Do My Calories Decrease?

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somegirl1123
somegirl1123 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all!! I'm new to MFP and I was just wondering...when I post my weight loss each week, will my daily caloric intake decrease as my weight decreases? I did weight watchers a few years ago, and as I dropped from one weight bracket to another my points would decrease. Just curious as to how this works. I am currently at a goal of 1200 calories per day (which I think is close to a minimum recommended), but wondered what happens next!

Thanks in advance for your answers and congrats and good luck to you all with your weight loss! This is my first forum post, but I have been enjoying reading all of the topics :) Love this site!!

Replies

  • ronchap
    ronchap Posts: 60
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    yes
  • nickyevans
    nickyevans Posts: 216 Member
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    No, it will not decrease below 1200 calories. It will ask you if you want to reset your calorie amount once you have lost 10lbs but as 1200 is the minimum it will not reduce you below that.
  • somegirl1123
    somegirl1123 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thank you! So do you just stay at the 1200...or have you went ahead and decreased some? The 'starvation mode' things spooks me, and I am hesitant to go much below 1200 a day.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    If you're at 1200, it won't go lower than that. In fact, you might want to play around with your settings and eat more than that amount. I've been losing faster at 1350 than I did at 1200. At 1200, I never lost more than 1 pound a week, even though I was aiming for 2. At the setting to lose 1 pound a week, I've been losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week.
  • Mary830
    Mary830 Posts: 64
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    I know that, generally speaking, as you get smaller your body will need fewer calories to maintain it's weight, so your calorie needs to lose weight would also decrease. Two things to keep in mind though

    1) I am fairly certain that MFP will not recommend a daily intake of less than 1200. I could be wrong about this, though.

    2) As you starting eating healthier and exercising more- you might want to adjust your activity level. I know that, for me personally, when I am in a good routine with exercise- I also tend to be more active all around. I find myself taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away, and just moving as much as possible. I don't count those activities in my exercise journal, but I do need to adjust my lifestyle from "sedentary" to "lightly active" That will have an affect on daily calorie needs.
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    First, you don't want to be at 1200 if you are just starting. You want to work down to that, because its the lowest setting and there is no where to go from there. 1200 is the absolutely minimum, and its unhealthy for anyone to eat less that that. Hope that helps :)
  • somegirl1123
    somegirl1123 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thank you all so much!! Yeah, MFP started me at the 1200 calories. I just adjusted my daily goals to 1325 and the others went up accordingly (fat, protein, etc.) I suppose I ought to up my exercise as well...struggling to find the time!!

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