. I do find that by shifting more of my calories to proteins and fats, with less carbs, I am a little less hungry, but I'm always hungry anyway. I prefer to be hungry for six months and get it over with... but if that turned out to bother me too much, I'd drop it back to 1.5 or 1 pounds per week.

Another thing that helps is to track your exercise and use that to offset. When you're really hungry and just have to eat something, go exercise it off first, and then eat.

Oh and as for the "starvation mode" "slow your metabolism to a crawl" crap -- it's crap. Scientific oxygen chamber tests that measure actual calories burned show that the basal metabolic rate doesn't vary by more than a few percent, regardless of calorie intake. So, "starvation mode" might be able to reduce your basal metabolic rate by 100 calories per day. Maybe. Which makes a lot of sense, actually; a "high metabolism" would just be pure inefficiency, and our bodies are fairly efficient machines. People who appear to have high metabolisms are just more active. If you want that, find ways to be more active.

MsTanya77

As a woman, I eat anywhere from 1800-2100 cals a day and I have lost 12.75 inches this month. I was eating 1400 cals a day and killing it at the gym and losing NOTHING. Now I will not eat anything less than my net BMR calories.

k8blujay2

From what I understand it's because here they don't assume that you are exercising. If you exercise you will be allotted more calories that you can consume.

With that said, I have it set to 0.5 a pound a week becuase there is no way in Hades, I'm going to be able to survive on 1200 calories.... Scratch that... That everyone else is going to survive me being on 1200 calories.

treetop57

I entered 1 lb per week, which brought me up to 1870 calories per day, that seems a lot more reasonable.

I'm 222 lbs, too. I'm a little older (51) and taller (6'6"). I've also got my activity level set to sedentary. At 1 lb per week, my net calorie goal is 2010. My exercise averages an extra 350 calories a day, and I usually find myself very satisfied with the resulting 2360 calories in food.

I've been losing steadily at slightly more than the 1 lb per week goal. And so far the body fat estimates based on waist measurements say that's nearly all fat loss.

All of which is to say, if your experience is like mine, you'll do well on 1870 + exercise cals.

Of course, as always: "Posts by members, moderators and admins should not be considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy."

lloydmel

did you make sure to put that you are a male? lol Just checking...

ShirleyBMason

Chasing your dog with barbaque sauce! Hilarious!!!! Good metaphor.

jg627

Chasing your dog with barbaque sauce! Hilarious!!!! Good metaphor.

She's an 80 lb dog. She'd make a good meal.

tabulator32

I was a 233 lb. 42 y.o. male that is now a 202 lb. male from eating 1370 calories (now down to 1330 calories) per day.

My settings are at 2 lbs. per week.

This is more than sufficient calories to keep me full and satisfied. It all depends what you eat.

If you eat a burger and fries. Bang. You're done.

If you eat stuff like I do, you can eat three meals per day plus snacks and do just fine.

Anyway, that's been my experience for what its worth.