Calories per day
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chrissy5116
Posts: 4 Member
It was suggested that I eat 1720 calories per day to lose weight at 2 lbs per week. I usually only end up eating under 1400 though and I'm satisfied. Should I eat more anyways? I'm beginning exercising tomorrow, and I usually eat even less when I exercise daily, so I know I will have to eat more then....
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Eat more calorie dense foods if you're having trouble. Like peanut butter, avocados, full fat dairy, no "diet" foods - it will help you get in more calories without a lot more food.
And be sure you're logging accurately - scale for solids, cups for liquids, using accurate entries - often people eat a lot more than they think because of inaccurate logging.0 -
Think about it this way...
You fill your car up with gas drive it away from home until it only has 1/4 tank of gas...are you only going to put 1/4tank of gas in to get home?
No you are going to put in at least half a tank otherwise you will "run out of gas" on your way home and be stranded...
That is the way calories are for your body...gas to fuel you trip home.0 -
OP the only thing I just wanted to check are your stats that you put in. You mentioned that you put in a goal of 2 lbs/week loss and it gave you 1720 as your calorie target, that means that MFP thinks that your maintenance level is ~2700 cals - which is pretty high. What did you put in for your activity setting, since you said you are going to start exercising tomorrow? What is your height and current weight?
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Think about it this way...
You fill your car up with gas drive it away from home until it only has 1/4 tank of gas...are you only going to put 1/4tank of gas in to get home?
No you are going to put in at least half a tank otherwise you will "run out of gas" on your way home and be stranded...
That is the way calories are for your body...gas to fuel you trip home.
But us people can extend our gas tank to make it bigger.0 -
You didn't list your height or starting weight so it's hard to state if those calorie numbers are appropriate.
The only way to know if you are eating enough is to get a food scale and a set of measuring cups. Measure and weigh your portions. Next, use the "REPORTS" feature at the top of this page to see if you are meeting your body's nutrient requirements, properly fueling your workout, while still losing weight.0 -
200 sw 5ft8in. I am very active at work. On my feet walking around the whole time, busy, lifting, etc. & very active at home with 2 young children as well. I may have entered something in wrong, but if skipping the extra 300 calories won't harm my health or progress any then I won't worry about it.0
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I know I need to concentrate more on what I'm eating as well as the calories. I hate most veggies, so that's one of my main goals is to try to eat more of those.0
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chrissy5116 wrote: »200 sw 5ft8in. I am very active at work. On my feet walking around the whole time, busy, lifting, etc. & very active at home with 2 young children as well. I may have entered something in wrong, but if skipping the extra 300 calories won't harm my health or progress any then I won't worry about it.
1720 sounds a like a really aggressive deficit to me with that lifestyle. I ride a desk all day and workout maybe five hours a week, with no young kids, and I lose on more than that. At the very least be sure to log and EAT any intentional exercise calories you add to that deficit.
And the car/fuel analogy is spot on. Don't shortchange yourself. That's just pointless. The weight will come off with a consistent and healthy deficit. Best of luck!
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__drmerc__ wrote: »Think about it this way...
You fill your car up with gas drive it away from home until it only has 1/4 tank of gas...are you only going to put 1/4tank of gas in to get home?
No you are going to put in at least half a tank otherwise you will "run out of gas" on your way home and be stranded...
That is the way calories are for your body...gas to fuel you trip home.
That's what fat stores are for. A reserve tank.
OP you'll be OK
Yes for a while but if 1700 is a 2lb a week loss adding in another 300 a day (1400 a day)you are at 1300 a day...add in exercise you could be up to 1500 or even 2k a day....sure you can run on excess stores for a while but your engine will sputter and fail due to lack of proper fuel...
I know for a fact that eating 1200 and below is not a good idea and you will regret it...
OP you need to fuel your body if you are exercising esp with only 53lbs to lose you are in a massive deficit and what you will experience is weakness, lethergy, and tiredness....then if you continue down this path nails get brittle, hair gets brittle and starts to fall out and your body will eventually consume muscle mass for energy along with fat stores...
I have lost almost 60lbs never having anymore than a 400 a day deficit, I have maintained my LBM losing very little muscle along the way, eating lots of food (presently losing on 2k a day) because I do eat enough to fuel my workouts of lifting heavy weights and walking fast enough people tell me I should just be running...
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chrissy5116 wrote: »200 sw 5ft8in. I am very active at work. On my feet walking around the whole time, busy, lifting, etc. & very active at home with 2 young children as well. I may have entered something in wrong, but if skipping the extra 300 calories won't harm my health or progress any then I won't worry about it.
I started at 205 and 5ft7...I am considered lightly active due to steps at work and home (10k a day usually)
Skipping the extra 300-800 calories will do you harm...because you are at 2lbs a week weight loss when 1lb a week is a reasonable amount for 50lbs...see my post above.
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If you're getting enough protein, at least 60g a day for a female, and you don't have energy problems, you're probably fine.
If you find that you stop losing weight for 2-3 weeks, I'd go back to eating maintenance calories for a week and then cut again.0
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