Now I'm Confused ...

leighgray7
leighgray7 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP set my calorie goal at 1200/day. But I checked Scooby and it says my TDEE is 1891 and put my daily goal at 1500. So at 1200 will I be eating too little? I lost 6 pounds, then had a few "whatever" days (but still had only one *really* "whatever" day - it was my birthday), and haven't lost anything else. So should I be eating a little more?

And do calories matter by the day? The week? That is, could I eat 1200 calories six days a week and then have one "whatever" day a week? Would that be the same intake-wise as 1500 a day? What about alternating lower (1200) and higher (1600-1800) days?

There's so much conflicting information out there ... what should I be doing as a starting point?

Replies

  • emmalousmom1
    emmalousmom1 Posts: 121 Member
    What did you put your weight loss goal at for mfp ??2lb per week?? with mfp they expect you to eat back your exercise calories on top of the 1200cal, with the tdee method, which I like better you do not eat back your exercise calories. so I would set my calorie goal at 1500 and not eat any exercise calories back, do this for at least one month and then reevaluate:) How old and how tall are you, you put your ultimate goal at 124lb, wow that is small:)
  • victoriahunt93
    victoriahunt93 Posts: 18 Member
    I can see why you are confused and you're right, there will always be several different sources of information that conflict, etc. The most important thing to remember is that a pound of weight is 3500 calories. So, if you cut out 500 calories a day, for 7 days, you'll lost a pound. However, you don't necessarily have to think of it in terms of how many calories you should eat per day. You could instead monitor how many calories you per week, per month, etc.

    It would be healthiest for your mind and your body to eat roughly the same amount of calories per day because it helps you establish a routine and your body falls into a rhythm. Another important thing to remember is that your food intake should be more about quality than quantity. Eating 1500 cals of really clean and healthy food will always be a better option than eating 1200 cals of empty, processed food. I would say, try to stick to 1200 cals of healthy food, but don't be too hard on yourself if some days are 1300, 1400, etc. Healthy eating is more important than exact calorie counts. Hope that's helpful!
  • leighgray7
    leighgray7 Posts: 5
    lol - I'm only 5 feet ... and thank you so much, your answers really helped!

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