The right amount of calories for my weight loss?

When you logged into MFP you set your details - age, height, weight, goal weight loss (I assume 2lbs a week)

You then set your general activity level without any of your planned exercise eg work a desk job you're sedentary

Then you gave a target for your exercise goals (this is not included in the calories you're given to begin with)

MFP gave you a calorie allowance (without hitting your exercise goals) - that's your basic calories to eat (1) - eat this without any exercise and you will hit your goal

When you log exercise, cut the MFP database / machine estimation in half for calorie burns and enter that - you can double click on the calorie part (2). Then you eat your basic calories to eat (1) plus your exercise calories (2) to hit your 2lb a week weight loss goal.

Judge it by your actual weight loss over time (say a few months) and eat more / fewer calories to make the numbers work for you

it really is that simple if you weigh and log your food choosing carefully from food entries in the database

good luck

justformyself23 wrote: »

Thank you guys so much!

Rabbitjb, I have been with MFP a while but not really explored much and just recently got back on it but I have found what you are talking about. Mine says 1,200 cal but that I'd burn 950 cal in a week doing 30 min exercise for 4 days. Does that mean I can add 950 cal a week to up my daily 1,200 to account for that since I am going to lose it? I'm sorry if this question seems silly, I'm just not sure how all this works and would like a sure fire way of finally getting all this weight off.

Nope that's exactly what it means (and there's no silly questions)

The MFP goal of 1200 calories is a NEAT model (excludes purposeful exercise) and means if you do absolutely nothing you can eat this much (1200) to lose your weight because you've told me your general activity is sedentary .. by the way 1200 is the minimum MFP will ever give

if you choose to exercise then that means you are actually burning up more calories than MFP thought you would so you get to eat them (although best to eat 50 - 75% due to MFP database overestimation of burns). Even long walks count here (which is why I have a fitbit)

remember - at the end of the day, the one who loses weight whilst getting to eat the most wins

justformyself23 wrote: »

That's great to hear! I am planning on picking up more exercise as I go along but that is just an estimate for starting back up now. Also, one more question. Since my BMR is 1,703 and several site have said to not ever go below that, is the amount of calories recommended on this website safe to start out on?

yes it's perfectly safe to eat below your BMR

I assume you're a woman - the minimum calories to get a good nutritional balance are 1200 for a woman, for a man I think 1500