Updating goals question about settings

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Janelle173
Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or not. When I go to my settings and update my goals, I set my activity level to slightly active.

I put that I want to work out 7 days a week, 27 minutes per work out.

I want to lose 2 lbs a week.

It told me that I should eat 1200 calories a day, and will burn like 1100 or so calories a week in my exercise. (It would actually be 1400 per my HRM...but anyways)

It said with this info, I should lose 1.4 lbs a week.

I went back and changed it to where I took out the exercising part, so it told me to eat 1200 calories a day, and i was expected to not work out at all, thus not burning any calories through working out.

BUT, it said I was still going to lose 1.4 lbs a week...

Why is this? Does anyone know?

Thank you in advance...if there is a simple answer, I apologize for my ignorance!

-j

Replies

  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
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    ALSO- I tried it the other way, and did like 7 days, 60 minutes per day of exercise. it said would burn 2550 calories through exercise, still eat 1200 calories a day and still lose 1.4 lbs a week.

    I know that it says that you eat back your calories from working out...i get that part now. But, if my goal is to lose 2 lbs a week, why doesn't mfp recognize that?

    It is essentially saying...i think...that i can not safely lose 2 lbs a week? i know this is all science...but it doesn't seem realiztic that i can not lose 2 lbs a week safely...and since i feel as though i can, why can't mfp give me totals for it? Would it require mfp to recognize a net calorie total of less than 1200 for the day to do so? If so, is that why it won't put me losing more than 1.4 lb a week?

    I know I don't HAVE to eat back all my calories...I am just trying to figure out how the profile is designed and why that 1.4 expected loss per week won't budge no matter what i put in the totals! lol
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
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    bump. no one?
  • lambeas
    lambeas Posts: 229 Member
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    MFP will not allow you to net below 1200 cals... so maybe that's why its stuck. Also, you are not that big to be losing 2lbs a week... i think that is for larger people(250lbs +)... you are pretty small to start with.

    Keep doing what you are doing, always eat min 1200 cals, and it will come off. Remeber no one walks around with their weight flashing over their heads.... weight is only a number. It is the waist and hips measurement that is more important... cause then you can ask for a small size when shopping- and who does not LOVE that!

    You are rocking it!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,081 Member
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    Yeah what Iambeas said.

    Set your Goals with this in mind:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    Then, go to "Groups" in the blue bar at the top of this page and in the Search field under Groups, type "Eat more to lose" - there is a group with great sticky posts you should read. They will help you understand.

    Eat those extra calories earned by exercise. That is how this site is designed.

    For even more:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    MFP also assumes that you will eat back your exercise calories. If you have 1200 for today, and you burn 300 calories, it will tell you to eat 1500 for the day.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I would out yourself in as sedentary and log your exercise - what you actually do, not what you say you'll do. Then eat back the exercise calories.

    Do you have a LOT to lose? Two pounds a week is pretty severe. You might be happier with a goal you can succeed at and upping it after a few weeks if its too easy.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
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    It doesn't matter what you put as your exercise goals, MFP does your calories based on your current weight, height, age, gender, activity level, and # of pounds you want to lose per week. Then you must log your exercise just as you log you food each day and then it will adjust your calories each day based on how much you actually exercised. Good luck
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    MFP does NOT include the exercise projection in your calorie goals AT ALL. You are expected to add exercise as you do it, and eat the calories back.

    You can add 0 or 1 million minutes of exercise planned per week, result will be the same calorie goal.
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. I particularly like the part where the first responder said something about my not being that big to begin with!! lol. :) I feel pretty large for me, and am considered quite obese per my bmi. Thank you for putting those numebrs into perspective for me, first responder as well as the second with those figures. I would rather lose 1.4 lbs a week than 0 lbs a week, as long as it is consistent.

    :) Thanks again everyone.
  • luvScott
    luvScott Posts: 15 Member
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    I just did the same thing. My activity level has been set at sedentary and I've been told to eat 1300 calories (I've been doing that for about 5 weeks and I've lost 10lbs). I actually move a fair bit during the day so I changed it to lightly active just to see what it would do and it moved me up to 1450 calories - but both said I would lose 5 pounds by December 26th. I think I'm going to leave it at 1450 because I've been feeling hungry lately, but I hope it doesn't mess things up. I really want to lose those 5 pounds by Christmas!

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