Is 1380 enough?

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gracemmedeiros
gracemmedeiros Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone!

I weight 182 lbs right now and I'm 5'2 (pretty hefty on my frame.) I've been changing my diet and starting running more often to help with the weight lost and feel healthier. I give myself Fridays to lay back and enjoy a few drinks, but otherwise I've done well over the last few weeks.

I was eating 1430 calories as recommended, but I recently updated my goals and it recommended that I eat 1380 calories. I thought that was a bit low. I do want to keep losing weight, but I don't want to be eating too little either. Should I make my target a bit higher or is this reasonable?

Also, I noticed I consistently eat too much fat (although some is good, like avocados) if I'm eating healthy should I be worried about the targeted amounts for fat?

Thanks for your feedback and happy workouts!
-Grace

Replies

  • steve228uk
    steve228uk Posts: 3
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    Personally I've found that I can rarely hit the target MFP gives me anyway, maybe give 1380 a go and see how you get on?

    If you're losing while still going over the fat target then don't worry. It sounds like you're going more for weight loss at the moment so the main thing to keep an eye on is the kcals :smiley:
  • gleesongirl
    gleesongirl Posts: 12
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    You do have to balance all aspects of your diet - carbs, protein, fat, fiber - so if you think you're eating too much fat, perhaps you are.
    - Another secret I've used is to eat more calories one day and fewer on the next; so at the end of the week you've balance out and haven't gone crazy. You could try sticking with the 1430 for a week or two doing that method. It's worked for me in the past when I've hit a plateau.

    I'm just getting back on my program after a total hip replacement and gaining weight, I appreciate the discussions it makes me think about the challenges ahead of me.

    Good luck...
  • Chaneliex5
    Chaneliex5 Posts: 17 Member
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    I did the update goal thing for awhile but noticed it kept getting lower and lower so I upped my calories to 1500 ( doesn't mean I have to hit that number daily) I wasn't even near my goal weight and it was 1300. you'll lose weight as long as you aren't eating like you were. healthy fats are good I wouldn't be concerned
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Hi Grace, I am the same height as you and nearly fainted when my weight got to 169.8. I had said, I'll never get to 140!, then 150! then, 160! but 170???? No way. I'm now down to 152 or so, with 40 pounds to go. You just have to make the decision to suck in in for a few months and suffer. Although, when eating the right foods, you really don't suffer after the first few days or so. In fact, avocados are one of my favorite foods! I eat an avocado sandwich with rye bread two or three times a week, and add them to my salads. As long as you (1) honestly log in your food and drinks, especially alcohol, and (2) honestly log in your exercise, you will see where you need to cut back or beef up. I suggest you cut back on alcohol, which has tons of calories and tends to make you not want to exercise.
  • VincitQuiSeVincit
    VincitQuiSeVincit Posts: 285 Member
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    I have mine set to 40/30/30, so with some good oils & avocados, I am usually at or a little over 30% fat, but if it is grossly over and much higher than your protein intake consistently, I would try to scale back.
    Also, I am 5'3" and 190, so we're almost the same size and I eat a minimum of 1500 calories a day, more when I workout
  • Pickles175
    Pickles175 Posts: 211 Member
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    Input your info into this calculator to find out how many cals you should be eating on a daily basis. Also remember your body needs fat so you dont want to restrict it. :smile:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
  • gracemmedeiros
    gracemmedeiros Posts: 10 Member
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    VincitQuiSeVincit wrote: »
    I have mine set to 40/30/30, so with some good oils & avocados, I am usually at or a little over 30% fat

    Mine is 50 carb, 20 protein and 30 fat. I tend to be higher on the fat, but sometimes when I check back it's not from anything major. 1 cup of lactose free milk in a shake, 1/4 of a avocado and piece of cheese seems to be enough to tip it above 30%
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    Based on your height and weight (I guessed your age) I calculated your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the calories you burn just resting all day) as just over 1600, so I think 1380 is low, unless you are very sedentary by nature (desk job, little or no exercise). I net 1385, but I weight 136 lbs right now, so my BMR is just over 1300, and when I exercise I can eat anywhere from 1600-1800 calories.
  • gracemmedeiros
    gracemmedeiros Posts: 10 Member
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    ashleycde wrote: »
    Based on your height and weight (I guessed your age) I calculated your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the calories you burn just resting all day) as just over 1600, so I think 1380 is low, unless you are very sedentary by nature (desk job, little or no exercise). I net 1385, but I weight 136 lbs right now, so my BMR is just over 1300, and when I exercise I can eat anywhere from 1600-1800 calories.

