Will I loose weight on 1850 cals a day?

vickypalfreyman471
vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi just wondered if anyone could help? I currently weight 15st and want to loose 5st in a year. MFP calculated I should have 1850cals a day but I think this is a lot for a diet? I went on NHS website and they calculated starting at 1300 and working down to 900 over the year? Any advice? Thanks!

Replies

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    I would start out on MFP's recommendations and weigh this week and next week. If you're losing weight, you're likely on the right track. Did you input your activity level accurately?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    edited January 2015
    We need more stats to say for sure. I see our profile says you're 33 and female. How tall are you?

    ETA: Are you sure your gender and activity level are correct?
  • yeags84
    yeags84 Posts: 26 Member
    There is no scenario in which you should be eating less than 1200 calories/day without supervision and direction from your doctor.

    MinnieInMaine is correct, your calorie requirement will vary dramatically based on the gender and activity level you used in your profile. I used Sedentary since I work a desk job, and then I log my additional workouts via fitbit/Digifit to reach that day's calorie target. My base calorie target for sedentary is 1400/day to lose 1.5lbs/week.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I'm not sure what you did on the NHS website, but it shouldn't give you a number less than 1200. As for whether you can lose at 1850, yes, but not very quickly.
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I would start out on MFP's recommendations and weigh this week and next week. If you're losing weight, you're likely on the right track. Did you input your activity level accurately?

    I lost 2 lb the first week so I guess it worked then but I didnt know if it was just the shock of changing to healthy food. I think I put light activity as I'm on my feet all day and have a horse I muck out and make haynets for ( no longer ride because I'm too unfit!) thanks for replying :)
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    MinnieInMaine wrote: »
    We need more stats to say for sure. I see our profile says you're 33 and female. How tall are you?

    ETA: Are you sure your gender and activity level are correct?

  • RSEC75
    RSEC75 Posts: 45 Member
    Well the 900 calories sounds to low for most people unless you are really short.

    It depends on...
    Age
    Height
    Current Weight
    Activity Level
    Male/Female

    I'm on 1500 when sedentary, more when I'm more active. My hubby is on 2000 for similar activity levels, he is closer to your weight, but men can eat more) When we exercise we estimate how much we have burned and eat that back. Both of us are loosing about 1lb a week, a little more some weeks.

    It's difficult to know without knowing your other parameters, but the NHS figures sound low to me unless you are short.
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    MinnieInMaine wrote: »
    We need more stats to say for sure. I see our profile says you're 33 and female. How tall are you?

    ETA: Are you sure your gender and activity level are correct?

    Hiya, I'm 5ft 5" and I will double check my activity levels. Thank you x
  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
    I am 5'6 female eating 1960 calories a day and I am losing
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    Thank you for your advice, I went onto the nhs weight loss page which gave me a link to a website to calculate calorie allowance in order to loose 5st in a year, alarm bells did ring in my head when it went down to 900 cals!
    I think I will see how much I have lost on Friday and maybe stick to the 1350 cals I've been eating x
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    1350 to maybe 1500 sounds reasonable to me unless you are very athletic. Honestly, if I ate 1850, I'd gain, but I'm shorter than you are.
  • RSEC75
    RSEC75 Posts: 45 Member
    edited January 2015
    This is another calculator which a lot of people use. Give it a try and see if you get similar figures to MFP. I've found MFP results have seemed about right compared to other calculators.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    RSEC75 wrote: »
    Well the 900 calories sounds to low for most people unless you are really short.

    It depends on...
    Age
    Height
    Current Weight
    Activity Level
    Male/Female

    I'm on 1500 when sedentary, more when I'm more active. My hubby is on 2000 for similar activity levels, he is closer to your weight, but men can eat more) When we exercise we estimate how much we have burned and eat that back. Both of us are loosing about 1lb a week, a little more some weeks.

    It's difficult to know without knowing your other parameters, but the NHS figures sound low to me unless you are short.

    I'm 5'5" so I'm short but not tiny. I'm really pleased for the replies as I was tempted a few times to blow the spare 300 cals on something when I wasn't even hungry! X
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    ms_smartypants wrote: »
    I am 5'6 female eating 1960 calories a day and I am losing

    That's reassuring! Congrats on your weight loss! X
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    gothchiq wrote: »
    1350 to maybe 1500 sounds reasonable to me unless you are very athletic. Honestly, if I ate 1850, I'd gain, but I'm shorter than you are.

