1400 calorie goal?
tenatroy1
Posts: 48
I've been losing 2lbs or so a week but I was wondering if 1400 is too little a goal amount? I'm 5'8 245 lbs and I exercise for 2 hours a day (morning and night). I'm worried about losing muscle rather than fat because it's a pretty low number.
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Replies
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So are you straight up eating 1400 calories AND exercising for 2 hours? Do you not eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories? If not, start eating at least some of them back. 1400 calories at your height and weight is too low with that amount of exercise. Do your body some favors and fuel it.
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I usually don't but I don't mind eating a bit more!So are you straight up eating 1400 calories AND exercising for 2 hours? Do you not eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories? If not, start eating at least some of them back. 1400 calories at your height and weight is too low with that amount of exercise. Do your body some favors and fuel it. 0 -
Yeah, I think 1400 would be too low for you. I know of people who are only just getting to 1400s and are in the 140-150lbs. If you are doing 2 hours morning a night, you should be able to hit a decent daily deficit without going too low in calories. If you choose 1400 now, you will get stuck at some point, it's inevitable... would you want to go lower than that? obviously wouldn't be sustainable right? Do what you can, keep a calorie limit that you still continue to lose weight, but eat as many calories while you can, you'll thank yourself in the long run once you start seeing plateau's, as they will come much later than if you jump into it
As for retaining muscle mass, If you're doing some sort of weight training, your goals when retraining muscle would be to increase as much strength / maintain as much strength as best as possible, once your calorie deficit starts to take a toll on your workouts, thats because the deficit may be too high which affects your performance, the other reason would be that when you become lean i.e 20% below in body fat, then it becomes a battle to maintain strength0 -
Your diary isn't open so...questions forth coming...
What sort of exercise? Cardio or resistence/strenght?
Do you eat your exercise calories back?
Do you eat enough protien?
If you are worried about losing muscle then ensure you are dong Strenght/resistence training and get enough protien.
ETA: I don't think 1400 is enough. You could probably eat about 1700-1800 plus part of your exercise calories and still lose lots. I eat 1600 and lose .8lb a week.0 -
How do you open the diary?
Bodyweight/Cardio
Not really (That's a ton of food...)
I have a serving of meat or fish with every meal.0 -
Fixed the diary thing you can check it out nowYour diary isn't open so...questions forth coming...
What sort of exercise? Cardio or resistence/strenght?
Do you eat your exercise calories back?
Do you eat enough protien?
If you are worried about losing muscle then ensure you are dong Strenght/resistence training and get enough protien.
ETA: I don't think 1400 is enough. You could probably eat about 1700-1800 plus part of your exercise calories and still lose lots. I eat 1600 and lose .8lb a week.0 -
That sounds very low.
I am just now at 1,320 calories (without addition of exercise) and I'm 5'8" and 199 lb, set to lose 1.5 lb/wk. When I was 245 around last June, I was still at around 1,580 I believe.
DEFINITELY eat back at least half of your exercise calories. I totally understand if you feel that MFP calories burned are overestimated, I'd agree. But if you are exercising 2-4 hours every day that is a pretty big burn. Even if you were just walking at a leisurely pace for 2 solid hours daily, that is a pretty good calorie burn and you need to refuel your body!
I'd also consider going to 1.5 lb/wk, personally. And yes, partly because that's worked well for me.0 -
To open your diary go to Settings > Diary Settings and go to the bottom. You would want to set it to public for us to see.
I think you are a little low myself. I'm 5'4" and 195 pounds and I eat 1400 calories a day to drop 1 pound a week. If you are dropping 2 pounds a week you are too low. Add some healthy high calorie item to your diet like avocado or the like. Something with a healthy fat to it.0 -
The good news is that you don't have to ask other MFP'ers for the answer, and you don't have to guess! There are scientific formulas which will tell you exactly what to do.
I'm using the following calculator, for your future reference: http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/tools/Calculator-Daily-Calorie.html
You gave us the following parameters:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 7x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,925
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 3,320 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,820 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 2,320 cals a day
My suggestion is to choose 2 lbs a week for 2,320 cals a day. Here's where it gets REAL easy:
-Manually input 2,320 into MFP.
-Eat that many calories a day and track them meticulously.
-Keep exercising as you have been, but don't enter your exercise calories back into MFP and don't eat them back (they are already accounted for, in the calculation). Just eat 2,320 and exercise.
-Every time you lose 10 lbs, redo the calculation and re-enter that amount into MFP.
