MFP changed my calorie allowance to 1200!!!

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MzSophiaJ
MzSophiaJ Posts: 28 Member
edited February 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
One day I logged in to mfp and it had dropped my calories to 1200. Now I feel constantly hungry, weak and tired even to exercise!

I'm 5ft2, breastfeeding 70% to my 1 yr old (I add an extra 300 cals for this). I weigh around 200lbs/ 14stone 5.

I aim to workout 3 to 4 days a week weights and smart cardio. I am a stay at home mom with 3 young children and average about 5 to 6k steps on my fitbit a day on non workout days.

I guess I want to know what to do. But I dont think I can continue on such less calories??

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    So change it back to whatever it was before if it was working for you.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
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    What is your goal set to? If it's 2lbs/week, then you might want to decrease it to maybe 1lb/week to give yourself more calories.
  • MsBuzzkillington
    MsBuzzkillington Posts: 171 Member
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    Change it back to what you feel more comfortable with. You don't HAVE to eat 1200 calories just because that's what MFP says you should eat.
  • Summerberry1012
    Summerberry1012 Posts: 109 Member
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    vespiquenn wrote: »
    What is your goal set to? If it's 2lbs/week, then you might want to decrease it to maybe 1lb/week to give yourself more calories.

    Also check your activity level setting, might be too low now that you're working out. You might already be doing this, but you can synch your FitBit to MFP to help keep track of your activity.
  • honeyhiker
    honeyhiker Posts: 13 Member
    edited February 2016
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    You times your ideal weight by 100 to plan your calories. 120 pounds is 1200 calories, 150 pounds 1500 calories. 1200 is too low for a breastfeeding busy Mom! I'd check with your doctor for a calorie guideline but I would think 1500-1800 would be doable.
  • helengetshealthy
    helengetshealthy Posts: 171 Member
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    1200 is the lowest MFP will go, so even if you keep losing 2lb a week and end up at your ideal weight, MFP is going to keep telling you to stay at 1200 calories, it's kind of glitchy. For example, if you log your calories for a day and you only have 1000, it will bring up a message saying you're not eating enough, which is right. If you change your settings to reflect your activities, they should increase your calories. Alternatively, don't pay as much attention to the calories in terms of numbers, pay attention to good nutrition in sensible portions. You will be fine.
  • sarahmichelef
    sarahmichelef Posts: 127 Member
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    honeyhiker wrote: »
    You times your ideal weight by 100 to plan your calories. 120 pounds is 1200 calories, 150 pounds 1500 calories. 1200 is too low for a breastfeeding busy Mom! I'd check with your doctor for a calorie guideline.

    Um, no. Just. No.

    OP, you are aiming for a calorie deficit... IIRC it's 250 calories per half-pound per week loss (but don't quote me on that, I might be misremembering). I would encourage you to link up your fitbit so you have a better idea of what you're actually burning per day and can eat accordingly.

    Do you have the breastfeeding setting ticked in MFP? Did your activity level setting change?
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    Eat more!! I'm 5'2.5" and I weigh 132 lbs and I eat more than that, and I'm still losing! I'm also nursing my 1 year old and I eat back 200 calories a day. So I have MFP set to lose a 1/2 pound per week, and it gives me 1350 calories a day. I eat 200 for breastfeeding, so 1550. Then I usually eat back about 200 exercise calories, giving me a daily total of 1750. I'm obviously losing more slowly, but I did that purposefully because I'm so short and in a healthy range that I wanted the extra calories.

    When I was 200 lbs and nursing, I was losing weight steadily eating over 2000 calories a day.
  • MzSophiaJ
    MzSophiaJ Posts: 28 Member
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    Great advice thank you. I guess I just want to make sure I keep my milk in tact but lose too without going hungry all the time?
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
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    MzSophiaJ wrote: »
    Great advice thank you. I guess I just want to make sure I keep my milk in tact but lose too without going hungry all the time?

    I ate at maintenance and let my breastfeeding be my deficit. Lost weight. Still breastfeeding my 20 month old. Obviously ymmv, but its what's worked for me.
    I'm very active so I tend to eat about 2100, and I weigh 124 lbs at 5'5 (I think that's right, I'm 56.5kgs at 165cm)
  • MzSophiaJ
    MzSophiaJ Posts: 28 Member
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    bendyourkneekatie wrote: »
    MzSophiaJ wrote: »
    Great advice thank you. I guess I just want to make sure I keep my milk in tact but lose too without going hungry all the time?

    I ate at maintenance and let my breastfeeding be my deficit. Lost weight. Still breastfeeding my 20 month old. Obviously ymmv, but its what's worked for me.
    I'm very active so I tend to eat about 2100, and I weigh 124 lbs at 5'5 (I think that's right, I'm 56.5kgs at 165cm)

    I have now upped it to 1440 calories plus 500 cals on the days he doesn't want to eat solids and 300 on the days he does eat. Does that sound right and I eat back my nursing cals and half my exercise cals?

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