How many net calories should be my minium?

You shouldn't drop below 1200 per day according to MFP. Speed isn't everything. Health has to come first!

2lbs per week is feasible for someone larger, but it looks like you would be putting your health at risk if you try for that. Consult with your doctor, first, of course, but it seems you would be healthier losing 0.5-1lb per week.

I would stay within the 1200 calorie range losing weight is not a race to see who gets there first it's a life style change. Being healthy and maintaining your weight loss is the ultimate goal. 700 calories is way to low you will lose a lot of muscle mass. :happy: results!!

2 lbs. a week is for someone with 75 or more lbs. to lose not 15. You should be 1 lbs. a week its not healthy to lose weight to fast. Most of the people who do lose weight fast end up putting it right back on and then some. For a women the minimum is 1200 per day and you should eat at least half of your exercise calories back.

Eat 1200 burn 500 through exercise nets 700. The math works but it may be difficult to drop to 1200 per day while workng out at that intensity

try using the BMR (Base Metobolic Rate) calculator on this site
www.fat2fitradio.com

if you type in your current weight when it asks for your goal weight it will give your current BMR, I generally try not to eat below that.

I would like to lose at least 15 more pounds by Thanksgiving. According to a BMR calculator I found online, I should consume 1700 calories to maintain my weight (with no exercise) based on my age, height and weight. That means to lose a healthy 2 lbs per week...I need to save 7000 calories per week to lose at that rate. That means I have to save 1000 calories per day. 1700 minus 1000 = 700 which means I should consume only 700 net calories per day to lose at a rate of 2 lbs per day. Am I doing this calculation right. Everyone I talk to says that is too few calories. BUT...2 lbs per week weight loss doesn't seem like an unhealthy goal? Please help me figure this out!!!!

You BRM isn't what matters. You burn more than that lying in bed all day. You need to NET 1000 less, not do 1000 less than BMR. Calculate your TDEE if you were sedentary, then log all exercise and try to NET 1000 less than you burn.

And 2 lb/week is an unhealthy goal if you're close to your ideal weight. It's only a healthy goal if you're very overweight.

yes you dont want to be dipping below 1200, your body needs fuel to survive you dont want to starve your body as that can make losing fat difficult to budge and weight you do lose can come back with a vengeance once resuming a more healthy calorie intake. What others are saying is great advice, do more exercise to create the deficit. if you want the weight loss to stick and to be healthy a 1lb a week weight loss is better!
good luck

use the keto calculator rather than the BMI calculator. it will focus you on net carbs instead of simply calories. for a short term weight loss more effective.

I would like to lose at least 15 more pounds by Thanksgiving. According to a BMR calculator I found online, I should consume 1700 calories to maintain my weight (with no exercise) based on my age, height and weight. That means to lose a healthy 2 lbs per week...I need to save 7000 calories per week to lose at that rate. That means I have to save 1000 calories per day. 1700 minus 1000 = 700 which means I should consume only 700 net calories per day to lose at a rate of 2 lbs per day. Am I doing this calculation right. Everyone I talk to says that is too few calories. BUT...2 lbs per week weight loss doesn't seem like an unhealthy goal? Please help me figure this out!!!!

Oh no, you have just reminded me that Thanksgiving is about seven weeks away! :bigsmile:

Have you plugged in all the information into MFP to figure out your base calorie rate? The formula they use figures in your Base metabolic rate based on your normal activity without exercise, then when you do exercise you eat those calories back.

For example, I've a lot of women here say their BMR is 1,200, which could very well be yours as well (I don't know, though). Say you go do this killer run and burn about 400 calories. Because MFP already has your calorie deficit figured out based on how many pounds you told it you wanted to lose each week, you would eat back those exercise calories (or a portion of them if that's too much food for you), thus your calorie intake would be 1,600 a day when you exercise.

I started out wanting to lose 2 pounds a week, which gave me 1,200 calories without exercise. Then, when I was about 12 pounds to my goal, I changed it to lose one pound per week and was alloted 1,300 calories without exercise. When I am 8-10 pounds from my goal, I will change it to lose .5 pounds per week. Then, when I am at my goal, I will change my goals to maintenance.

You always want to eat enough to fuel your body, otherwise you won't feel too well.

It's not wise to under-eat because you will be left feeling drained. Do some extra walking or light exercise to earn more calories and then you can eat more. And the goal isn't unrealistic but sometimes the numbers don't reflect how many inches you lose - so don't feel discouraged if you're not meeting it because chances are you'll look better and be feeling great even if you only lose a small amount
Good luck reaching your goal!

This is why MFP really needs to add notations in the weekly weight loss goal section to better guide new members into choosing the appropriate deficit based on total fat mass to lose. This lack of information is leading too many people to pursue deficits not suitable for them in the belief that everyone can lose 2 lbs per week. I see so many threads of people confused, frustrated and even fearful of increasing calories when they eventually realize this.

I didn't find this to be a problem for me. I kept putting 2 lbs per week as my goal, but MFP wouldn't let me go below 1,200, which was unhealthy. MFP kept me at a loss of 0.7lbs, and so long as I eat to my recommended calories, I'm safe and losing weight (slowly). I appreciate this as a safety feature.

I think it should be your net calories that is around 700. That means eat no less than 1200 calories and burn off the rest (500) yo reach 700 per day. But that is a belly low number to aim for. I'd see where 1lb a week puts you.