help needed! I'm confused with calorie allowance

PhoenixFire79
PhoenixFire79 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi could someone please give me some advice. I've recently started a new job. I'm now working in an extremely busy fast food restaurant. I'm on my feet constantly and I also do a lot of lifting and cleaning. However mfp still says I only need 1200 call a day! Should I add the calories I burn walking to and from work and calories I actually burn at work? So my intake goes up? 1200 seems very few as I'm burning off so much at work. I checked and 5 hours of light cleaning is almost 900 calories and I feel I'm working much harder than just light cleaning. If someone could please advise me that would be great x

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Have you changed your activity level to active to reflect your new job? (That's where your job related calories sit best rather than logging as exercise.)

    Is your weekly weight loss goal appropriate for how much you have to lose?

    You haven't given your stats or how much you have to lose....
  • PhoenixFire79
    PhoenixFire79 Posts: 5
    Yes ive changed from lightly active to active.
    I'm female, 5'2", 158 lb. I walk 30 mins a day and work 6 hours in a fast food restaurant 5 days a week. I just felt 1200 was low bearing in mind I must be burning off around 1000 a day with work and my own housework etc.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Yes ive changed from lightly active to active.
    I'm female, 5'2", 158 lb. I walk 30 mins a day and work 6 hours in a fast food restaurant 5 days a week. I just felt 1200 was low bearing in mind I must be burning off around 1000 a day with work and my own housework etc.
    Sounds horribly low!
    Have you selected 2lb a week weight loss? That would be taking 1000 cals off your daily allowance.
  • Deb_622
    Deb_622 Posts: 694
    Do you log your exercise? If you log your 30 minute walk and your work exercise (light/moderate cleaning, etc...) MFP will add those calories burned to your daily total allowed...

    I don't suggest eating all of them back, but start with maybe 40-50% and see how that goes from there.
  • PhoenixFire79
    PhoenixFire79 Posts: 5
    No I don't add them on. That's what I was confused about. I wasn't sure if I needed to or not. If I did add them on I think I'd struggle to eat 2500 a day but I'm finding I'm quite hungry only on 1200.
    Yes I selected 2 lb a week weight loss
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Taking 1000 cals a day off your food allowance is very hard to tolerate - why not change it to 1lb a week?
    It's not a race.....

    Whatever calorie number you manually select, or select by changing your settings, you are going to have to give yourself a few weeks to see how your new intake works out. Both in terms of weight loss and also in how your energy levels are.
  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    No I don't add them on. That's what I was confused about. I wasn't sure if I needed to or not. If I did add them on I think I'd struggle to eat 2500 a day but I'm finding I'm quite hungry only on 1200.
    Yes I selected 2 lb a week weight loss

    You don't have to eat them all back but yeah definitely add some on if you're struggling on 1200. Sometimes I swear the only reason I run is so I can eat more! I don't always eat all mine back as I earn quite a lot running (also I'm not sure how accurate MFPs calculations for cals burned through activity.)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Yes ive changed from lightly active to active.
    I'm female, 5'2", 158 lb. I walk 30 mins a day and work 6 hours in a fast food restaurant 5 days a week. I just felt 1200 was low bearing in mind I must be burning off around 1000 a day with work and my own housework etc.

    MFP gave you 1200 calories based on "I want to lose XX pounds per week." Because 1200 is MFP's lowest default value, I would question if your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive.

    Pounds per week
    75+ lbs to lose 2 lb range
    Between 40 - 75 lbs to lose 1.5 lb range
    Between 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb range
    Between 15-25 lbs to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs range

    Calories burned at work, and housework will show up in your activity level.....don't pick sedentary.
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
    Our stats are very similar. I'm 5'2' at 173. I am a stay at home mom and I burn at least 2275 calories on a "slow" day. On those days I eat about 1400-1500. On days I workout I burn 2400-2600 per day and I eat 1600-1900. My activity level is active and my weight loss goal is -1 lb per week.
  • PhoenixFire79
    PhoenixFire79 Posts: 5
    I had it set to 2 lb a week to lose thinking this seemed about right. I've now changed it to 1lb a week and my activity level is active and my daily calorie allowance is now 1690.
    Do I log my walking 30 mins per day and the work I do? Even if it's not say a full 6 hours worth but a lot of the time it's very strenuous and I really work up a sweat.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Your calories expended at work are in your activity level - you don't then log that as you would be double counting.

    Your choice for your walk to work. Either average it out over the week or log it daily as exercise - you would then have a very slightly higher calorie allowance on your working days.
  • PhoenixFire79
    PhoenixFire79 Posts: 5
    Ok that's great. Thanks for the advice. 1700 a day seems much better. I'll not bother logging the walk to and from work as I'm set to active. I'll just log my actual exercise that I do where I'm working up a sweat.
    Thanks again :) x

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