How do I know if 1200 is appropriate for my weight loss?

peachy0987
peachy0987 Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just wondered how accurate mfp is when calculating calorie goals for weight loss. Have you seasoned mfp members found it to be fairly reliable? I had originally set my settings for a 1 lb a week loss. They set my target calorie goal at 1200. After a week I changed my setting to 2 lbs a week for my loss goal. The calorie per day is still 1200. Just wondering if that is reliable.

Any positive, constructive feedback is welcome!

**Btw, I am approaching my weight loss from a nutrition standpoint primarily this time. I have done it focusing on exercise in the past, and had success, but I don't have as much free time now and thought I would try to FOCUS on nutrition and if I work out great, if not at least I am eating right!

Thank you in advance!!

Replies

  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    MFP won't suggest anything lower than 1200 as it is not healthy to have less than this and can cause your body to go into starvation mode. You can create your deficit through exercise or nutrition but I would recommend that you still stick to this minimum. I have tried a consumption of 1000 and even 800 to try to break a plateu with very little success!!

    I have to admit i exercise quite a bit and often don't eat all of my exercise calories back so my Net calories do dip below the magic 1200 number. I still seem to loose weight this way as long as I have the calories to start off with but don't starve yourself, it is counter-productive!!

    Good Luck
  • peachy0987
    peachy0987 Posts: 30 Member
    Thank you! I try to make sure to keep my 1200 calories each day without going over. It's been fairly easy for me to maintain that. I notice a huge improvement in what I am eating, so I hope that this will assist in my goals of losing the 1-2 lbs a week, just from food choices alone. I had a tendancy to eat AWFUL at least 3-4 times a week...and now I'm sticking to 1200 a day, every day.

    I do workout now, and wasn't doing that before either. So, hopefully it will all eventually get me to a healthier weight! Little by little probably.

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