bumping down your calorie goal

Ali_TSO
Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Did anybody take what MFP gave them as a calorie goal and bump it down a little?... I'm wondering what the advantages/disadvantages would be?

Replies

  • savannahgro
    savannahgro Posts: 113 Member
    No. But I recalculate ever 10 pounds or so. . .
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    I wouldn't do that.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    The disadvantage would be that if you reduce your intake by too much and too fast, you run the risk of stalling out too soon. Stick with what they gave you so you'll have room to make adjustments as you lose.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    I would stick with what mfp gave me and adjust it as you lose but dont go under 1200 cals , this seems to have worked for me 68lbs so far
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
    Just don't go below 1200 net calories per day. Also as you lose recalculate again because as you lose you need less calories.
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
    Thanks.. I wondered about this. I hit 10 lbs this morning and chose not to reevaluate right now. I wondered what opinions would be for more seasoned dieters using the MFP plan.
  • Amgoding
    Amgoding Posts: 16
    I am unsure what MFP said I should target but I know to target 1200 calorlies on a non workout day and 1400-1500 on a work out day.
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
    You can adjust your goal to 1-2 lbs per week. your daily calories will adjust with it. I would follow the recommended calories. If you dont' eat enough your body goes into starvation mode storing what you take in.
  • Ali_TSO
    Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
    It told me that in order to lose 2 lbs/week, I'd need this:

    Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,880 Calories / Day
    Carbs / Day 259 g
    Fat / Day 63 g
    Protein / Day 71 g

    But I bumped it to 2.8 lbs/week, and it said this:

    Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,500 Calories / Day
    Carbs / Day 150g
    Fat / Day 33g
    Protein / Day 150g

    Is that really so awful? I've been hitting my calorie goal of 1500 for 3 weeks...
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
    From what I read on other posts, it's generally not considered a good idea to eat less than MFP suggests. If you have a LOT to lose it may be ok to choose the 1.5 or 2lb a week options but generally only if your BMI is very high (above 35-40). Once it is down to 30 you should not be aiming to lose more than 1lb a week (although you may find you do actually lose a bit more some weeks) and when you get close to your goal you may need to increase your calories so that you are aiming to lose half a pound a week otherwise you may get stuck.

    As themommie says, don't go under 1200 cals or you'll put your body into starvation mode (you may still lose weight in starvation mode but every time you eat a bit more than usual you will store it straight back as fat thus regaining what you lost and possibly more)

    Have a look at the BMR and BMI calculators to help give you a better idea of how much you should aim to lose each week and therefore how many calories you should eat, but generally MFP gets it pretty close most times.

    Remember it's not just about losing weight but about re-educating your eating habits in the long term so that once you reach your goal you can stay there. I'm sure you'll do it. Good luck :smile:

    As the saying goes, Slow and Steady wins the race. Good luck with it
  • mumma2boyz
    mumma2boyz Posts: 109 Member
    Follow the calorie guidelines provided by MFP. If you are questioning a healthy target, you should speak to your doctor. A general target as agoding mentioned is 1200 calories for a nonactive day and 1500 calories if you exercised. What's great about MFP is that it adjusts your caloric needs by your activity level. As you enter exercise, it increases your target. You do not want to starve your body. It will start holding calories and performing its biological processes more efficiently. You will also lose muscle. You want results? Do weight training in addition to cardio. Eat .75g protein per lb of body weight. Drink lots of water. Get good sleep. Eat 5-7 times per day. Watch your sugar and sodium intake. And stick with it. Sometimes your body will take weeks to recognize that it is getting what it needs. Only then will it turn into a fat burning machine. Ask agoding...she looks great!
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
    My goal on MFP was 1lb a week -- net 1400 calories daily. I stay under that slightly most days, save my calories for my wine and giggles date night on Fridays and have been having one cheat day (where I try to stay good - mostly a cheat meal).

    I've lost 10lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. Granted I know that most is the whoosh of water weight, but I think my body needs more calories to let weight go. Especially, after years of yo-yo dieting. Anyway.. when it stops working I will reassess.
  • Pseudocyber
    Pseudocyber Posts: 312 Member
    I do.

    I'm going to get flamed ... I've read a lot of posts about starvation mode, etc. I'VE TALKED TO MY DR. and had blood work done and got 2 1/4 checkups with bloodwork (diabetic) and am going back in 6mo. - I've lost 40lbs since Feb. - almost at short term goal of ~ 215 by end of June.

    Anyway, I set my calorie goal to 1000. I'm still in the "obese" BMI range, and have about 75 extra pounds - so I have fat stores to draw from. I'm doing cardio - I try to meat the protein and carb goals and stay under the fat and sodium goals. Also taking multivitamin and other dietary nutritional supplements.

    MY Dr. was very pleased with blood work - lowering Lipid panels (cholesterol) and Blood Glucose into the non-diabetic range with diet only. Said liver and kidney stats looked good - so to keep doing what I'm doing.

    Again, my choice, with Dr. Supervision. Once I get passed my short term goals, I'll "ease up" and increase calories to recommended targets.

    I would definitely recommend getting some medical advice.

    Hope this helps.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Did anybody take what MFP gave them as a calorie goal and bump it down a little?... I'm wondering what the advantages/disadvantages would be?

    I haven't as the MFP recommendations have been working very well for me.

    If you are just starting out, try doing what MFP recommends and see how that's working for you. All the numbers are estimates, so it's possible that you might need to tweak them. But most people do quite well following MFP's recommendations.
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