Okay, seriously, I don't get it.

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2

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  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,088 Member
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    That thing is telling me to do 1400, so I guess I'll try that. But, I'm not supposed to be eating back calories then, right?



    Why not?

    I am about your height and I have a starting weight of 72 kg, I need to lose about 10 kg to get within recomended range of weight for my height. So about 20lb , same as you
    I am older than you though, I think age is factored into calculations too.

    I set it at lightly active, according to guidelines it suggested and I record any additional excercise - I dont do gym but if I work to work (about 20 min's there and back) or walk the dog, anything above everyday living.

    I only set it to lose 1/2 pound a week or in metric terms a kg a month - in 10 months I should reach my goal - slow, steady and reaistic was my aim.

    anyway, MFP gives me daily calorie limit of 1540 and then extra for any exercise - I aim to eat just under that per day.

    Hope I am doing it right?
  • elizak87
    elizak87 Posts: 249 Member
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    That thing is telling me to do 1400, so I guess I'll try that. But, I'm not supposed to be eating back calories then, right?



    Why not?

    I am about your height and I have a starting weight of 72 kg, I need to lose about 10 kg to get within recomended range of weight for my height. So about 20lb , same as you
    I am older than you though, I think age is factored into calculations too.

    I set it at lightly active, according to guidelines it suggested and I record any additional excercise - I dont do gym but if I work to work (about 20 min's there and back) or walk the dog, anything above everyday living.

    I only set it to lose 1/2 pound a week or in metric terms a kg a month - in 10 months I should reach my goal - slow, steady and reaistic was my aim.

    anyway, MFP gives me daily calorie limit of 1540 and then extra for any exercise - I aim to eat just under that per day.

    Hope I am doing it right?

    I was 73 kilos when I started here. My mfp calorie limit was also 1540 and I ate my exercise calories back. I have lost 12 kilos since August.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,088 Member
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    Good to hear Eliza - so you have lost about 2 kg a month on this same regime - will be very pleased with myself if I can do that. :smile:
  • checkmatekingtwo
    checkmatekingtwo Posts: 118 Member
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    If you're working, walking to and from the train, and going to classes at night, then you're not by any means sedentary. Why don't you get a pedometer and wear it for a few days to get an accurate idea of your activity level.

    Sedentary = <5000 step
    Lightly Active = 5000-7499 steps
    Somewhat Active = 7500-9999 step
    Active = 10000-12499 steps
    Highly Active = 12500+ steps

    I think you'll find you're at least lightly active. Then revisit the roadmap and recalculate your calories based on the new activity level.
  • stacezilla
    stacezilla Posts: 83
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    That thing is telling me to do 1400, so I guess I'll try that. But, I'm not supposed to be eating back calories then, right?



    Why not?

    I am about your height and I have a starting weight of 72 kg, I need to lose about 10 kg to get within recomended range of weight for my height. So about 20lb , same as you
    I am older than you though, I think age is factored into calculations too.

    I set it at lightly active, according to guidelines it suggested and I record any additional excercise - I dont do gym but if I work to work (about 20 min's there and back) or walk the dog, anything above everyday living.

    I only set it to lose 1/2 pound a week or in metric terms a kg a month - in 10 months I should reach my goal - slow, steady and reaistic was my aim.

    anyway, MFP gives me daily calorie limit of 1540 and then extra for any exercise - I aim to eat just under that per day.

    Hope I am doing it right?

    I was talking about the TDEE not the mfp.
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
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    You are right at a healthy weight now. 1200 calories per day for you is like losing 1 1/2 pounds per week which is what you have been losing. That is a fast weight loss for someone who has so little weight to lose and that is the reason many people would want you to up your calories to at least 1400 or 1500. Be patient and give yourself three to six months to reach your goals and you will have more calories to get in some good nutrition and make eating at maintenence calories an easy change.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    If you're working, walking to and from the train, and going to classes at night, then you're not by any means sedentary. Why don't you get a pedometer and wear it for a few days to get an accurate idea of your activity level.

    Sedentary = <5000 step
    Lightly Active = 5000-7499 steps
    Somewhat Active = 7500-9999 step
    Active = 10000-12499 steps
    Highly Active = 12500+ steps

    I think you'll find you're at least lightly active. Then revisit the roadmap and recalculate your calories based on the new activity level.
    I am sedentary lmao even with working and school I don't make 5000 steps a day sometimes...
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    1,200 worked perfectly for me. I'm at my goal weight now and having a hard time upping it in order to not lose any more weight because I'm used to it and get full on it.
  • pipandco6
    pipandco6 Posts: 5
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    I can't seem to work it out either!

