Can I really need so little forever?
KezJT
Posts: 32 Member
I'm a 5'6 (166cm), mid forties, fairly active female currently at 13stone/180lb
I have been logging diligently for three months now, averaging a fairly consistant 1200-1300 which MFP tells me should result in a 2lb per week loss.
On average I have lost 1lb per week.
Which is great....... but as I see it, my calorie needs will continue to go down as I get smaller. And they will continue to go down as I get older.... Does that mean I will be on less than 1500cals forever? it seems very small:/
I have been logging diligently for three months now, averaging a fairly consistant 1200-1300 which MFP tells me should result in a 2lb per week loss.
On average I have lost 1lb per week.
Which is great....... but as I see it, my calorie needs will continue to go down as I get smaller. And they will continue to go down as I get older.... Does that mean I will be on less than 1500cals forever? it seems very small:/
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Replies
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They won't necessarily go down as you get older as long as you stay active and retain muscle mass.
The thing is, that's a pretty steep deficit and you won't need to eat at a deficit once you hit your target weight, so those calories can then be added back in.0 -
Only if you plan on continuing to lose weight forever.
At some point, when you are at/near your goal weight, you'll need to up your calories to a maintenance level, instead of a weight loss level.0 -
I lose less than a pound - maybe half a pound, if I'm very lucky - a week and I'm set to lose 1.2 or 1.3 pounds. It's slower going for some. If I find myself comparing my loss to people who lose faster, I remind myself that I was once unable to lose at all and that there are people out there right now who cannot lose. It's good to remind myself how dang lucky I am!!
As we age, we will need fewer calories. For me, it's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it.0 -
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If you're losing a pound a week at 1200-1300 calories, you're in an approximately 500 cal/day deficit. That means you'd maintain at 1700-1800. That seems low at your height if you are active. How long have you been losing weight? How much are you trying to lose? What are your start and goal weights?0
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If you're losing a pound a week at 1200-1300 calories, you're in an approximately 500 cal/day deficit. That means you'd maintain at 1700-1800. That seems low at your height if you are active. How long have you been losing weight? How much are you trying to lose? What are your start and goal weights?
Also, what is the OP's definition of "fairly active". That will help determine long term maintenance calories.0 -
I'm 5'6 mid forties fairly active currently 168lbs and mfp has me at 1490 cals a day to lose one pound a week. I am set up as lightly active and I eat back most of my exercise cals so eating 1700-1900 a day and losing on average 1.25lbs a week. I'm figuring that once I hit goal my tdee will be over 2000 a day. Note that if I changed my goal mfp would set me at 1200 a day which would give me a daily deficit of 790 cals so short of a two lb goal. I see lots of maintainers with daily calorie goals in the 2000+ range at our age and height if they are active0
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I'm a 5'6 (166cm), mid forties, fairly active female currently at 13stone/180lb
I have been logging diligently for three months now, averaging a fairly consistant 1200-1300 which MFP tells me should result in a 2lb per week loss.
On average I have lost 1lb per week.
Which is great....... but as I see it, my calorie needs will continue to go down as I get smaller. And they will continue to go down as I get older.... Does that mean I will be on less than 1500cals forever? it seems very small:/
If 1200 calories were the amount you needed to lose 2 # / wk, your maintenance calories for your current weight would be 2200 calories.
I imagine given your height and current weight, you have less than 50 pounds to lose, so suggest setting your goal to losing 1 pound per week, which will give you a more sustainable amount of calories. When you have less than 25# to your goal weight, change this to 0.5 pounds/week.
Now, since you've averaged a 1 #/wk weight loss for three months, something is off - either you're underestimating how much you eat (are you weighing everything on a digital food scale?), or you are overestimating how many calories you burn (what percentage of your exercise calories do you eat back?)0 -
Her maintenance calories might not be 2200. MFP won't go below 1200 for its calorie recommendation. It depends on her activity level.
I am curious about that activity level and her logging, as you've suggested. Both are worth taking a look at.
OP, are you using a food scale? Verifying your data base entries? What does your activity look like? What sort of job do you have?0 -
I am not sure the numbers necessarily are accurate, all the way around. Perhaps your BMR is lower, and that's why you don't lose 2 lbs. Perhaps your logging isn't as accurate as it might be. Perhaps your exercise isn't as vigorous as you imagine.
The way I look at it is.......the numbers are a tool, and really only that. I have to go by the scale (and, heck, even my scale might be off)!
Anyway, I know that if I get to thinking about numbers.....it's too hard! But when I think about how I'm feeling, eating far less than before, I relax. I could do this deal for a long time if I could have cake once in awhile. lol0 -
Your logging is a bit of a mess (1 cup of dry cheerios 100 calories?) and you have days where you are way above goal and days when you are either starving or not logging and days with quick added calories, so not losing as much as expected, it is normal. If you are hoping for faster weight loss, be more accurate. Although 1 lb per week sounds good to me.0
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The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.0 -
Of course it can be. It almost certainly isn't. The much, much more likely explanation is that there are errors in your process.The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is? .
Almost certainly, you're eating more than you think and burning less in exercise than you think.
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I have been eating consistently an average of 1200-1300 calories daily and there is no way I am even losing a 1/2 lb. I also walk about 9 miles a week and do weights about 60 minutes total a week (3-20 minute sessions). I, like you are and starting to think that I will never be able to get too far above that basic 1200 cal range even to maintain for the rest of my life. I might have to increase my exercise too. Yes, I think that there are some of us (like you and I) out there that don't really require a lot.0
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The 10K steps you hit, are they purposeful exercise where you're walking briskly, or are you just walking around? How quickly do you cycle to work, is it a leisurely ride or do you go all out?