-Rinse and repeat.
Boom. Done. No questions, no guesswork, no opinions. Just science. If you have any questions, let me know.0 -
I do love avocado and I had some today actually!To open your diary go to Settings > Diary Settings and go to the bottom. You would want to set it to public for us to see.
I think you are a little low myself. I'm 5'4" and 195 pounds and I eat 1400 calories a day to drop 1 pound a week. If you are dropping 2 pounds a week you are too low. Add some healthy high calorie item to your diet like avocado or the like. Something with a healthy fat to it.0 -
I will totally do that! Thank you and thank science!The good news is that you don't have to ask other MFP'ers for the answer, and you don't have to guess! There are scientific formulas which will tell you exactly what to do.
I'm using the following calculator, for your future reference: http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/tools/Calculator-Daily-Calorie.html
You gave us the following parameters:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 7x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,925
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 3,320 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,820 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 2,320 cals a day
My suggestion is to choose 2 lbs a week for 2,320 cals a day. Here's where it gets REAL easy:
-Manually input 2,320 into MFP.
-Eat that many calories a day and track them meticulously.
-Keep exercising as you have been, but don't enter your exercise calories back into MFP and don't eat them back (they are already accounted for, in the calculation). Just eat 2,320 and exercise.
-Every time you lose 10 lbs, redo the calculation and re-enter that amount into MFP.
-Rinse and repeat.
Boom. Done. No questions, no guesswork, no opinions. Just science. If you have any questions, let me know.0 -
Ummmm.... If you are currently actually only eating 1400 calories a day (do you weigh and measure all of your ingredients and enter your own recipes?), and if you are currently losing 2 lbs weekly eating that, then I can only predict that raising your food intake significantly above your current intake (i,e. to 2300 calories) would result in significant weight gain. What you are currently doing is resulting in a safe weekly weight loss. Increasing your calories will only slow that weight loss down or cause you to gain weight.0
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I will totally do that! Thank you and thank science!The good news is that you don't have to ask other MFP'ers for the answer, and you don't have to guess! There are scientific formulas which will tell you exactly what to do.
I'm using the following calculator, for your future reference: http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/tools/Calculator-Daily-Calorie.html
You gave us the following parameters:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 7x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,925
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 3,320 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,820 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 2,320 cals a day
My suggestion is to choose 2 lbs a week for 2,320 cals a day. Here's where it gets REAL easy:
-Manually input 2,320 into MFP.
-Eat that many calories a day and track them meticulously.
-Keep exercising as you have been, but don't enter your exercise calories back into MFP and don't eat them back (they are already accounted for, in the calculation). Just eat 2,320 and exercise.
-Every time you lose 10 lbs, redo the calculation and re-enter that amount into MFP.
-Rinse and repeat.
Boom. Done. No questions, no guesswork, no opinions. Just science. If you have any questions, let me know.
Hooray! And I'd just like to say that I did it this way and lost ~70lbs and have maintained it for over a year now! So trust me, I know it works. Much luck to you and feel free to PM me if you ever have any questions!!! 0 -
I will totally do that! Thank you and thank science!The good news is that you don't have to ask other MFP'ers for the answer, and you don't have to guess! There are scientific formulas which will tell you exactly what to do.
I'm using the following calculator, for your future reference: http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/tools/Calculator-Daily-Calorie.html
You gave us the following parameters:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 7x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,925
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 3,320 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,820 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 2,320 cals a day
My suggestion is to choose 2 lbs a week for 2,320 cals a day. Here's where it gets REAL easy:
-Manually input 2,320 into MFP.
-Eat that many calories a day and track them meticulously.
-Keep exercising as you have been, but don't enter your exercise calories back into MFP and don't eat them back (they are already accounted for, in the calculation). Just eat 2,320 and exercise.
-Every time you lose 10 lbs, redo the calculation and re-enter that amount into MFP.
-Rinse and repeat.
Boom. Done. No questions, no guesswork, no opinions. Just science. If you have any questions, let me know.
Yes that can work...but I wouldn't use that activity level as you may say you will exercise but there is no guarantee.
Activity level is what you normally do everyday...ie office job (sitting all day), retail (on feet all day), labour (hard friggen work)
If you want TDEE yes scooby can give you an estimate but so does MFP.
The key with MFP is to understand that the calories burned can be over stated and you should eat 50-75% of them back.
But to be frank 1400 and not eating back exercise calories is not good.
You need to fuel the workouts. You need to get more protien.
