Diet experts on here...HELP please!

Sarahneedstoshrink

I had My profile set to sedentary because I don't feel I am very active...I noticed I move around more than I thought , especially when I work,so I thought lightly active may be a better option for me....My calorie goal raised by more than 200! This change scares me! I am afraid I will not loose eating this much. I have been doing the best I can , I hardly go over and if I do its by very few, I try to go for a decent walk at least 4days a week. Any thoughts? I know there are alot of smart people on this site that might be able to offer help or advice, I would really be grateful! Please don't hate on me of bash me for my ignorance, I am new to all of this. I have been "heavy" for sometime now and I really want to make the change.

melaniecheeks

How long have you been at your current target, and how has that been working for you?

Remember that there is no Magic Number, it can all be a bit of trial and error, and any calorie figure you eat or exercise is only an estimate.

BeantownSooner

The main question that I would ask is how has it been going with it set at Sedentary? Are you still losing? If it isn't broke then no need to fix it and if it hasn't been that long then I say continue to roll with the current set up.

You have to keep in mind that all of these things are estimates. The calorie intake number, the calories you eat, the calories you burn through exercise, etc. When you estimate there is always a risk that the reality is quite different so keeping it at Sedentary at this point might be a good thing to do as it allows a bit of wiggle room.

Also, looking at your diary one thing you might think about is changing your marcos to be more balanced such as 40% Carbs/30% Protein/30% Fat. You can do this by going back into your Goals then do Custom and save the changes. Some people have a bit harder time losing weight with higher carbs counts and MFP's default for carbs is 55% of you calories. Plus more Protein will keep you fuller during the day.

Seajolly

Are you losing having it set on Sedentary? If not, perhaps you do need to eat more. All of my weightloss came once I realized I was actually eating far too little and my body was literally holding on to every little thing I ate because I wasn't eating enough!

Sarahneedstoshrink

I don't have the best scale, But I think I have lost somewhere between 2 and 5lbs set to sedentary in roughly 3 weeks. I have not been at it long so I am a bit clueless , but I am learning I am just not sure how active I really am...I do not want to over estimate and eat too much but I also don't want to starve my body. I am going to play around in the settings and change my carb, protein ,and fat goals and pay attention to how active I am the next few days...All of this seems very confusing to me leading me to think If I would have stuck with it before it would come easy now and I might be thin! Lesson learned! I am in this for the long haul

BeantownSooner

I think you're doing great as that's about a pound per week. I'd keep it at Sedentary for the time being and continue on. At some point in the future as you lose weight you will need to adjust and do so by adding 100-200 more calories for 3-4 weeks to see if that gets you moving. As the other poster said, it's trial and error to figure out what works.

The other thing is really listen to your body. If you're hungry eat, just make good choices. Even if you go over your number one day because you're hungry don't sweat it as long as it's healthy. Have some fresh fruit, veggies and nuts around for these times when you need a snack and can't afford a big meal. If you start feeling hungry everyday you're body if telling you that it needs more food. Add 100 at a time to get to a point where you don't have that feeling anymore. Also, cottage cheese is a wonderful addition (if you like it) and is very rich in protein. Just some little tricks that i've learned along the way.