This site says I should be having 1200 calories a day

iceycoldhot
iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I eat healthy generally. I am not on "diet" but I certainly eat as healthfully as possible and make smart choices.

For exercise I usually workout 6 days a week. Every other day I do Tae Bo for about 40 minutes for my cardio. On the opposite days I do weight training for about 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of abs.

This website says I should be eating 1200 calories a day. To me that sounds too low! Especially since I am now doing pretty heavy weight lifting. Do you think this is an accurate amount? I'm 5'4 around 139 pounds. To me I feel like 1200 calories is what you should have if you don't workout or workout lightly...not if you workout 6 days a week!

Replies

  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
    You are absolutely correct that it is likely not enough calories. Try calculating your recommended intake using the TDEE - 20% method. I like to use the "calorie calculator" on Scooby's Workshop because I find it pretty accurate for me. Just use Google and it should come up! It will give a much more realistic calorie goal for you.
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
    Thank you!

    I figured if I am weight lifting than I should be eating more than that.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Did you set your weight loss goal to 2 pounds a week? That's usually what causes people to end up with a calorie goal that's too low. Try resetting it to the recommended 1 pound/week.

    Also, MFP expects you to log your exercise and will add on more calories as you earn them. If you don't want to worry about logging your exercise then you might want to set your activity level a little higher to compensate.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    It's supposed to be 1200 + exercise calories if you let MFP calculate your daily calorie goal. :flowerforyou:
  • vismundcygnus27
    vismundcygnus27 Posts: 98 Member
    Did you set your weight loss goal to 2 pounds a week? That's usually what causes people to end up with a calorie goal that's too low. Try resetting it to the recommended 1 pound/week.

    Also, MFP expects you to log your exercise and will add on more calories as you earn them. If you don't want to worry about logging your exercise then you might want to set your activity level a little higher to compensate.

    ^ This. When MFP says 1200, it means Calories Eaten - Calories Burned = 1200. So if you're exercising a lot, then you should definitely eat more than 1200 calories a day. Even then, that's rather low - did you set your weight loss goal for 2 lbs/wk?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    According to your ticker, you want to lose 24 lbs. So set your goal to .5 lbs.—which is way more than 1,200 calories.

    Log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Log your cardio, and eat back your exercise calories.

    To understand how MFP works, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Try setting it to .5 lbs per week loss, and see what number it gives you. Everyone gets the standard default of 1200, if you have it set to 2 lbs per week. But it will give you credit for the workouts you log in, so you'll earn some more calories. I have mine set around 1,900 a day
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
    Did you set your weight loss goal to 2 pounds a week? That's usually what causes people to end up with a calorie goal that's too low. Try resetting it to the recommended 1 pound/week.

    Also, MFP expects you to log your exercise and will add on more calories as you earn them. If you don't want to worry about logging your exercise then you might want to set your activity level a little higher to compensate.

    ^ This. When MFP says 1200, it means Calories Eaten - Calories Burned = 1200. So if you're exercising a lot, then you should definitely eat more than 1200 calories a day. Even then, that's rather low - did you set your weight loss goal for 2 lbs/wk?

    Yes I did. I set my goal to 2 pounds a week.
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
    Ok thanks everyone for the replies :)

    I am relieved I don't have to cut my calories that low lmao

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