weight loss

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Hi l have my weight loss goal set at 2lbs loss per week. I always leave any where from 500-1000 calories remaining. My question is doesnt this mean I will lose more than 2lbs a week if mfp has set my calorie intake at 1660 but I dont use them all. Please clarify I want to make sure im using the site properly. Sometimes I find it difficult to eat all the calories especially when I exercise.

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  • itsscottwilder
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    Here's the thing, not getting enough calories is just as bad as over eating. Your body thinks it's starving and tries desperately to hold on to every calorie it can.

    Google the term BMR calculator. That's roughly the amount of calories you want to take in on a daily basis,
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    Hi l have my weight loss goal set at 2lbs loss per week. I always leave any where from 500-1000 calories remaining. My question is doesnt this mean I will lose more than 2lbs a week if mfp has set my calorie intake at 1660 but I dont use them all. Please clarify I want to make sure im using the site properly. Sometimes I find it difficult to eat all the calories especially when I exercise.

    To use MFP the way it is intended you need to meet "Your Daily Goal" on the food diary. That's your 1660 + whatever you earn from exercise. It's a goal to reach, not be 500 to 1000 calories under.
  • sexxy_dee
    sexxy_dee Posts: 42 Member
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    Here's the thing, not getting enough calories is just as bad as over eating. Your body thinks it's starving and tries desperately to hold on to every calorie it can.

    Google the term BMR calculator. That's roughly the amount of calories you want to take in on a daily basis,
  • sexxy_dee
    sexxy_dee Posts: 42 Member
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    Ok thank you for the help. I have looked this up and did the calculations.
  • sexxy_dee
    sexxy_dee Posts: 42 Member
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    Hi l have my weight loss goal set at 2lbs loss per week. I always leave any where from 500-1000 calories remaining. My question is doesnt this mean I will lose more than 2lbs a week if mfp has set my calorie intake at 1660 but I dont use them all. Please clarify I want to make sure im using the site properly. Sometimes I find it difficult to eat all the calories especially when I exercise.

    To use MFP the way it is intended you need to meet "Your Daily Goal" on the food diary. That's your 1660 + whatever you earn from exercise. It's a goal to reach, not be 500 to 1000 calories under.
  • sexxy_dee
    sexxy_dee Posts: 42 Member
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    Ok. I will try to eat more. That sounds a little crazy to me being that's what got me in this predicament.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense, especially when you grow up with weird deprivation dieting things and are told that to lose weight you have to be starving and work out like a maniac. In my experience I lose best when I stay between my 1 and 2 lb loss goals. I'll have to tighten up my eating when I get to a smaller amount to lose, but for now it's working.
  • marysidneyherbert
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    I'm new to all of this too. It has to do with "metabolic damage," meaning that when we consistently don't eat enough, because we are dieting, we mess up our metabolism. Our bodies start reacting to that by being really good at storing fat, releasing various hormones and so forth. And that makes it extremely hard to lose weight. To get our metabolism back to a healthy level, we're supposed to eat the right amount of calories. So when you exercise, and earn those calories, you're supposed to eat them. Read some of the links in the threads that are posted at the top of this category for further explanation--it's been quite a revelation to me.