    5ft 3in
    Weight now: 159lbs
    Target weight: About 120lb
    BMR = 1557
    TDEE = 1868

    how many cals a day would I need to eat to lose 1-2lbs a week?

    thanks
  • sstephanrodriguez
    sstephanrodriguez Posts: 36 Member
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    Have you ever calculated your BMR/TDEE? When I first started, I ate 1200 calories for the first month to kick start losing weight, but then decided I would slowly up it every few weeks so that I could reach a sustainable LIFETIME goal. I went from 140 to 120 in six months, and have been eating around 1500-1600 calories each day, then working out so I net around 1200 but don't feel hungry. I would look into calculations to see what you're burning just by living, and figure out the calorie reduction based on how much you need to lose :)
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,088 Member
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    forgive me if this is a really stupid question,:tongue: as everybody seems to know these numbers except me - I didnt calculate my BMR or TDEE - I just put in my height, weight, gender, age ,activity level and set it on 1/2 pound a week and it tells me to eat 1540 calories a day plus excercise calories.
    Why wont system work if I just follow that? - why do I need to know BMR and TDEE numbers?

    Like posters are saying eat 80% of your TDEE number per day - but cant you just eat the number they tell you, havent they worked this out for you?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    it's like minimum wage. some people can survive on it. very few thrive on it.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    You have less than 20 pounds to lose. Set MFP to lose .5lb/wk and see how many calories it tells you to eat. Unless you're very short, it's likely to be more than 1200.

    I'm 5'4. Is that considered short? haha

    you sound almost like me in size and activity level, and interests but that's here nor there.

    so MFP gave me 1200 as well until I put in my real weight when i found out i weighed 11 lbs more than i thought and i also adjusted for slower weight loss. so now i eat between 1200 and the second weight it gave me knowing the only thing that will happen is my weight loss will be faster or slower, or at least that's how I think it works.

    I've lost 5 lbs since middle of january so that sounds about right. right?

    oh and on workout days i eat back my calories because if i didn't i'd be so hungry, i am hungrier on those days.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I would starve eating that much (or should I say little?). I'm your height and I eat a minimum of 1500 calories everyday, and I consistently lose weight.

    I would simply prefer to be allowed to eat more food by getting my body moving through exercise which strengthens my heart and lungs in the process. :flowerforyou:
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
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    When I first came here. I put in MFP that I wanted to lose 2lbs a week - idiot move # 1

    Then, I started eating 1200 calories a day because MFP said so - idiot move # 2

    Also didn't eat back my exercise calories - idiot move # 3

    And put that I was sedentary.. also.. because I was an idiot.

    Until I poked around the forums and started listening to people who were smarter than me about this - I was exhausted and not really losing any weight. So I bumped up my calories by a few hundred and lost some weight.

    ^^This. All of it. Every last word.

    AGREEEED!

    I wish I never listened to mfp.. 1200 is too low.
    Eat -20% or -15% (depending on how much weight you want to lose) from your TDEE and neeeeever eveeerr net below your BMR.

    Please watch this...It explains it well

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&amp;feature=g-all-u

    All the best! :flowerforyou:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    OP based on the stats you posted, I would set your calories to 1635 and your macros to 40%carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. This method would not be eating back exercise cals.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    forgive me if this is a really stupid question,:tongue: as everybody seems to know these numbers except me - I didnt calculate my BMR or TDEE - I just put in my height, weight, gender, age ,activity level and set it on 1/2 pound a week and it tells me to eat 1540 calories a day plus excercise calories.
    Why wont system work if I just follow that? - why do I need to know BMR and TDEE numbers?

    Like posters are saying eat 80% of your TDEE number per day - but cant you just eat the number they tell you, havent they worked this out for you?

    You ate completely correct - it's just a different way of cutting the same pie.

    It is explained here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    One thing I find is that people often put the wrong activity level here - automatically putting it at sedentary (the desriptors do not help) when, in fact, unless you really are totally sedentary, most people should be at least lightly active.
  • jha1223
    jha1223 Posts: 141 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    It really is a lot of reading but here is what I have to say about that. There are 10,080 minutes in a week. Are you willing to take 10 minutes and read this? Are you willing to give that short amount of your week to read something that will give you the tools that you need to make a change in your life, forever? Do it.
  • tkw6
    tkw6 Posts: 14
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    I found that for me I could eat 1200 to 1500 a day and still lose weight every week and that's with working out everyday.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    it's like minimum wage. some people can survive on it. very few thrive on it.

    Perfect^

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