Check my diary and you will see how I get over 120g a day and still manage to stay within 1600 calories.
I also noticed you don't weigh your food...start. You want to be as accurate as possible with intake and for steady state cardio a HRM with chest strap...weights that is hard to estimate but that's why lots of us use TDEE-20%.
If you ever get to the point where you do want to do TDEE it is better to use your own stats after you are sure your intake is correct.
The formula goes like this....
Total calories consumed+(lbs lost x 3500)/# days (try to get at least 2 weeks worth of data, I used 3 weeks)
When I did my own TDEE these were my numbers
29,642 +(3.5 x 3500)/21=1995-20%=1600 and I lose on average 1/2 lb a week...that being said I try to stay between 1600-1700 and I lift.0 -
Bump for later0
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Yes that can work...but I wouldn't use that activity level as you may say you will exercise but there is no guarantee.
Activity level is what you normally do everyday...ie office job (sitting all day), retail (on feet all day), labour (hard friggen work)
Thanks, I did not read closely enough about the "no guarantee" part. Good point! The calculator I'm using is not using the definition of activity of what you normally do everyday, it's for actual exercise. So let's just say 4-5x per week to be safe and do it again:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 4-5x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,924
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 2,983 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,483 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 1,983 cals a day
So again, just manually input 1,983 and do your exercise and you'll be just fine.0 -
Everyone on here is so nice and supportive.
Yes that can work...but I wouldn't use that activity level as you may say you will exercise but there is no guarantee.
Activity level is what you normally do everyday...ie office job (sitting all day), retail (on feet all day), labour (hard friggen work)
Thanks, I did not read closely enough about the "no guarantee" part. Good point! The calculator I'm using is not using the definition of activity of what you normally do everyday, it's for actual exercise. So let's just say 4-5x per week to be safe and do it again:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 4-5x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,924
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 2,983 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,483 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 1,983 cals a day
So again, just manually input 1,983 and do your exercise and you'll be just fine.0 -
I love any reason to eat more meats and fish.
I will totally do that! Thank you and thank science!The good news is that you don't have to ask other MFP'ers for the answer, and you don't have to guess! There are scientific formulas which will tell you exactly what to do.
I'm using the following calculator, for your future reference: http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/tools/Calculator-Daily-Calorie.html
You gave us the following parameters:
Age: 23
Gender: female
Weight: 245 lbs
Height: 68"
Activity level: workout 7x a week
When we input this into the calculator we come up with the following:
Your BMR = 1,925
To maintain your current weight, you'd have to eat 3,320 cals a day
To lose 1 lb a week you should eat 2,820 cals a day
To lose 2 lbs a week you should eat 2,320 cals a day
My suggestion is to choose 2 lbs a week for 2,320 cals a day. Here's where it gets REAL easy:
-Manually input 2,320 into MFP.
-Eat that many calories a day and track them meticulously.
-Keep exercising as you have been, but don't enter your exercise calories back into MFP and don't eat them back (they are already accounted for, in the calculation). Just eat 2,320 and exercise.
-Every time you lose 10 lbs, redo the calculation and re-enter that amount into MFP.
-Rinse and repeat.
Boom. Done. No questions, no guesswork, no opinions. Just science. If you have any questions, let me know.
Yes that can work...but I wouldn't use that activity level as you may say you will exercise but there is no guarantee.
Activity level is what you normally do everyday...ie office job (sitting all day), retail (on feet all day), labour (hard friggen work)
If you want TDEE yes scooby can give you an estimate but so does MFP.
The key with MFP is to understand that the calories burned can be over stated and you should eat 50-75% of them back.
But to be frank 1400 and not eating back exercise calories is not good.
You need to fuel the workouts. You need to get more protien.
Check my diary and you will see how I get over 120g a day and still manage to stay within 1600 calories.
I also noticed you don't weigh your food...start. You want to be as accurate as possible with intake and for steady state cardio a HRM with chest strap...weights that is hard to estimate but that's why lots of us use TDEE-20%.
If you ever get to the point where you do want to do TDEE it is better to use your own stats after you are sure your intake is correct.
The formula goes like this....
Total calories consumed+(lbs lost x 3500)/# days (try to get at least 2 weeks worth of data, I used 3 weeks)
When I did my own TDEE these were my numbers
29,642 +(3.5 x 3500)/21=1995-20%=1600 and I lose on average 1/2 lb a week...that being said I try to stay between 1600-1700 and I lift.0
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