New to this site. Can anybody help me ?

masonzilla
masonzilla Posts: 9
in Getting Started
First I would like to say hello to everyone and that I'm glad I found this website because I really need help in losing weight. I signed up last night and have a few questions regarding my target zone that mfp calculated for me.
When I signed up, they asked me for all the information that was needed to calculate my target zone.
I'm a male 46, current weight 265lbs, my height is 5'8, my current activity level is sedentary, and my goal weight is lose 65 pounds.
I also selected a normal weight loss of 2lbs a week. My actual goal is to get down to 190lbs but I want to start off with losing 65lbs.
After I keyed in all of my information, mfp stated according to their calculations, that I would lose 10lbs by July 26, 2014.
I was then asked to click ''get started '' and this is the following information that mfp calculated for me.

1550 Calories Remaining
Your Fitness Goals - Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,550 cal/day

Calories Burned / Week - 1,750 cal/week

Workouts / Week - 6 Workouts
Minutes / Workout - 30 mins

From Normal Daily Activity - 2,550 cal/day

Daily Calorie Deficit - 1,000 calories

Exercise - Daily Total / Goal - Minutes - / 30 min - Calories Burned - 292 / Weekly Total / Goal - 1,750


Now, I'm curious, Does any of these calculations sound reasonable and if not can someone perhaps adjust this for me.
I would like to get as accurate as possible before I begin but not sure how to go about the BMR part and body mass etc.
I don't want to attempt trying to figure out the BMR myself because I have no Idea what I'm doing in that area.
but just wondering if anybody could look at all these calculations and adjust it for me, if it seems off.
I don't want Information about BMR and body mass index etc.
At this point I rather just have everything adjusted to get started, then learn about it as time goes by.
I just want to get started and on the right track for now.

I would appreciate anyone's help that's very ( knowledgeable ) in this aspect.

Replies

  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    It sounds complicated but all it's saying is that on average a person your height and weight needs to eat about 2550 calories a day to maintain your weight so if you want to lose you need to eat fewer than that.

    It recommended 1550 because you told it you wanted to lose 2 lbs a week and according to general wisdom a pound of fat is 3500 calories. Since you'll be eating 7000 less calories a week if you do as suggested that will be an estimated two pounds of fat lost.

    While the numbers are all very scientific and important sounding, the truth is to lose weight you just need to eat less. There are a billion variables that the above does not take into consideration and it doesn't really matter, at some point you just eat less food and you'll start losing weight.

    You really can't do it wrong and there is no "perfect" setting. If you are overweight and want to lose the best thing to do is start logging the food you eat and start making healthy choices going forward. Lots of people here to offer advice as you go along and I am sure a ton of links to be added to this post for hints on getting started.

    Good luck!
  • masonzilla
    masonzilla Posts: 9
    Thanks for that Information.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    The 1500 it has given you is a base figure. On top of that you are "suppose" to eat back your exercise calories as MFP has already factored in your deficit. If you don't eat all or some of these calories back you could be eating too few calories and actually slow your progress.
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
    Welcome to the forum. The numbers sound about right. But if you feel you are not getting enough to eat, don't be afraid to change it to 1 pound a week. This is a lifestyle change that needs to last a lifetime. There is no prize for reaching a certain weight, other than the good health that comes from it.

    I've lost 65 pounds since September, {240-175} so it can be done. What worked for me was to measure and weigh everything you eat. After you have done it for a couple of months you will be able to estimate pretty good. But without good calorie numbers, you won't see the results you want. I ate lots of stir-fry veggies and the like. They take up a lot of space on your plate, and in your belly, but don't add a lot of calories. But make sure you get plenty of protein. Chicken, turkey, boiled eggs and lean pork is a pretty good low calorie source of protein.

    Exercise is important too. I started out walking a half mile @ 3 mph every day. As I lost weight, I increased the speed and length of my daily walks. I'm lifting weights now, and wished I had started sooner. When you lose a lot of weight, some of it is going to be muscle. If you start a light weight lifting workout as part of your over all workout plan, you will lose less muscle. Not to mention it is a good calorie burn. For me, the more I exercise, the more energy I have.

    I bought a new scale that does the BMI and all that. While it is interesting, it is not essential to weight loss. Some of the fancier scales will sync with your smart phone to MFP. I just log mine with pen and paper.

    Good luck with your lifestyle change. The two biggest things you need to remember is eat less and move more. If you do that, you will lose weight.

    Larro

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