MFP says 1300 cal goal?!

jrue1985
jrue1985 Posts: 191 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I changed my goal settings. I am currently 153 lbs. I set my weight goal to 140 (thought I am not too worried about the number on the scale really), and it changed my calorie intake to 1300 something! I think that is too little for me. I workout 5 days a week, which consists of a short run each of those days, walking and strength training (I am training for a race in July). What do all of you who are much smarter than MFP settings :-) think of this? I was thinking of trying to stay at 1900 cals. of mostly clean food. Probably 80% clean as I sometimes make poor food choices (Like this morning for breakfast...I am human!) Do you think 1900 cal is too much?

Replies

  • AquaticQuests
    AquaticQuests Posts: 947 Member
    If you log your exercise it gives you more allowance to eat!
    The calorie target is a NET calorie target after exercise is taken into account!
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
    At what pace are you trying to lose? If you selected 1lb or 2lbs per week that might be to aggressive for you since you are close to your goal. Try 1/2 lb a week and see what happens.
  • blkane1984
    blkane1984 Posts: 23
    Honestly, it does depend on your personal metabolism and your response to calorie deficits. MFP calc'd a number for me and I was losing less than 1/2lb a week. I had to tweak it down to 1200-1300 just to hit my 1-2lbs a week goal.

    You could try 1300 and see if you feel too hungry or are losing to fast. If you are, tweak your calories up a notch to adjust.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    What is your weekly weight loss goal?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    What do you have your activity level set to?
    What is your weight loss per week goal?


    You also need to keep in mind that MFP is designed so that 1300 is the minimum you eat. On days you exercise, it expects you to log your exercise and eat those calories back.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    Everyone is different. Pick a number, see how you do for 4-6 weeks, then make adjustments if you need to.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    It's fairly impossible for us to say if 1900 is right for you without know your personal stats. As someone else said, if you go by MFP, they don't include extra activity calories until you log the exercise so that's where the difference comes in. If 1900 was working for you, why change?

    Here's a thread with a good guide to custom settings:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • jrue1985
    jrue1985 Posts: 191 Member
    Thanks everyone. It is set to losing 1 lb per week, and so yea, I may want to change it to 1/2 lb, or maybe maintain. I have a job where I sit for most of the day, but once I leave I am on my feet the rest of the evening, and wake up early to work out in the mornings often. I have a new training program that I started to get myself ready for a big race next month, which is what prompted me to look at how i am doing things and make some changes. I will just go with what I think is right, follow some of what MFP has set for me, and make changes as necessary. Thank you all for your input :-)
  • jrue1985
    jrue1985 Posts: 191 Member
    Oh, and I guess I should add that I do my normal workout routine in the evening, and what i do once in a while in the AM is extra.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    Thanks everyone. It is set to losing 1 lb per week, and so yea, I may want to change it to 1/2 lb, or maybe maintain. I have a job where I sit for most of the day, but once I leave I am on my feet the rest of the evening, and wake up early to work out in the mornings often. I have a new training program that I started to get myself ready for a big race next month, which is what prompted me to look at how i am doing things and make some changes. I will just go with what I think is right, follow some of what MFP has set for me, and make changes as necessary. Thank you all for your input :-)

    I would set it to maintain, or 0.5 lb/week maximum and eat back your exercise calories. You already look fantastic, so I'd focus more on strengthening what you have, than losing.

    You sound very much like my activity levels. I set my daily activity to sedentary and maintain, and then log anything that is remotely considered as exercise. And eat back all those cals. (So yes, I do log my 40 mins of walking - which is 15 to the office, 15 from, and at least 10 at lunch - often more. I also log mowing the lawn, and crazy assed house cleaning - as long as it breaks a sweat).
  • acampbe2umd
    acampbe2umd Posts: 145 Member
    You could be writing this post about me :) I also weigh 153, lift 4 days per week and am training for a race (mine is running, ragnar relay to be specific). My pre-pg with my oldest was 140, so hopefully at some point I'll get back there. In the mean time, I'm concentrating more on body comp rather than the scale, so I haven't been really paying attention to the number. With that, I eat around 1800-2200 calories and it works. I tend to eat more of the 2000-2200 calorie range on lifting days and if its a rest day or a light running day, I'll eat closer to the 1800 calorie mark. I've done both logging and eating back exercise calories and doing TDEE -15% and I still come out fairly close to the same targets for both methods. But I don't sweat it too much. Some days, I need more and I eat them. I try not to stress about the number. I've had 3 kids in 6 years and while the number isn't always the same, my size and clothes are basically the same after each pregnancy (with work of course), so I have been able to figure out what works well for me. Keep tweaking it and you'll find what works for you!

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