Do I have to burn 3500 every week?

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kezara1229
kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP suggests that I eat 1200 cals every day. But to lose a pound a week, do I have to eat 1200 cals a day just to function, and then burn an extra 3500 cals a week, just to lose a pound? I feel like this somehow isn't correct, because I run a mile at 5 mph and I only burn 190 cals. Man that's gonna be a lot of work lol, but I'll do it if I have to. :)
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  • meltoine
    meltoine Posts: 46 Member
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    When you set up your profile, how much did you say you were looking to lose per week? That loss is built into your calorie goal. If you meet your calorie goal (1200, in your case) you should lose that amount each week without doing anything extra. If you run a mile and burn those 199 calories, you can eat another 190 calories on top of your 1200 goal.
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
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    No.

    If you ate 1200 a day and did not even get out of bed you would lose weight.... the calorie deficit is already built in.

    if you do any exercise, you're supposed to log it into your diary and then eat back those calories (most people eat back 50 - 75% because mfp tends to over estimate calories burned)

    however... 1200 is actually too low for most people...... you probably set it to 2lbs a week?

    how much weight are you planning to lose? this will affect how much you should aim to lose per week.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    You burn calories just by being alive. You don't need to burn them all off in the gym. And as meltoine mentioned MFP already figured in your deficit when it gave your calorie goal...
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Approximately, 3500 calories equal 1 pound of fat. MFP will generate 1200 for those who do not exercise at all. You should select your activity level based on your lifestyle without exercise and set your weekly weight loss goal to something reasonable and eat back some of your exercise calories:

    As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:
    More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
    40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
    10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
    Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week

    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
  • sunshine1082
    sunshine1082 Posts: 85 Member
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    You need to have an overall deficit of 3,500 calories per week to lose a pound. For example, if you burn 2,000 calories per day (you burn calories all day long from your body keeping itself alive, plus from activities/exercise), then you would need to eat 1,500 calories per day to reach a 3,500 calorie deficit for the week (500 calorie per day deficit, times seven, equals 3,500).

    The calorie amount recommended by MFP already factors in the deficit needed to lose weight. If you eat 1,200 calories a day, even without doing any exercise, you will lose weight.

    As an aside, I want to mention that 1,200 calories a day is often much lower than many people should be eating. It's the absolute lowest calorie amount MFP will recommend. Make sure you're setting realistic goals for yourself (if you don't have much weight to lose, 1 lb per week is probably too aggressive). You don't want to burn out!
  • kezara1229
    kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
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    Yes I set it as 2 lbs per week because I have an event in three months that I really want to be slimmed down at least halfway for. I'm 150 and my long term weight loss goal (not the goal for the event) is 120. I'm 19 years old and 5'1", which may be why I don't need to many calories.
  • kezara1229
    kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
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    And also my activity levels are very low because I don't have a job because I am going to college almost all the time.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Yes I set it as 2 lbs per week because I have an event in three months that I really want to be slimmed down at least halfway for. I'm 150 and my long term weight loss goal (not the goal for the event) is 120. I'm 19 years old and 5'1", which may be why I don't need to many calories.

    At 19 years old 150 pounds and 5'1 you need more than 1200 calories. If you exercise on top of only eating 1200 calories then you are going to end up not being able to maintain your diet and either causing yourself harm or quitting.

    You set your weight loss goal too aggressively and as a result MFP told you the bare minimum it is willing to tell you which is 1200 (that is where it bottoms out it will never go lower).

    You are supposed to set a reasonable weight loss goal based on your weight, which for you would be at most 1.5 pounds per week but 1 pound might be better, then if you exercise you are supposed to eat those calories back...meaning if you burned 190 going for a run then you would eat an extra 190 calories that day.

