Do you cut your calories?

Lilie555

I was just watching the biggest looser for the first time, and I noticed that they are cutting down their calories. For a girl whos 320+ pounds they did 1500 calories, which is about what MFP suggested for me, and I'm 182 @ 5.4.

1500 feels pretty a lot for me, so I did cut it a little... I mean aren't you supposed to eat less to loose weight?

But at the same time i see that a lot of people eat all their suggested calories, plus their exercise calories...

So I'm a little confused...

I'm 22, 182 pounds, 5.4 - and my suggested calories are 1500, but i eat 1000 or less...
(I eat a lot of salads, fruits, vegetables, fish, things like that, so its not like I'm eating nothing, just the things I eat are not high in calories, so I do get full from it.)

How much do you eat?
Is anyone else cutting down on their calories?


PS: Feel free to add me.

sarahmayville1992

I used to eat 1580 a day after I lost about 10 pounds I dropped down to 1240 a day. I don't think I'm going to drop lower than that however.

bulbadoof

1500 calories is not a large amount at all. Shows like the Biggest Loser have their contestants eating at a massive calorie deficit for two reasons.

1 - the contestants are morbidly obese, which means their bodies have plenty of fat stores to draw energy from.
2 - the contestants are attempting to drop a large amount of their body weight over a short amount of time - longterm results do not matter.

Meeting these criteria, 1500 calories works for a 320-pound person over the course of a season. However, it is not sustainable and it is not a lot of calories at all.

I threw your numbers into a TDEE calculator, and with no exercise whatsoever, you would need to eat 1966 calories a day to sustain your current weight. Subtract 500 calories a day (hey, that's pretty close to what MFP suggested for you, isn't it? It's almost like they cut your calories FOR you so you don't have to do the math! :P) and you will lose 1 lb/week - more if you're active.

If you're satisfied, great! I'm glad what you're doing is working for you and I don't want to say that you HAVE to eat more. :flowerforyou: But if you ever feel tired, weak, grouchy, hungry, etc., I want you to know that you could easily eat about 1450 calories a day and still lose weight consistently.

Here's the calculator I used if you're curious or want to compare it to another one:
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

For the record, I'm 5'3, 23, 150 lbs, and losing weight on 1400 calories a day. Don't feel obligated to cut calories like crazy just to get results right now - it's more important that you're making choices that you can sustain for a lifetime and keep them.

Sidesteal

I was just watching the biggest looser for the first time, and I noticed that they are cutting down their calories.

I would very much recommend that you view that strictly for entertainment and motivation and do NOT use that as a reference for your own weight loss, and do not adopt their methodology.

. I mean aren't you supposed to eat less to loose weight?

You are supposed to reduce calories below your TDEE. You are supposed to eat less than whatever amount you were eating that got you overweight.

I'm 22, 182 pounds, 5.4 - and my suggested calories are 1500, but i eat 1000 or less...

Assuming you told MFP that you want to lose weight at a certain pace, MFP is suggesting that you will lose weight at 1500, so you don't need to reduce it beyond what it tells you. It has already taken into account the fact that you should eat less. You don't subtract MORE from this.

How much do you eat?

2200-2400 most days. 3000+ occasionally.

AmyRhubarb

1000 calories + exercise = out of gas! You need to fuel your body, and 1200 is the recommended minimum for women. Granted, the number varies from person to person based on size, etc., but if you're only eating 1000 cals and then exercising - do you eat those exercise calories back? - you're not giving yourself much to go on. You may see some nice weight loss at first, but eventually you'll hit the wall, the weight loss stalls, you're tired, hungry, and have little energy for exercise.

That's pretty much what happened to me, so I bumped up to 1500, did ok there, and am now set at 1800 calories per day. And I eat exercise calories back, sometimes all of them, sometimes not, depending on how hungry I am. Mostly I make sure that my NET calories are never below my BMR.

