Calories - I am stumped

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SolidGoaled
SolidGoaled Posts: 504 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I filled out the questionnaire when signing up here, and according to that, for me to lose 2 lbs per week, I am only allowed 1330 or so calories a day. That seems soooo impossibly low for me. Is that possible? How do I distribute these caloreis? I am not whining - I am willing to do whatever it takes, but I know myself, and I feel like I am starving when I "cut back" to even 1900 calories a day. So I am stumped. :/

Stats: 38 year old female, 5' 8", 245 lbs Goal weight: 165
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Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    The good thing is when you exercise you get to eat those extra calories to fuel your body. So if you need to eat more then do some exercise. If you eat your normal 1330 and burn 400 cals from exercise you get to eat 1730, and still lose your 2 lbs/week.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
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    Switch it to 1 - 1 1/2 pounds per week if you think it is too low... dont want to feel deprived and give up!

    and best thing I do, with only 1200 calories. Is divide up my 1200 evenly across 6 meals a day. I never feel hungry since I get to eat every 2-3 hours. helps boost the metabolism and stay away from the dreaded catabolism ;D
  • leilanak
    leilanak Posts: 1
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    hmmmm....very interesting. Maybe if you find some low calorie foods that are high in fiber such as whole grains, or fruit that is high in fiber, this will help you to feel full longer? Alot of water, and making sure you're fully hydrated also helps.....try these things and see how they work for you! Best of luck! :happy:
  • ktblueyz
    ktblueyz Posts: 72
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    Yeah if I want to lose 2 pounds a week I have to have 1200 cal's a day...
  • Dakotanance
    Dakotanance Posts: 1
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    Hi,
    I would say just try that amount and see. The whole point is to lose the 2 pounds a wk you put in there. If you want more calories, then change the amount of weight you want to lose on the graph and if you exercise, you will probably lose more then what you said. Does that make sense.
  • Beegale
    Beegale Posts: 21
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    Hello

    My calorie intake for 1lb a week weight loss is 1390, and to begin with I was hungry. I've been going about 3 weeks now and things have changed, and I'm not so hungry. I also exercise to 'gain' extra calories, although I don't eat all of them back, it does give you a bit of wriggle room on your daily intake.

    Perhaps you could have a staggered start and reduce your calorie intake by a few hundered calories over a couple of weeks to try and avoid a big shock to your system?

    Good luck!

    Beegale
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
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    honestly, I don't pay too much attention to my calories, only my carbs. I stick around 150 a day. It's hard to do, but not impossible, and I don't eat much meat (no more than 4-6 ounces a day). It's not atkins, it's what a dietician recommended to me. I find that when I watch my carbs, I very rarely mess up on calories. Most of the time I'm under on carbs, and in the supposed "starvation mode" for calories, but the doc said that the starvation mode isn't a big deal if I eat often. Anyway, fiber is so important to your diet, make that a habit! You will feel full!

    Also, there are meal bars and shakes that you can use *once* a day to help maintain your calorie goal. I don't recommend a slim-fast diet for a long term adventure, but I find it really helps me keep my calories and carbs in check to replace a meal with a shake. They are decently flavored and portion controlled. Just don't try to make up your calories in your other meals!

    My daily calorie goal in 1300, and it sounds impossible, but it's easy once you commit and make it a routine.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Part of this process is a journey where you need to learn how to think differently about your food. You also need to learn more about food preparation.

    As a society, we have given up too much control over our food production to soulless corporations that could care less about whether we live or die, or, if we live, the quality of our lives.

    There are two things I can tell you with certainly: one is that you can get a pretty decent amount of food in 1400-1500 calories if you plan your meals properly. Part of it is learning what kinds of food are more nutrient-dense and using those as "building blocks" while you fill in the rest with low-calorie "bulk". (aka "salads and veggies are your friends").

    The other thing is that there is probably no need for you to be at 1330 calories--not at your weight. Too often, we automatically select the "maximum" calorie deficit because it is thought that will provide fastest results, but that's not always the best choice.

