Recommended Calorie Intake

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AbigailLouiseCarr
AbigailLouiseCarr Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not sure if this has already been posted, if so I apologise.
My recommended calorie intake is 1200 a day to achieve a 2 pound a week weight loss. To most people that sounds like barely any, but when I convert it into proper food, I feel like I'm overeating most days. I always weigh my food and scan the barcodes where possible so my calorie intake that is inputted is as close as possible, but I just think I'm eating too much to be able to achieve that weightloss and I don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated

Replies

  • michellechawner
    michellechawner Posts: 892
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    You're trying to lose too much too fast - you seem pretty small from your photo.

    2 pounds is a LOT a week.

    also, you need to net AT LEAST 1200, usually more.

    Try losing less to be more sustainable. And eat more. Especially if you are working out.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    Let me give you a hint: I'm 5'3" tall, and currently weigh 109 pounds - my maintenance weight - and my basal Metabolic Rate (what I need to eat just to survive!) is 1205 calories. Once I get up out of bed for the day and go to work - a very boring desk job, similar to being a boring student, sitting around all day), that number goes up. If I do any exercise at all beyond that (walking the dog, taking out the garbage, walking the stairs at work instead of the elevator) it goes up even higher. This is just to SURVIVE and maintain my weight. I burn around 1670 calories per day. If I eat only 1400 - 1500 calories per day, I lose weight around .25 to .5 pounds per day.

    What you need to do is not follow MFP's recommendations ('cause it starts everyone off at 1200 calories which is way too low).

    Take a look at this post and see if you have any other questions? https://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    You only have 20 pounds to do lose, 2 pounds a week is too aggressive. Don't go for more than 1 pound a week … meaning, you need to eat more calories. Especially considering you're a busy student and only 18. There is no need to eat so little.

    Weight loss doesn't occur because you feel hungry, and it isn't hampered by feeling like you're eating enough. In fact, feeling hungry is just going to be counterproductive, because you can't maintain that! Weight loss is from consuming fewer calories than you use, and most likely you can eat 1600 or even more and still lose weight well.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You only have 20 pounds to do lose, 2 pounds a week is too aggressive. Don't go for more than 1 pound a week … meaning, you need to eat more calories. Especially considering you're a busy student and only 18. There is no need to eat so little.

    Weight loss doesn't occur because you feel hungry, and it isn't hampered by feeling like you're eating enough. In fact, feeling hungry is just going to be counterproductive, because you can't maintain that! Weight loss is from consuming fewer calories than you use, and most likely you can eat 1600 or even more and still lose weight well.

    All of this!
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    Weight loss doesn't occur because you feel hungry, and it isn't hampered by feeling like you're eating enough. In fact, feeling hungry is just going to be counterproductive, because you can't maintain that! Weight loss is from consuming fewer calories than you use, and most likely you can eat 1600 or even more and still lose weight well.
    :flowerforyou: Very nicely stated!
  • AbigailLouiseCarr
    AbigailLouiseCarr Posts: 14 Member
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    But the thing is I'm not hungry. I eat 3 proper meals with snacks inbetween. I guess that maybe I am expecting too much too fast, it's just the amount I'm eating, when it's written down infront of me appears too much. I don't mean I'm going to starve my body, if I need to eat more to get the calories up then I do, by having some more fruit or something like that.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    Try eating more calorie dense foods like peanut butter or even just the peanuts themselves. That will give you the calories without the "full" feeling that can come with it. Fruit or other high-fiber foods will almost *always* make you feel full, but tend to not give you the right amount of calories?
  • AbigailLouiseCarr
    AbigailLouiseCarr Posts: 14 Member
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    When I'm hungry I always eat, as long as it's proper hungry (not just bored etc) but if it's been a few hours since a meal I'll have a snack because I don't want to starve my body. I'm not new to dieting so I do understand the concept and everything. But sometimes when I make a normal meal there's too much for me to eat which means I have to log fewer calories. I guess my body expected to feel more hungry on a diet than before when I used to just eat whenever I wanted.
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
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    It's not too much. Try this calorie calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    Yep, you're more than likely right. But sometimes, if you're not eating the right amount of calories, you need to make a "switch up" not necessarily in the amount that you, but WHAT you eat....hence the more calorie-dense foods. Good luck. It's hard to think this way, but it worked for me VERY well!

    http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm
  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
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    I know what you mean, I still feel like im eating way to much food. When I first started out my nutritionist put me at 1200/day and told me to eat back 1/2 my exercise calories. Once my system was shocked and my metabolism started burning like crazy she moved me up to 1750 and told me to try and eat back 1/2 of my calories. In another month we are increasing it again, every day I feel like I eat a lot of food that I dont "need". Trust me when I tell you, EAT EAT EAT... snack all day and enjoy every bite.

    Edit: Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Apples, Avocado -- all high calorie yummy things to bring your calories up.
  • AbigailLouiseCarr
    AbigailLouiseCarr Posts: 14 Member
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    I don't want to feel like I'm being told off for stupid dieting because I don't want to be starving my body whatsoever because I know weight loss won't happen like that, or it will but when I eat normally again it will pile back on, it's about healthy lifestyle changes, which is what I've done by changing my old meals into healthy ones and emitting bad snacks. I'm hoping to try lose 3 stone in total, but just start with a smaller amount first and see how I feel about myself then. I'm thinking of trying to do 1200 on 3 days a week and 1500 the rest of the week, as I've heard that can be quite good aswell. I guess my diet needs some more variety aswell since I tend to eat the same thing everyday as I know it'll be the right amount :)

    Thank you

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