Read this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Lots of good info in there, and post after post from people who are eating good amounts of healthy foods, and even having treats, and losing the fat, feeling great without being hungry or eating "diet" food.

lizblizz28

Ditto what the above posters said. You want to do things in a healthy, sustainable results. It's going to be frustrating, and it's going to take awhile. But in the end it will be worth it

I typically eat around 1500 calories a day. I try to always stay at least above 1200 calories because I've heard that's the bare minimum in order for your organs to support themselves... not sure if it's factual or not, but I figured it certainly couldn't hurt.

If you need something healthy to boost your calorie numbers you could try peanut butter, avocado, or some lean proteins.

manderson27

Started at 1200 was hungry all the time so upped cals to 1400 then started heavy lifting so upped again to 1600 it does vary from day to day depending on if I am lifting or not.

So no I don't cut calories I raise them :laugh:

Prettylittlelotus

1500 calories is not a large amount at all. Shows like the Biggest Loser have their contestants eating at a massive calorie deficit for two reasons.

1 - the contestants are morbidly obese, which means their bodies have plenty of fat stores to draw energy from.
2 - the contestants are attempting to drop a large amount of their body weight over a short amount of time - longterm results do not matter.

Meeting these criteria, 1500 calories works for a 320-pound person over the course of a season. However, it is not sustainable and it is not a lot of calories at all.

I threw your numbers into a TDEE calculator, and with no exercise whatsoever, you would need to eat 1966 calories a day to sustain your current weight. Subtract 500 calories a day (hey, that's pretty close to what MFP suggested for you, isn't it? It's almost like they cut your calories FOR you so you don't have to do the math! :P) and you will lose 1 lb/week - more if you're active.

If you're satisfied, great! I'm glad what you're doing is working for you and I don't want to say that you HAVE to eat more. :flowerforyou: But if you ever feel tired, weak, grouchy, hungry, etc., I want you to know that you could easily eat about 1450 calories a day and still lose weight consistently.

Here's the calculator I used if you're curious or want to compare it to another one:
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

For the record, I'm 5'3, 23, 150 lbs, and losing weight on 1400 calories a day. Don't feel obligated to cut calories like crazy just to get results right now - it's more important that you're making choices that you can sustain for a lifetime and keep them.

Very Well Said! I couldn't agree more, and appreciate how positive you phrased your response. Kudos!

heybales

1500 feels pretty a lot for me, so I did cut it a little... I mean aren't you supposed to eat less to loose weight?

Eat less than what maintains your current weight.

1500 feels like a lot compared to what?

How many calories exactly where you eating before that got you to the point you need to lose weight now?
How much were you exercising while eating that level of calories then?

How fast did you gain weight?
How fast do you think you should lose the weight?

And leave unsustainable unrealistic Biggest Loser out of the equation for now. Other had great comments on it already.

Klem4

What everyone else said. I was starving on 1200 a day, then upped to 1390 (1lb loss per week), and sometimes I feel that isn't enough. But anyways, I exercise 6 days a week, and eat 1700-1800 cals and have one day where I usually don't keep track but try not to go crazy. Last week, I didn't workout at all, and was eating like a pig and still lost 1lb. To each their own I guess.

melann1974

MFP suggested that I eat 1200 calories a day to lose 2lbs a week. I typically eat around 1200-1400 plus add exercise. I have even eating up to 1900 (not often) calories. I am trying to make healthier choices and add exercising instead of starving myself. I am rather new to MFP and still confused about whether to eat my exercise calories or not.

meshashesha2012

no i wouldnt cut my calories that low. keep in mind that TBL is a reality TV show and a competition. they are judged by the amount of weight they lose within a short amount of time.

i'm not in that bog of a rush to lose weight that i need to spend 3-4 months of hell starving myself and working out hours a day.

i eat around 1950 calories and will continue to do so until i hit my goal weight at which point i should be able to bump it up to 2300.

Yes2HealthyAriel

MFP set mine at 1320 and I always eat between 1000-1200 for the most part. I do not eat back exercise calories either.

