Are my calories set too low?

Traveling_Kimw
Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
When I put my weight , activity level (desk job) and goal of 2 pounds per week it gives me 1200 calories daily which seems low. Went I went to the TDEE calculator is says my TDEE is over 1900. What should I be eating daily?

Replies

  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    What are your weight and height?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    First - MFP is not a TDEE calculator. It figures NEAT - your calorie needs BEFORE you exercise, so the calories you need for basic body function and your day to day activity (not including intentional exercise, so liek your job, walking to the car, etc).
    So right off the bat you can't compare the two.

    Second, what did you set as a goal for TDEE. TDEE - 20% is the typical recommendation which usually works out to about 1 lbs a week. You set MFP for 2lbs a week.


    If done correctly your MFP number plus your exercise should average out over the week to the same as your TDEE.
  • Traveling_Kimw
    Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    What are your weight and height?

    Weight 220 and height is 5'4
  • Traveling_Kimw
    Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    What are your weight and height?

    Weight 220 and height is 5'4
  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    kkibbles wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    What are your weight and height?

    Weight 220 and height is 5'4

    I am 110lbs and I couldn't sustain a 1200 cal diet. That's what it gave you because you chose such an aggressive goal (2lbs per week). Regardless of whether you keep that goal or adjust it (I'm sure you would still have a deficit with a higher calorie allowance), you have to know what you are actually eating. This means weighing solid foods, measuring liquids and logging EVERYTHING.

    There are some very helpful stickies at the top of the forum. They are a very good place to start.
  • tchrmom04
    tchrmom04 Posts: 84 Member
    We have fairly similar stats. I am 5 ft 4 - but have lost to 211.4 now. I put in 1 lb per week loss and my calories are around 1730 with lightly active as my activity level. And fyi - I have been losing better now the closer my calories are to the 1700 mark versus lower. :)
  • Traveling_Kimw
    Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
    tchrmom04 wrote: »
    We have fairly similar stats. I am 5 ft 4 - but have lost to 211.4 now. I put in 1 lb per week loss and my calories are around 1730 with lightly active as my activity level. And fyi - I have been losing better now the closer my calories are to the 1700 mark versus lower. :)

    Thank you. I was starving on 1200. I have upped it to 1530 by putting in a loss of 1.5 weekly. We will see how that works. Thanks a bunch!!
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Set to 1 lb/week. Much better!
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    edited December 2015
    kkibbles wrote: »
    tchrmom04 wrote: »
    We have fairly similar stats. I am 5 ft 4 - but have lost to 211.4 now. I put in 1 lb per week loss and my calories are around 1730 with lightly active as my activity level. And fyi - I have been losing better now the closer my calories are to the 1700 mark versus lower. :)

    Thank you. I was starving on 1200. I have upped it to 1530 by putting in a loss of 1.5 weekly. We will see how that works. Thanks a bunch!!

    Remember this too:
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    First - MFP is not a TDEE calculator. It figures NEAT - your calorie needs BEFORE you exercise, so the calories you need for basic body function and your day to day activity (not including intentional exercise, so liek your job, walking to the car, etc).
    So right off the bat you can't compare the two.

    Second, what did you set as a goal for TDEE. TDEE - 20% is the typical recommendation which usually works out to about 1 lbs a week. You set MFP for 2lbs a week.


    If done correctly your MFP number plus your exercise should average out over the week to the same as your TDEE.

    So if you're doing any exercise over & above having a 'desk job' you should add at least a portion of the calories you burn from exercise to that 1530 number.
  • Traveling_Kimw
    Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    What are your weight and height?[/
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    kkibbles wrote: »
    tchrmom04 wrote: »
    We have fairly similar stats. I am 5 ft 4 - but have lost to 211.4 now. I put in 1 lb per week loss and my calories are around 1730 with lightly active as my activity level. And fyi - I have been losing better now the closer my calories are to the 1700 mark versus lower. :)

    Thank you. I was starving on 1200. I have upped it to 1530 by putting in a loss of 1.5 weekly. We will see how that works. Thanks a bunch!!

    Remember this too:
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    First - MFP is not a TDEE calculator. It figures NEAT - your calorie needs BEFORE you exercise, so the calories you need for basic body function and your day to day activity (not including intentional exercise, so liek your job, walking to the car, etc).
    So right off the bat you can't compare the two.

    Second, what did you set as a goal for TDEE. TDEE - 20% is the typical recommendation which usually works out to about 1 lbs a week. You set MFP for 2lbs a week.


    If done correctly your MFP number plus your exercise should average out over the week to the same as your TDEE.

    So if you're doing any exercise over & above having a 'desk job' you should add at least a portion of the calories you burn from exercise to that 1530 number.

    Ok. I will keep that in mind. I workout around 2-3 times weekly but that will be increasing now. So hard to know exactly how to eat after leaving weight watchers after so long. However, this has been a good week and I can see myself being successful managing my weight this way. Thanks!!
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  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    There's no way I could sustain weight loss on 1200 a day. I would give up with the hunger thwt would cause! Seems you are on the right path now though.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Just to reinforce what others have said, if you are also exercsing you should adding that in as well and eating those calories back with your current approach.
  • Traveling_Kimw
    Traveling_Kimw Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you!!!
This discussion has been closed.

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