    I'm 26. I work as a teacher, so I spend a lot of the day walking around the classroom or up and down stairs. I'm using Nike+ to train for a 5km right now so I'm running 5 days a week. I just don't want my body to freakout about the restrictions.
  • Pickles175
    Pickles175 Posts: 211 Member
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    According to Scooby with those stats your BMR is 1521. You should not have a net calorie goal below that. So, yeah, 1380 is way too low!
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Try this site to calculate your daily calorie requirements, and subtract 500 - 1000 calories for a 1 - 2 lb per week loss. I think you could safely eat at a 1000 calorie deficit to average a 2 lb per week loss, while still eating a lot more calories than you are now.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    Also recalculate with every 5-10 lbs of weight lost, because your stats will change.
  • gleesongirl
    gleesongirl Posts: 12
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    Pickles175 wrote: »
    Input your info into this calculator to find out how many cals you should be eating on a daily basis. Also remember your body needs fat so you dont want to restrict it. :smile:

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

    Thank you for the information.....very interesting stuff...
  • Pickles175
    Pickles175 Posts: 211 Member
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    ashleycde wrote: »
    Try this site to calculate your daily calorie requirements, and subtract 500 - 1000 calories for a 1 - 2 lb per week loss. I think you could safely eat at a 1000 calorie deficit to average a 2 lb per week loss, while still eating a lot more calories than you are now.

    Taking a 1000 calorie deficit is way too low. You never want to eat below your bmr, that is not healthy. You want to lose fat, not water and muscle! :smile:

  • gracemmedeiros
    gracemmedeiros Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks!
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    Pickles175 wrote: »
    ashleycde wrote: »
    Try this site to calculate your daily calorie requirements, and subtract 500 - 1000 calories for a 1 - 2 lb per week loss. I think you could safely eat at a 1000 calorie deficit to average a 2 lb per week loss, while still eating a lot more calories than you are now.

    Taking a 1000 calorie deficit is way too low. You never want to eat below your bmr, that is not healthy. You want to lose fat, not water and muscle! :smile:

    Yes, but if she is working on her feet all day and running 5 days a week, her daily activity at her weight/height would put her significantly above her BMR, enough so that a 1000 calorie deficit would still put her above BMR. Right now she's at a deficit well over 1000 calories. I'm telling her she can eat more, and still be at the maximum suggest deficit.
  • VincitQuiSeVincit
    VincitQuiSeVincit Posts: 285 Member
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    gracemmedeiros wrote: »
    ashleycde wrote: »
    Based on your height and weight (I guessed your age) I calculated your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the calories you burn just resting all day) as just over 1600, so I think 1380 is low, unless you are very sedentary by nature (desk job, little or no exercise). I net 1385, but I weight 136 lbs right now, so my BMR is just over 1300, and when I exercise I can eat anywhere from 1600-1800 calories.

    I'm 26. I work as a teacher, so I spend a lot of the day walking around the classroom or up and down stairs. I'm using Nike+ to train for a 5km right now so I'm running 5 days a week. I just don't want my body to freakout about the restrictions.

    YES to 1380 being way way too low. You can do one of 2 things- I calculated my BMR as SEDENTARY because I track exercise calories and my Jawbone UP (like a Fitbit) adjusts for my walking activity (typically 6 miles a day) so I try to Net somewhere between my BMR & TDEE (calculated as sedentary as well)
    Or you can calculate as "moderately active" but then you would eat somewhere around BMR-TDEE range and not eat back workout calories

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