MFP says I should have 1200 cals per day is this correct

trish2016
trish2016 Posts: 156 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,
My current weight is 231.6lbs I want to get down to 154Lbs by April 2016 so slowly but I would love a weight loss of about 1.5-2lbs a week.
My Fitness Pal gave me 1200 calories to eat per day and I can manage food wise on that as it just means smaller portions I am a medium to big built shoulders wise so is this correct ?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    The goal is actually 1200 plus exercise calories not just 1200.

    If you put in a goal of 2lb a week weight loss that's a 1000 calorie deficit every day, MFP won't give you a goal below 1200 (+ exercise calories).
    Do you think you can sustain that for a long period? If not then change your goal to 1lb a week.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    MFP gives 1200 to just about everyone who says they want to lose 2 lbs a week. Personally, I believe that it is way too low for someone of your weight (I'm not sure of your height, but even so).

    Most people who start out with 1200 will end up weak, hungry, and frustrated and many will eventually give up because they feel that they have to starve themselves to lose weight. I'm 5'6, 139ish pounds, and I eat 1350-1400 to lose weight.

    The basic idea is that you should eat as much as you can while losing weight, not as little as you can! Slow and steady wins the race :). I would say to change your weight loss goal to between 1 and 1.5 pounds per week and go from there.

    All the best with your goals!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited January 2015
    It's based on the Activity level you selected and the rate of loss you selected along with the BMR data based on your height, weight, age, and gender.

    Also keep in mind that it is 1200 + exercise calorie burns (aka 1200 NET). So you could end up eating closer to 1400-1500 with exercise.

    I get 1200 NET if I select 2lbs per week loss and 1340 NET if I select 1lb per week loss. I currently have my diary set to 1lb per week loss and with exercise & daily activity adjustments (activity tracker) my total calorie intake is generally between 1600-2000. My average weight loss from Sept 11 to now is 1.5lbs per week.
  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
    edited January 2015
    I would start off higher. Why not eat more and still lose weight? Right now I eat about an average of 1500, but can have weeks where I average as high as 1900. I still lose weight (even at the 1900 average). I'm 5'2" and 189lbs and 27 years old.
  • lawlifehanna
    lawlifehanna Posts: 90 Member
    1.5-2lbs a week is a LOT. There are 16 months before April 2016, and 4 weeks per month, that makes 64 weeks. Considering that if you're just starting, you're probably going to lose very quickly in the beginning anyway (a few pounds of water weight), I'd personally aim for 1lb/week if I was in your situation. That way, it's easier to keep up for the 16 months, and of course after that as well.

    There are people on these forums who know more about exact calorie amounts, so I won't play the expert here.

    Do you have a special event coming up, or why is there a deadline? If there's an event that you want to lose weight for (a wedding, maybe?), I'd start taking progress photos and measurements now. Those things are more comparable than weight alone.
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    edited January 2015
    I started at about 215 pounds, at about 5'8". I've lost about 1.5 pounds a week eating about 1600 calories a day, net. And sometimes I ate back all of my exercise calories rather than half, so it was probably a higher net than that. Taking into account bad days and holidays, that probably averages out at about 1800 a day over about 2 months. I notice a big difference in how easy it is to eat at that level and how hard it is to eat just 200 calories a day less. To eat less I'd have to cut out some really yummy treats, and that's just not sustainable for me, long term. I got a taste of it when I couldn't exercise because of illness and had to try to maintain the same net calories. If I'd had to do that for longer than a week or two, I'd have given up. I'd rather lose more slowly over a year than lose fast for a few weeks and then give up.

    I can see myself eating at this level for a good few months yet. At your size, you can very definitely eat way more than 1200 a day. 1200 a day will probably leave you defeated, hungry, grumpy, and worst of all, it could eat into more of your muscle, which reduces your ability to lose weight and keep it off long term.

    Be kind to yourself. Eat more. Take your time. And in a year's time, when you're still on MFP, losing steadily and much thinner and healthier, you'll be very glad you did.

    Listen to the folks on here. MFP has given me the most useful, most sensible advice on how to lose weight that I've ever had.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    It's too low, but do it for a while so you can figure out how low it is.
  • tansunny
    tansunny Posts: 7 Member
    edited January 2015
    I don't trust MFP calorie goals. They seem to think everyone needs 1200 cals a day. I weigh much less than you do now and I eat about 1500 cals a day and I lost 3.2 lbs last week with minimal exercise (more walking, but nothing intense).
    Use this to figure your basal metabolic rate. Then use the formula below that (Harris Benedict equation) to figure your calorie needs and go from there.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    I keep my cals at 1500 but I also don't typically eat my exercise cals.
  • trish2016
    trish2016 Posts: 156 Member
    Thanks all going back in to change my goal loss to 1lb a week I am 5ft 3
  • trish2016
    trish2016 Posts: 156 Member
    Changed it to 1lb a week so it now says I can have 1620 cals per day
  • trish2016
    trish2016 Posts: 156 Member
    tansunny wrote: »
    I don't trust MFP calorie goals. They seem to think everyone needs 1200 cals a day. I weigh much less than you do now and I eat about 1500 cals a day and I lost 3.2 lbs last week with minimal exercise (more walking, but nothing intense).
    Use this to figure your basal metabolic rate. Then use the formula below that (Harris Benedict equation) to figure your calorie needs and go from there.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    I keep my cals at 1500 but I also don't typically eat my exercise cals.

    It say from that I need 2100 cals per day that I am morbidly obese but oddly my body fat is in the acceptable range that is probably because I have done alot of exercise over the years and was doing boxing all last year.
    I had a health screeening in a hospital and they said they could not believe how healthy my insides were compared to my weight but again I think its because I cook all fresh but portion size is a big problem for me.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    1620 is far more sustainable. Might I suggest you track for a few weeks, not worrying about HOW MANY calories, just getting used to tracking. See if your weight goes up or down in those few weeks. Based on those initial results, modify your calorie intake 100 cals up or down. This is what my dietitian did with me, as results are so individual. Use the MFP algorithm as a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule.
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