Does ~1600 sound reasonable for a 180lb woman trying to lose weight

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meghanduprey
meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a desk job but do a step class or body pump/try to do 10k steps/day and MFP estimates that i should eat around 1600 cals per day, does this seem reasonable? I'm 34, 5'6" and 180lbs hoping to get down to 150. other calorie calculators say 1800 or so but that seems high. I try to stay 100-200 under 1600, never above if i can help myself
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  • Chadillac8884
    Chadillac8884 Posts: 24 Member
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    Try it out for a week or two. If you don't see results, then try reducing it 100 more calories.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I'm 33, 5'6", 189 and I eat 1720+Fitbit calories a day on lightly active, so it sounds good to me
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    My only advice is to not eat less than the 1600, as you say you do.
  • Kate5283kate
    Kate5283kate Posts: 87 Member
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    I'm 187, on 1600 a day, pretty active. It has worked for me since November (and I am still losing). I find it's really important for me to get a lot of protein (I aim for 100 grams), otherwise I get hungry. I do think my gym performance would be better with more calories, but right now I am prioritizing losing weight over performance.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    why not eat less arditarose?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    why not eat less arditarose?

    Why not eat 1600 if you're losing? Food is good.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    As you get closer to goal, it's harder to lose and keep a large deficit. Better to lose while eating as much as you can now.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask

    Are you weighing all your food on a food scale? How long have you been at this?
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    malibu927 are you losing at 1700/day?
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    yes i weigh everything on a scale/with measuring cups/spoons, etc. i've been on MFP for about 6 weeks now. it's super frustrating
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    yes i weigh everything on a scale/with measuring cups/spoons, etc. i've been on MFP for about 6 weeks now. it's super frustrating

    So you use a food scale...

    Hm. What are your exercise burns and how many calories are you eating back?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited April 2015
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    I'm actually not losing :( that's why i ask

    Looking at your diary, you're probably eating more than you think. Are you using a food scale? Where are your calorie burns coming from? (you're actually eating 1200+a good portion of your exercise calories, which can be greatly overestimated)

    I've lost 60 pounds eating anywhere from 1550-2200 at 1.5 pounds a week deficit, and I just changed it to a pound a week. You should have your goal set to a pound a week and not higher.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    i'm on some anti-depressants/anxiety meds so i'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    I'm 5'4" and 133 pounds, and I can lose weight on 1600. With your stats, if you're logging right-you should be losing.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    i'm on some anti-depressants/anxiety meds so i'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.

    They can effect your appetite, but not the basic rule of calories in/calories out.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    yes i use a food scale.
    i start at 1200 for the day and so far it has added in nearly 500 from exercise (i've done step class this morning), i'll also end up walking another 2-3m before the end of the day which will probably give me another 200ish because it will bring me up to my 10k steps total for the fitbit
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    meghanduprey wrote: »
    why not eat less arditarose?

    Why not eat 1600 if you're losing? Food is good.

    Agreed..this is the longest I've ever stayed on a "diet" and it's because I'm not viewing it as a diet...I'm looking at it as trying to stay at the calorie goal set and losing it slowly. I'm not "eliminating" anything from my diet but I am conscious that if I spend all my calories for the day on a Venti Starbucks Capuccino I might be starving at day's end. If I burn up enough calories with exercise, I can (and do) eat more. Food IS good...as long as I'm maintaining my deficit.
  • meghanduprey
    meghanduprey Posts: 158 Member
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    i am measuring everything!!!!!! that's why i'm asking if this is the right amount of calories for me :( i can't seem to crack the scale number to save my life.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    meghanduprey wrote: »
    i am measuring everything!!!!!! that's why i'm asking if this is the right amount of calories for me :( i can't seem to crack the scale number to save my life.

    I believe you! Just checking one more time though...I see a lot of 1 Cup this or that (pasta, yogurt, etc), did you weigh those in grams first or use a measuring cup?

    Have you lost even 1 pound?

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