Face book calorie debate need help
suenewberry81
Posts: 241 Member
My fitness pal as put me on 1800 calories because it recommends me to lose 1lb a week because I only want to lose 20lbs
Calorie site on face book people on there some are saying no way I will not lose weigh eating 1800 calories I should eat 1200 others are saying 1800 calories are fine because I don't want to go into starvation mode?? What do you all think?
Calorie site on face book people on there some are saying no way I will not lose weigh eating 1800 calories I should eat 1200 others are saying 1800 calories are fine because I don't want to go into starvation mode?? What do you all think?
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Replies
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Ignore people who mention starvation mode, it's just nonsense, especially the way they use it.
Give 1800 a go for several weeks and adjust once you have some real results.
People think 1200 or even less is the only way to lose. Probably because they hear that's the minimum you should go and they want fastest results, not safest results
Do your own thing, everyone is different, you have to find what works for you.0 -
What are your stats? 1800 base calories does sound a bit high for a female close to goal weight wanting to lose 1 pound a week. Do you have a physically demanding job? If you don't, you might want to set your activity level to sedentary and recalculate for 0.5-1 lb a week, eating back at least some of your exercises (which might as well put your calorie intake at 1800 calories on active days).
1200 calories IS too low and unnecessary for most people. Not because of "starvation mode", which is usually used to refer to diet adaptation but is grossly misunderstood, but because it's simply not necessary to go that low and risk energy and hormonal issues, not to mention higher a higher muscle mass loss.0 -
I need this to be a life style not a quick fix, yes it would be lovely to lose it quick but I know it's not realistic and i Know I would fail only eating 1200
Thanks for replying0 -
Start at 1800. If you aren't seeing any change after a few weeks, drop down to 1700. If you don't see change there, go down to 1600. Don't starve yourself or make unhealthy intake decisions (Very few people can maintain for long on 1200, and we are small and sedentary). Look at a healthy loss as around a pound a week, and just gradually cut down until you're there.
Also, if you immediately drop down to 1200, you might feel deprived and tempted to binge.
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I would say I'm very active, I'm on my feet all day at work, and I walk my dog 2 hrs a day, I wear a fit bit and it clocks up anything from 400-800 calories a day0
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I've seen a few weight loss groups on Facebook and have to say the people in them do talk a lot of misinformed garbage. So I'd take any advice you're given there with a grain of salt.0
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suenewberry81 wrote: »I would say I'm very active, I'm on my feet all day at work, and I walk my dog 2 hrs a day, I wear a fit bit and it clocks up anything from 400-800 calories a day
If you are using a fitbit, you need to set your activity level to sedentary and eat back your fitbit calories, simply for the sake of easier "calories left" calculations. Your current setup will double count your calories because your fitbit calories will be added to your 1800 base (resulting in a 2200-2600 calorie allowance). If you don't want to do that, don't link your fitbit to MFP or don't eat these calories back.
Scratch that. Fitbit does account for activity level. Your current setup and allowance are right. Follow it and see how it goes.0 -
Try 1800 ... if you don't lose any weight within a month, drop it to 1700. Give that a month and then decide whether dropping it to 1600 might be an option.0
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Everyone is different! I highly recommend figuring up your BMR then timing that by 1.2 (sedentary...I do this to be safe) then the number you get after this is your maintenance calories if you want 1 pound loss -500 (for 3500 for the week = 1 pound) if you want 2 pounds do -1000. If you want .5 of a pound per week do -250. If you exercise keep it as a positive net loss for the week if not eat half the calories back. There is tons of youtube videos out there to watch one is called "How many calories to gain muscle" or something like that.
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I have steady done this and every 10 pounds I lose I refigure my BMR I have yet to see any problems. I set mine for 2 pounds loss then with exercise I normally see a 3-4 pound loss for the week but I also started this journey out at 339 so I can afford bigger numbers atm. Eventually it will be only 2 and then even 1 to even .5. It's in the math.
