MFP says 1200

Glampinupdoll

So mfp says 1200 cals to lose 2 lb per week. I'm 5'7" starting 168. I'm pretty active mostly every day. Just want to make sure I'm reading posts correctly that I should log exercise then eat those calories that mfp adds back? Just makes the cals in vs cals out saying seem inaccurate? Want to make sure I'm doing things right instead of wasting 2 weeks then finding out later I've slowed my metabolism more!! Thanks!!!

knottyceltic

Can that possibly be right? 1200 cals a day for a grown woman of your height sounds terribly low, particularly if you are active.

knottyceltic

I would think you should be in the 17-1800 calorie region for your age/gender/current weight/height.

AmyRhubarb

It's giving your 1200 because you set your weekly loss goal at 2lbs a week, which is really too aggressive for someone your size. Setting it to one pound or even a half pound a week would be better, and would give you a more realistic calorie goal.

I'm only an inch taller than you, and 20 years older, and I lose on 1800-2000 cals a day.

If you stick with MFPs settings, even at a higher goal, yes, definitely eat your exercise cals back. MFP is set up that you are already at a defciti with your daily goal, meaning you;d lose without exercising, just eating to goal. That's why they will add your exercise cals back into your daily goal when you log your workout.

But I would definitely change your weekly loss goal to 1lb a week or less. You may still lose more than that per week, some weeks you may lose less - weight loss is funny like that. But eating too little can backfire on ya, and eventually stall any weight loss, slow your metabolism, and all sorts of other not so fun stuff.

bonitacash08

1200 calories will only work for a short time. I started at 180 and had a 40 lb weight loss goal and I lost almost 20 pretty consistantly in the past 2.5 months but now I'm starting to notice that I need more. At 168 you should set your goals to 1 lb a week because it's the best way to safely take off the weight.

**MFP will not recommend a person eat less than 1200 a day, no matter what their starting weight or goals are. 1200 is just the lowest they'll recommend for you, NOT what you would need to lose 2 lbs a week. I just calculated your TDEE for your height, weight, and age and it's roughly 2100 calories. To lose 2 lbs a week you'd need to eat 1100 calories.

A safe weight loss would be around 1600-1700 calories for you, eating back the calories you work off during your workouts.

Hope this helps! As someone who just recently switched from the 1200/day routine, I have to tell you it's worth it to listen to good advice

ThickMcRunFast

If you say you want 2lbs/week, mfp pretty much defaults to 1200 calories. It gave me this (I'm 5'9, highly active, and only had 10 or so pounds to lose, I just didn't know any better) I would suggest finding your TDEE and going from there.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

OtiWanKenobi

2 lbs a week seems aggressive.

I'm 5'7" and about 195lbs. I am eating 1900 - 2000 calories a day and I don't eat back my excercise calories. I used the calculations based on "IPOARM".

I did the whole 1200 cals for two years (lost a lot of weight 245 ->198) BUT it ruined my metabolism...I hit the never ending year long plateau. In December, SW 198, I started eating around 1900....gained weight (203), stuck with it and finally beginning in March I started to loose weight again. I'm at 195 and steadily loosing weight.

What you could do is set it to lightly active and to loose 1lb to 1 1/2 at most! Then eat back your exercise calories. Or follow the instructions from the link that the person posted above called In Place of a Road Map.

Glampinupdoll

Thanks guys! Got my TDEE and feel much better about it now with the work outs!!!