    That said burning 190 calories for running for 5 miles seems like a huge underestimate (which is unusual I'm used to people overestimating). I'm pretty sure running for 5 miles you would burn more like 400 than 190.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Also just a thought. If your avatar was chosen to be that because that is what you want to look like, that is the body of a weight lifter not the body of someone who only does cardio. Just a thought for your future goals.
  • kezara1229
    kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
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    I said one mile at 5 mph lol, not 5 miles. I would burn way more than 190. Haha, I'm not that slow! And no I really don't expect to look like that whatsoever but that phrase has kept me from giving up and I love it. c:
  • squeepig
    squeepig Posts: 89 Member
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    I'm eating 1500/day (I just lowered it from 1600) and have already lost almost 20 lbs in 6 months without daily exercise. I got to 223 pounds in January because I was eating 2,000-2,500/day with an unhealthy attitude and diet. I'm 5'7 and will be 50 years old next month. So, yeah, you don't have to burn it off by exercise if you're eating properly. :)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Um...no. you will lose eating below maintainance even if you don't exercise.
  • 12pillows
    12pillows Posts: 81 Member
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    That said burning 190 calories for running for 5 miles seems like a huge underestimate (which is unusual I'm used to people overestimating). I'm pretty sure running for 5 miles you would burn more like 400 than 190.

    Her calorie burn estimate was for 1 mile at 5mph, not 5 miles.

    To OP, eat a little more! I started off at 1200 cause I set MFP up wrong. I was knackered all the time and felt rubbish. I upped my calories by a couple of hundred and had more energy and I feel great! Losing weight, exercising a lot, and eating the stuff I want to!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I said one mile at 5 mph lol, not 5 miles. I would burn way more than 190. Haha, I'm not that slow! And no I really don't expect to look like that whatsoever but that phrase has kept me from giving up and I love it. c:

    Oh 1 mile at 5 mile an hour, got it. Okay well that is running for 12 minutes in which case I think you are overestimating your calories burned which is more typical.
  • kezara1229
    kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
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    Also, I set my goal for 1 lb a week and only recently changed it to two, and it still gave me 1200 cals. It wasn't because of setting too high of a goal (although I have set it quite high, but only recently). When I had it set at one lb it said 1200.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    MFP suggests that I eat 1200 cals every day. But to lose a pound a week, do I have to eat 1200 cals a day just to function, and then burn an extra 3500 cals a week, just to lose a pound? I feel like this somehow isn't correct, because I run a mile at 5 mph and I only burn 190 cals. Man that's gonna be a lot of work lol, but I'll do it if I have to. :)

    Not quite. You burn calories just by breathing and talking and brushing your teeth.

    You start with your BMR, which is the calories you burn just by being a human being with working lungs and a heart. For you, that's 1500. Then you add your activity level on here - say 500 (this is from walking, talking, etc). So your total burn a day is an estimated 2000 calories (I don't know the actual number for you, I'm making one up). Now, if you eat 1200 calories a day, you're sitting at an 800 calorie deficit a day (5600 for the week, so almost two pounds a week). Then exercise goes on top of that deficit if you don't eat those calories back.

    I really think you're being too aggressive. My goal is 1280 calories a day - but I'm fat, like I could probably hibernate for a while.

    I recommend bumping it down to 1lb a week - a really realistic goal.

    Good luck :)

    edit: derp
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    Also, I set my goal for 1 lb a week and only recently changed it to two, and it still gave me 1200 cals. It wasn't because of setting too high of a goal (although I have set it quite high, but only recently). When I had it set at one lb it said 1200.

    Do you mind opening your diary?

    When you changed your goal, did you also change your activity level? That, too, will impact your calorie settings.
  • kezara1229
    kezara1229 Posts: 26 Member
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    It wouldn't be me that's overestimating, it would be my treadmill who tells me how many I burned lol. And to The Virgoddess, I said it was one mile at 5mph, not 5 miles.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    It wouldn't be me that's overestimating, it would be my treadmill who tells me how many I burned lol. And to The Virgoddess, I said it was one mile at 5mph, not 5 miles.

    I did see that, apologies.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Also, I set my goal for 1 lb a week and only recently changed it to two, and it still gave me 1200 cals. It wasn't because of setting too high of a goal (although I have set it quite high, but only recently). When I had it set at one lb it said 1200.

    For MFP to be correct about that then your NEAT would have to be 500 calories above 1200 or only 1700. A 1700 NEAT for a 19 year old woman who is 5'1 and 150 pounds....I guess I can believe that if you are completely sedentary and a couch potatoe. So yeah, perhaps 1200 at 1 pound a week. Keep in mind though that is with ZERO exercise. As soon as you exercise you need to eat more.

    The reason that MFP suggested the exact same number of calories for losing 1 pound a week as 2 pounds a week just underlines the fact that it is bottoming out and refusing to go below 1200.

    As long as you NET 1200 calories a day that is probably fine.

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