    I did think it was quite high and I was struggling to even get close to that as healthy food seems to be filling me much more quickly! X
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    vickypalfreyman471 wrote: »
    MinnieInMaine wrote: »
    We need more stats to say for sure. I see our profile says you're 33 and female. How tall are you?

    ETA: Are you sure your gender and activity level are correct?

    Hiya, I'm 5ft 5" and I will double check my activity levels. Thank you x

    I'm 5ft5, 133lbs and lose 0.5lb on NET 1700 cals
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    5 stone in a year may be a bit of a lofty goal. The general guideline, I believe, is 1-2 pounds a week. That might be why you got the really low # from another website. 70 pounds is 2-3 per week.

    For comparison: I started at almost 180 pounds (almost 13 stone I believe?), 40 years old, 5' 5.5". For about 7 months I ate in the 1400-1600 range, then a few months at 1600-1800 before hitting maintenance. While that is a lower range than MFP suggested for you: you're starting at a higher weight AND you're younger. So those two factors mean: more calories. 1850 and lightly active seems very reasonable.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    edited January 2015
    Everyone's caloric needs are different depending on not just height and weight but also body composition (muscle vs fat etc), activity level, what kind of exercise you do...Also, how much weight you want to lose each week.

    I don't think 1850 is unreasonable at all for the majority of people, maybe with the exception of those who are already quite small or very sedentary! I'm losing close to 1lb a week on around 2400 total, but as I said, it depends on the person and multiple factors. Internet recommendations are a good guide, but not to be relied upon. MFP recommends me way lower than I need.

    My advice would be to stick to 1850 for a few weeks at least and see where it gets you. Log accurately and eat exercise calories of whatever you do that's above your activity level you gave in the beginning (ie: if you put "sedentary", log/eat all workout calories. If you put active because you workout already 3-4 times a week, don't eat those exercise calories) Re-assess a few weeks down the line when you can judge the progress you've made, and go from there :)
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    gothchiq wrote: »
    1350 to maybe 1500 sounds reasonable to me unless you are very athletic. Honestly, if I ate 1850, I'd gain, but I'm shorter than you are.

    I would too, and am shorter than the OP but am quite heavy (198).

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    One other thing,dont be upset if you weigh yourself and dont see any change in weight either. sometimes it takes awhile to register on the scale. do measurements. some people will lose inches before it shows a loss on the scale as well.even when my weight registers a few lbs more a lot of times I will measure myself(waist,hips,etc) and those numbers will be smaller than they were.good luck!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    For what its worth - I'm eating now 1800-2000 and trying to maintain. Have actually dipped a little lower than I need to. While I still have some flab, I know that strength training/muscle toning will do more to improve the appearance. And need enough calories to 'feed' the muscles... I'm now ~125.
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    edited January 2015
    RSEC75 wrote: »
    This is another calculator which a lot of people use. Give it a try and see if you get similar figures to MFP. I've found MFP results have seemed about right compared to other calculators.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Thanks for this :) , ill have I look at that . I'm finding MFP really motivating and have stuck to this calorie counting due to being able to log everything down in the app!

  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    Just want to say thank you for all of the responses! It's the first time I've asked for advice and its lovely that you've al taken the time to help :)

    I'm definitely going to measure myself now not try and force myself to eat the max amount of calories allowed.

    Also not going to beat myself up over the 5st in a year, if it takes longer then that's fine :) x
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    If it makes you feel better, I'm 5'4.5" and eat a total of 1600-2000 calories per day most of the time (sometimes lower sometimes higher). I average over 1lb per week loss. I'm 157/156 lbs right now (I weigh daily and that's about the average of my fluctuations currently).
  • vickypalfreyman471
    vickypalfreyman471 Posts: 50 Member
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    If it makes you feel better, I'm 5'4.5" and eat a total of 1600-2000 calories per day most of the time (sometimes lower sometimes higher). I average over 1lb per week loss. I'm 157/156 lbs right now (I weigh daily and that's about the average of my fluctuations currently).

    Thank you this does make me feel better! Well done on your losses! X
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I'm about 5'6" 5'7" and have been able to lose consistently (1.9 lbs/week) on 1800-2200/day. Eat as many calories as you can (without stuffing yourself) that will let you lose about 1-1.5 lbs/week.
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