JuneBPrice

Don't ignore your body. If you feel hungry, eat. If not? I don't see any need to force yourself to eat just to maintain a one-fits-all goal.

cmeade20

I was just watching the biggest looser for the first time, and I noticed that they are cutting down their calories. For a girl whos 320+ pounds they did 1500 calories, which is about what MFP suggested for me, and I'm 182 @ 5.4.

1500 feels pretty a lot for me, so I did cut it a little... I mean aren't you supposed to eat less to loose weight?

But at the same time i see that a lot of people eat all their suggested calories, plus their exercise calories...

So I'm a little confused...

I'm 22, 182 pounds, 5.4 - and my suggested calories are 1500, but i eat 1000 or less...
(I eat a lot of salads, fruits, vegetables, fish, things like that, so its not like I'm eating nothing, just the things I eat are not high in calories, so I do get full from it.)

How much do you eat?
Is anyone else cutting down on their calories?


PS: Feel free to add me.

Like others havesaid The Biggest Loser is a show, don't follow their guidelines. I dont think their methods are healthy or sustainable by any means. And you definately need to eat more if you are working out. If you eat to little you are going to be exhausted and youre most likley going to result in your body hittng your goal weght and still looking flabby because you'll reduce your lean muscle instead of your body fat percentage. On any given day I weigh in between 115-120 lbs and am 5'2. With exercise calories I wind up eating anywhere from 1700-1900 calories per day. And I am consistently losing body fat.

adam1885282

If I saw the first part of the same show, she was trying to lose one pound every day! And she was under medical supervsision. A person who has that much to lose may be able to keep up a pound a day but most people can't and probably shouldn't.

dvisser1

The Biggest Loser is also done under doctor supervision. It is an extreme form of weight loss management and not something recommended to be attempted the same constant supervision (doctor & trainer) that those contestants get.

So....the net calorie goal MFP gives you comes completely out of the information you input.
-height, weight, age, gender....that gives you an estimated BMR.
-Activity level, as in average daily activity level. This generates a multiplier on your BMR. I don't know the exact numbers, but completely sedentary is about 1.2
-Activity level x BMR = TDEE Total daily energy expenditure. How many calories you burn in an average day.
-Weight loss goal per week. 1 lb per week? 1 x 3500 / 7 = 500 calories per day deficit required.

Net Calories = TDEE - Daily deficit.

If you included all your exercise into your daily activity level, have fun exercising every day, and only log 0 calories for you exercise since you have already taken it into account once. If you did not include exercise into your activity level, log the calories burned and eat or do not eat back the exercise burned as you wish.

If you were not accurate in what you input into MFP, the number you got out is meaningless. If you were accurate, and put in a weight loss goal, the number MFP gives you has the necessary deficit to lose that weight.

And before I get yelled at, I do know that the body does not exactly follow the hard rules of mathematics. The body is stubbornly reactive and likes to hold on to body fat, so you have to keep it moving.

Avandel

I'm 22, 182 pounds, 5.4 - and my suggested calories are 1500, but i eat 1000 or less...
(I eat a lot of salads, fruits, vegetables, fish, things like that, so its not like I'm eating nothing, just the things I eat are not high in calories, so I do get full from it.)

How much do you eat?
Is anyone else cutting down on their calories?

Eating too little......been there, done that, more than once on 1200 cals. It was great for awhile but would stall after losing 20 lbs then end up gaining some back. I finally learned my lesson & eat 1400 a day now.

imannalouise

Ahhh thank you for posting this! I was having the same questions. I had my daily calories set at 1200 for about a week but ended up always feeling hungry and deprived of food. Plus, I weighed myself yesterday and I had gained a pound. But I thought that I was supposed to keep my calories as low as possible. Seeing this information about TDEE and fueling your body makes me feel a lot better about bumping my calories up! I changed to 1500 calories a day and I ate my exercise calories back today. I'm feeling a whole lot better already, and not feeling like I have to restrict every little thing I eat. Thanks to everyone who posted info on this!

