How to figure out your OWN calorie target?

HonkyTonks

most people underestimate calories in

urafever

I think that is a good question. I would like fitnesspal to allow me to set my own calorie target but i can't figure out how to do it.

drewc47

Don't forget that as well as calories in, different foods will metabolise differently also.

Some processed foods will not metabolise very well, and sit in the gut or go straight to fat. This is something to avoid.

If you stick to what MFP says, while eating good food, you should be able to lose weight.

I would stick to the same calorie intake, even if you burn off 500 from cardio etc (the 500 from cardio isnt exact anyway), instead of using that as a "FREE" 500 calories.

Just realize that the MFP calorie count takes into account: BMR, calories burnt from general day to day activity (ie, low if you said sedentary, etc), as well as the goal weight loss. So if your BMR is 2500, and you are fairly sedentary, your total upkeep is approximately 2900 calories. Then if you aim to lose a pound a week, you eat 500 under that per day, for 2400 per day.

If you eat less than 1200 calories a day over a period of time (based on a BMR of 2400. 50% of your BMR), your body will enter starvation mode, where your body will stop losing weight (or significantly slow), while reducing your metabolism in order to primarily keep the vital organs running. You'll find that you feel lethargic, your muscle mass will drop, and you'll suffer other health problems. Then when you kick up your calorie intake back to ideal, your body will stay in starvation mode for some time, and you'll put weight on easily.

@urafever, if you click on "Goals" in My Home, then press "Change Goals" down the bottom, you can select "Custom" and manually input your own goals (calories, weight loss, etc).

Helloitsdan

Don't forget that as well as calories in, different foods will metabolise differently also.

Some processed foods will not metabolise very well, and sit in the gut or go straight to fat. This is something to avoid.

If you stick to what MFP says, while eating good food, you should be able to lose weight.

I would stick to the same calorie intake, even if you burn off 500 from cardio etc (the 500 from cardio isnt exact anyway), instead of using that as a "FREE" 500 calories.

Just realize that the MFP calorie count takes into account: BMR, calories burnt from general day to day activity (ie, low if you said sedentary, etc), as well as the goal weight loss. So if your BMR is 2500, and you are fairly sedentary, your total upkeep is approximately 2900 calories. Then if you aim to lose a pound a week, you eat 500 under that per day, for 2400 per day.

If you eat less than 1200 calories a day over a period of time (based on a BMR of 2400. 50% of your BMR), your body will enter starvation mode, where your body will stop losing weight (or significantly slow), while reducing your metabolism in order to primarily keep the vital organs running. You'll find that you feel lethargic, your muscle mass will drop, and you'll suffer other health problems. Then when you kick up your calorie intake back to ideal, your body will stay in starvation mode for some time, and you'll put weight on easily.

@urafever, if you click on "Goals" in My Home, then press "Change Goals" down the bottom, you can select "Custom" and manually input your own goals (calories, weight loss, etc).

Lol
False....most of it.

chrisb75

Listen to Helloitsdan. He knows what he is talking about. I am eating 2550 calories a day, and losing weight.

tiffanic83

alright so I tried one day to eat the recommended calories and well I didn't feel well and I felt too full. And I wasn't eating back my exercise calories either. And I was eating healthy food for the most part, not icky stuff. I don't want to feel like that everyday. I don't understand why I don't even eat that much everyday and I am so overweight. Lordy it just doesn't make sense lol.