1200 calories??

The formula for calculating your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you burn per day just to stay alive) is as follows and based on the Harris-Benedict method:

Woman's BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in yrs)

You then multiply that by "activity factor" to come up with your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure (the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain current weight). Sedentary lifestyle is worth a multiplier of 1.2.

Your BMR should be about 1665 calories per day, so your TDEE should be at right about 2000 calories per day. As stated above, this is to maintain your current weight. If you are trying to lose weight, you should reduce your calorie consumption by about 20% of your TDEE, which would put you at 1600 calories/day. That should be a good place to start.

Obviously the body does not work like a perfect calorimeter, but this formula is widely used throughout the fitness industry to aid in establishing a baseline from which you can adjust and tweak as needed.

References:
"Basal Energy Expenditure: Harris-Benedict Equation." 2000. Cornell University. Retrieved from http://www-users.med.cornell.edu/~spon/picu/calc/beecalc.htm

Why does it tell her 1200 calories, if your saying 1600 is the correct one?

I'm curious because I'm given 1680 calories @ weight loss of 2lbs. per week. I'm always been listed at 5"11, but wonder if I should double check just in case at 5"10 I'm told to eat less calories… hmm

I agree with most of the other posters here. My estimated for losing 2 lbs per week is 1300, but I find that I actually lose more weight when I eat 1500 calories per week. I feel like my body goes into a sort of weird 'starvation' mode if I eat at 1300 every single day, and I'm lucky to lose half a pound over a week. If I eat 1500 I will lose anywhere between 1.5 - 2.5 lbs per week basically guaranteed. I definitely recommended eating at the very least 1400, you'll have more energy and be a lot happier. Do not eat 1200 - I really don't think MFP should even be telling people it's alright to eat that low of calorie numbers in a day.

Yes you should adjust to 1600. MFP is wonky with their 1200, I've never trusted it and never will. My TDEE is around 1800. With 20% taken away, my intake each day without exercise should be around 1400. There are a lot of arguments for/against eating back exercise calories, my personal opinion is that you should, but do your research to see what will work the best for you. If you're really stuck, go to a doctor and ask about it, I've yet to do that but I don't always believe what I read on the internet so my intake will be around 1400 until my doctor tells me otherwise.

Good luck, feel free to send a friend request, and if you're looking for more help visit reddit.com/r/loseit

Focus on healthy foods and see how you do at 1200-1400. Are you hungry? Is your diet full of sugary, fattening foods?

It's possible to eat that amount and not be hungry. Many overweight people confuse hunger with other emotions that cause them to overeat. Differentiating between the two is the real challenge.

MPF seem to give everyone 1200. I am eating about 1400, does anyone know how you can change this manually so I can log accurately?

Im new to this whole thing.

Im being told to consume 1200 calories. But if i exercise everyday and burn around 200 calories- does that mean i can consume 1400? Or stick to 1200 and let it go into minus?

If anyone can help me figure it out it would be very much appreciated!

Why does it tell her 1200 calories, if your saying 1600 is the correct one?

I'm curious because I'm given 1680 calories @ weight loss of 2lbs. per week. I'm always been listed at 5"11, but wonder if I should double check just in case at 5"10 I'm told to eat less calories… hmm

she got 1200 because she chose the maximum loss rate of 2/lbs per week. that's a 1000 calorie deficit per day.

2000 - 1000 = 1000

however, MFP will NEVER go lower than 1200, so MFP "bottomed out" at 1200.

if OP wants to lose at 2lbs/week, she needs to do enough cardio every week to earn back enough calories to eat to feel satiated.

"eat less, move more" contains 2 parts to it... you eat less AND you move more.

you can lose weight just eating less or just moving more, but doing both has the maximum effect. if the OP weighs ~220lbs, then she'll get a pretty good return on her cardio investment for the first few months and 2lbs/week is an easily achievable weight loss goal so long as she adds enough cardio per week to up her calories to where she can meet her nutritional goals and satiate her hunger.

Focus on healthy foods and see how you do at 1200-1400. Are you hungry? Is your diet full of sugary, fattening foods?

It's possible to eat that amount and not be hungry. Many overweight people confuse hunger with other emotions that cause them to overeat. Differentiating between the two is the real challenge.

lol No. Just no.

Many days I eat under 1200. And I walk at least 30 minutes at a fast pace each day. I am not hungry or I would eat more. I'm focusing on cutting fat and sugar.

I ate over Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day but still in moderation. I lost weight then too.

Don't knock something without fully considering. Cheap therapy for all. When you meet people who have kept off hundreds of pounds for decades, you want to listen.

I know there's no "one size fits all" for calories in weight loss but just to put it into perspective. I'm 5'3.5" and I eat 1700 on non exercise days and more when I do. I lose about a pound a week like this. My daily activity is cleaning the house and taking care of two kids. The first time I tried MFP, I lost 40 lbs doing 1200, found myself miserable in the long run with little energy and relapsed. Now, I've found a sustainable calorie deficit that has me motivated for the long haul. I've gone from 170 lbs at 6 months post partum end of June 2013, to 123 lbs and in the best shape of my life. Here's some helpful links for those who are finding 1200 miserable or for those who need clarification that you can eat MORE and still lose at a decent pace.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

The formula for calculating your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you burn per day just to stay alive) is as follows and based on the Harris-Benedict method:

Woman's BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in yrs)

You then multiply that by "activity factor" to come up with your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure (the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain current weight). Sedentary lifestyle is worth a multiplier of 1.2.

Your BMR should be about 1665 calories per day, so your TDEE should be at right about 2000 calories per day. As stated above, this is to maintain your current weight. If you are trying to lose weight, you should reduce your calorie consumption by about 20% of your TDEE, which would put you at 1600 calories/day. That should be a good place to start.

Obviously the body does not work like a perfect calorimeter, but this formula is widely used throughout the fitness industry to aid in establishing a baseline from which you can adjust and tweak as needed.

References:
"Basal Energy Expenditure: Harris-Benedict Equation." 2000. Cornell University. Retrieved from http://www-users.med.cornell.edu/~spon/picu/calc/beecalc.htm

Agree, but check out this site to help calculate that

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

according to my calculations - i put your info into the TDEE calculator at http://thefitgirls.com/home, you should customize your settings to 1620 calories a day.

I, too, thought that was a super low number! Especially because it does not take into account a person's weight. So really...it is not exact. However, if you begin to incorporate exercise...such as walking on a tread mill...it allows more calories because it subtracts it from your daily total. As you utilize myfitnesspal daily you will start to be motivated to burn some calories because it allows you to eat more.

Obviously, the choice of WHAT you eat is important. That's another aspect of the math here that bothers me. The number of calories is irrelavent if you are eating all sugar and fat. Some healthy fat is fine but try to eat mostly veggies and clean protein. I honestly think 1800 calories per day is more accurate for some people but that's likely more of a "maintaining" number rather than a "loosing pounds" number. Good luck!

The number of calories is irrelevant? :noway: And what you eat is important, but only macro and micronutrient wise. I eat plenty of sugar, fat, processed foods, fast food, ice cream, pizza and do on and it does not affect my weight loss. I am getting fit and healthy because I exercise and meet my macro/micro and fiber goals. I lose on 1800, would maintain on 2500ish.