Number of calories

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gale123123123
gale123123123 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
Hi just wondering if any one can help me when I signed up the app was saying I can have 2730 cal a day which I thought was hell of a lot I was having um for 4 weeks and put 7 pound on even tho I go gym and swimming daily I have knocked them down my self to 1300 and fell great last 2 days yeah me what do u think of how many cal I am 300 pound 5 ft 2 please help

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  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    I started at about 1600-1700 calories, 5'8" and 262 lb and that was good for me. I did use the MFP set amount though, to lose 1.5 lb per week.

    Now I eat around 1400-1500. I am 5'8" and 177 lb and close to my goal.

    I am certainly not an expert on this stuff but for your start weight, 1300 sounds very low. I suppose it doesn't hurt to give that a try but I would be inclined to try something like 1600-1800 if I were you. What does MFP suggest if you set to sedentary activity level and 2 lb loss per week? I am betting it's under 2000 calories...I could be wrong. Good luck!
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    For different activity levels (from http://www.calorieking.com/interactive-tools/how-many-calories-should-you-eat/):

    Sedentary (bedridden): 1700 to 1900
    Light (office worker): 1900 to 2100

    How do you count your calories? Are you weighing everything you eat? If you're satisfied with 1,300 calories, that's pretty surprising.
  • Philldem
    Philldem Posts: 10 Member
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    That 2730 cal number sounds like your calories at maintenance. I'm 5'10" and currently 257lbs, my maintence figure 2570 cals but to loose 2 pounds per week its 1570 cals. Double check your goals and make sure you entered how much you want to loose per week. Good Luck.
  • gale123123123
    gale123123123 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi I go to the gym 3 days a week for 2 hour I also swim half a mile 5 days a week and do aqua aerobics once a week plus with all hour work ect I would class that as quite active my goal is set at 2ib a week I am satisfied with 1300 but I have set my app as 1900 just incase but when it did it it's self it set it as 2730 I am very confused
  • workhardtogethard
    workhardtogethard Posts: 49 Member
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    Hi, I'm starting out (one week in) and feel hungry every day. And my calorie intake has been averaging 2000 a day. How do you manage to feel satisfied on 1300? I'd love to know how you do it!
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Hi just wondering if any one can help me when I signed up the app was saying I can have 2730 cal a day which I thought was hell of a lot I was having um for 4 weeks and put 7 pound on even tho I go gym and swimming daily I have knocked them down my self to 1300 and fell great last 2 days yeah me what do u think of how many cal I am 300 pound 5 ft 2 please help

    Do you use a food scale? If not, you are likely overestimating how many calories you are consuming which is why you are gaining weight instead of losing.

    Do you wear a heart rate monitor (with a chest strap) during exercise to determine calories burned or do you go off of what MFP or a machine tells you? Both MFP and machines significantly overestimate calories burned which is another reason you could be gaining weight (if you aren't using a HRM).
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Hi, I'm starting out (one week in) and feel hungry every day. And my calorie intake has been averaging 2000 a day. How do you manage to feel satisfied on 1300? I'd love to know how you do it!

    If you are constantly hungry eating 2000 calories a day it's because you aren't eating nutritious foods.

    Do you eat a lot of carbs? If you eat a lot of carbs, that's likely why you are so hungry. Make sure you are eating enough fat and protein. Fat and protein help keep you feeling full.

    I eat 1280-1400 calories daily and do not go starving. That's because I eliminated 90% of processed foods and mainly eat whole foods.
  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
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    1300 for your weight is way too low. I'm 130lbs and mine is 1200 calories. You probably should have closer to 1900 or you're going to get sick later especially since you do work out some.

    EDIT: For your basal metabolic rate it says you should have approx 2039, so 1900 would be alright and you'd have the deficit of 100 calories from doing nothing at all. Plus you're exercising so you'll have an even higher deficit.
  • LadyArchangel
    LadyArchangel Posts: 124 Member
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    When I started at 363lbs my goal was set by MFP to 2,010. Now it's at 1,800 and I'm at 294lbs so definitely too low.
  • sleepy_mum
    sleepy_mum Posts: 40 Member
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    1300 sounds a bit low to me. I'm a 254lb woman who is 5ft 5ins tall, and with my activity level set to sedentary (so I track all my activity since my day job is at a desk) I'm given 1870 calories a day. I try to eat under that but even after exercise calories I wouldn't go under 1200 net. Maybe you could try 1600-1700 instead and see how you get on?
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Seconding the advice to use a food scale. Even the best of us are bad at estimating calories by volume and eyeballs.

    If you haven't yet read these posts, do so. They're full of good advice for beginners:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    Once you've digested those, you can take a look at some of the others linked from here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    Best of luck!
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
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    Does not sound like enough to me either. I started at 333, and am now at 283. I am 5,4 I struggle with 1960 calories. I cannot imagine only having 1300. Good luck OP :)
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    I started out at 317. I eat roughly 1700-1800 per day and have lost just over 40 pounds in about 5 months.

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