When do you lower your bars?

duckykissy
duckykissy Posts: 285 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost 10 kgs so far. I still have 36 to go but I'm wondering when do you lower your total calories/ up your exercise. Recently mfp said 'Wow you've lost a lot do you want to change your nutritional goals?' and it just made me feel a bit lost.

My daily calories are anything from 12-1300 (studying at home) to 1400 (working) to 18-1900 (for huge days full of activities like mowing the lawn). I eat when I'm hungry, I don't when I'm not so there is a lot of up and down. I try to aim between 1250-1600 depending on the day, because I'm just doing slow and steady to get to my goals, and I'm currently averaging 1460. But really it just all varies so much. I'm not seeing a decrease in my progress but 10 kgs is a big difference... but is it really big enough?

For those who have lost a large amount of weight, when did you change it up? By how much?

Replies

  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    I amend my goals every time my weight changes. It only takes a second. Just go to goals and click through and it will update your calorie allowance
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    MFP will ask you if you want to update your goals, as you lose.
  • cbhubbybubble
    cbhubbybubble Posts: 465 Member
    If you are still losing with the calorie goal, you're on, then you can leave it where it is. If you find that you aren't losing, make sure you are tracking, weighing, and measuring accurately. If you are and aren't losing after a couple weeks, then lower your goal a little. I never followed the recommendations of MFP when to lower it if I was still losing at a rate that I was happy with
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Every time I hit a new low weight.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I started at 1250, so never decreased my goal. I actually have consistently increased it, first to 1400 and then to TDEE method (at 1600, maybe, but I've varied from 1550-1950). I also have increased my exercise (but ate a percentage of back calories) and my general daily activity and managed to maintain my loss rate for until I got close to the border of overweight and healthy (according to BMI). Then it started gradually decreasing and I let it, and also switched to the TDEE method (don't recall precisely when) which was more calories than my base, but similar or slightly less once I factored in exercise.

    Given where you are now and that you eat more or less depending on the day, I wouldn't bother changing so long as you are happy with how you are losing.