Calorie Confusion. Please help!

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rramey18
rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP does not allow members to dip below 1200 calories a day, as studies show that we need more calories than that. However, before I found MFP I went on two different BMI calculators online that told me if I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week I should only consume 625. If I have to eat a minimum of 1200, how will I ever lose weight? This is all confusing to me and I don't want to eat 1200 calories a day and end up gaining weight. Any advice or info anybody can give me would be great. I'm not big. 5"6" and 135 lbs but I would like to be around 115 when all is said and done. Please help. Thanks!

Replies

  • rgauthier20420
    rgauthier20420 Posts: 52 Member
    edited February 2015
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    5'6" and 115 is WAY too skinny and eating 625 is unhealthy. You won't be giving your body enough full to function properly. Work on your self image first before making changes on the outside.

    But to answer your question.....eat 1200 calories and workout everyday to offset the extra calories you "think" you're eating and don't need.
  • berlynnwall
    berlynnwall Posts: 669 Member
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    There is no way that 625 is accurate for your size, or anyone's size for that matter. What does MFP say when you put in your info?
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
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    If you put in your correct stats and it gave you the answer of 625 calories a day then that's probably true. MFP won't say that because it really wouldn't be healthy to consume that amount, the others are just calculators.
    Eat 1,200 a day (I promise you won't gain weight!) and make up the extra 600 calories from exercise. Or, of course, make your life a little easier and just aim for a 1lb loss per week.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Two problems with your goal.

    1) 115 puts you at an underweight BMI. While BMI isn't a perfect tool, it's pretty good at determining healthy ranges for most people. 118-120 keeps you in the normal/healthy range. If it's about achieving a certain look, consider working out to get the results you want, don't just go by the number on the scale.

    2) Even with 15 pounds to lose, 2 pounds per week is an unhealthy goal. Try for more like 1/2 a pound per week.

    I don't know what calculators you're using but it sounds like they're wildly inaccurate. I ran your BMR on the Scooby's workshop site (link below) and came up with 1400. Your BMR is the minimum # of calories your body needs per day and it's not recommended to eat less than that (certain conditions withstanding).


    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • rramey18
    rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
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    Wow. Lots of body shaming on here. I only just joined and this was my first post. It was an honest question and I've never weighed over 130 in my entire life until now. I've always been about 115 so I want to get back to that because that is my normal. No need to assume I want to be unhealthy along the way. I don't - which is why I asked the question.
  • berlynnwall
    berlynnwall Posts: 669 Member
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    More like concern for your well being. Nobody is wanting you to feel ashamed, we just don't want you to starve yourself on 625 calories a day. That is too few calories, period.
  • rramey18
    rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
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    @berlynnwall‌ MFP says 1200. I just was concerned I wouldn't lose any weight that way since I've never really eaten that much and don't understand how upping my calories will help.
  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
    edited February 2015
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    You should not be attempting to lose 2 lbs per week--you only have 20 lbs to lose, you are already very light, 625 is obviously not enough calories to eat per day as you already realize.
    The numbers you quote indicate that your maintenance calorie intake is 1625. At 1200 calories, you will not gain weight, you will lose at 0.85 lbs per week on average, assuming that you are the average person.
    Obligatory caution: 115 lbs is very light, you will have a BMI of 18.6. Please consider whether the body you want could be achieved by building muscle, rather than dieting down to an arbitrary number that is only a hair above underweight.
  • joepratt503
    joepratt503 Posts: 191 Member
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    The answer really is, for whatever calorie intake you are looking for...its net calories that are important. So, as others said, you can eat 1200 and burn 600 or the alternative is to just use the product to track your calories and ignore the reporting components (the ones that say how many you are over/under, what you will lose in 5 weeks, etc.
  • berlynnwall
    berlynnwall Posts: 669 Member
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    If you ask around, a lot of people noticed that they started losing weight when they ate a little more. If you're constantly eating under what your body needs, it tends to hold on to your fat a little harder.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
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    I don't see anyone body shaming, I see a lot of people concerned for your health and well-being. Anyone who said "too skinny" followed that up with a concern for your health, not your looks. Please try not to infer that someone is shaming you simply because maybe they didn't say exactly what you were hoping to hear.