    A majority of people who chose low cal targets like 1200 eat more than that on average--they can't stick to it or they underestimate their intake. You are much better off, IMO, choosing a more realistic target -- in your case 1600-1800 would probably work--sticking to it religiously (no "cheat" days), and ramping up your exercise routine.

    I don't mean this unkindly, but it's a little early to say "I'm stumped". If it was simple and easy, we'd all be thin. Give yourself a chance to learn and grow. This is not a short-term intervention, but a permanent lifestyle change. Hang out here a while--there are lots of good ideas.
  • dgoforth
    dgoforth Posts: 7 Member
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    In my opinion, losing 2 pounds a week is way too much. It is not healthy to consistently lose that much a week and even if you manage to do so, it'll mostly be water weight. There are 3500 calories per pound, so losing two pounds a week means your over/under is 7000 calories....too much.

    MFP takes into account your info, and then the calorie defecit needed to get to 2 pounds. It is not necessarily accurate of what you need to do. I always shoot for losing .5 to 1 pound a week calorie wise and then add in all sorts of exercise during the week to help get there. Remember that 1) Dieting is great, but you're only doing half the battle without exercise and 2) With exercise, comes more calories that you can eat. And at first, with exercise, you may lose 2 or more pounds a week.

    Be patient with your weight loss. Too many people try to lose a lot, real fast and they don't see results physically because they aren't burning fat...they are only watching a number on a scale go down.

    ...again, only my opinion, not professional, but from experience. Good luck on reaching your goal!
  • reikichris
    reikichris Posts: 85
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    To lose 1.5 pounds per week, I am at 1240 calories (I recently decreased from 2 lbs per week). At first I had a hard time with a calorie count so low. After the first week, it got easier, after the first month it was no problem to keep to my calories. Now, I sometimes have a hard time eating all of my calories.

    My diary is filled with raw fruits and veggies, low-calorie dips like hummus or yogurt dips, low fat dairy and lean meats. Oh, and often a glass of wine.

    Reduce your weekly pounds lost if you need to. Just stick with it and you will do great. Good luck!
  • pkd1
    pkd1 Posts: 170 Member
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    Switch it to 1 - 1 1/2 pounds per week if you think it is too low... dont want to feel deprived and give up!

    and best thing I do, with only 1200 calories. Is divide up my 1200 evenly across 6 meals a day. I never feel hungry since I get to eat every 2-3 hours. helps boost the metabolism and stay away from the dreaded catabolism ;D


    Thats a great idea ,i never thought to divide my meals up like that, Ive been trying to have a happy medium w my calories/exercise also . Im going to give that a try
  • rockabyesarojane
    rockabyesarojane Posts: 471
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    make sure that none of you calories are sneaking in through your beverages.
    stick to water and EAT all your calories.

    stay away from processed.
    eat every few hours 200-300 calories in clean efficient foods.

    pretty soon you may feel like 1330 is too much food for you.
    just give it some time and dont freak out if you go a little over your calories as you are adjusting. remember, even if you go over you are still eating on a deficit.

    good luck!
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    Switch it to 1 - 1 1/2 pounds per week if you think it is too low... dont want to feel deprived and give up!

    and best thing I do, with only 1200 calories. Is divide up my 1200 evenly across 6 meals a day. I never feel hungry since I get to eat every 2-3 hours. helps boost the metabolism and stay away from the dreaded catabolism ;D


    Thats a great idea ,i never thought to divide my meals up like that, Ive been trying to have a happy medium w my calories/exercise also . Im going to give that a try

