Umm... I just lost 40 calories?

jazzie_red
jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I updated my settings for the 7 lbs I have dropped and it took away 40 calories? REALLY?

That is 280 calories a week.....

Why did it DO that? I struggle at 1400... Will it continue to lower? I cannot eat a 1200 calorie daily intake. I struggle at 1400.....

Replies

  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Then stay at 1400 and see if your loss slows down.
  • Realtree2429
    Realtree2429 Posts: 81 Member
    It will lower until it hits 1200 :( Set your goals to lose 1 pound a week and eat back at least some of your exercise calories.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    As you lose weight your calorie goal will go down. with every 10 lbs lost you should adjust your calories
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    As you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories to run on. I updated mine this week as I'd lost ten pounds since the last time and it dropped 70 calories. If you feel like you can't stick to your calorie goal, lower your deficit to 1 or .5 pounds.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    If you continue to lose weight and maintain the same weight account weekly weight loss rate setting , yeah it'll continue to go down. Congrats on your weight loss! When mine kept trying to reduce from 1510 I kept manually changing it back just because even though it was only 210 calories per week I just wasn't ready for the number to change like that. One day I woke up and was like what the heck , I'm ready , and finally let it drop. It's just such a small amount that it didn't have an impact really on my progress. 3500 calorie deficit = 1 lb of fat loss
  • jazzie_red
    jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
    I am at one pound loss already... Ugh.. OMG....

    I am going to have to do some mental work in my brain. I guess if I had known that would happen, I would of been mentally prepared.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Yes, it will continue to lower your calories as you lose more weight. If you're struggling now chances are your deficit is too steep. I would change your goal to 1500 or 1600 calories and leave them there.
  • jazzie_red
    jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
    If I switch out non fat milk to almond milk, in my oatmeal, that will make up the difference. Is almond milk any good? :)

    Does it taste like almonds?
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    I am at one pound loss already... Ugh.. OMG....

    I am going to have to do some mental work in my brain. I guess if I had known that would happen, I would of been mentally prepared.

    Honestly, i'd just leave it where it is and see how you do. MFP tells me to eat 1200 but I have always eaten around 1500 and average a bit less than 1.5 pounds per week.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Because when you weigh less you need less food.

    Change your settings to 1lb a week and to lightly active, as it's unlikely you are so sedentary you can only eat 1400 to lose.

    Here are pictures of 3 different results of calculations for my own needs:

    Ugh_zps950d2652.png
    ugh2_zps9e83b393.png

    I consider the last to be the most accurate, although I will lower it if needed. This is all net, before logging exercise. All for 1lb/week losses.

    BTW I was eating around 2000 calories every day and lost 14lbs that way. This was before I decided to try net method, so I'm not sure how much I actually netted. But my current goal with estimated weekly exercise puts me at around 1930 calories on average a day, so I'm likely going to be eating 50-100 calories less a day. It all adds up - I had started stalling which is why I lowered and switched to net (since I feel like I have a harder time being consistent with cardio and want to have more freedom for taking days off from lifting without having to worry about readjusting my needs).

    And re: almond milk, it actually makes me somewhat nauseous to drink (no nut allergies). If I drink milk, it has to be real milk.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    If I switch out non fat milk to almond milk, in my oatmeal, that will make up the difference. Is almond milk any good? :)

    Does it taste like almonds?

    Hmm maybe I don't really remember if it tastes any different but it does the job. I just remembered even I got a couple hundred calories by taking my morning coffee without creamer. I think this could do the trick for you. (This, as in your idea of almond in place of skim milk)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    The smaller you get, the fewer calories you need.

    If you don't eat many healthy foods, now is the time to add them. You can feel very full on lettuce, berries, et cetera for very few calories!!

    The amount you require will go down again, so Yes, prepare yourself to eat less!!

    It's a lot of hard work and the more you lose, the harder it gets.

    Don't quit!
  • jazzie_red
    jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
    I really appriciate everyone's advice. I think I just was not prepared, now I know. I can and will adjust. (But I still want to cry!! lol) But maybe only to 1300 calories and start more excercising.

    I am up to a half hour walk at 3 MPH. I am doing that three times a week. I plan to up that.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I really appriciate everyone's advice. I think I just was not prepared, now I know. I can and will adjust. (But I still want to cry!! lol) But maybe only to 1300 calories and start more excercising.

    I am up to a half hour walk at 3 MPH. I am doing that three times a week. I plan to up that.

    You're eating back at least 50% of your exercise calories right? Especially if set at sedentary, eating back 50-100% of cals is needed.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    I stopped paying attention to what MFP suggests, and simply plug in the number of my calorie target myself. I find this works quite well for me, especially as this far into my weight loss, I have a pretty good idea about how much I'm losing every week at the calorie level I'm at, and can adjust accordingly when I see fit.
  • mjones6599
    mjones6599 Posts: 129
    When I was clear over 200 pounds, the metabolic test at the doctor's office said that my TDEE was just over 1700 calories. After reaching my goal weight, the TDEE showed 1340 calories. This came as a shock to me too. I thought because I was more active that I should be able to consume more, but the TDEE takes into account your activity level and the more mass you have, the more fuel your body needs to operate. And when you think about it, this does make sense. It took far more energy to move around the 90 extra pounds. It's the same rationale behind burning less calories when you exercise as you lose weight, and why it's harder to lose as you near your goal weight (the caloric deficit gets smaller). You can combat this by selecting high quality, nutrient dense foods. I struggle trying to reach the 1300 calories daily. Mind over matter...you CAN do this!!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    I'm trying a different tack. Since my TDEE-20% will go down as I lose weight but I also need to move from total couch potato to someone who actually moves further than my chair to the fridge. I find the idea of "rewarding" weight loss with reducing my calorie allotment is not at all what will motivate me. Gotta do something else to keep my head happy.