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I started off on 1200 as that's what the app set. I still have about a stone to loose I have upped mine to 1350 because I struggled to eat 1600. I agree with everything all the other comments it's best to try it a week at a time and see how you go.0
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Ugh! You have your fitbit.
Synchronize with MFP enable negative adjustments (which means your day will start with a negative adjustment which will equalize as the day progresses) .
Aim for a 500 to 750 Cal deficit, no more.
use trendweight.com automatically connected to your fitbit (also connect weightrapher.com for a second opinion if you're female and have significant TOM water weight variations, weightgrapher handles it nicer. Set both trendweight and weightgrapher to maintain to avoid useless commentary)
Re-evaluate your progress and adjust your goals based on your calories logged and your trending weight apps after a time period which includes at least one complete cycle.
In all probability based on your activity level you will be losing fine while eating 1800 Cal.
The difference between sedentary and very active is .55 x BMR. This can be over 1000 Cal. Your description is of a very active person. Too large of a deficit can be just as (or even more) sub-optimal as too small of one.0 -
1. Close Facebook.
2. Stop using Facebook for factual information.
3. Stop using MFP to set your calories, stop using calculators for anything other than a vague starting point, stop worrying about activity levels, stop logging exercise and worrying about eating exercise calories back.
3. Set a custom goal in MFP. 1800 calories if you so wish and accurately log calories over a sustained period. Basically use a TDEE method.
4. Weigh regularly and monitor trends using an app like libra.
5. Adjust calories up or down as required over a bi-weekly or monthly basis according to weight trend.
6. Don't panic.0 -
.1
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Wonderful !Ignore people who mention starvation mode, it's just nonsense, especially the way they use it.
Give 1800 a go for several weeks and adjust once you have some real results.
People think 1200 or even less is the only way to lose. Probably because they hear that's the minimum you should go and they want fastest results, not safest results
Do your own thing, everyone is different, you have to find what works for you.
And great comments overall.
Answer for yourself - is it really productive debating crash dieters?
When I found MFP, it had me eating 4500 calories per day to lose weight which seemed insane. That number trended down once I began actually losing, and after 100+ pounds gone, I still eat around 3300 calories per day to maintain.
That's much more effective and fun than some system of deprivation and perpetual yoyo dieting.0 -
This is why I deactivated my account. Facebook is neither good for my blood pressure nor for my sanity.0
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1. Close Facebook.
2. Stop using Facebook for factual information.
3. Stop using MFP to set your calories, stop using calculators for anything other than a vague starting point, stop worrying about activity levels, stop logging exercise and worrying about eating exercise calories back.
3. Set a custom goal in MFP. 1800 calories if you so wish and accurately log calories over a sustained period. Basically use a TDEE method.
4. Weigh regularly and monitor trends using an app like libra.
5. Adjust calories up or down as required over a bi-weekly or monthly basis according to weight trend.
6. Don't panic.
I crossed out the stuff that doesn't need in here.
A MFP when used to set a reasonable weekly weight loss goal will give you adequate calories to eat and not feel hungry and lose the weight.
With 20lbs to go the weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2lb not 1lb....
Custom goals are not for new people and TDEE requires tracking accurately and consistently for at least 3 week and for that you need a starting point for calories....aka MFP.
If you use a fitbit set yourself at sedentary here on MFP, set your Fitibt to lose weight and eat back you exercise calories given by your fitbit.
Easy peasy.0 -
facebook and 'friends' have to be the worst possible place to find weight loss advice.
ignore it all.
come here.
trust experienced posters and those with previous success.
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The goal MFP gave me worked for me so I would say to follow that. If you don't lose at the rate you want after a few weeks then you can start lowering your calorie goal. Starting at the absolute minimum amount of calories is not what I would reccomend.0
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I am set to sedentary and have my Fitbit send my calories burned over. I am a 5ft1, 127lbs almost 43 year old woman and Fitbit says I have eaten almost 1800 cals a day and have burned 2,300 averaged over the last 30 days. I only usually see a loss the week after TOTM but my weight loss averages out as around 1lb a week. I find my Fitbit estimated my TDEE pretty precise0
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1. Close Facebook.
