New to MFP! Need some inspiration and information!

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bac219
bac219 Posts: 16 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
So I am new to MFP. I first tried Calorie Count, created my account put in all my information and got a daily calorie intake of 1452 (even higher if I changed my exercise amount) and a time frame of 8 months to lose 65lbs. But I was getting frustrated that alot of foods weren't scanning or in their database so I did some research and read some good things about MFP.

Sure enough the food list here is much wider. My problem is MFP gave me a daily calorie intake of 1290. I know not to go below 1200 and I never would because that type of diet is a disaster waiting to happen. Even 1290 seems a little low to me. But I have had a HUGE problem losing weight in recent years.so I am wondering if I need to stick to lower calories to lose weight. I originally was going to set my goal for 1500 (which is close to what CC recommended) so now I am a bit confused.

My history...I am female, 44yrs old and 5'11". I weighed 167 up until I was 37 and I stopped birth control when I met my husband. Within the first year of being off BC I gained 25lbs, Then another 10lbs. I was at 215 when I tried Medifast and lost 35lbs in 5 months but gained ALL OF IT BACK AND THEN SOME when I stopped. DISASTER. I WILL NEVER GO ON A SEVERLY LOW CALORIE DIET EVER AGAIN. With the 35lbs I lost I had gone down to 180lbs....fast forward and I now weigh 238!!!!. Went to my doctor, my endocronologist, etc... its been very diffcult and depressing for me. I joined a gym...had a personal trainer and in a year I gained 21LBS!!!! Even the trainer couldn't understand it.

So I am DETERMINED to make this happen. If I can lose weight on MF I know I can lose weight some other way...I am focusing on protein BUT I am a bit confused as to how many calories.

Replies

  • imzadi481
    imzadi481 Posts: 86 Member
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    I'm fairly new here, but I must say that number seems quite low. Is your activity level set to sedentary? Did you include how many times/how long you plan on exercising in a week?
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    I am only 25 but I started at 238 which seems around your number. I put in a sedentary lifestyle with my workout plans and to lose 2 lbs a week and I was told to eat about 1250 calories a day. It has taken me a good long while to get to where I am now and be able stick to that to lose weight, I had many bad food habits to overcome. It is a low number with aggressive weight loss so make sure thats what you want to do. You can set it to lose slower. You also add the calories from exercise to that daily so if you exercise you get more. When I am being good about logging and following MFP I do lose easily and I feel great so I dont think it is an impossible thing. I think more importantly than the calorie count itself it make sure the foods you do eat are giving you the nutrition you need within your calories. If you eat crappy food for your calories you will feel crappy and still want to eat more. Feel free to friend me or look into my diary, it seems like we might be coming from a similar place so maybe we can help each other out some. I have learned alot along the way about myself and what works for me so maybe I can share some of that :) .
  • CamillaHerold
    CamillaHerold Posts: 60 Member
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    I think it might be one of those deals where you make a plan, and then do the plan. If it doesn't work, modify the plan. But start something reasonable, like say eating 1350 calories a day, with more protein and less carbs since you sound comfortable with that. Drink the right amount of water; calculate by taking your body weight in pounds, divide by two, and that is the number of ounces of water a day that you need. Remember, don't count caffeinated beverages. Hopefully you are exercising, but you didn't say anything about it. I am wondering if that might be why your weight went back up each time. I don't think you need to be an exercise junkie, but you might need to reevaluate the role exercise can play for you. If you are willing to commit to counting calories, I think it makes sense to commit to exercise. A reasonable 45 min walking, swimming, or biking plan could potentially double your calorie deficit each day (assuming sedentary, not eating back exercise calories, and eating a consistent 1350 a day). I don't need to preach the benefits of exercise here. You know what they are. Give yourself time, make a plan, and stick to it. Log what you do with ruthless honesty every day, and then you will have good data to evaluate. If you can commit to that, you will succeed; there's no doubt in my mind, because I did.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    MFPs output is only as good as the information it is given. What are your settings? I'm guessing sedentary and a loss of 2 lbs/week. This would explain your low calorie goal. Depending on how much you have to lose, that may be too agressive. If you are close to goal weight, consider setting the goal to 1 lbs/week instead. Also understand that MFP is a NEAT calculator, so it is not taking any exercise beyond your sedentary setting into account. This means that if you do any exercise (going for a walk, playing tennis, mowing the lawn, etc.), you are expected to eat more that day to compensate for the extra calories burned from the activity that has not been taken into account.
  • bac219
    bac219 Posts: 16 Member
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    I currently weigh 238 and I set my goal weight at 175. I did set it at 2lbs a week...guess I am eager. Maybe TOO eager? It didn't give me a time frame though (unless it did and I just didn't see it) but based on the math it would take 31 weeks (7 months). If I put in 1.5lbs a week, yes it does go higher...around 1450 I believe.

    I put in sedetary because I don't ALWAYS exercise and I didn't want to rountinely eat too much if I didn't get the exercise in.

    Maybe as long as I don't go below 1290 or over 1450 I will be okay.

    The thing is...I read eveything there is about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat etc....and I think to myself "BUT I DO ALL THAT ALREADY)! I truly do not eat that much. As I've been tracking my food on here I realized its not that much different than what I have always been eating....I think based on an average days Iwas usually at 1600 or so....so why is it that I just gain and gain and gain and can't even maintain? I am not a junk food junkie. I eat pretty healthy choices for my main meals and my snacks are usually some dark chocolate, a little ice cream maybe, one or two cookies, some crackers with cheese or hummus....etc

    So I am a tad confused as to what will be the magic formula for me. The Medifast diet I did where I lost alot of weight (but will never do that diet again...my calorie intake was like 900-1000 day. WAY TO LOW. I should have know better)...the good thing though it was high in protein so I am focusing on making sure I get protein with every meal.
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