Lose weight on 1,680 cal. a day?

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KM0692
KM0692 Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'6, 154 lbs., and my goal weight is 145.). I have heard that if you have 10 or less pounds to lose, you should strive for losing .5 lb a week. MFP set my calories to 1,680 (I entered "lightly active"). I walk 3-5 times a week, for 30 minutes each time.

1,680 seems like a lot. ???
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Replies

  • SamLD88
    SamLD88 Posts: 111 Member
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    Trust in the math. If it doesn't work after a month... maybe try to lower it a bit.
  • mathjulz
    mathjulz Posts: 5,514 Member
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    You don't have to starve to lose weight. I'm shorter than you and I've lost on 1600 or so calories a day before. Like PP said, give it at least a month before you decide it's not working, you won't always see results right away, especially when you're so close to goal.

    But do be sure that you are logging the calories correctly. Accurately measure and weigh everything. It's easy to eat more than you think you are :wink:
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Trust in the math. If it doesn't work after a month... maybe try to lower it a bit.

    This is the most reasonable approach. It's not a race, enjoy the ride and be glad you only have a few pounds to lose.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    If your walks are your only major physical activity, and you log them separately as exercise, then you should set your activity level to sedentary. Otherwise, you're double dipping (counting the same exercise calories twice, once as part of your activity level and then a second time as logged exercise).

    If you don't log walks as exercise, or if you do but you're lightly active without them, then you're OK. Just check results against goals after a few weeks and adjust as necessary.

    I'm 5' 10", currently about 157 lb., and I'm losing about 2 lb./month on 1600 net calories. I'm very active (about 4500 exercise calories this week), but I log exercise separately, so I have my MFP activity level set to sedentary (I'm a researcher and writer in the summer, and a college teacher from September to April, so my work is mostly in front of a book or a screen right now).
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    I'm 5'6, 154 lbs., and my goal weight is 145.). I have heard that if you have 10 or less pounds to lose, you should strive for losing .5 lb a week. MFP set my calories to 1,680 (I entered "lightly active"). I walk 3-5 times a week, for 30 minutes each time.

    1,680 seems like a lot. ???

    The calories seem ballpark reasonable, but that is not lightly active as per the descriptions. Put sedentary and track the exercise separately, that's more accurate. (I ride my bike 10+ hours a week, but I have an office job so it's sedentary + actual workouts)
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Seems reasonable to me.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    I'm 5' 10", currently about 157 lb., and I'm losing about 2 lb./month on 1600 net calories. I'm very active (about 4500 exercise calories this week), but I log exercise separately, so I have my MFP activity level set to sedentary (I'm a researcher and writer in the summer, and a college teacher from September to April, so my work is mostly in front of a book or a screen right now).

    Guess the gown wasn't a costume :laugh:

    Right on, Teach! :smile:
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I have very similar stats (though 5 years older) and I do 40 minutes of exercise most days, mostly walking. I average 1425 calories and lose slowly, like a few lbs. a month. I haven't lost in 4 weeks but feel due for a whoosh. And we're all different and our logging skills vary. Good luck! :smile:
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
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    I'm 5'6, 154 lbs., and my goal weight is 145.). I have heard that if you have 10 or less pounds to lose, you should strive for losing .5 lb a week. MFP set my calories to 1,680 (I entered "lightly active"). I walk 3-5 times a week, for 30 minutes each time.

    1,680 seems like a lot. ???

    It's not a lot. 250 cal / day deficit = 1/2 lb per week weight loss roughly. So that suggests your maintenance level at that amount of activity is 1,680 + 250 = 1,930. Which sounds about right, even low, for someone with a lightly active lifestyle. You are not a teeny tiny bunny rabbit. You are a grown woman of average height and eating food is good for you.

    Just be careful to measure your food portions carefully (and don't log your walks, as you are suggesting that you used them to come up with your "lightly active" activity level). At a 250 calorie a day deficit, it's easy to erase your progress with tiny mismeasurements over the course of the day. Get a food scale and weigh your food when you eat at home to ensure accuracy.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
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    That sounds quite reasonable to me, especially if you are figuring your walks into the "lightly active" activity level, not logging them separately as exercise.

    I am 5'1" and around 103-105 lbs (I'm maintaining) and found that when I was eating about 1600 (net, not total, which was more) calories a day, I lost around 1/2 lb a week. But I may have been burning more calories than I thought, so I'm not sure if that is entirely accurate.

    I'm sure you will be able to lose weight on that amount. It would be pretty surprising if you don't, unless you end up not accurately measuring your food (which is really common and easy to fix with a scale and some extra attention).
  • joanna_82
    joanna_82 Posts: 151 Member
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    I've been eating 1680 calories every day for just over 6 weeks, and have lost 4.2kg. :-)

    I have my activity level set to sedentary given I sit down all day at work, and log my activity separately.

    I thought it was a lot at first, but I am loving it and feel amazing, don't feel like I am starving myself like on previous diets.

    Keep at it!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,014 Member
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    If OP has a job that is not sedentary - eg is on her feet during the day as a nurse or a tradesperson or a shop assistant or a parent looking after young children, etc - then lightly active plus counting walks separately seems reasonable to me

    I'm not getting how everyone automatically thinks the setting for OP should be sedentary
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I had less than 10 pounds to lose, and I managed to do it eating 2200-2400 calories a day. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.
  • Jennkies
    Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
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    I'm 5'7, started at 184 and am now 171 with 15 more pounds to lose. I eat at least 1700 a day, while staying moderately active - and I've lost 13 pounds in 6 weeks. Results may not be typical, but aiming for too little calories will only frustrate you. 1680 should be a good fit.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    I had less than 10 pounds to lose, and I managed to do it eating 2200-2400 calories a day. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.

    Spill the beans on your activity?
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    The standard formula to maintain weight is 15 calories per pound per day. Twice in 2013, I tried to maintain my weight of 112 at 1680 calories per day-- what happened was, my weight dropped once to 108 and once to 109. So I lost weight, not maintained. But it was not a quick weight loss. It was like one or two pounds per week.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    If OP has a job that is not sedentary - eg is on her feet during the day as a nurse or a tradesperson or a shop assistant or a parent looking after young children, etc - then lightly active plus counting walks separately seems reasonable to me

    I'm not getting how everyone automatically thinks the setting for OP should be sedentary
    I'd say because the only activity mentioned was 3-5 thirty minute walks a week.
  • 43mmmgoody21
    43mmmgoody21 Posts: 146 Member
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    1,680 seems like a lot. ???

    Really-- 1680 seems like a little (even if you just sit on the couch all day). However, track for a few weeks and let results dictate where you go.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    The standard formula to maintain weight is 15 calories per pound per day. Twice in 2013, I tried to maintain my weight of 112 at 1680 calories per day-- what happened was, my weight dropped once to 108 and once to 109. So I lost weight, not maintained. But it was not a quick weight loss. It was like one or two pounds per week.
    Is that a typo? 1-2lbs/week is not quick?

    You must be very active or not very average. Your BMR estimate is like 1050/day and you lose at 1680. Nice.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I had less than 10 pounds to lose, and I managed to do it eating 2200-2400 calories a day. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.

    Spill the beans on your activity?

    Nothing major; I just move all day long. I do 2-3 hours of gardening a day, which burns 400-800 calories, I take the dog for two one-mile walks a day, I do some cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking. As long as you're moving, you're burning calories (I have a BodyMedia Fit so I see my daily calorie burn).

    Now if I'm at work where I do a lot of sitting, I do things to increase my activity like climb a certain number of stairs every hour, wall or desk push ups, etc. Anything to get some movement going.

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