I find it hard to believe...

ledzeppelinfan1
ledzeppelinfan1 Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.
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Replies

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Why don't you try it and find out?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,179 Member
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.
  • ledzeppelinfan1
    ledzeppelinfan1 Posts: 38 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    Why don't you try it and find out?

    I hear ya. I'm having success regardless, it just didn't seem right although it probably is. Thanks for the response
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    I don't understand. If you are having success, then why do you find it so hard to believe?
  • ledzeppelinfan1
    ledzeppelinfan1 Posts: 38 Member
    It's complicated. Lol
  • Skillet007
    Skillet007 Posts: 55 Member
    Dang, I wish MFP would have given me that many calories, ha ha. I'm doing 1800 a day. I'm 5'10" and 261 (down from 285 when I started using this app)
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Doesn't surprise me, either. It does depend on your activity level, but I'm 5'3" and 112 pounds and I maintain on 1800 to 2300 calories per day depending on how active I am.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    ledzeppelinfan1 wrote: »
    ...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.

    what's your activity level? what do you do for a living?

  • ledzeppelinfan1
    ledzeppelinfan1 Posts: 38 Member
    I would describe myself as being moderately active. I'm a caregiver
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
    Husband is 6'3" at 257 and he wants to lose some so he put that in and it only gave him 1890 per day to lose 1.5 per week. He does have a desk job though, so maybe that's the difference.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

    If she's maintaining, she's maintaining. Seems accurate if she's living an active lifestyle.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I think that sounds about right for someone of that weight...
    I only go by my husband, he's 6ft 2" and maintains on 3000 cals a day - he's 191lbs (he has a fairly active job)
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Throw your trust in MFP. Be fair and accurate in counting and you should lose weight but hey, if you don't adjust until you do. I like this because its not a starvation platform. In fact I run so I can eat more calories.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    ledzeppelinfan1 wrote: »
    ...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.


    3,400 is maintenance for 260 pounds. Once you lose weight, the number of calories you need to maintain the weight loss will be less.
  • ledzeppelinfan1
    ledzeppelinfan1 Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. :-)
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Seems legit. I'm a 5' 8" desk jockey weighing more than 80 pounds less than you and I lose about a pound per week on 2000-2100 calories.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    As per Fox Mulder - "The Truth Is Out There......." (well, actually its right here, in the above posts!!)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,179 Member
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

    Um, I check with my scale and my progress, why would I need Calorie King?
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    If you're concerned you can set it at "lightly active". You can always add in some exercise logs if you are particularly active in a day.
  • Lorriehashope
    Lorriehashope Posts: 12 Member
    I'll trade you I only get 1200!!!!
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    Well, your BMR (basal metabolic rate) which is just what your body needs to keep itself alive if you were in a vegetative state is probably between 2100 - 2300 at 260lbs, so any activity over that just adds to the your calorie allotment.

    If you burn 1000cal per day with all of the activity you do apart from being a vegetable, then that definitely accounts for a 2400cal/day goal to lose at 2lb/week.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    ledzeppelinfan1 wrote: »
    ...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.

    Doesn't surprise me. I'm 5'4.5", 122.3 lbs (trend weight) and my maintenance ranges from 2000-2400 depending on how active I am.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

    Yeah, No! That site gives me 1100 calories for lightly active...
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,179 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

    Yeah, No! That site gives me 1100 calories for lightly active...

    I tried it too, and it gives me 300-400 less than every other calculator I've checked. Nope, nope nope!
  • heatherlewisis
    heatherlewisis Posts: 118 Member
    ledzeppelinfan1 wrote: »
    ...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.

    Hmmmm that does seem high but I'm definitely not an expert... I started out at 245 and set it to 2 lbs a week; it gave me only 1560! I'm 5'7".
  • heatherlewisis
    heatherlewisis Posts: 118 Member
    Oh but I'm a female... I missed the fact that you're a dude... Makes sense!
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm a 5'4 female at 179lbs who maintains at 2400, so it doesn't surprise me.

    Have you checked with other sources such as http://www.calorieking.com/ ?

    Yeah, No! That site gives me 1100 calories for lightly active...

    I used CalorieKing before MFP existed. It was 13 years ago and I was fresh out of high school. I lost weight, but at the end they were giving me 1000 calories per day when I was 119 pounds. I remember having some seriously hungry days.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    ledzeppelinfan1 wrote: »
    ...that a 5-8 male who weighs 260 pounds will lose 2 lbs per week on 2400 calories like MFP says is my calorie goal. That would mean that 3400 would be maintenance. Seems high.

    3400 would be maintenance for a 260 lbs male. Once you get lighter your maintenance calories will drop and so will the calories needed for weight loss. For example a 5'8", 170 lbs, moderately active male would maintain at ~2600 calories.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    Yeah, sounds about right. I'm just under 230 now, and according to the data extracted from MFP into an Excel spreadsheet, my TDEE over the past few months has averaged around 3280.

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