    I'm planning to stay at the same calorie number but increase exercise until I hit a plateau. That way, I'll increase calorie allotment through exercise while I lose calorie allotment by weight loss.

    Right now, I don't show much progress because I'm not obeying my TDEE-20% enough. When I do, I lose a pound or two a week. One step at a time.
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    I read a post that said calculate what your calories for maintance at your goal weight will be and eat at that.

    I dont know how effective this is as iv not tried it (yet) but the idea was that if you do that AND eat back around 50% of your exercise calories when you hit your goal weight the transition to maintaing wont be as had as you are already used to eating at that calorie count.

    I guess this depends on how low those calories would be?

    "disclaimer: im not saying DO THIS, im offering an idea that i read on here before and other may have better/different advice" :smile:
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    just to add to my comment, i just went and checked what maintance calories would be for my goal weight and its over 100 calories more than what mfp has me on now (thats done on scooby so think is by the TEED method?)

    at the min mfp has me on 1800, i go to the gym 4 days a week and eat back around 100-200 calories of that (not always but probably 2 out of the 4 days) and im losing weight nicely, however i do have a fair bit to lose
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    I think I just found them. They were yummy. Thanks.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    By the way, if you're struggling to meet your calorie target, and it is a reasonable one, just remember protein is the most satiating, fat the next most, and carbs the least satiating of the three macronutrients. As such, replacing some of the carbs with either protein, fat, or both, can really make a difference in being able to stick to your intake level. It may be counterintuitive to add fat to your diet if you are struggling already, but diets rich in protein and fat tend to be very effective at containing hunger :) Fibre-rich non-starchy vegetables can be a great addition too, as you get to eat a lot for very little calories, and that helps fill you too :)
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    When I was clear over 200 pounds, the metabolic test at the doctor's office said that my TDEE was just over 1700 calories. After reaching my goal weight, the TDEE showed 1340 calories. This came as a shock to me too. I thought because I was more active that I should be able to consume more, but the TDEE takes into account your activity level and the more mass you have, the more fuel your body needs to operate. And when you think about it, this does make sense. It took far more energy to move around the 90 extra pounds. It's the same rationale behind burning less calories when you exercise as you lose weight, and why it's harder to lose as you near your goal weight (the caloric deficit gets smaller). You can combat this by selecting high quality, nutrient dense foods. I struggle trying to reach the 1300 calories daily. Mind over matter...you CAN do this!!

    I'm thinking you have your terms wrong. At over 200lbs, I highly doubt your TDEE would have only been 1700. Even when sedentary, at 174lbs my TDEE is at least 1900 from drop-down websites. you are probably thinking of your BMR, which is not the same thing as your actual caloric need.

    Because even at 110lbs, I doubt your maintenance needs are 1300 calories.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Yep, sad but true fact. It will keep dropping the smaller you get. But if your not ready, that's okay too. You can raise it back up manually and see how it goes.
    I use almond milk in oatmeal, and cereal and it's actually not bad. I use the silk vanilla light one and it's decent.
  • jazzie_red
    jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
    I think I just found them. They were yummy. Thanks.

    :huh: I hope they go straight to your *kitten* :wink:
  • mjones6599
    mjones6599 Posts: 129
    When I was clear over 200 pounds, the metabolic test at the doctor's office said that my TDEE was just over 1700 calories. After reaching my goal weight, the TDEE showed 1340 calories. This came as a shock to me too. I thought because I was more active that I should be able to consume more, but the TDEE takes into account your activity level and the more mass you have, the more fuel your body needs to operate. And when you think about it, this does make sense. It took far more energy to move around the 90 extra pounds. It's the same rationale behind burning less calories when you exercise as you lose weight, and why it's harder to lose as you near your goal weight (the caloric deficit gets smaller). You can combat this by selecting high quality, nutrient dense foods. I struggle trying to reach the 1300 calories daily. Mind over matter...you CAN do this!!

    I'm thinking you have your terms wrong. At over 200lbs, I highly doubt your TDEE would have only been 1700. Even when sedentary, at 174lbs my TDEE is at least 1900 from drop-down websites. you are probably thinking of your BMR, which is not the same thing as your actual caloric need.

    Because even at 110lbs, I doubt your maintenance needs are 1300 calories.

    I didn't use a website to calculate my caloric needs. Both RMR tests were done in a doctor's office using a breathing machine. After my activity level was multiplied in, yes, that was/is my actual TDEE. Most women might find it surprising that their TDEE is very low (especially women my age), as I was indeed. And yes, my current TDEE is 1344 calories as calculated by my doctor. I usually eat less than that and I have maintained at 116 pounds for the past 10 months.
  • shai74
    shai74 Posts: 512 Member
    Oorrrrr you could eat low carb high fat. I've lost 46lbs and I'm still happily eating the same 1700 to 2000 calories a day I started with.

    But starving yourself is good too.
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    I updated my settings for the 7 lbs I have dropped and it took away 40 calories? REALLY?

    That is 280 calories a week.....

    Why did it DO that? I struggle at 1400... Will it continue to lower? I cannot eat a 1200 calorie daily intake. I struggle at 1400.....
    Well than, add a workout so you can eat back those calories. Just make sure you are using a HRM, so you can get an accurate count of what you burned, so you don't over eat. :)
  • jazzie_red
    jazzie_red Posts: 180 Member
    I had almond milk in my oatmeal this morning. It was pretty good.

    I don't know if I could drink it straight up, but it works for oatmeal.

    I did state in an ealier post, I am working on walking. Up to a mile right now. :) Not much, but must begin at the beginning.

    Hopefully I can get my bike fixed soon. Just on a budget crunch. I will figure it out.

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