Just starting-question

brenbrenm

I just started on here, and it is telling me to use 1320 for my max calories. I'm looking to lose about 1/2 lb a week until I hit my goal loss of 13 lbs. This is WAY less than I've been eating, and I'm very hungry. According to one thread on here, it said before I should assume that the calorie number MFP gave me was correct, I should continue eating and exercising as I was before, logging all of it on here for about a month to determine how many calories I was eating and burning in order to maintain? I've actually been gaining....about a lb every 2 months....so I'm not sure how I would do that.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

There isn't enough information to be accurate here...but let me speculate.

Providing your stats are input correctly as with your lifestyle (Sedentary, active, etc) the goal is correct. Please keep in mind that your lifestyle is EXCLUDING ALL exercise activity.

As you burn through exercise, make sure that you are using an HRM to get an accurate burn (I have found MFP estimates are way off). Add those back in to what you can eat and EAT ALL THE FOOD

GauchoMark

have you logged your food during that 2 month period? If so, you can compare your total calories for 2 months to your weight change and "know" how many calories you typically burn per day. If you haven't logged everything, you don't have enough info to do that.

If you don't want to use the MFP estimate, I personally, wouldn't wait to do more data collection if you don't already have all that data. I would start logging everything, make a calorie deficit restriction you can deal with, and stick to it for a month and see how it goes. At the end of the month, evaluate your progress versus your calories and make adjustments from there.

Quick question - what did you set your weight loss goal at? Did you change it from the recommended option?

caseythirteen

There is a TON of good advice on this site for figuring out BMR, TDEE and exercise calories, etc. I would start with some of the pinned posts up top and read read read. My trying to relay that info here would not even remotely do it justice! I agree that tracking what you eat now is a great place to start. Then once you figure out your values than maybe seeing what you are eating would be a good insight to know how to adjust from there.

erickirb

I just started on here, and it is telling me to use 1320 for my max calories. I'm looking to lose about 1/2 lb a week until I hit my goal loss of 13 lbs. This is WAY less than I've been eating, and I'm very hungry. According to one thread on here, it said before I should assume that the calorie number MFP gave me was correct, I should continue eating and exercising as I was before, logging all of it on here for about a month to determine how many calories I was eating and burning in order to maintain? I've actually been gaining....about a lb every 2 months....so I'm not sure how I would do that.

1320 is not your max goal, it is a target and you should aim to be within +/-100 cal of it (going over by 100 is better than under by 300). In addition to that you should be eating back what you burn, so if you burn 400 cals during a workout, on that day you should eat 1720 (1320+400) or close to it.

I suggest you give this a go, and in 4-6 weeks if you are not getting the results you are looking for re-evaluate at that time.

GauchoMark

Please keep in mind that your lifestyle is EXCLUDING ALL exercise activity.

This statement is not entirely true. The intent of the lifestyle question is to set your activity level to what you typically do every day just as part of your life/job.

Here are the options:
Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)
Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

For example, if you are a bike messenger, then pick very active, but don't log "biking" as exercise. You would only log exercise that you do that is extra from a typical day.

That said, I like the method of just always picking sedentary and logging all exercise...

islebutterfly09

I think it would be a really good idea to keep eating the same way for maybe a week and just track it all, just to find out what the difference is in calories, as well as what kinds of food you are eating. Awareness is the first step to getting things accomplished. If you are ravenously hungry on 1320, maybe it isn't the amount of cals that is the problem, but the composition of it. Foods with high fiber and protein will keep you more full.

lilawolf

Exercise so that you can eat more calories. Cut carbs, especially empty/processed carbs, and increase protein and fat intake which will make you feel more satisfied and less hungry. To determine a realistic calorie goal and learn more about where you are at and where you want to be, read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12?hl=2.0

By the way, I am relatively close to my goal like you are (where it is harder to lose). I have lost 8lbs in 50 days at ~1500 cals (+ exercise) or ~500 cal deficit. I have NEVER ONCE been hungry.

brenbrenm

Ok....according to all of the research I've done, in order to maintain at a sedentary level, I could eat 1620. I am going to try to cut that to 1500 and exercise as usual. I'm hoping that will give me a 1-2 lb loss a month which I will be thrilled with!. I am going to eat and exercise as normal for one week, just out of curiosity so I can see what I've been eating in the past 2 months to cause me to gain.

lewcompton

If you are finding yourself hungry with 1300 calories then perhaps part of the problem is the source of your calories...
Are you taking a multivitamin and any other supplements like Omega 3 or gingko biloba? If not then do so...
Try to eat at least five servings of high fiber whole grain per day... Eat at least 3 servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per day... Drink at least the eight and as many as sixteen cups of water per day. Eat leaner proteins and avoid any empty calories. Eat beans at least once per day and onions as well... Dr. Joel Fuhrman the Blood Sugar Solution and Dr. Amen's Amen Solution could both benefit your ideas about what foods to eat and why. Also include at least one ounce of nuts and at least one teaspoon of flaxseed in your diet as well. I've found I actually have to force myself to eat more than 1300 calories in a day and I still weigh over 300... I've now dropped 65 pounds since starting in July and I feel more energetic and focused than I have since my early 20's... Good luck and keep figuring out what will work for you...

nxd10

There isn't enough information to be accurate here...but let me speculate.

Providing your stats are input correctly as with your lifestyle (Sedentary, active, etc) the goal is correct. Please keep in mind that your lifestyle is EXCLUDING ALL exercise activity.

As you burn through exercise, make sure that you are using an HRM to get an accurate burn (I have found MFP estimates are way off). Add those back in to what you can eat and EAT ALL THE FOOD

Excellent advice.

Also, look at what you're eating. If you've been eating a lot of food with sugar and easy to digest carbs, you will be hungry all the time because your insulin levels go up to get that sugar out of your blood stream (an insulin spike) and then you need to eat more to have enough sugar in your system (I'm starving!).

Look up information on glycemic index of foods.

Bottom line, though, is that lowering your carbs will help make the calories you eat more satisfying. Pick your foods wisely. And when I' m talking lower carbs, I'm talking 40% of your calories, not low, low.