seriously....only 1200 calories

jsjp
jsjp Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Mfp has me at 1200 calories. I am 5'4 1/2" tall and weigh 153. ( i started at 159). Anyways i am 38 with a goal of 135. I walk on the treadmill about five times a week and burn 300 calories each time. I am only lightly active as i dont work outside the home. I do eat bck calories burned by exercise. It doesnt matter if i punch in sededentary (sp?) or lightly active, or 1 lb a week or two lbs. a week. It doesnt change. Did I do something incorrect? I am just concerned i might be sabotaging my diet but not eating quite enough. Anyone else have this problem?

Replies

  • PDXContessa
    PDXContessa Posts: 49 Member
    1200 calories is correct. I am also 5'4" and I started out at 151 pounds (currently at 139). Even at 1200 calories, I don't lose a pound a week - probably more like 1 pound every other week. If you don't eat back the calories, of course you will lose faster, but if you're in no rush, then feel free to eat back what you burn. When you're eating 1200 calories a day, it's especially important to "make every calorie count." I try to eat nutritionally dense foods - lots of veggies and fruits and lean meats. (Personally, I've found it easier to cut out breads from my diet, but I know it's not a route for everyone.) I try not to drink any of my calories and I'm really careful with salad dressings things that don't really contribute much in the way of nutrition.

    You can do it. Good luck.
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    I just did a quick calculation and, according to what I arrive at, you should get close to 1400 calories if you put in lightly active and 1 lb. a week. Maybe try it again.
  • PlantBasedGrace
    PlantBasedGrace Posts: 64 Member
    I've heard 1200 calories is the lowest you can go before your body thinks it is starving. And when your body thinks it is starving, it will cling to whatever fat it can find. So if you are struggling, definitely add some to your daily limit.

    I started counting at 1200 calories, but struggled all the time. I'm now at 1400 and still losing weight and creating muscle.
  • mrsnimako
    mrsnimako Posts: 1
    I have found no matter the weight or height or age, they set you at 1200 net. You can go throught 1200 calories easily, but it makes me want to workout more so I can eat more as well :) Hopefully you'll be able to find things that are declicious and satisfying!
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    The way MFP calculates how many calories you should eat is by using your sedentary TDEE. By my calculations it is in the neighborhood of 1730. Then it subtracts 500 calories per day giving you 1230 (by my calculations, though MFP may use a different equation or add a variable I haven't accounted for). When you exercise, it adds those calories to your daily requirement. So if you burn 300 calories, it will tell you to eat 1500 calories. If you calculate out your TDEE for a lightly active day it is 1989 (again, by my calculations) so then subtracting 500 calories (for an estimated one pound per week loss) gives you 1500 calories.

    Basically, MFP is just taking your TDEE and subtracting 500 calories but instead of using an average, it calculates it out each day (when you enter your exercise).

    If you wanted to follow the TDEE-20% method, you would just take the 1989-20% and eat 1592 calories per day. The deficit of 400 calories per day would lead to about 1 lb loss per 8-9 days.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Mfp has me at 1200 calories. I am 5'4 1/2" tall and weigh 153. ( i started at 159). Anyways i am 38 with a goal of 135. I walk on the treadmill about five times a week and burn 300 calories each time. I am only lightly active as i dont work outside the home. I do eat bck calories burned by exercise. It doesnt matter if i punch in sededentary (sp?) or lightly active, or 1 lb a week or two lbs. a week. It doesnt change. Did I do something incorrect? I am just concerned i might be sabotaging my diet but not eating quite enough. Anyone else have this problem?
    The calc at scoobysworkshop (using 1-3 hrs light exercise/week) puts your BMR at 1438, your TDEE at 1977, and your TDEE - 20% at 1582, which would have you losing 41.1lbs per year, or about 4 lbs every 5 weeks.

    If you're doing 3-5 hours per week your TDEE goes to 2229 and TDEE -20% bumps up to 1783 calories per day.

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