There's a difference right there between lightly active and moderately active. If you add in logging issues, you have a very easy explanation as to why it's 1 pound a week and not 2.0 -
To the initial question.....yes. Live with it. So what? People are born without limbs, defective hearts, etc.0
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Looked at your diary
And your logging is way off. You eat more than you think
Weigh everything. Use no cups and spoons or serving sizes, just in grams an only liquid you use the cups and spoons.
Really it will help.
Here a short video about the difference between weighing in grams or using a cup for some oats for example
Hundreds of calories off!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
btw 1lbs week is very good too
Good luck OP you can do it
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The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
That's not terribly active. That's normal life.
1200-1300 calories can be quite a bit of food if you plan well. Have you tried doing meal planning/prep in advance?0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
That's not terribly active. That's normal life.
1200-1300 calories can be quite a bit of food if you plan well. Have you tried doing meal planning/prep in advance?
Really? On the app, it says basically that fairly active is moving all day, such as a teacher. Extremely active would be sports training or lifting job. I'd say she sounds like she has accurately identified her activity level.
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I'm 5'6 mid forties fairly active currently 168lbs and mfp has me at 1490 cals a day to lose one pound a week. I am set up as lightly active and I eat back most of my exercise cals so eating 1700-1900 a day and losing on average 1.25lbs a week. I'm figuring that once I hit goal my tdee will be over 2000 a day. Note that if I changed my goal mfp would set me at 1200 a day which would give me a daily deficit of 790 cals so short of a two lb goal. I see lots of maintainers with daily calorie goals in the 2000+ range at our age and height if they are active
I'm the same height, a little heavier and even older... And this is where I lose too. At an almost identical rate. I completely aspire to being a consumer and burner of 2000+ calories for as long as humanly possible after I lose this weight. (But I do weigh pretty much everything I eat even if the MFP entry I selected looks like it was logged by a cup measurement.) I agree you might want to confirm your 1500 calories are really just 1500 calories.
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The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
If you're losing about 1 pound a week, you're eating at about 500 calorie deficit daily (average). Chances are that you're eating more than you think (it's very common), so you might want to button up your logging - weigh everything except liquids, log completely every day.
Or you could just go as you have been, since it's working (1 pound a week is just fine), and then when you get to goal weight, you'll be able to add in that 500 calories, or thereabouts. So, you'll be eating at 1700-1800 a day (or probably more, if you continue logging as you are, but that's fine). I doubt your maintenance would go much below that at your height. And, as long as you stay active as you get older, you probably won't lose that many calories for maintenance.0 -
My Cheerios say "30g portion"
1 cup could have plenty more than a portion in.
The Op is eating far more than she thinks she is.
Use a scale and weigh everything. You will be surprised
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Ah, the plight of small people.
But you also need to spend less on groceries, so there's that.0 -
MarcyKirkton wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
That's not terribly active. That's normal life.
1200-1300 calories can be quite a bit of food if you plan well. Have you tried doing meal planning/prep in advance?
Really? On the app, it says basically that fairly active is moving all day, such as a teacher. Extremely active would be sports training or lifting job. I'd say she sounds like she has accurately identified her activity level.
I have found the activity settings have not been all that accurate. I initially chose sedentary because I'm a paralegal, which keeps me sitting at my desk most of the day, but found I was losing weight too quickly. I was weighing food and using a heart rate monitor, so I was pretty sure that my logging was fairly accurate. I changed my setting to moderately active, but still lost weight too quickly, then changed it to active and that's where it's been for 2 1/2 years. I lost most of my 44 pounds set to active, and have been maintaining a 44 pound loss this way.
I think activity level is something that people need to play with.0 -
MarcyKirkton wrote: »azulvioleta6 wrote: »The question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
That's not terribly active. That's normal life.
1200-1300 calories can be quite a bit of food if you plan well. Have you tried doing meal planning/prep in advance?
Really? On the app, it says basically that fairly active is moving all day, such as a teacher. Extremely active would be sports training or lifting job. I'd say she sounds like she has accurately identified her activity level.
I have found the activity settings have not been all that accurate. I initially chose sedentary because I'm a paralegal, which keeps me sitting at my desk most of the day, but found I was losing weight too quickly. I was weighing food and using a heart rate monitor, so I was pretty sure that my logging was fairly accurate. I changed my setting to moderately active, but still lost weight too quickly, then changed it to active and that's where it's been for 2 1/2 years. I lost most of my 44 pounds set to active, and have been maintaining a 44 pound loss this way.
I think activity level is something that people need to play with.
Well, I don't doubt that. Everything has to be kind of played with in my experience. When you find the zone, bingo.....
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It also says 1 cup = 28 grams. This means pretty much 1 empty cup, with a handful of cheerios on the bottom. Cup is not really a measurement unit when it comes to solids.0 -
But you aren't eating at 1200 calories because of logging issuesThe question I was asking was really can my TDEE be so far below what the normal TDEE calculators say it is?
At my size and height I should be losing 2lb per week at 1200, but am only losing 1lb so I have to assume my maintenance cals will be substantially lower than standard calculators say. Other than taking up some serious weight training (which is not going to happen atm) is there anything I can do to change this?
My definition of "fairly active" is htting 10k steps pretty much every day, cycling the couple of miles to and from work, running a house with 4 kids in it and so rarely sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time;) I do not do any specific "exersise" regime.
So I would be quite comfortable saying that no your TDEE is not that far below what it would be estimated at just that your logging is out
A lb a week is a good rate of loss though so it's clearly working for you
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