    This is a really good idea....I started really planning to a "T" my food for the day...but it never occurred to me to take my amount and divide it up....thanks, definately going to try this!
  • slimpower
    slimpower Posts: 5
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    Can I ask you where did you come up with 150 carbs a day? I am doing more of a lower carb diet too. Much success to you! I am just starting today....and new to fitness pal.:smile:
  • Gond
    Gond Posts: 1
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    The way I do it is to just split my total allocated calories into 3 or 4 meals per day, because it's easier to keep on-track when I know how many calories per meal I have. Also, stick close to veggies, fiber, and stay away from sugar if at all possible. Lastly, the tip someone else gave of adding exercise to increase your allowed calories per day is one I use: I just take 15 minutes going up and down the stairs and it "adds" an extra 260 calories to my daily food allowance, without me going over.
  • SolidGoaled
    SolidGoaled Posts: 504 Member
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    OP HERE:

    Wow - thanks everyone for all this great advice! I guess I am wondering if making 1300 cals per day a goal for the future, and approaching it gradually rather that cutting my caloric intake down so drastically all at once would be safer in the long term? One thing I am afraid of doing is starting out too low and burning out fast because I can't stick to it. I am also afraid of losing it fast in the beginning, then plateauing and having nowhere to go from there. :/ I also watch carbs because I am pre-diabetic, so I try to keep it around 30 carbs per meal, if possible.

    I planned a 1300 menu for today, broken down into 4 meals at 325 cals a piece. Not easy! And I don't my body to head into the dreaded "starvation mode" after such a drastic change. I definitely have a lot of reading to do... there seem to be a lot of new concepts in dieting and eating right.
  • caburk02
    caburk02 Posts: 22 Member
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    I know processed food should be avoided, but I am having luck with the Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice frozen meals. They have come out with a lot of "steamed" varieties that don't taste like cardboard and a quick glance at the ingredients proves its not all preservatives- they actually use a lot of fresh, recognizable ingredients now. If you eat a reasonable breakfast, sub a Lean Cuisine in for lunch, and eat a smaller portion than you usually would for dinner, you will probably not even reach your calorie limit.

    I am on a 1200 calorie diet and here is what I ate yesterday:

    Breakfast:
    2 pieces of white toast with peanut butter

    Snack:
    Blue Raspberry Freezer pop

    Lunch:
    Lean Cuisine Five Cheese Lasagna

    Snack:
    One large banana

    Dinner:
    Baby Spinach salad with goat cheese, dried cranberries, asian pear, and wine-marinated flank steak. I made a dressing out of one teaspoon honey, juice from half a lemon, one teaspoon of sake, and one teaspoon of olive oil.

    Dessert:
    One square of hazelnut chocolate
    One shot of Grand Marnier on the rocks

    I eat like that every day. You don't have to deny yourself, just sub in a low-calorie lunch, control your portion at dinner, and snack on lots of low-cal fresh fruits and veggies. I wish you the best of luck!
  • mathergirl
    mathergirl Posts: 16 Member
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    Do the 1200 but start by not counting any veggies, you will be surprised how many salads and carrots and celery you will eat when they don't "count" against your daily calories. Just remember to count the dressing.
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
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    I've been doing around 1200 calories and at first I was hungry a lot. Here's my breakdown

    8am: Breakfast ~200 cal
    10ish am: mid morning snack ~100 cal
    12ish: Lunch ~300 cal
    3-4pm: Afternoon snack ~100 cal
    6-7pm: Dinner ~400-500 cal

    If I have leftover calories I will use those as an evening snack. Some say that dinner should be your smallest and breakfast the largest, but I don't have a ton of time in the morning and don't care for most breakfast food so this works for me.

    As for starvation mode, I don't think you need to worry about it unless you are coming in under 1200 calories consistently. For example, I suspect a reason for the huge weigh-ins on The Biggest Loser is because they drastically cut calories.
  • Katie091
    Katie091 Posts: 1
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    My best advice to you- to make it a little (or a lot depending) easier is to avoid drinking calories.
    If you ask me, I'd rather EAT my allowed calories then DRINK them all!
    Try brewing your own green tea, taste great and is calorie, sugar, carb, sodium free! Plus tea has great antioxidants! Also, water with lemon is awesome, calorie free and a natural cleanser.

    I've learned this from experience, I'm allowed basically what you are, and trust me, I LOVE to eat! :)



    Good luck and keep at it :)

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