That 1200 minimum

Naominjw
Naominjw Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
I gained weight when I was taking a medication that I am no longer on. I have multiple food allergies, so I do eat a healthy diet - mostly whole foods, no processed stuff, no sugars, baked goods, etc since I cannot have grains, dairy or eggs. So you can get a good idea of my diet - plenty of fresh vegetable, fruits, legumes & some meats. I eat a large variety of foods. So, yes, a person can get fat on healthy foods!

I am a small person.

MFP came up with me eating the minimum calories, but I would lose just a fraction of a pound per week. I am overweight, just under the obese category, and am fairly sedentary with a couple medical issues, but I do PT daily and I get some slow walking in daily. Oh, and I am older than most of you youngsters on this site.

I journalled what I normally eat that was causing my slow but steady weight gain, and it was just over that minimum magical number of 1200. 1200 seems to be the right amount for me to neither gain nor lose weight.

That magical cut-off number does not work for us folks that do not fit the norm - older, not as mobile, and quite short. I suppose there are other categories the 1200 cut-off would not work for. In any case, I have eating at that number MFP set for me for a month or so, and it is the perfect number for... weight maintenance.

I used the on-line weight calculator from "The Biggest Loser" and the number it came up with for me is substantially below that 1200 minimum, BUT - then that 1200 minimum is supposed to supersede it. Well... that seems silly to expect the same minimum whether a person is 6ft 7in or 4ft 10 inches, and regardless of age and gender!

I HATE that if I go under 1200 MFP has that RED WARNING that I may go into STARVATION MODE.... yet here I am eating what it tells me... and that is exactly my maintenance calories for my overweight self.

Any advice?

Replies

  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    Best advice i ever read on MFP was the following post. Use the tools listed in that article, then manually set your mfp goals.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map?error_user_id=1362324&error_username=yesthistime
  • Naominjw
    Naominjw Posts: 8
    Thanks! That is an EXCELLENT link!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    it can seem a bit arbitrary, if your BMR is at the bottom end of the scale you may indeed be given a target that produces no calorie deficit. Time to use the manual setting facilities to put your own goals in.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    it can seem a bit arbitrary, if your BMR is at the bottom end of the scale you may indeed be given a target that produces no calorie deficit. Time to use the manual setting facilities to put your own goals in.

    Bummer, you edited your picture. Message is still good. :-) Might try a few more languages not sure all will get it.

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