Eating enough or too little to lose weight????

meggggggggz
meggggggggz Posts: 3
edited November 14 in Food and Nutrition
So I'm 5"3 and now weigh 150 pounds, 66.7kg. I'm eating according to this app 1,220 a day? Is this enough? I exercise most days as well and drink lots of water. I'm just not seeing a difference. I've been losing since jan, I've lost 5 pounds which isn't enough.

Replies

  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    If you follow MFP any exercises you do you are to calculate the calories burned and eat those calories.

    The 1220 cals is if you don't do any exercise.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    It's enough. And yes, MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories as well. (Though they can be overestimated, so many people eat about 50% to 75%.)

    If you're losing slower than you expect, you may be eating more than you think. Do you weigh all your solids and measure your liquids? Every time, even packaged foods? Are you careful to choose the most accurate database entries, or create your own?

    Otherwise, sometimes weight seems to take awhile and then comes off. We can stubbornly retain water and things like that.

    As well, the lower you are in weight, the slower it tends to go. Like, you can TELL MFP you'd like to lose 2 lbs a week (sounds good, right?) but if the actual necessary deficit for that would be too low for healthy eating, MFP will just give you 1200 and tell you to eat that. Even though that won't result in 2 lbs a week. Because anything less is not good for you as a regular practice.

    If you'd like to know what to expect, tell MFP you want to maintain, and see what it tells you to eat. (You can set it back after.) That's your maintenance number.

    Maintenance - 1200 = Deficit. (assuming you eat back your exercise calories)

    Maintenance - 1200 + Exercise Calories = Deficit (assuming you don't eat back your exercise calories)

    Your deficits need to add up to 3500 over time to get about 1 lb lost. So that can help you see about how many days you can expect before you'd see 1 lb, so you're not always stepping on the scale hoping today will be the day when, mathematically, it really could not be. (Well, it could, but it'd be water.)

    You can also tell MFP you'd like to lose 0.5 lb or 1 lb a week (a realistic rate for you) and see what your target is for that.
  • Iknewyouweretrouble
    Iknewyouweretrouble Posts: 561 Member
    ^^1200 will guarentee you are eating at a deficit. for me, I have never found 1200 to be enough food. I maintain at over 2,000 and anything under that takes the weight off. so I like to eat at under 2,000 but never 1200. I get really really grumpy and hangry and it's not a maintainable lifestyle change for me.
  • meggggggggz
    meggggggggz Posts: 3
    After working out and drinking lots of water yesterday I've lost 2 pounds overnight!! I'm now 65.9kg thank god!! I feel like it is working but I can't notice anything on my body yet only the scales! Thanks for the comments guys! I understand about MFP a lot better.
  • SleeplessInSeattle
    SleeplessInSeattle Posts: 395 Member
    edited March 2015
    I think my calories burned is only taking into account my walking (cardio). How do I add my weight workout training to the calories burned?
    I have only just started with MFP recently and need a little help to understand the setting up so it give accurate burned calories etc. Monday 9th March was the first day into it. Maybe someone could go to my profile and look and tell what I'm doing wrong. ( I think this is visible on my calendar - let me know if it's not)

    Thanks a ton.
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