mphlab

I don't know what you would set your exercise level at but if it is moderate 3-5 hours per week than the scooby calculator puts you at bmr of 1628 and tdee of 2539. With a 15% cut that puts you at 2158 or 20% cut at 2031 so that means you should always eat at least 1628. Check out the Eat More To Weigh Less Group. It is controversial but it works! At least for me so far. It is slow but you do not get hungry!

taso42

I cut about 500 calories from my TDEE and i lose weight. Your question sounds confused.

honkytonks85

I was just watching the biggest looser for the first time, and I noticed that they are cutting down their calories. For a girl whos 320+ pounds they did 1500 calories, which is about what MFP suggested for me, and I'm 182 @ 5.4.

1500 feels pretty a lot for me, so I did cut it a little... I mean aren't you supposed to eat less to loose weight?

But at the same time i see that a lot of people eat all their suggested calories, plus their exercise calories...

So I'm a little confused...

I'm 22, 182 pounds, 5.4 - and my suggested calories are 1500, but i eat 1000 or less...
(I eat a lot of salads, fruits, vegetables, fish, things like that, so its not like I'm eating nothing, just the things I eat are not high in calories, so I do get full from it.)

How much do you eat?
Is anyone else cutting down on their calories?


PS: Feel free to add me.

Lose* weight

Yes the key to losing weight is to cut calories. That is ultimately the way all diets work. Your body has a certain number of calories you need to eat in a day to *maintain* your body weight. This is called your TDEE (which is a combination of your base metabolic rate - eg how many cals you burn just by breathing + your activity level like sedentary, lightly active, etc). When you sign up for MFP you punch in how many pounds you want to lose a week and MFP calculates your TDEE based on your figures then subtracts from your TDEE the number of cals you should eat in a day to REACH the goal. MFP factors it in - so people following their suggested calories will lose weight if that was the goal they entered in when they signed up for MFP.

Note that if you enter in your activity level as sedentary and you add exercise, you burn more calories and thus your calorie goal is adjusted so you can eat more calories and still lose the same amount of weight as you would have if you hadn't done the exercise at all.

So in answer to your question yes, anyone who is looking to lose weight on MFP is cutting calories and their suggested calories is given to them by MFP.

Bobby_Clerici

The Biggest Loser is simply an encyclopedia of how NOT to lose weight and keep it off.
Forget everything you see.
It's ABSURD!

jennyredfern

Sometimes it's easier to count your total calories for the week, or several days together, and take an average. It gives you a lot more room to work with. That way if you want to splurge one day, you don't have to feel bad knowing you can make up for it the rest of the week. Helps this become a lifestyle and not just a short term weight loss.

heybales

MFP suggested that I eat 1200 calories a day to lose 2lbs a week. I typically eat around 1200-1400 plus add exercise. I have even eating up to 1900 (not often) calories. I am trying to make healthier choices and add exercising instead of starving myself. I am rather new to MFP and still confused about whether to eat my exercise calories or not.

You got it!

You understood it correctly. That's why you get the credit for exercise, and your daily goal automatically goes up - because your daily goal, with or without exercise logged, already has that deficit in it.

Daily maintenance - deficit = daily goal + optional exercise done = increased daily goal

is the same thing as

Daily maintenance + exercise - deficit = daily goal

If the exercise is done.

MFP is a fitness pal because you don't get those calories until you do the exercise.

honkytonks85

Sometimes it's easier to count your total calories for the week, or several days together, and take an average. It gives you a lot more room to work with. That way if you want to splurge one day, you don't have to feel bad knowing you can make up for it the rest of the week. Helps this become a lifestyle and not just a short term weight loss.

I am for this, this is why I have my goal set to maintenance and then aim to see some green numbers there every week whether I go well over some says and others I go under, the overall deficit is what counts