    If you want to lose 2 pounds per week, then you need to eat at a 1,000 per day calorie deficit. If you're burning 1,625 calories per day (which sounds reasonable at only 130lbs if you're not getting a lot of activity in) then, yes, a calculator will tell you to eat 625 calories per day. But, that's incredibly dangerous. I would strongly recommend changing your goal to lose maybe 0.5lbs per week (meaning you would be eating 1,375 calories per day, which is still low but much more manageable) and adding some weight lifting/strength training to your diet. If you're trying to achieve a certain look, then maintaining your muscle mass and hopefully losing just a bit of body fat will get your there in a much healthier way - and you may even like the results better, even if the scale shows that you're a little "heavier" than you'd originally wanted to be!
  • rramey18
    rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
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    Ok I'm starting to understand it a bit more. Thanks everyone for the help! I appreciate the quick response!
  • CountessKitteh
    CountessKitteh Posts: 1,505 Member
    edited February 2015
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    rramey18 wrote: »
    @berlynnwall‌ MFP says 1200. I just was concerned I wouldn't lose any weight that way since I've never really eaten that much and don't understand how upping my calories will help.

    I totally don't mean this to sound snarky, but it's probably going to anyway because Internet.

    Have you been counting calories all your life? Otherwise you can't be sure that you've "never really eaten that much." Most folks massively underestimate their intake when they just wing it. Spend a couple of weeks weighing everything and putting together actual serving sizes and it'll all make more sense.

    And like a few other folks said, eat at least the 1200 and create your deficit by exercising. 2lb per week is ambitious since you don't have THAT much to lose, so you may want to scale back to 1lb. You can still eat the 1200, but you won't have to destroy yourself at the gym to create a large enough difference between calories in and out.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Losing two pounds a week is not advisable, with someone with so little to lose.
  • rramey18
    rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks @CountessKitteh‌ I think I will change my goal to 1 lb a week.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    5'6" and 115 pounds is not too little. Im a male 5'6" and weigh 130. Once i get to my ideal BF% level of 8-9% i will weight between 125-128. 115 pounds for a woman of that height is not too little.
  • rramey18
    rramey18 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks @betuel75‌ nobody seemed to mind when I used to be that size. Not sure why it's all of a sudden unhealthy for me.
  • Amanda4change
    Amanda4change Posts: 620 Member
    edited February 2015
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    rramey18 wrote: »
    Thanks @betuel75‌ nobody seemed to mind when I used to be that size. Not sure why it's all of a sudden unhealthy for me.


    No one on here knows you, nor has seen you in real life, so while trying to give the best answers to your questions many do a quick bmi calculation. Bmi is a great tool for averages, but obviously someone who has a small build can be at the low end (or slightly under) ideal bmi and be perfectly healthy, just as someone with a large build can be on the high end (or slightly over) and be healthy. Don't take it personal that they don't know your exact circumstances or body type. They are just trying to help answer your questions.
  • mavajo
    mavajo Posts: 10 Member
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    rramey18 wrote: »
    Thanks @betuel75‌ nobody seemed to mind when I used to be that size. Not sure why it's all of a sudden unhealthy for me.

    For whatever reason, society is very comfortable accusing people of being underweight - but no one would ever call another person obese to their face.

  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited February 2015
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    BarbieAS wrote: »
    I don't see anyone body shaming, I see a lot of people concerned for your health and well-being. Anyone who said "too skinny" followed that up with a concern for your health, not your looks. Please try not to infer that someone is shaming you simply because maybe they didn't say exactly what you were hoping to hear.

    If you want to lose 2 pounds per week, then you need to eat at a 1,000 per day calorie deficit. If you're burning 1,625 calories per day (which sounds reasonable at only 130lbs if you're not getting a lot of activity in) then, yes, a calculator will tell you to eat 625 calories per day. But, that's incredibly dangerous. I would strongly recommend changing your goal to lose maybe 0.5lbs per week (meaning you would be eating 1,375 calories per day, which is still low but much more manageable) and adding some weight lifting/strength training to your diet. If you're trying to achieve a certain look, then maintaining your muscle mass and hopefully losing just a bit of body fat will get your there in a much healthier way - and you may even like the results better, even if the scale shows that you're a little "heavier" than you'd originally wanted to be!

    If you want to lose 2-lbs per week, then go for it, eat that much. You will lose 2 lbs per week, but you will feel crappy all the time, not to mention hungry (625 is about half a plate for me). Fact is, a person of your physique just cant lose that much that fast. I can, because I am a lot heavier, but I use different macros and am much more physical. So just consider that.

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