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Calories Seem Low ..Need Advice

cooppromo
cooppromo Posts: 3 Member
edited February 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Usually I'm totally hit or miss when I try to lose weight (which explains why I've not succeeded unfortunately ) so I'm trying to get my calories, exercise ...everying lined up. It says I should have 1200 calories on this website. I'm starting at 196 and want to be around 130 lbs - I'm 49 yr old female and personally any lower and I feel and look awful. I go to the gym 5x a week and do some cardio 15-30 minutes a day and do strength training (for 6 weeks now)...Everything I've read says I need extra protein and around 1600 calories a day so I'm not sure which amount is right...I'm wondering if you have quite a few pounds to lose and you start off at a low calorie amount how do you cut even more when you start getting towards your goal weight. Also, I've entered my strength training exercises I do but can't see where to add them to my day so that it shows how many calories I'm burning...My cardio was no problem so not sure what I'm doing wrong.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated :smile:

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You've probably gone the route of picking losing 2 lbs/week. If so change that to 1 lb/week because you don't have a lot to lose. Next you can eat back some portion of your exercise so that will bring your calories up. As for strength training, it doesn't log calories because strength training really isn't a big calorie burner. If you absolutely need to have calories added for strength then go into the cardio section and put in strength training and it will give you a few.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    The calories here is all dependent on your desired weight loss in a week. If you set it to 2lbs a week that is why you got 1200.

    Try for 1- 1 1/2 and you should noticed an increase in your calorie limit.

    As well remember you need to eat back exercise calories as well so if you don't want to lose slower (which is the best way) then remember to eat back some of them to assure that you are fueling our workouts

    As for Strengh training it is under Cardio to add it.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    ".I'm wondering if you have quite a few pounds to lose and you start off at a low calorie amount how do you cut even more when you start getting towards your goal weight. "

    You can lose at 1600 or 1200, it's just a trade off in speed and comfort level.

    I don't think you need to cut lower when you get closer to goal weight. If anything, that'd be the time to start easing your calories back up to maintenance levels. Or if you prefer to hit goal then deal with maintaining, if you're really eating only 1200, you don't need to cut further for any remaining pounds.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    MFP does not include exercise when it calculates your daily needs, and then it takes a flat rate number from that depending on how many pounds per week you say you want to lose. 500 calorie deficit for 1 pound per week, 1,000 calorie deficit for 2 pounds per week, etc. So if you chose 2 pounds, that is likely too aggressive a deficit for you.

    And you need to eat more for exercise, as I said MFP doesn't include that, so when you do exercise you need more food for fuel. If you burn 400 calories during your workout, then that puts you in that 1600 range, 1200 + 400.
  • clintwagnon
    clintwagnon Posts: 1
    Up your cardio to 45 minutes. Stay in the fat-burning zone.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Up your cardio to 45 minutes. Stay in the fat-burning zone.

    This has nothing to do with the topic, and is also not necessary bs.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    You've probably gone the route of picking losing 2 lbs/week. If so change that to 1 lb/week because you don't have a lot to lose. Next you can eat back some portion of your exercise so that will bring your calories up. As for strength training, it doesn't log calories because strength training really isn't a big calorie burner. If you absolutely need to have calories added for strength then go into the cardio section and put in strength training and it will give you a few.

    this
  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
    You need to eat your exercise calories. So obviously you'll eat more than 1200.
  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
    Up your cardio to 45 minutes. Stay in the fat-burning zone.
    Very bad advice. In the end it does not matter if you burn fat or not, you just need to burn as much calories as possible. That is at a higher intensity. You'll lose more fat in the long run if you burn more.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    The "up your cardio" is very bad advice. This link helped me get my head around all this stuff. (I was able to go from 27% body fat to 19% in less than a year - not a record by any means, but not bad for mid-40s. :smile: )

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
This discussion has been closed.

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