2. Stop using Facebook for factual information.
3. Stop using MFP to set your calories, stop using calculators for anything other than a vague starting point, stop worrying about activity levels, stop logging exercise and worrying about eating exercise calories back.
3. Set a custom goal in MFP. 1800 calories if you so wish and accurately log calories over a sustained period. Basically use a TDEE method.
4. Weigh regularly and monitor trends using an app like libra.
5. Adjust calories up or down as required over a bi-weekly or monthly basis according to weight trend.
6. Don't panic.
I crossed out the stuff that doesn't need in here.
A MFP when used to set a reasonable weekly weight loss goal will give you adequate calories to eat and not feel hungry and lose the weight.
With 20lbs to go the weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2lb not 1lb....
Custom goals are not for new people and TDEE requires tracking accurately and consistently for at least 3 week and for that you need a starting point for calories....aka MFP.
If you use a fitbit set yourself at sedentary here on MFP, set your Fitibt to lose weight and eat back you exercise calories given by your fitbit.
Easy peasy.
+1
I do this but I try to leave a few "earned" calories uneaten on my day.0 -
1. Close Facebook.
2. Stop using Facebook for factual information.
3. Stop using MFP to set your calories, stop using calculators for anything other than a vague starting point, stop worrying about activity levels, stop logging exercise and worrying about eating exercise calories back.
3. Set a custom goal in MFP. 1800 calories if you so wish and accurately log calories over a sustained period. Basically use a TDEE method.
4. Weigh regularly and monitor trends using an app like libra.
5. Adjust calories up or down as required over a bi-weekly or monthly basis according to weight trend.
6. Don't panic.
I crossed out the stuff that doesn't need in here.
A MFP when used to set a reasonable weekly weight loss goal will give you adequate calories to eat and not feel hungry and lose the weight.
With 20lbs to go the weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2lb not 1lb....
Custom goals are not for new people and TDEE requires tracking accurately and consistently for at least 3 week and for that you need a starting point for calories....aka MFP.
If you use a fitbit set yourself at sedentary here on MFP, set your Fitibt to lose weight and eat back you exercise calories given by your fitbit.
Easy peasy.
You crossed out what I would have. Regarding fitbit, it doesn't matter what activity level she sets up. Fitbit will catch up with that giving her lower extra calories for higher activity levels, so that shouldn't be an issue.0 -
OP if you have a FitBit, what does it say your average calories burned are? Whatever that number is, if you eat 250-500 cals less than that each day, then you would lose 0.5-1lb/week.
For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and lost 30 lbs and am successfully maintaining. I ate between 1600-1900 cals while losing and am maintaining with an average calorie burn of about 2200/day from FitBit. I have myself set to active level and a net goal of ~1800 on here and still eat back the exercise adjustments from FitBit. That has been working for me for 3 years.
A lot of people cling to that 1200 cal level for some reason, I will never understand it. But for as active as you are you should definitely be able to eat considerably more and lose.
Good luck.0 -
I lost 30 pounds eating 1800 calories a day. You're fine.0
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suenewberry81 wrote: »I need this to be a life style not a quick fix, yes it would be lovely to lose it quick but I know it's not realistic and i Know I would fail only eating 1200
Thanks for replying
My daily recommendation is 2200! I don't plan to eat that whole amount, most days I'm aiming for about 1800. I haven't been at it long enough to see a result just yet, but I think it will be good. To gain this weight I was eating well over 3-3500 calories a day and not exercising. Now I'm trying at least 3 days a week of my elliptical. I feel confident I will have to lower my intake goal in a month or two but for now it's a good adjustment from where I was eating. You'll know soon if it's a good amount for you. Maintain feeling satisfied as long as possible, it's a lot harder to lose when you're tired and cranky from too few calories.0 -
I'm going to stick to my 1800 calories for April and see what happens, and like most of you are saying if it don't work l'll lower it,
Thanks for all your great advice, I think I'm just worried I'm not going to lose etc... Will keep you posted on my progress x
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